Meet author Jennifer Hallmark
Susan loves connecting with fellow authors, so let’s chat!
Jennifer Hallmark writes Southern fiction with a twist. Her website and newsletter focus on her books, love of the South, and favorite fiction. She loves reading and streaming science fiction, fantasy, and mysteries or her favorite subject—time travel. She creates stories with unforgettable characters—her stories are a little eerie and otherworldly but with a hope-filled turn.
Tell us about your newest book.
Smoking Flax is a Southern dive into YA for me. I’ve always loved to read YA and MG. When the idea came through a writing prompt short story contest in my local writing group, I ran with it and created this 1970’s story dealing with abuse, racism, and a huge dollop of hope. Hope is a strong thread throughout all my stories.
What inspired you to write your story?
I drew on being raised in Alabama in the 1970’s. A turbulent time where we were all adjusting to the end of segregation, the space race, the Vietnam war, and the Jesus revolution.
What genre do you focus on.
First, my stories are all Southern. I’ve lived most of my life in Alabama and love the culture, people, and the natural features of the country. My focus has turned to my love of YA lately. Coming of age stories have always been a favorite and I love mixing a bit of science fiction/fantasy in also.
Why do you write?
Therapy. To release my vivid imagination onto paper. To share my feelings in a deep way I can’t seem to do in person.
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
Reed Anderson is a nineteen-year-old who has decided it’s time to deal with the events of his thirteenth summer. His name and the book title came from Isaiah 42:3: “A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.”
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?
Chaotic. I’m a discovery writer so I start with very little in the way of an outline and write my way into the story. I mostly work in the morning but have written into the wee hours to capture an idea.
What is the hardest part of being an author?
Marketing. I do a lot of online since I live so far from any major cities. It’s hard to decide how to budget your money.
What’s the best part of your author’s life?
The friends I’ve made. While I love penning my stories, the writer friends I have, both in-person and online inspire me to keep moving forward.
What’s one thing your readers should know about you?
I’ve been involved in all types of farming. My husband and I had a large chicken farm in our early marriage and have raised over a million chickens to market.
How have you changed or grown as a writer?
I feel like I’m able to dig deeper into the characters now. I’m connecting more with them and therefore able to gather the emotions and desires and display them in the story in a much clearer way.
What is your favorite pastime?
Just one? Reading, shopping, day trips with family and friends, church.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
My first novel, Jessie’s Hope, is a story of forgiveness and redemption. Jessie is a young woman who, at the age of ten, lost her mother and her mobility in an accident. Shortly after, her father walked away also. She is now twenty years old and getting ready to marry. She wants to find her father and peace before the wedding. Her grandparents, who’ve raised her, are struggling to find the resources to provide her with a wedding and a dress that they think will make up for the past. While planning for her wedding in the middle of tornado season, Jessie discovers weather isn’t the only obstacle to living happily ever after.
What are you working on now?
I am editing the sequel to Jessie’s Hope and am halfway through writing the sequel for Smoking Flax. On my blog, I share Friday Fiction: Books From Off the Beaten Track and A Smidgen of Hope (short devo) on Tuesdays.
Website: https://www.jenniferhallmark.com
Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPXH2WKJ
Social media links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferhallmark2
Facebook author’s page: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferHallmark/
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferHallmrk
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/JenniferHallmark1/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferhallmark2/
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Thank you for allowing me to visit! It was fun…