First Cup of Coffee – August 12, 2025

I'm going to WorldCon this week and will have copies of Never the Roses with me! Also: baby authors, midlist authors, writing full-time, ups and downs of the industry, and trying to coattail success. 

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Transcript

00:01.72
Jeffe Kennedy
Good morning, everyone. This is Jeffe Kennedy, also writing as Jennifer K. Lambert, author of Epic Fantasy Romance. I'm here with my first cup of coffee.

00:14.39
Jeffe Kennedy
Ah, which is epically delicious. Today is Tuesday, August 12th. And um yeah, halfway through August almost.

00:28.00
Jeffe Kennedy
I'm not personally attacking anyone on that. um I'm traveling this week, ah heading out this afternoon and being my last travel for a little while that we know of.

00:42.05
Jeffe Kennedy
um Well, at least my last con travel for a while. In September, i have to go to Tucson and deal with some financial stuff for my mom.

00:55.35
Jeffe Kennedy
And in October, I am taking my mom to her high school reunion. St. Mary's Academy. I love how like after 60 years, they just called them golden alums. They no longer put a number on it.

01:10.90
Jeffe Kennedy
So yeah, St. Mary's Catholic Girls School in Denver, Colorado. We're going to go for her reunion, which should be really fun. And we're going to stay at the Brown Palace Hotel, which I thought would be, it was surprisingly affordable compared to other hotels. There's none like right near the school or the most of the events.

01:32.56
Jeffe Kennedy
And, um, it's like a Marriott bonvoy property now, which is interesting because apparently these tentacles are taking over everything. But yeah, I thought that would be really cool. day um For those of you who, I mean, probably 99% of you listening to this ah are not familiar with Denver or the Brown Palace Hotel, but it's a very old hotel.

01:57.16
Jeffe Kennedy
It's been in Denver since the gold rush. There's like old photos of the lobby hotel. They would actually bring cattle in there for like the stock show for the cattle drive.

02:12.85
Jeffe Kennedy
why they thought that was a good idea. I don't know. Cause it's, it's a beautiful hotel. I mean, it's like marble and gilded and old wood. And, uh, and we used to go to a ship's tavern at at the Brown, which is, um, just a, a great, great tavern and restaurant.

02:34.36
Jeffe Kennedy
And it was a fixture for much of my childhood. It's, like I said, a downtown hotel, but like if we would go down to see the lights um at Larimer Square and so forth, we would always go have drinks and dinner at Ship's Tavern.

02:51.62
Jeffe Kennedy
And my stepfather would complain bitterly about the cost.

02:58.36
Jeffe Kennedy
As he often did complain bitterly about the costs of everything. had that Irish Catholic in him. That was unfortunate. ah But anyway, i thought that that would be really fun. And when I mentioned it to her, she said, oh, I used to just love the bar there. And was like, yes, yes, we love Ship's Tavern.

03:19.70
Jeffe Kennedy
ah One of my mom's best friends, her daughter got married at the Brown. I remember that wedding. um Yeah, so it was funny because I was seated at a table with Phyllis Coors and my ah my husband was kind of abused by that.

03:38.03
Jeffe Kennedy
It was like, well, you know, circles, social circles. Anyway, my family was, was not wealthy, but you know, like, yeah.

03:48.90
Jeffe Kennedy
Anyway, it should be really fun. I'm looking forward to that. This week is Worldcon. Uh, and I am not on programming i only decided to uh register i am registered i i for a moment considered bar conning uh for those of you who don't know bar conning is when you go to a convention and you hang out for the social stuff like at the hotel bar and socialize with the people who've gathered there for the con but you don't actually register for the con

04:24.89
Jeffe Kennedy
And it's, it's really kind of a shitty practice. It's, you know, people do it so they can save money, obviously not pay the registration fee, but also, you know, like their justification is like, well, they're not going to go to the events, right? They're just there for the the networking and stuff. But the thing is, is it really undermines the cons finances because if, um,

04:50.04
Jeffe Kennedy
if nobody registered for the con, it wouldn't happen. Right? So it's like all these other people are underwriting your networking opportunity. Surprising number of agents and editors do this.

05:05.57
Jeffe Kennedy
Don't pay the registration fee because they're like, eh, why should I'm just there to meet with my clients and other people in networking. And it's like, yeah, but you're, you know, you're, you're kind of there. hanging out at the party that everybody else paid for.

05:21.37
Jeffe Kennedy
So I I did register even though I probably won't go too much programming.

05:30.22
Jeffe Kennedy
If you are going to worldcon I will have book plates with me. I think I will have a few books with me. Maybe I'll do like a a pop up something. I don't know if there's going to be demand for it or not.

05:43.90
Jeffe Kennedy
But I've got a whole bunch of these beautiful UK copies. And I don't know. I might just take a few of those. So if you're going to be at Worldcon. And you want...

05:56.69
Jeffe Kennedy
a UK or US hardbound copy for free of Never the roses. I will have some with me. So tag me, tag me on social media.

06:08.07
Jeffe Kennedy
You all know how to find me comment on these podcasts everywhere. So just, um, yeah, hit me up and, and we can try to hook up.

06:18.91
Jeffe Kennedy
um Otherwise, I'm just socializing. i am and i'm doing a lot of socializing. I have a completely booked Friday. I'm having a breakfast and then ah ah a lot of stuff is for SFWA, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association.

06:38.97
Jeffe Kennedy
So a breakfast and then a past president's brunch. And then I'm having lunch with my editor, Ali Fisher, and also with Devi Pillai. So that's gonna be really fun. And that night is the Tor party.

06:55.17
Jeffe Kennedy
And then on Saturday morning, I have a breakfast with the new civil executive director to discuss some things on Wednesday and Thursday. I'm a lot more at my leisure. I don't have things booked up so much.

07:14.39
Jeffe Kennedy
So I'll probably just be hanging out and enjoying Seattle. I haven't been to Seattle for a while. I should probably look at the forecast. I'm going to pack this afternoon.

07:27.37
Jeffe Kennedy
So anyway, with my booked up Friday, i may or may not do a Friday podcast. We'll see. Um, I want to say that we know me, long time listeners will know that I, when I'm traveling, I just don't end up doing it.

07:43.68
Jeffe Kennedy
But, uh,

07:47.83
Jeffe Kennedy
I did do it once right from San Diego comic-con. So, you know, who knows it could happen and maybe I'll grab someone to be on it with me.

07:58.30
Jeffe Kennedy
I just don't do that much anymore. Do

08:03.30
Jeffe Kennedy
we shall see. We shall see. i otherwise I did start, uh, magic reborn. I've been writing on that in a desultory way.

08:16.51
Jeffe Kennedy
Uh, last week was kind of craziness and this week, like yesterday, I just didn't even try to write. Uh, and long time listeners also will know that this is very unusual for me. Uh, but I did sort of rejigger my numbers and I figured that if I start next week, uh, I should be in better shape. And even with doing like the family travel, I should be able to kind of,

08:45.86
Jeffe Kennedy
really need to get my head into it. And last week was just not conducive to that effort. Um, this week is not with con travel.

08:57.41
Jeffe Kennedy
So, um, but yeah, I've written, i don't know, uh, a couple thousand words on magic reborn.

09:09.31
Jeffe Kennedy
And if you're on video well actually you can't see him. He's just out of range but we have a Killian visitation now.

09:19.67
Jeffe Kennedy
Yes. You want say hi.

09:25.45
Jeffe Kennedy
Um, still been riding high on Katherine Heigl doing a tick tock on my book. ah I've been getting such nice messages from people saying Katherine made them get my book.

09:39.66
Jeffe Kennedy
One gal messaged me and said that she saw three women at the pool reading Never the Roses. So that was super cool, huh? I plan to do some pool time with a friend in Seattle, hopefully. That's why I think I should probably check that weather forecast.

10:00.41
Jeffe Kennedy
And she said that if she sees anyone reading my book, that she's going to go over and ask them if they want to meet the author. It's like, Hmm, this is something we talk about sometimes. It's like, if you see someone in public reading your book, do you introduce yourself? Do you say something?

10:15.88
Jeffe Kennedy
It's kind of intrusive. I have a friend who said, did you package up all of your other books and send them to Katherine Heigl to read? And I said, no. And I mean, she was pushing me. She was like, oh, I think you should do that. You know, because she loved Never the Roses. You should send her your other books. Send her at least Dark Wizard and all these others. And I'm like, I'm not going to do that.

10:41.02
Jeffe Kennedy
And she's why not? I said, well, it's obnoxious. And she said, is it You know, but, you know, she loves some books. She might love others. And I'm like, no, ah just I think it's obnoxious.

10:53.18
Jeffe Kennedy
but I do know authors who do this kind of thing. Um, not exactly that trajectory, but I remember when my friend, uh, Darynda Jones got her first book came out and was such a huge seller and she got attention from all these other big name authors that kind of glommed onto her and weird and interesting ways.

11:21.90
Jeffe Kennedy
And they,

11:24.67
Jeffe Kennedy
they like sent her their books and one, um I wonder if all of that came through. it kind of glitched there and it the sound bar looks weird. So I'm just going to repeat just in case.

11:39.87
Jeffe Kennedy
um When Dorinda's first book came out or first couple of books and where she was doing so well, ah these big name authors that were like,

11:51.48
Jeffe Kennedy
in the genre just glommed onto her and like sent her you know said oh i loved your book and here's a copy of my book and some of those relationships ended up being kind of toxic and maybe that influences how i feel like one one gal like tried to move in with her i'm kid you not she like came to visit and was in the guest room and wouldn't that then didn't leave.

12:26.41
Jeffe Kennedy
People are weird. Oh sorry I have cat here in my coffee. How did that happen? He just gave me the innocent face. He says he doesn't know

12:38.89
Jeffe Kennedy
Says it's good for you. Actually, I have a coffee cup that my mom gave me that says everything tastes better with cat hair in it. So it's fair. Legit. Um, yeah, so I don't know, like there's this weird.

12:55.69
Jeffe Kennedy
A couple of these are authors of them thinking of who did this and I don't want to name names were on the downhill slide. They were kind of the, I don't want to say there has been because the writing business is very up and down.

13:10.50
Jeffe Kennedy
Oh, there's Killian in the corner of the screen. He's settling in. We'll get turn a little bit to give him where you could see his foofy ear. Uh, because the business is very up and down.

13:26.07
Jeffe Kennedy
It's,

13:28.63
Jeffe Kennedy
nobody is ever at the very top forever. There's, and even if it seems to other people like you are on the inside, people know that, um you know, you're getting rejected. Your publisher passes on an option book.

13:43.27
Jeffe Kennedy
um You know, somebody gets something that someone else doesn't have. We were having this conversation in one of my author chats the other day this is just blinking a whole lot I wonder if it's my internet.

13:59.95
Jeffe Kennedy
Well sorry if it's choppy.

14:06.84
Jeffe Kennedy
Yeah I would like switch I think it's the best it can be. Oh, well, it is what it is. Low production value here at first cup of coffee. So you can just imagine that we have been interrupted by the server and the loud people, the next table over and a little bit of road construction as we sit at our nice outdoor cafe.

14:32.68
Jeffe Kennedy
So, um oh yeah, we were talking in my author chat. about ah advice for baby authors that they have like weekly discussions and they had tagged me on this deliberately asking people who've been around for a while.

14:48.44
Jeffe Kennedy
And it's like, not only am I an adult author, I kind of feel like a granny author at this point.

14:56.10
Jeffe Kennedy
It I think some of you are tuning in because of Never the Roses. And because I got ah like a whole lot more views and listens to the last podcast.

15:08.35
Jeffe Kennedy
So just so you know, if you are new to first cup of coffee and our very low production values here. Uh, also write as Jeffe Kennedy, as I said at the intro and, um, never the roses was actually my 68th published title.

15:24.89
Jeffe Kennedy
So this is, um, you know, like the overnight success of someone who's been writing for 30 years. Um, it's so funny how that works. Uh, same thing happened to George RR Martin. He had been writing for,

15:39.83
Jeffe Kennedy
like 20 or 30 years when game of thrones hit song of ice and fire. Uh, it happens. It happens a lot. So, uh, and I keep digressing, which is also on brand for this podcast, but we were talking about advice for baby authors and one of the pieces of advice that someone else gave that I thought was really good. And I co-signed to to Emulate or look up to or learn from the midlist authors in the industry because if you are emulating or trying to reverse engineer the success of someone who is hugely successful who's like up in the the magical fairy dust realm.

16:29.45
Jeffe Kennedy
ah Those people have it's a different thing if they're phenom. You don't know why it happens. It just does. ah Especially like very early in their career.

16:42.78
Jeffe Kennedy
So, you know, if you think, oh, I want to be. well, J.K. Rowling is awful, but career-wise, or Sarah J. Mass, or somebody else who's like a newer flash-in-the-pan person. And that's the thing, is a lot of those people are flash-in-the-pan, right? I remember, you know, 10 years ago, people who had very big hits with their first book and, you know like seemed like they were on that upward trajectory. But, you know, the thing is, is they go up, up, up, up.

17:14.74
Jeffe Kennedy
And they hit and then they go, well, then they sputter and you have to be ready to catch the dip and reinvent. And that's what midlist authors do.

17:26.54
Jeffe Kennedy
The midlist authors have had highs and they've had lows and they forged it into a career that is a workhorse bread and butter career as an author.

17:38.88
Jeffe Kennedy
And, It's, um, it's not easy to do. So, uh, my friend, Christine Nascosta, CM Nascosta told me that Becca Syme said, I'm trying to give credit where it's due, that most authors who go full time, uh, writing.

18:00.47
Jeffe Kennedy
who do not have a spouse to support them or another source of income, end up going back to a day job within five years.

18:11.58
Jeffe Kennedy
And I totally believe that. And I think a lot of them stop writing after five years. I don't know if anyone has numbers on that. Oops, sorry.

18:22.26
Jeffe Kennedy
Don't kill him. He's over here checking out my coffee now. going to say hi. No, he's not gonna look at the camera. He's camera shy today. Uh, so you know, it's it's I guess what got me going on this was this story about the uh, you know, the sort of i don't want to say has been I want you know, like the writers who are no longer at that peak and they were looking at someone who was rising and coming up to their peak and kind of grabbing a hold.

18:56.19
Jeffe Kennedy
And it's unsavory. And I realize that this is not at all the same thing as me sending my books to Katherine Heigl. But I also think that there's, you know, you just, I don't send my books to people unrequested.

19:11.16
Jeffe Kennedy
Maybe that's it. Maybe that's my line in the sand and it took me 20 minutes to ah forge my way there. But that's what it is. Yeah. ah I'm not going to foist my books upon someone.

19:25.96
Jeffe Kennedy
So that said, heading out to travel this afternoon. I'll be in Seattle. Hit me up if you want a book, ah particularly if you hear this today.

19:37.13
Jeffe Kennedy
um and I can pack one special for you. That goes for my Jeffe Kennedy books, too. As can you shall receive, um thou shalt not be foisted upon.

19:48.73
Jeffe Kennedy
How's that for a a good little parable? um It's not really a parable, Jeffe. Oh, well. Okay, on that note, I will talk to you all maybe on Friday if the spirits are willing.

20:04.96
Jeffe Kennedy
And otherwise, i will talk to you all next Tuesday. You all take care. Bye-bye.