First Cup of Coffee – July 4, 2025

At last getting to share the news: I'll be at San Diego Comic Con! Very excited to be on programming there. Also, working on this revision still and how I'm contemplating hosting writing retreats. 

Book Tour for NEVER THE ROSES information here! https://us.macmillan.com/tours/jennifer-k-lambert-never-the-roses/

Buy LoveLitCon tickets here https://lovelit.com/ Be sure to use my author-specific code for a $10 discount! LOVE8368

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Transcript

00:01.40
Jeffe Kennedy
Good morning everyone. This is Jeffe Kennedy. Also writing is Jennifer K Lambert, and author of Epic Fantasy Romance. I'm here with my first cup of coffee.

00:15.70
Jeffe Kennedy
oh Which is delicious. Today is say it with me people, it is Friday. Woohoo. It's also a national holiday here in the US, the 4th of July, Independence Day, even as we sign ourselves on being under a fascist regime.

00:38.58
Jeffe Kennedy
ah The irony is not lost on many of us. If you're not on video, you will see that I am wearing green today. um Just because normally I would be wearing red, white, and blue to celebrate.

00:51.50
Jeffe Kennedy
But, uh, like many of us are just not really feeling, feeling that celebratory mode at the moment. Um, the big awful bill got passed and which is just a travesty and amazing, but I won't talk about that because It does not fall under just the realm of things that I can control. And I do have exciting news to tell you folks. And I feel like everything we can do to grab onto joyful things, make life, life good for the people around us.

01:29.11
Jeffe Kennedy
Um, while protecting those who are going to be increasingly vulnerable, it's going to be coming down to us. So whatever it takes to keep your strength up, right? Because, um,

01:40.47
Jeffe Kennedy
There are awful people celebrating today as if they have accomplished something. And we need to we need to keep ourselves together, right?

01:54.18
Jeffe Kennedy
So, um exciting news. I finally get to tell you this thing that I've been hinting at. um I am going to be at San Diego Comic-Con.

02:06.19
Jeffe Kennedy
Woohoo! Very excited. um I am going to be on a panel there. ah Apparently, it's the schedule hasn't been released, so I don't get to say what.

02:17.49
Jeffe Kennedy
But, ah yeah, I do get to go there, bringing me to San Diego Comic-Con and paying my flights and hotel and all of that. So that's pretty wonderful.

02:30.76
Jeffe Kennedy
So if you are... planning to go and I think you would have had to already plan to go because, uh, like tickets sell out fast and early, uh, look for me because I will, I think be doing a number of things there.

02:46.56
Jeffe Kennedy
And also if you are in the San Diego area, Southern California area, I did this last time I was there, which was amazingly enough, July of 2019 with Grace Draven. She came with me and, um,

03:01.87
Jeffe Kennedy
We had a little party dinner gathering for readers in the Hilton Garden Bar area, and it was really fun. So if you are not coming to Comic-Con itself, but would like to meet up and hang out, we could plan something. So let me know.

03:20.69
Jeffe Kennedy
Just send me. You all know how to find me. Comment, send me social media messages, whatever, and we'll see what we can do. I'm very excited about being invited back to San Diego Comic-Con.

03:34.19
Jeffe Kennedy
And yeah, it's going to be great. I will um go on book tour, get back, do fun things with my friend Kelly Robson for her birthday.

03:45.55
Jeffe Kennedy
Then I'm going to take my husband David on a short trip for his birthday down to Ruidoso, New Mexico. And then I'll be back for like two days and then go to San Diego for comic-con the weekend of the 24th to the 26th something like that.

04:10.28
Jeffe Kennedy
So busy busy that's gonna be all my July.

04:15.38
Jeffe Kennedy
One thing I do want to talk about too is that I finished reading this book, which is called Blood Beneath the Snow by Alexandra Kennington, ah which has a very pretty cover.

04:28.80
Jeffe Kennedy
It's got a little bit of the shiny foil on it with the crown with the swords crossed. Really great enemies to lovers fantasy romance, which I feel like hasn't gotten as much notice as it seems like it should have.

04:44.84
Jeffe Kennedy
It's um published by Penguin Random House by Ace. And it came out. Well, I think it came out earlier this year, like May of 2025, something like that.

04:59.04
Jeffe Kennedy
And um yeah, anyway, Alexandra is going to be with me at the event in Salt Lake City on July 9th. It's going to be authors in conversation.

05:11.61
Jeffe Kennedy
ah So i i got sent this book somewhat randomly. it came to me and an unmarked envelope, right?

05:22.29
Jeffe Kennedy
ah If you send things media mail, you're not supposed to put any correspondence in there. So that does tend to lend itself to mysterious books arriving without explanation.

05:33.48
Jeffe Kennedy
And I thought maybe it was something that ah assistant Corrine had asked me to get because she's a terribly spoiled assistant and I get her fancy books all the time.

05:44.80
Jeffe Kennedy
I get, like various publicists to send them to me early and so forth. It's one of her perks of putting up with me. Uh, so I sent her a photo of this book and I said, well, is this a book you wanted?

05:59.17
Jeffe Kennedy
Why do I have this book? And she was the one who said, well, she is doing the event with you in Salt Lake City at poppy's books. It's actually in Spanish fork. In the evening, i think it starts at 7. So if you're in that area, come on out. We would love to see you.

06:15.23
Jeffe Kennedy
And check out Alexandra's book. You all know I'm a pretty picky reader, and I read this all the way through. i really liked it. ah there's It's well written. There's a lot of great elements to it.

06:28.03
Jeffe Kennedy
So I believe she's working on book two. I'm not sure when it's scheduled to come out. I will find out when we are in conversation in Salt Lake City.

06:39.31
Jeffe Kennedy
So I wanted to tell you all about that. Um, and I've already talked about book tour. You should be able to find it. Uh, but you know, quick rundown after salt Lake city, I will be in Austin, Texas at book people, um, with the redoubtable Grace Draven. She's going to be there to be in conversation, uh, in Austin.

07:05.92
Jeffe Kennedy
And then on Friday evening, I will fly to Columbus, Ohio, and I will be at the Columbus Book Festival on Saturday and Sunday. And then I will be in New York City.

07:19.59
Jeffe Kennedy
on Tuesday night for a special event for Sarah Beth Durst's release of her second book, The Enchanted Greenhouse. And that's going to be at the Union Square of Barnes & Noble in New York City. And I already know a couple of you who are able to get to the city, which is what I know that cool people on the East Coast call it.

07:40.87
Jeffe Kennedy
If you they are coming to the city for the event, which should be super fun.

07:50.40
Jeffe Kennedy
So, um other than that, uh, I've been working this week. I'm going to be working today. We're going to do some fun, like staying at home closest fourth of July things tonight, but Kelly Robson landed on Wednesday evening and yesterday we got a lot of writing done. I'm still,

08:16.42
Jeffe Kennedy
working on this revision for the rest of my life. but Um, I've got 65 pages to go. I'm on page three 58 of four 23.

08:30.10
Jeffe Kennedy
ah actually yeah I'm not, I'm on page three 60 of four 24. So, Oh, I probably didn't get it saved last night. I was working over in the casita with Kelly.

08:41.52
Jeffe Kennedy
We were on the casita portal and then we, um, rain came in a lovely rain came in and I was not, I didn't have my cord. So, ah I kept pushing it pushing it and then my computer shut itself down. It was like, no you don't have enough power.

08:58.40
Jeffe Kennedy
Uh, that was exactly how the error code sounded. So yeah. Uh, so page three 60 of 424, I now at chapter I to insert.

09:09.51
Jeffe Kennedy
i am now at a chapter i have to insert And yeah, so still 64 pages to go. And I'm going to have to make another pass. There's just nothing to be done about it.

09:23.46
Jeffe Kennedy
I'm going to make that. I just, it's just going to from like chapter 15 on. And I am right now on chapter 28. So it won't be terrible, but I'm just worried that there's going to be some continuity issues, things that need smoothing.

09:44.05
Jeffe Kennedy
So we'll see how much I get done today and tomorrow. its the thing is, is we set up all sorts of fun things to do. Tomorrow i i get my hair done. i I want to go to yoga class. I'm going to get my hair done.

10:00.76
Jeffe Kennedy
And then we are going to go see La Boheme at Santa Fe Opera on Saturday night. Sunday will be a good, I need to do laundry before I go on book tour. but it'll be a good at home day and Monday we're like doing stuff like going to 10,000 waves for spa treatments.

10:18.85
Jeffe Kennedy
Tuesday is going to be party organization and planning, but the upshot is, is I'm probably to be working on this while on book tour, which is not terrible. ah I think it'll be fine.

10:30.90
Jeffe Kennedy
ah Especially if all I'm doing is this final smoothing pass. So, um, Yeah. Never before, for those of you interested in process, have I had a book where I've had to move chapters around like this.

10:47.32
Jeffe Kennedy
And so that's kind of what I've been doing is with this revision, you know, it's funny how it works because if you change something in the beginning, these small changes feel fairly easy. And I know that I was kind of bragging on it. I was like, Oh, that's the bones already there. All had to do was lift out these details.

11:06.73
Jeffe Kennedy
But by the time you get to the end, you know, it's like the there's probably a name for this model. But, you know, like if you have two lines that are two points, let's see. Sorry.

11:19.03
Jeffe Kennedy
Started a single point and then you move them out just a little bit, a little bit. So at the beginning, your lines are very nearly parallel and they're very close together.

11:30.09
Jeffe Kennedy
But the farther the more they diverge. So by the time I get to the ending of this book, it's like, I'm here and I'm here for what it is and what it needs to be.

11:43.96
Jeffe Kennedy
So, so yeah, if I can complete through to the ending before I leave, that will help. And it just is what it is.

11:54.89
Jeffe Kennedy
um There's a lot going on here. My mom's not feeling well. I hope you feel better mom. But I'm concerned have to go there. We'll see how we just it is what it is, right? You just handle things as they come up.

12:13.02
Jeffe Kennedy
um So that's what I'm doing. One minute at a time, right? Not help to help with one day at a time. Let's do one hour, one minute at a time.

12:25.25
Jeffe Kennedy
So anyway, we're going to hang out and do writing today. ah Kelly has pronounced the casita incredibly comfortable. She's sleeping like a rock, and which makes me very happy.

12:38.31
Jeffe Kennedy
And she's yesterday got 1,700 words done on the novel she's working on. So I think that that's super exciting. Um, I wanted it to be a place not only for my mom to come be when she visits and eventually live, but also a place where people can come right.

13:00.47
Jeffe Kennedy
So as the casita is available, I'm going to start doing writing retreats. I have to figure out how to set this up. Uh, I will probably talk to my friend, Mary Robinette Kowal.

13:14.14
Jeffe Kennedy
on oh business logistics for this kind of thing. So, you know, like what to charge and what I should provide and how to set up a calendar. But for those of you who are interested in that kind of thing, um pencil that in, let me know what would work for you. And, you know, I might do things like where I offer anywhere from like one week or two weeks to a month.

13:41.69
Jeffe Kennedy
I might see if I can get some of my wealthier friends to sponsor residencies. That would be cool. Wouldn't it? ah Yeah.

13:52.90
Jeffe Kennedy
So, so we'll see.

13:56.54
Jeffe Kennedy
We'll see what happens there. And what else do I have to tell you? Those were my big things. kind of considered not doing a podcast today because I'm not sure who's going to be online.

14:11.14
Jeffe Kennedy
But I did have these things in particular that I wanted to tell you and share my exciting news. So I think I'm just going to call it a short podcast today.

14:23.15
Jeffe Kennedy
And yeah. And the next time I talk to you, it's going be Tuesday. It's going to release day, which is I can't believe it's here. Cannot believe it's here.

14:34.45
Jeffe Kennedy
ah Oh, and I don't have it in here. I would show you one other thing, but I'll try and share it with you later. So, yeah, I hope that if you're in the U.S. that you were able to find ways to enjoy ah the holiday today. you know, at least people have the day off.

14:54.14
Jeffe Kennedy
And, you know, we are still free. We are not yet free. ah yeah It's not as bad as we project things could get. So it's probably good to celebrate what we have right now.

15:10.42
Jeffe Kennedy
Enjoy the moment. I know that that's kind of difficult, but but that's what we do, right? um Live in the moment. Treasure the the good things. Make good things good for other people.

15:23.82
Jeffe Kennedy
so ah So, yeah. I hope you all have as good of a holiday and weekend as it can be. And I will talk to you all on Tuesday.

15:34.37
Jeffe Kennedy
You all take care. Okay. Bye-bye.