Interview With Jenny L. Howe!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Jenny L. Howe, author of The Make-Up Test, which releases in September!

Would you please describe your book, The Make-Up Test, in seven words?

 I am, by nature, incredibly wordy so this is a challenge!

 Let’s see, I think I’d describe it as an “academic-rivals-to-lovers, second-chance romance with plus-size rep.” (If you count the hyphenated words as one word apiece, that’s six! lol)

Did you always want to be a writer?

 Yes, and no, I guess? When I was a kid (all the way through eighth grade), all I did was read books and write them. I spent most of middle school writing tons upon tons of what was basically fanfic of the Fear Street books by R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike’s books.

 But when I started high school, I lost that momentum. I got distracted by all the demands on my time—school, extracurriculars, friends, work—and then it was time to apply to college and start thinking about my career and I never even considered that I could write books for a living.

 I was in my second year of my Ph.D. in literature when I started writing fiction again. After drafting a whole novel for the first time in over 12 years (while also working on my dissertation, because I apparently have something against free time and rest, lol), I decided to give myself the chance to try pursuing publication. It would be another 10 years and 5 more books before I got my first book deal, but that’s a story for another time.

 Sometimes I regret all the years I didn’t write, but if I’d been writing during that time, maybe I would have taken a different path instead of grad school, and if I hadn’t gone to grad school, I definitely would not have written THE MAKE-UP TEST, so maybe this circuitous path was always meant to be mine.

Random Question! What’s your favorite word?

 Viscous. It sounds exactly as gross as what it describes.

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

 Learn to love your stories while you are drafting them. It’s the only time in the process where it’s just you and the story, without any other voices, critique, etc. I found this really helped me get through all the rejections and all the other difficult parts of publishing because by the time I got there, I believed in my story and my characters enough to keep going, even on the tough days.

 What are some books you’re looking forward to reading in 2022? And if you’ve already read some ‘22 books, would you like to mention them?

 I am going to respond with only books in my own genre (adult contemporary romance) otherwise, this list would be endless. 2022 is going to be a seriously amazing year for books in every age and genre category!!

 Some adult contemporary romances that I absolutely am feral to read are DELILAH GREEN DOESN’T CARE by Ashley Herring Blake, CHEF’S KISS by TJ Alexander, MISTAKES WERE MADE by Meryl Wilsner, SAVVY SHELDON FEELS GOOD AS HELL by Taj McCoy, BET ON IT by Jodie Slaughter, A BRUSH WITH LOVE by Mazey Eddings, WEATHER GIRL by Rachel Lynn Solomon, and LOVE IN THE TIME OF SERIAL KILLERS by Alicia Thompson.

 I’ve also read a few incredible adult contemporary romances coming out in 2022! These include IN THE EVENT OF LOVE by Courtney Kae and HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD by Ava Wilder. They’re both swoony and sweet and when I finished them I immediately wanted to start reading all over again!

Author Bio: Jenny Howe is a professor of writing and literature at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, where she teaches courses on children’s media. Her academic writing has been published in Young Adult Literature in teh Composition Classroom: Essays on Practical Applications (MacFarland Press, 2018).

Jenny enjoys writing fiction for young adult and adult audience and is currently working on her debut novel, The Make-Up Test, a romantic comedy out in 2022.

Here Are A Few Links:

Her Website

Her Twitter

Her Instagram