Interview with Jennifer Lauren - Runner Up in the Quarter 3 Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest with "Tennis"

Congratulations to Jennifer Lauren and "Tennis" and to all of our contestants in the Quarter 3 2022 Creative Nonfiction Contest!

Jennifer's Bio:  

Jennifer is an award-winning writer and former attorney who is working on her second novel, a story of two families caught up in the Satanic panic in the 1980s. Her first novel, Everything We Did Not Do, is about the missteps one woman makes in her search for justice and the devastating consequences to another. She is currently seeking a publisher. If you are interested, please contact Emily Williamson of Williamson Literary at emily@williamsonlit.com.

Jennifer still lives in Austin with her husband, two teens, and too many pets. Even though she’s gone back to yoga a couple times a week, she is still playing tennis. She gets a little bit better all the time. Reach her at jlauren.writer@gmail.com.

If you haven't done so already, check out Jennifer's award-winning story "Tennis" and then return here for a chat with the author. 

WOW: Congratulations on placing as a runner up in the Q3 2022 Creative Nonfiction Contest!  Thank you for writing this essay - what is the take-away you'd like readers to gain from Tennis? 

Jennifer: I’m in my mid-forties, which is coming up on the age in which society thinks you should politely disappear into a cottage with books, tea, and far too many cats, emerging only to give friendly advice and homemade cookies to teenagers and twenty-somethings when they’re dealing with angst. The older we get, the less relevant we are. Someone should write a novel about the invisible older woman, but it may be too short – it's possible no one would notice she was gone.

All of my essays feel a bit self-centered to me, even if I hope my themes speak to women on a universal level. But in this essay, I am not the hero. The older ladies are – these tough as nails women who still have perfect hair and a killer swing, and who seem to know all the secrets of survival. I’m lucky to know them. Anyone would be lucky to know them. I hope society’s tendency to look right through them is starting to change.

WOW: I'm glad you have decided to fight against societies wish for us 40 somethings! You're a support for the rest of us - so let me ask, who is your support - what have you found to be most supportive in your writing life as well as in life in general?  

Jennifer: I do not deserve my husband, who encouraged me to quit my job and focus on writing. He seems genuinely happy to overlook the dirty house, grab takeout when I’m caught up in a project, and celebrate the small victories. Most importantly, he treats my writing like an actual job, even if right now it pays negative money. And he listens to me talk about imaginary people without calling a shrink.

Someday I will let him read my books. Maybe.
 
WOW: That's adorable - you're a lucky woman and he's a lucky man! What advice would you give to others (specifically female authors) when it comes to self care?

Jennifer: As women, we tend to see our time as someone else’s property. My advice, for what it’s worth, is to see your time as your property first, and everyone else’s claim as a distant second. If you have a partner, expect him or her to take care of themselves. As your children age, expect them to take care of themselves in age-appropriate ways. Then, let them do what they can in whatever unpredictable, messy ways they are able. Just expect them to clean up their messes.

Of course, not everyone is blessed with a partner or productive children. If you’re in that sweet spot with babies at home, if you’re a single mother, a military spouse, caring for a sick spouse or aging parents or whatever reason you simply have no ability to find time, just know it gets better. Lean on your friends when you can. Get enough sleep. Breathe. And if you have extra time, silence your “shoulds” and do whatever makes you happy. Even if that’s just a nap.
 
WOW: It definitely gets better - like fine wine - right? What’s next for you? What are your writing goals for what's left of Summer 2022 and beyond?

Jennifer: I’m working on a legal thriller, Play Me Backwards, based on the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, when hundreds of daycares across the country were shut down based on little more than collective hysteria. My goal is to finish Play Me Backwards by December. In addition, I’m trying to write and pitch essays, enter contests, and generally treat writing like a real job.

The first page of Play Me Backwards was just honored by the Gutsy Great Novelist Page One Prize. Awards like that, and recognition from Women On Writing, are amazingly motivating when you feel like giving up and getting a day job. Check out my first page here: https://gutsygreatnovelist.com/page-one-prize-winners-2022/.

WOW: Congratulations again Jennifer and thanks so much for taking time to visit with me today! I have a feeling our readers will be hearing more from you - so I'm going to tell them to remember your name! (wink wink) Thanks again! 

Interviewed by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto who is busy raising kids and cattle amongst other odd jobs - follow her in instagram 

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2 comments author interview, Contest, crystal otto, Jennifer Lauren, nonfiction, quarter 3, Runner up, tennis

Interview with Jennifer Lauren: 2022 Q2 Creative Nonfiction Contest Third Place Winner

Jennifer’s Bio: Jennifer Lauren is a retired lawyer and Seattle native living in Austin, Texas with her son, daughter, husband, and too many pets. Her first novel, Everything We Did Not Do, is represented by Emily Williamson of Williamson Literary, who is actively seeking publishers. Contact Emily at www.esjwilliamson.com/contact-us. Find Jennifer at www.jenniferlauren.net. 

If you haven't done so already, check out Jennifer's award-winning story "The Great Resign" and then return here for a chat with the author. 

WOW: Congratulations on placing third in the Q2 2022 Creative Nonfiction Contest! How did you begin writing your essay and how did it and your writing processes evolve as you wrote? 

Jennifer: This essay was inspired by my friend's offhand comment, "I'm not a country club wife, but I'm trying to be." It really sparked a combination of sadness, anger, and frustration about why the working world isn't set up for families to succeed. Particularly women, but all caregivers, struggle so much to live their best lives when society demands we work, run a household, raise children, work out, stay skinny, and maintain a social life – all the time. It's ridiculous and unsustainable. Then the pandemic hit and sent so many of us over the edge. I think it took a global pandemic for many of us to realize this is simply not sustainable. 

Obviously, this is a hot button issue for me. As to the writing process itself, this one came pretty easily. It's rare, but sometimes pieces just flow. When that happens, I know I'm doing my best work. 

WOW: Thank you for sharing your writing process. It’s such a wonderful feeling to feel that flow! What did you learn about yourself or your writing by creating this essay? 

Jennifer: Apparently, I'm still processing the fact that I couldn't balance work and family! Honestly, my first thought when I finished this essay was that I need new material. But at the same time, it's such a common theme among my friends. None of us well-educated women know where we fit anymore. 

WOW: Yes, it is absolutely a relatable topic for many women. But even with all of this happening, you are accomplishing some amazing things. Congratulations on completing a novel and finding representation! Can you tell us more about your novel? 

Jennifer: Thank you! It was so exciting when I connected with Emily. She has worked so hard to help my novel shine. We're waiting on publisher responses now, but we're certainly interested in hearing from anyone who's interested! 

My novel is called Everything We Did Not Do, and is centered around two very different women, one rich, one poor, one young, one middle-age. Anne Marie Richards is alone, newly divorced, her twins at college. When her elderly father, Cory, reenters her life, she sees an opportunity for meaning: taking care of the man who raised her. She dreams of rekindling a relationship damaged by miles and time. But Cory Richards doesn't want his daughter's help. He pushes Anne Marie away and insists they hire an aide. 

Claudia Smith is a single mother desperate for a job. Any job. When she has a chance to work as Cory Richards' aide, she lies about her past and is hired on the spot. Her instructions are simple: cook, clean, drive, and stay close in case he falls again. She doesn't realize she'll also have to keep his secrets. 

When Cory dies mysteriously, these very different women become intertwined in ways they never could have imagined, leaving them with a fierce determination to protect the ones they love. 

WOW: Great hook! Thank you for sharing it with us. Which creative nonfiction essays or writers have inspired you most, and in what ways did they inspire you? 

Jennifer: I'm really loving Anne Lamott right now. I love her essays on writing, love and life. Elizabeth Gilbert as well. She inspires me to live the way I want to live, not the way other people tell me to. 

WOW: If you could tell your younger self anything about writing, what would it be? 

Jennifer: To borrow an old, worn-out slogan: just do it. I really wish I'd started a blog when the kids were younger. I feel like I had more relatable material, and blogs were still fairly new back then. But honestly, we meet life where it is. I'm not sure how I would have found time for creativity amongst long work days, diapers, daycare, and playdates. For new writers staring out: be nice to yourself. Take it one word at a time. 

WOW: I can see the Anne Lamott influence on your last piece of advice. I love it! Anything else you’d like to add? 

Jennifer: Thank you so much for choosing my essay, and thank you to the women who've reached out to me. It's been a whirlwind last few weeks; I promise to get back to each of you. Your comments melted my heart. 

WOW: Thank you for your thoughtful responses. Happy writing! 

Interviewed by Anne Greenawalt, founder and editor-in-chief of Sport Stories Press, which publishes sports books by, for, and about sportswomen and amateur athletes and offers developmental editing and ghostwriting services to partially fund the press. Personal Tweets @dr_greenawalt.

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2 comments 2022 Q2 CNF Contest, Anne Greenawalt, Jennifer Lauren, Third Place Winner

Interview with Jennifer Lauren: Q2 2020 Creative Nonfiction Contest Runner Up

Jennifer’s Bio:

Jennifer Lauren is a recovering trial attorney living near Seattle, Washington. She’s seeking representation for her debut novel, Everything We Did Not Do, which explores the human fallibility behind wrongful conviction: as if Jodi Picoult wrote Presumed Innocent.

Ever since she wrote her first masterpiece, The Creature, when she was 5, Jennifer wanted to be a writer. But life happened, sidetracking her with pesky bills and peskier children. She’s worked as an award-winning reporter at a nationally recognized newspaper; fundraising director for inner city schools; and civil litigator for 13 years. In May 2019 she had herself a mid-life crisis and quit her day job to write, teach yoga, travel, and chase her dreams. This landed her in some confusing places.

Before the apocalypse, Jennifer was planning to travel throughout 2020. Now she’s hiding in her office with Seattle’s last known roll of toilet paper, working on her next novel. Check her out at jenniferlauren.net.

If you haven't done so already, check out Jennifer's award-winning story "Law & Yoga" and then return here for a chat with the author.

WOW: Congratulations on placing in the Q2 2020 Creative Nonfiction Contest! How did you begin writing this piece and how did it and your writing evolve as you wrote?

Jennifer: This piece woke me up at 5 a.m. and demanded I write. The day before, I'd attended a yoga conference in downtown Seattle, next door to the building where I began my law career. The dichotomy between who I was then and who I was now, particularly in the hormone yoga session, hit hard. I got up the next morning and poured myself onto my keyboard, and the piece was something like 4,000 words long. I saw the WOW essay contest and thought it would be a good fit, so I sat down to cut it to the bare bones, the hard message I wanted to convey. I had just finished the book Why We Can't Sleep by Ada Calhoun, and identified with what she wrote about the struggles of Generation X women. I wanted to make this essay about me and my personal struggles to find identity as I approached middle age, but also about the universality of these feelings among women of my generation. For years, I've seen a lot of affluent women of various ethnic backgrounds insisting they were happy despite the fact that they clearly were not, and I wanted their voices to be heard without the guilt we associate with such feelings. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to a friend pour her soul out, wipe her tears away, and say she has no right to feel this way.

WOW: These are powerful realizations—in your own life and others’—and you’ve done a wonderful job of writing about a personal experience in a way that conveys that universality for others. What did you learn about yourself or your writing by creating this essay?

Jennifer: This was the first personal essay I wrote quickly, walked away from, and came back to thinking, 'wow, this is really good.' It gave me confidence as I try to pursue writing as a vocation, something I never thought I'd have the courage to do.

WOW: Can you tell us more about your novel-in-progress? Does your fiction ever inspire your creative nonfiction or vice versa?

Jennifer: My finished novel, Everything We Did Not Do, is a wrongful conviction story told from the perspective of the accused and the accuser. It also embraces the contrast of youth versus middle age, rich versus poor, educated versus uneducated, and explores how these cultural issues change how we see the world and each other. It was largely based on my experience representing nurses accused of malpractice – the "defendants," who were supposed to be the bad guys, but were sometimes morally superior to their accusers. I wrote it over three years, most of which I was in the death-throes of my litigation career. My new novel, which is not yet named, is about a lawyer who gets roped into representing the leader of a psychic cult. It will be a bit lighter, I think.

WOW: Good luck and enjoy the process with both of your novels! I love stories in which the line between “good” guys and “bad” guys is blurred. Which creative nonfiction essays or writers have inspired you most, and in what ways did they inspire you?

Jennifer: I am madly in love with Glennon Doyle, her essays on motherhood got me through my kids' baby and toddler stages. Her current philanthropy and inspirational writings are brilliant. I also enjoy Elizabeth Gilbert quite a bit. I love the way she normalizes the creative lifestyle I was explicitly raised NOT to embrace, and gives people permission to live their best lives.

WOW: Wonderful recommendations, and I did think of Elizabeth Gilbert's work while reading your essay. If you could tell your younger-writing-self anything, what would it be?

Jennifer: Don't worry so much about the money, the money will come. Don't try to force yourself to be happy with your circumstances when you clearly are not. Leave the job behind. Spend time with the babies. Take the trips without guilt. Remember how much you loved to write? Do that again. No, not briefs. Write from your heart. Maybe try some fiction. Yes, you are too creative enough. Stop telling yourself you aren't.

WOW: Powerful advice that I’m sure resonates with many other writers. Anything else you’d like to add?

Jennifer: Thank you to WOW for this recognition. It means the world to me. I just started a travel blog (worst timing EVER, I know) which can be found at jenniferlauren.net.

WOW: Thanks so much for your thoughtful responses. And thank you for sharing your writing with us!

Interviewed by Anne Greenawalt, who keeps a blog of journal entries, memoir snippets, interviews, training logs, and profiles of writers and competitive sportswomen.

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2 comments Anne Greenawalt, Jennifer Lauren, Q2 2020 Creative Nonfiction Contest, Runner up