I had the
pleasure to become acquainted with and follow Jennifer on Twitter when I
noticed the exceptional cover of her debut novel – A Dress the color of the
Sky. What was also striking is the amount of awards the novel has garnered,
as well as exceptional reviews. Most impressive. After visiting her web site, I
hoped to share her work with my readers.
She has
graciously accepted my invitation to be this week’s guest to participate in a
4Q Interview and the book summary.
A native
New Yorker and captivating storyteller with a flair for embellishment, Jennifer
Irwin currently resides in Los Angeles with two cats, a dog, and her boyfriend.
After earning her BA in Cinema from Denison University, she worked in
advertising and marketing, raised three boys, and ultimately became a certified
Pilates instructor. Jennifer’s short stories have appeared in numerous literary
publications including California’s Emerging Writers, An Anthology of Fiction. A
Dress the Color of the Sky is her first novel. Since its release, A Dress the
Color of the Sky has won seven indie book awards, received rave reviews on
Amazon and Goodreads, and been optioned for a feature film. Jennifer is
represented by Prentis Literary.
4Q: Let’s start
by telling our readers how you chose the intriguing title A Dress the Color
of The Sky and then we’ll share the book’s blurb.
JI: I came
up with the title after reading the fairy tale, Donkeyskin which was written by
Charles Perrault and originally published in 1695. I refer to the fairy tale in
my novel which helps to align the title with the premise of the book.
4Q: How
thrilling to be recognized for your work. Of the seven awards received for your
novel, I am most fascinated by the three awards given by The Feathered Quill.
Wow! Please tell us about this experience.
JI: The
first award I learned about winning was the Feathered Quill book award in which
A Dress the Color of the Sky was awarded medals in three categories. It was the
most exciting moment for me as a debut novelist—to be recognized as an
award-winning author and to have my work chosen against my peers was the best
feeling. I was actually in a restaurant when I received the email and I felt
like jumping up from the table and screaming, “I won!”
4Q: After reading The Story Behind the Story on
your website, we note there are experiences in your life and those close to you
that inspired your story. Would you care to share a bit about this?
JI: I began
writing my book when I was going through a divorce and felt like I had failed
at one of the biggest commitments of my life. It was important to me to dig
deep and try to understand why I had chosen this person as my life partner when
I knew he was an alcoholic. What I realized was that I had been carrying around
a great deal of pain from my childhood and the fact that my father was an
alcoholic and I married one must have had some correlation. This was one of the
reasons I dug deep into the process of healing from childhood trauma which is
the underlying theme of my debut novel. I also was fascinated by the huge
impact that Fifty Shades of Grey had on women and the reawakening of their
sexuality so I decided to make my protagonist a sex addict as well.
4Q: Please
share a childhood memory and/or anecdote.
JI: It’s
funny that you are asking this question since some of my book is loosely based
on my life. While writing A Dress the Color of the Sky I dug deep into my
childhood to understanding how I ended up the way I am but more importantly
what processes needed to happen in order to unwind the unwanted baggage I had
carried into my adult life. If I had to pick one memory from my childhood it
would be spending time with my mom. She had a great sense of humor and a
contagious laugh which was like a burst of sunshine in even the toughest of
situations.
4Q: Your
website mentions your follow-up novel, yet to be published, A Dress the Color
of the Moon. What can you share about this novel with us?
JI: I
recently submitted the final draft of A Dress the Color of the Moon to my
literary agent who is in the process of putting the pitch package together. I’m
hopeful that the stand-alone sequel will be picked up by a publisher and
perhaps they will also pick up my first book, re-cover and re-release. The
sequel begins when Prudence checks out of rehab and follows her and a few of
the characters from the first book as they journey through their post-rehab
life. The story moves from third person to first person and back and forth in
time so I definitely took on a complex story structure for my second book!
There are a lot of unexpected twists and turns as the reader learns more about
a few of the characters including who stays on course, and who doesn’t. There
is a movie called The Big Chill in which a few old college friends gather for a
funeral. In Moon there is a similar premise in which the characters all gather
for the funeral of someone who committed suicide in rehab which happened in
book one. I dig deeper into who she was and how the suicide affected each of
the characters.
4Q: Favorite
authors or novels?
JI: Angela’s
Ashes by Frank McCourt. I love a good story about overcoming hardships and the
strength of the human spirit.
4Q: Anything
else you would like to tell us about?
JI: I would
like to thank you for helping indie published authors like myself spread the
word about our books!
** You’re
most welcome, Jennifer. Talented authors, like yourself, are what makes the
Scribbler so interesting.
A Dress the
Color of the Sky.
Book
Summary:
For too many years, Prudence Aldrich has been numbing the pain in
her life with random sexual encounters. Her marriage to cold, self-centered
Nick is, not surprisingly, on the rocks. But after several dangerous
experiences with strangers, Prudence finally realizes she needs therapy to stop
her self-destructive behavior, and so she checks into the Serenity Hills rehab
center.
Prudence blames herself for her irresponsible behavior and is
filled with self-loathing. She’s convinced she is completely at fault for
Nick’s manipulative attitude and believes with therapy, she can return their
relationship to its idyllic beginnings. However, her therapist and the other
members of her rehab group see the person behind the pain. As Prudence learns
for about herself and the reasons for her behavior, including startling
revelations about her childhood, she begins to understand the basis for her
lack of sexual self-respect. She also learns she is not entirely to blame for
the failure of her marriage. With the positive reinforcement of everyone at
Serenity Hills, Prudence learns not to define herself by her past. But moving
forward would mean letting go of Nick for good, and Prudence isn’t sure she
can.
Thank you,
Jennifer, for being our guest this week. Wishing you continued success with
your writing.
For you
readers that would like to know more about Jennifer and her novel, please
follow these links:
http://jenniferirwinauthor.com
https://twitter.com/jenirwinauthor
https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Irwin-author-1553230351572292/
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