# Please introduce yourself and your book(s)!
My name is Jennilynn Wyer and I am a romance author of Young Adult, New Adult, College, and Contemporary romantic fiction. I am a two-time Contemporary Romance Writers 2021 Stiletto finalist, author of the Fallen Brook Series and the Fallen Brook High School YA Series, and I am an avid (and voracious) reader of anything romance. Seriously! I read one-to-two books a day.
I write both steamy adult romances (under Jennilynn Wyer) and YA romances (under JL Wyer). My adult romances are full of love and heat, OMG what just happened moments, twists and turns, and a dash of suspense. My YA romances are also filled with twists and turns, but the romance is much sweeter. What all of my books have are love, family, and friendship. Those bonds, for me, are the most rewarding.
The love stories I pen keep readers on their toes and guessing what happens next. Suffering from extended book hangovers is a high possibility and readers may also experience some good ol’ ugly “Oprah crying” as well. (This is what I’ve been told by my readers.)
# What is/are the real-life story(ies) behind your book(s)?
Readers will enjoy discovering the Easter eggs I drop in my books. I infuse all of my romances with a little of myself, things that have happened in my life or experiences that I or my friends have gone through. For instance, one of the main male protagonists from my adult Fallen Brook Series was based on my ex-boyfriend from college. I gave the lead female my quirk of dipping her french fries in spicy mustard. Many of the events that drive the story arcs for my books come from my own real-life experiences. I include a letter to readers at the beginning or at the end of each book explaining which parts of the story were based on my life. Adding those personal touches to my writing, I think, helps the readers connect with the story on a more personal level.
# What inspires/inspired your creativity?
I have always been an artistic person since the day I could pick up a crayon or scribble words onto paper. I painted, I acted on stage, I sang in a show choir, I wrote poetry, and I penned short stories. My creativity is inspired by my enjoyment of make-believe. Who doesn’t love escaping into a good book where you get to meet new and interesting people, and travel to destinations unknown?
# How do you deal with creative block?
I love answering this question. Whenever I get writer’s block or have trouble punching out the next scene in a story, I read. I will take a few hours or a few days to curl up on the couch with a good romance (of course!) and just read. Giving my brain a break and enjoying someone else’s story is a must for me to recharge my batteries.
# What are the biggest mistakes you can make in a book?
Not having someone proof or copy edit your book. Every writer has their own story to tell. That story may not be to everyone’s liking, and that’s okay. I will never tell an author that what they are writing is a mistake. There are stories I read that I absolutely love and will re-read over and over again, and then there are stories I will put in my DNF (Did Not Finish) pile because the book just wasn’t for me. But the one thing that will make me close a book and refuse to read it, regardless of if I’m liking the story, is when it contains a slew of grammatical errors or when every sentence ends with the same action verb or word. There are only so many times you can “hush” something or “quip” something. I am not perfect when it comes to grammar. I make mistakes all the time. The first novel I ever published was full of them. I made sure to hire a proper copy editor and proofer for my next book. Not investing in perfecting what you write is a mistake.
# Do you have tips on choosing titles and covers?
Not really. I create all of my covers, graphics, and book trailers. I just go with what I like and choose images that fit my stories. I let the story choose the book’s title for me. For the first book in the Fallen Brook Series, All Our Next Times, the title came from what the two characters would say to one another. The second book in the series, Paper Stars Rewritten, referenced the paper origami stars the male lead would leave for his love interest. However, the second book is a second-chance romance, hence the “rewritten” part of the title. The last book of the series, Broken Butterfly, was a motif that ran through all three books and symbolized the female protagonist and the events that happened in her life.
# How has your creation process improved over time?
I’m still a work in progress.
# What were the best, worst and most surprising things you encountered during the entire process of completing your book(s)?
Best: Meeting new authors and hearing back from readers. I have made a lot of new friends as an author. I love connecting with my fellow romance writers, and I absolutely love connecting with readers. I have a core group of readers who are the best people in the world. They keep me laughing and they inspire me. I communicate with them almost daily. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without them. I also love paying it forward. When I first started out as an indie writer, I had no clue. I was lucky to find authors to help guide me and to support me. I try my hardest to do the same for other debut writers.
Worst: The time it takes to create all the promotional material (graphics, ads, book trailers). I think I spend more time now doing that than actually writing the book!
# Do you tend towards personal satisfaction or aim to serve your readers? Do you balance the two and how?
That is a great question. I do both. Since my readers are my bread and butter, I listen to what they say and the feedback that they give. My YA series wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for my readers’ pleas for me to create one. The adult Fallen Brook Series wouldn’t have ended the way it did without their comments. And my next WIP (work in progress) wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for my readers. But in the end, I write for myself and for my own personal enjoyment. I need to be happy with the story and how it plays out. Even though I gave the majority of readers what they wanted in the Fallen Brook Series, I also added in an extra epilogue to give me what I wanted too.
# What are your plans for future books?
I have so many plans! I have three more books coming out this year: one is a YA romance, one is an adult romance, and one is an M/M romance. Two of those books are Contemporary Romance Writers 2021 Stiletto Finalists. I have several WIPs I’m currently writing: another YA, the next book in my Montgomerys series, a reverse harem, and a family saga.
# Tell us some quirky facts about yourself
Eight Fast Facts:
1. I write steamy, emotional romances under Jennilynn Wyer, and toned-down but just as swoon-worthy YA romances under JL Wyer.
2. My stories take place in fictional towns I created in my real-life home state of North Carolina.
3. I help direct an environmental nonprofit that monitors Monarch butterflies.
4. My husband is a Brit, and we met when he was doing a year of international studies at my university.
5. I can do a fairly reasonable Scottish accent, but my British one is better. Get me excited about something and my Southern accent comes out big time, y’all.
6. I love dipping my potato chips in spicy brown mustard.
7. Yes, I can be both a UNC Tarheels fan AND a Duke Blue Devils fan, no matter what anybody says.
8. My YA series came about from readers’ comments who wanted their teenagers to be able to read my books. I created the YA series just for them!
For book trailers, visit my TikTok page at http://www.tiktok.com/@jennilynnwyer