Insightful Conversations with Author Jennifer Perkins

Insightful Conversations with Author Jennifer Perkins

In this episode of 'Open Forum in The Villages, Florida,' host Mike Roth welcomes author Jennifer Perkins to discuss her journey as a writer and her experiences living in The Villages. Jennifer shares insights into her career, starting with her brief stint as a kindergarten teacher in Brevard County before moving into writing. She discusses her passion for storytelling, sources of inspiration, and the process of creating her children’s picture books and romantic suspense novels. Jennifer elaborates on her writing and editing routines and offers valuable advice to aspiring authors. She also touches on the challenges of self-publishing and marketing her books. Engaging and enlightening, this episode highlights the dedication and creativity required to succeed as an author.

00:00 Introduction to the Open Forum Podcast
00:58 Support the Podcast: How You Can Help
01:42 Interview with Author Jennifer Perkins
03:12 Jennifer's Writing Journey and Inspirations
06:06 Challenges and Successes in Publishing
17:34 Marketing Strategies for Authors
24:10 Conclusion and Listener Engagement

Season 8 Introduction

Transcript

[00:00:00] Dolores: Welcome to the Open Forum in The Villages, Florida. In this show, we talk to leaders of clubs and interesting folks who live here in The Villages to get perspectives of what is happening here in The Villages, Florida. We are a listener supported podcast. There will be shout outs for supporters in episodes.

[00:00:25] Mike Roth: This is Mike Roth. Thanks for listening. And listeners, I'm thrilled to share with you this podcast, which is my passion project for you. This podcast brings you knowledge, inspiration, and a lot of things that people need to know about the villages and the people living here. Be sure to hit the follow button to get the newest episode each week.

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I hope everyone enjoys today's show.

This is Mike Roth on Open Forum in The Villages Florida. I'm here today with author Jennifer Perkins. Jennifer, thanks for joining me.

[00:01:47] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Thank you. Glad to be here. 

[00:01:49] Mike Roth: Jennifer is a former educator and a lifelong book enthusiast. She believes in the power of storytelling to ignite imaginations and inspire young minds.

 Where you an elementary school teacher Jennifer? 

[00:02:02] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I was. I taught kindergarten for a year outside of The Villages. I was asked to come back, but then I moved, so there, went that career.

[00:02:13] Mike Roth: How many years were you a teacher?

[00:02:14] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: One year. 

one 

One Year? 

Kindergarten. I did a half year in, and this is all in Brevard County. I did a half year as a third grade teacher.

[00:02:24] Mike Roth: And Then

you moved to The Villages? Yeah. How many years ago?

[00:02:27] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: The Villages? Years 

[00:02:31] Mike Roth: Okay, so that raises the question, what did you do before you were a teacher?

[00:02:35] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: A lot of different jobs. I was a waitress at one point too, many years ago.

[00:02:39] Mike Roth: Okay, and you like walking on the beach.

[00:02:42] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Yes, I do.

[00:02:43] Mike Roth: Where is the best place to get, that you get your ideas for stories?

[00:02:48] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: People ask that, and I think reading the news or seeing something out in public and I think that's important. People don't like to know that they're being listened to, but, conversations that you overhear in a restaurant or elsewhere could be fun. 

[00:03:05] Mike Roth: Okay. So you've been known to hang out in the Starbucks near the beach.

[00:03:08] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: near the beach.

I could be. 

[00:03:11] Mike Roth: That's good,

That's good. Jennifer as a writer and how long have you been writing books?

[00:03:16] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: It seems like forever. Back in, I just, I love books. But back in high school

I dabbled and being green and not knowing what I was doing. I took my mother's recipe book And I copied a whole bunch of recipes and sent it off to. Editors, not editors, but publishers, and I got a lot of rejections. I was, discouraged and I told my mom about it, and she goes my recipes are copied from books. 

It's a copyright issue. 

[00:03:46] Mike Roth: Oh, that's a problem.

[00:03:47] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: But I've I've been just writing stories here and there and I recently got very serious about it.

[00:03:53] Mike Roth: Okay. And do you have a routine that you get into for writing?

Some people have a special room in their home or.

[00:04:00] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Right? I write wherever and whenever possible, I have a notebook in my car where I make notes if I see something that. I think would be a good story, I just jot it down, or if something comes to mind, I've been known to get up at 3 o'clock in the morning, go to my office, and make notes, so I don't forget it.

[00:04:21] Mike Roth: That's a good idea sometimes we have our best ideas when we're sleeping. It'll we can use them when we wake up. It can save a lot of time.

[00:04:29] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Yep. but I do have long hours. I wake up at four and sometimes I go to bed at 10 or a little later and I just, I write when I can and that all authors right when they can.

[00:04:43] Mike Roth: How did you know, or when did you know that you wanted to be an author?

[00:04:49] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Like I said, back in I'm dating myself here, but back, way back when, I just liked creating stories and just writing down different things, but I got serious about it when I

I joined romance Writers of America in Connecticut, and then when I moved here to Florida, they have a chapter, or had a chapter, we disaffiliated, but I'm still with that group.

And I also joined Sisters in Crime I just love creating stories.

[00:05:21] Mike Roth: Sisters in Crime. Does that mean you write crime mysteries?

[00:05:24] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I do, actually. Right now I have two published picture books. Children's picture books. And that's under Jennifer Perkins. But I am creating a new genre of stories. mystery and suspense, which will be come out under a different pen name. Because from what I've been told and what I've seen, parents don't like to pick up or even see on your Amazon page books about gore and, killing and shooting people along with their picture books. They don't go

Children's books 

[00:06:01] Mike Roth: and Murder Mysteries are probably two different genres, probably two different names.

[00:06:06] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I am creating a science fiction for middle grade students. studens I am toying with that 

Good, good. You say it's a picture book. How did you pick the illustrator for your book? 

Can't draw to save my life. If I drew a stick figure, you would say, what is that?

For for the illustrator. I had to specifically say what I wanted to see in the picture. And the illustrator changed the picture, but I agreed with it. She just saw something in what I wrote that she felt was important. Could be helpful to me. And so I really appreciated that.

[00:06:46] Mike Roth: Where did you find the illustrator?

[00:06:49] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I went to Fiverr and there are

[00:06:51] Mike Roth: Fiverr. com

[00:06:52] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Yes, there are american illustrators on there and illustrators from throughout the world. Unfortunately, I love the American illustrators. Unfortunately, they start at 3, 000

Huh. 

Being a brand new author, just to get in my feet out there, my foot wet in writing, I decided I have to take a chance with somebody else who's not an American.

My illustrator is from Pakistan and I know that's not everybody's preferred place for illustrators, but she's fabulous. We do have a good rapport. She's actually my second illustrator.

[00:07:32] Mike Roth: What happened to the first one?

[00:07:33] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I fired her

That's a good idea.

and she actually threatened to sue me. Because she was late on her. pictures and I, and she wouldn't respond to my emails. When she did respond, she goes, Oh, Hey, I made a tick tock video for you of your book. And it's that's not what I asked for. I really wanted my pictures. So I canceled the contract.

[00:07:56] Mike Roth: Was that a Pakistani?

[00:07:58] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Yes. This, so I did cancel the contract and she said she said, I have to pay her for the tik tok video and I said I didn't ask for that and I and it was choppy and I said I don't I'm not going to pay for it And she said I know some, New York Yeah, people in the New York law offices and it's okay sue me But she didn't we parted ways and my second illustrator I just absolutely love

[00:08:27] Mike Roth: I'm glad you found someone you like.

[00:08:29] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: My first book You Came out in February and we're done. She did everything that she had to. And rightfully, I shouldn't have to come back to her to make changes

under the same, price point that she gave me. But I could, and she would do that for free.

[00:08:48] Mike Roth: Oh, that's very nice. I actually now strongly believe in AIs for illustrators. Okay? My, my new podcast logo

[00:08:57] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Oh,

[00:08:57] Mike Roth: is. Purely AI.

[00:08:59] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I love it. I'll have to take a look at that.

[00:09:02] Mike Roth: that. Oh yeah. You can play with them and the cost is dead zero. It's just your time. And if you've already written out the description of what you want it to be in your illustration, the AIs will Give you almost exactly what you want.

[00:09:15] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: That's true. I'm not sure how Amazon will look at that though. I know they have that question. Did you create this with AI? So I don't know where they're going with that.

[00:09:24] Mike Roth: Yeah, they'll never figure it out.

That's my opinion. Okay

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

[00:09:32] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Oh, to an aspiring author? I would give the same advice that I gave, that I was given. Write consistently. That's one thing. If you're going to call yourself an author.

just write.

and have a schedule. Treat treat it like a job. Because if you don't, people say it's 

a very expensive hobby. Correct. And that's what I was told. However, I think, this, since I don't have a pension, this, I'm hoping to make this my pension.

But, 

[00:10:02] Mike Roth: have you been successful in selling a lot of books?

[00:10:04] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: lot of books? I have. Surprisingly. Recently. And I don't advertise. I've just done all social media along with all my book sales that I received the report from IngramSpark.

They said I sold two books in the UK and one in Germany. So I can say I'm an international author. I thought that was exciting to see. 

[00:10:25] Mike Roth: Do you have any approximate idea of the number of books that you've sold?

[00:10:29] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I don't. I'm going, I will be looking at that later this year when, we're looking

at our taxes. So I will be going through and seeing Exactly how many? But I have, I went to two book fairs and I did sell successfully there. The second book fair was at a library in Palm Bay. And loved the library. I used to, that's where I used to send my students when they needed information. Unfortunately, this is the library's first time.

That's why. They didn't set it up where if you wanted to see other authors, they didn't know where the authors were. I was lucky, they set me up right in front of the children's children's area, and I was one of the, one of the authors there who sold.

[00:11:16] Mike Roth: Good. Why don't you tell us about your next book that you're working on?

[00:11:20] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: My next book. I have a lot of different genres that I'm working with and I know I shouldn't do that. I should stick with one, but I get these ideas and I have to get them down on paper. So along with my children's picture books, I do have another one that is going to be coming out in 2025 later in the year.

And along with that, with my children's or middle grade sci fis. I'm also working on Romantic Suspense. And, which, and that one, my Romantic Suspense is not complete, it's almost. But that one I did final in the Daphne Demure contest with Romance Writers of America.

They're They're a Kiss of Death chapter. That was exciting.

[00:12:08] Mike Roth: That's the name of the chapter? Kiss of Death? Yes. Sounds like a novels title.

[00:12:12] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: It could be.

[00:12:13] Mike Roth: When you're writing these novels. Yes. Okay. . You have to put a different cap on than the children's books.

Is there something you do to flip your mind into the adult novel sto genre as opposed to the children's book?

[00:12:29] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I, since I have so many different other genres that I'm working with, because I do have a cozy mystery that is completed and I'm going through the edit it, I just reread them and I think about if this happens, how can I extend the book? I think it's easier to write

mysteries and murder mysteries rather than straight romance because.

If you are looking for a conflict in the book to extend it, you just put in another body.

[00:12:58] Mike Roth: Yeah. Okay. The most successful writer I think that we've had on the podcast has written a series of. More than 25 romance novels. 

[00:13:10] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Okay. 

[00:13:11] Mike Roth: And she uses two different pseudonyms.

[00:13:14] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Oh.

[00:13:15] Mike Roth: And some of them were published through a publishing house, and some of them had the second pseudonym so she could self publish.

[00:13:23] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Oh, okay.

[00:13:24] Mike Roth: So are you mainly self published?

[00:13:26] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I am. For my cozy mystery, I did have a New York agent who asked to see the full and she loved the 

book. 

She said it was a fabulous book. She loved the writing. However, my cozy mystery is quilting themed. And she said at the time, There were way too many sewing and quilting mysteries, so she didn't think it would sell based on the volume that was already out there.

[00:13:54] Mike Roth: And In changing the subject a little bit if you could give some advice to the 25 year old Jennifer, based on what you already know, what advice would you give your 25 year old self?

[00:14:07] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I guess take it seriously. When I started, I was, like I said, I was dabbling. And I just thought anybody could write, and which they can.

Anybody can put something out on Amazon. And I've even had one of my relatives say, Oh my husband writes nice letters. They can be a writer. It's not really. It's I would have studied craft earlier because you really should study the craft of writing and read everything, not only in your genre that you're writing, because it could spark in an idea for one of other gendres

[00:14:44] Mike Roth: How many adult novels have you written 

[00:14:47] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: have a completed romance, a completed. Cozy Mystery, and I'm going through editing and continuing to write my suspense.

[00:14:57] Mike Roth: Have you converted the completed novels to audible books?

[00:15:02] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I have not. They're not out on the market yet, so I do have to get those out there. My problem is that when I write, I edit as I write, and that can slow down my writing process. And I've been told, just get it out on paper, but the, it's really hard to turn off the inner editor.

[00:15:22] Mike Roth: Good. Let's take a short break and listen to Dr. Craig Curtis give us an Alzheimer's tip. 

Dr. Curtis, can you give, , our patients a tip on keeping their brain healthy? 

[00:15:37] Dr. Craig Curtis: Absolutely. My favorite tip involves a change in eating patterns, but it's not a drastic change. It's simply increasing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, other white meats, and lowering the amounts of red meat, sweets, and sugars.

And also, carbohydrates. It's essentially following a Mediterranean type diet plan. 

[00:16:05] Warren: With over 20 years of experience studying brain health, Dr. Curtis goal is to educate the Villages community on how to live a longer, healthier life. To learn more, visit his website, CraigCurtisMD. com or call 352 500 5252 to attend a free seminar.

[00:16:20] Mike Roth: Thank you, Dr. Curtis. Now, what is your favorite novel or movie, Jennifer? 

[00:16:27] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I love the movie Clue. It's It's a movie, a mystery movie where you try, and I have the game clue as well. 

[00:16:35] Mike Roth: A lot of us as kids had the game.

[00:16:37] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Yeah, which came from the movie. But you you get to think about who the person is, who the, the bad guy is.

And there are so many different scenarios. And the movie itself had three different endings, which I thought was amazing. I would like to write something like that, but I have so many other books I'm writing. We'll see. I am an extreme introvert. And some people have said, oh, I don't see you like that. It's yeah. It put me in a room with a bunch of strangers. I step back, I just look at the people, I see what their interests are, and it's good for writing too because you have to watch people and see if you want to put them in your book as a character.

So it's interesting, but yes, I am an extreme introvert. And doing the podcast is really my, for me, putting myself out there.

[00:17:34] Mike Roth: Okay. One of the things I think most authors who beginning authors don't understand is that. If you're going to have your books on Amazon and hope people buy them, probably won't happen because there are two million new books a month.

[00:17:48] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Oh, true.

[00:17:48] Mike Roth: Okay. So you actually have to sell your book, and it's in a world where people have to buy. So you're going to use social marketing

[00:18:00] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Yes, marketing myself. And actually, even traditional authors nowadays They have to market too. Nobody, no publisher, no agents, they do not market for you. You have to market yourself. And as you said, with so many books out there, so many coming on the market, and with Amazon where anybody could put a book out, you have to really be a marketer. 

[00:18:24] Mike Roth: So what's your strategy for using marketing to sell your novel?

[00:18:29] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: If I told you that, everybody would use it. So I think I'm going to keep that one to myself.

[00:18:35] Mike Roth: Maybe you could tell our listeners what your favorite quote is. 

[00:18:38] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Favorite quote? 

[00:18:39] Mike Roth: Yes, being a writer, you must have read a lot of books and you must have a favorite quote.

[00:18:43] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Romantic Suspense, and I really love her books.

There are, and Melinda Lee as well, there are certain authors that I

I study their writing process. I study their books to see how they describe characters, how they describe setting, etc. And what is it about their books that readers do enjoy. Kristen Painter is a fabulous author for Paranormal.

And

I would love to, I am studying her books, and actually, she's somebody who is in my writer's group in Brevard. I'm excited to

[00:19:21] Mike Roth: So that's unusual to go to a writer's group in Brevard when you live here in The Villages.

[00:19:25] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I know, it's two hours away.

Yeah, but there is some, another author who lives in DeLand, and she drives just as far. And we have our group in Brevard. And there are fabulous critique groups and other groups in The Villages, but I, when I came to Florida, I found them and it's it seems like home being with those authors and they're, we're all friends and they're having a great Christmas party in December that I'll probably go to.

So it's just fun time.

[00:19:59] Mike Roth: Okay. When people are listening to this, you're talking about December 2024. And most people are going to be listening in February 25.

[00:20:08] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I will say even though I'll miss putting in a plug for my children's books for Christmas. There's any holiday and birthdays. Picture books are fun and picture books. Everybody says what's the message? What do kids learn? What do they have to learn?

Mine Some of mine are in rhyme, so it learns repetition, and children need to learn how to rhyme when they're in school. They play with words, but as far as like a message should they behave, whatever, I like to have, children need to have fun. My books are fun.

[00:20:48] Mike Roth: So do adults, by the way.

[00:20:50] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: That's true.

You would be surprised. There are adults who like children's picture books. And I have had few people who bought my books because they love children's picture books. So that was interesting.

[00:21:03] Mike Roth: How many pages are your children's picture books? 

[00:21:07] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: 34. Oh, about the 

[00:21:09] Mike Roth: there are a lot.

[00:21:11] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: of pictures, which is why it's, I love my illustrator because

Yes, my books are picture intense, if you will, but she's reasonably priced. So that's why it was affordable for me to do that.

[00:21:26] Mike Roth: Good. And if they want to get a copy of, copies of your children's books, what's the best way for them to find your books?

[00:21:34] Jennifer Perkins: Look me up as Jennifer M. Perkins

[00:21:36] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I didn't include my middle initial at first, but when, I looked up my name, it's Oh no, there's a famous blogger on HGTV with the same name. So I had to distinguish myself, which is why I put the M for my middle name. So Jennifer M Perkins on Amazon. But if you look it up, you can order it from Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Target anywhere online basically. 

[00:22:02] Mike Roth: Do you have a website where they can? 

[00:22:14] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: I do.  If you lookup Jennifer M Perkins or they can send me an email and actually request books from me, at authorJPerkins@gmail.com .

[00:22:16] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: It won't get lost. I do look at, believe it or not, I have thousands of emails that I still have in my inbox, but for specific reasons. I have not deleted them yet, but I do look at every single email.

So if somebody wants, has a question or wants to chat with me, your email will not be lost. 

[00:22:38] Mike Roth: And if you could give aspiring authors one piece of advice based on your experience so far, what would that be? 

[00:22:45] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: It's, not a sprint to the finish line. You have to bide your time. Yes. The Harry Potter books were like an instant success almost, but J. K. Rawlings also went through the getting rejections. So you will get rejections, and you can't take it personally. And don't let your family and friends read your books and give you advice on that.

Because they are probably not the ones, unless you have author friends, they're not the ones involved in the process. Yeah, Family and close friends will say, Oh, I love the book. There's nothing wrong. You go to an editor and it's Ooh, all those red marks all over the page. And I would definitely look up a professional editor, even those authors who are self published, who even traditionally published, who have hundreds of books, they use professional editor, editors, because

[00:23:41] Mike Roth: Do you use a professional editor?

[00:23:42] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Yes, I do.

Yep, and I believe she lives in New Hampshire. I love her, she's great, and I got her through my writer friends. I have a couple of editors that they passed along the name to me, and I have looked at their books, and editing was not something that came up as a 

[00:24:02] Mike Roth: Thanks for joining us today on Open Forum in The Villages.

[00:24:06] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: Thank you. I appreciate being here and hope to be back. 

[00:24:09] Mike Roth: Good, What are two of your favorite books

[00:24:12] Jennifer Perkins AI 2: The Ball at the Circus and The Balloon at the Zoo.

[00:24:15] Mike Roth: Good, Thank you, Jennifer

[00:24:16] Joan: Remember, our next episode will be released next Friday at 9 a. m. Should you want to become a major supporter of the show or have questions, please contact us at mike at rothvoice dot com. This is a shout out for supporters Tweet Coleman, Ed Williams, Duane Roemmlich, Paul Sorgen, Kathy Loving, and Dr. Craig Curtis at K2 in the Villages.

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