First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

How to recognize creative burnout, what to do about it, and how writing every day helps. Also mud-stirring, both the creatively productive kind and the painful emotional variety, and how they can be …

Body image and how that's influenced by Instagram and other media like women's magazines, how physical attraction, "instalove" and ageism play into that - along with some spoilers for my recent book.…

Some changes in how traditional publishing is treating submissions, especially those on spec, even from established authors, and a discussion of how advances work, when authors get paid, and why 4+ b…

I go long today talking mostly to the authors out there about buying ads, marketing, and promo - and why putting time, money and attention into writing instead will not only make you happier but more…

Plot holes, suspension of disbelief, refrigerator tropes, and Scooby Dooing the endings of supernatural thrillers. Also coping with the expectations of others while you write and trying to create for…

Really well done supernatural suspense in a book I'm reading, how voice works, and an example of male gaze creeping into the depiction of a female character. Also when not to take advice from success…

Today is the release day for THE DRAGON'S DAUGHTER AND THE WINTER MAGE! I'm talking about choosing release days, why it's traditionally Tuesday, making lists and why writers should focus on One Thing…

Why telling writers to develop a thick skin isn't very good advice and is, in fact, the wrong metaphor entirely, along with other thoughts on being a creative and therefore open and sensitive person.…

My experiences with Kindle Vella, so far, and thoughts on the gossip about it. Also, I uploaded a new episode! And I'm giving updates on my current projects, including the novella in FIRE OF THE FROS…

A bit of a rant today on "clean" romance and why I object to the term, why my answer is wanting to write dirty romance, where all the sex involves dirt, the YA rating system kerfuffle, and other rela…

Side gigs, hustling, and predators who take advantage of those trying to piece an income together - and how LuLaRich is fascinating to watch. I'm also asking for suggestions on what midwinter holiday…

THE DRAGON'S DAUGHTER AND THE WINTER MAGE is done!!! I did a marathon day yesterday finishing it off - wrote almost 5K - and I'm celebrating this win. Also a bit about intuition, subconscious, and co…

How various approaches to learning craft can also be useful in analyzing your work in progress, particularly if you're an intuitive writer like me, along with other thoughts on the MICE quotient.

You …

How to put action in action scenes. How some authors like to write sex scenes and others action scenes, but rarely both and why. I'm also offering advice on how to get past writing the thing you don'…

Fessing up to a mistake I made (sorry Kobo readers!) and talking about making mistakes in general and how to handle that. Also progress on THE DRAGON'S DAUGHTER AND THE WINTER MAGE.

You can preorder …

Talking a book recommendation today, and also exploring my own reader foibles on aspects of books I can't get my writer brain past. Also a peril of self-publishing and observing how authors improve-o…

Chronic disease and the Val Kilmer documentary - how it made me think about life, art, fame and what is truly meaningful in our lives, including why we are artists in the first place.

The Val documen…

On protecting early drafts and new story ideas from the wrong critics - and why I compare it to shaken baby syndrome - evaluating and remembering ideas, and why the proliferation of plot bunnies can …

Dreams of houses and what they mean in subconscious imagery, and my own house dreams and a new development in them. Also decision energy, intense mental work, business, and our upcoming holiday fanta…

As promised I'm discussing how to spot scam or vanity publishers, what the red flags are and what the difference is between those, traditional publishing, and self-publishing. 

The blog post I mentio…