David: I'm drawing this awesome line straight from your query letter: "As a feminist who's lived my whole life in Utah, I was inspired to write HOT-BLOODED WOMAN by my first-hand experience in the dominating traditional culture and the patriarchal pressures on our young women to marry and fulfill outdated gender roles." My favorite kinds of people are those who turn to fiction when wanting to explore their own experiences, ideas, etc. But I still like to ask: Why fiction? And which came first, plot or Paige?

Jennifer: I've always had a lot of angst with Utah's culture. Here, women with religious upbringing (which is a lot of us) are all sold the same life plan: graduate high school, go to college (just long enough to meet a man), get married, have babies, then... well, what else is there? 

During my English major, I had a professor talk about some of the "biggest, angriest social novels of their time" and how writers reflect real-world problems through fiction. That stuck with me. I started digging, trying to find more fiction set in Utah. Maybe someone else had captured that angst I'd always felt. Surely someone had written about a Utah girl who was angry at the world because she took everyone's advice but her own. But the more I looked, the less I found. It didn't exist. And that's when I knew I had my angle. 

Hot-Blooded Woman is definitely a reflection of my own experiences, but it's also so much bigger than me. I think a lot of women will see themselves somewhere in these pages.

David: Would you call HBW an angry novel; and/or Paige an angry character?

Jennifer: I would not call HBW an angry novel now, but the earliest versions definitely were. The original Paige was more furious and self-destructive. (HBW has been ten years in the making.) The last few revisions I took some of the heaviest elements out because I realized I could still hit the home run and have the story a bit more palatable for a wider audience. Not only is Paige more likable, but she's more relatable now.

David: I forgot that you're also a part of the 10-Years Club! Tell us something about the process. The idea hit ten years ago... and then what? Did it sit in your brain, percolating, for a few years? Did you write a draft right away, and if so, how much of that draft remains? What were all the major steps along the way that got us to this point?

Jennifer: I did do a draft right away. I wrote and finished the book in 2015 and then revised it for another year or two before an endless journey of querying and rejection. Much of the draft remains in the final version in terms of plot and a lot of dialogue. There are two scenes I can think of that have barely changed at all, while others have been heavily edited, deleted or rewritten altogether. When I read the first version now, the bones are all still there and it is recognizable, but the final version is much, much better. I honestly think that an extra 10 years of growing up and maturing myself had a lot to do with it, too.

I'd been in the querying trenches for years, hoping to land the agent/book deal of my dreams when I had a life-threatening health emergency in late 2024. After I recovered, I realized that I could accomplish being an author on my own. I rolled up my sleeves, rallied an excellent team of people, and got to work. Everything has been falling into place since and I'm so grateful to have this opportunity and to have my dream finally come true! 

David: You write that "a lot of women will see themselves" in Paige. What type of response would you offer in the "target audience/readership" section? Who should read this book, and why?

Jennifer: Honestly, I think it’s for anyone who’s ever had that quiet, nagging thought—is this it? A lot of women are taught what their life is supposed to look like, and Paige really leans into that. She does everything right. And then, when she’s finally given a little bit of space, she starts to realize she doesn’t actually know what she wants or who she is outside of that structure.

At its core, it’s really about that question a lot of us don’t say out loud: what if I want something different? And what happens when you finally let yourself go there. So it’s for readers who are interested in that kind of unraveling. The emotional, uncomfortable, sometimes exciting process of wanting more and whether you’re willing to do anything about it.

David: The other day you received your proof copy of the paperback. Can you describe what it was like to open that package, and to hold for the first time this book you've worked on for so long?

Jennifer: It was exciting just seeing the package on the porch. Knowing it was my copy, I picked it up and just felt the weight of it in my hands before I even opened it. But holding it felt incredible. I flipped through the pages and hugged it to my chest. It feels surreal that it exists in the world now. I've been carrying it in my purse since. Like if I set it down and walk away, it might disappear. It's a very "pinch me" feeling! 

David: What will you do to celebrate; are you having any kind of book launch party with friends and fam? Do you have any kinds of readings or other events set up yet?

Jennifer: I have a "published author" T-shirt that I plan to wear! I do have a friends/family signing party planned and I did get my first author event booked! An indie bookstore and I connected at a trade show and they have a "Meet Cute" author event and asked if I'd like to be one of the spotlighted authors. I can't wait!!

David: So what's next for you? Do you think we'll see Paige again in a future book?

Jennifer: I'll always keep my foot on the gas. I'll be working hard in the upcoming months to promote Hot-Blooded Woman and stealing away time later this year to really start polishing What Happened to Delilah Augustine. There is actually a Delilah easter egg in HBW for future savvy readers!

But for Paige, I'd love to see what readers have to say about seeing more of her. It has an open ending for a potential sequel (though I don't have one planned). I've actually thought of writing a parallel story of Hot-Blooded Woman from Vanessa's point of view and diving into her story and how her choices led her to pair up with Paige. So I've got that in the back of my mind. The sky is the limit!!