Indie Support Sunday: Jensen Parker

Jensen Parker is a new-to-me author, but after this interview and learning all about her books, I might also be a fan! Her advice for new and existing authors is great and one that I think all of us should remind ourselves about as often as possible. But what really made me smile was Jensen’s comments about the infamous miscommunication trope. 

With two series—one inspired by her love for professional wrestling—under her belt, Jensen might some day dabble in a cowboy or rockstar romance, even a full-length Christmas romance. Not to mention a book inspired by the Indy 500 and The Pirates of the Caribbean? I’m here for all of it.

Right now, however, you can preorder Separate Ways—releasing October 16th—a paranormal thriller set in the 80s with a Stranger Things-Supernatural-The Mummy vibes that sounds so good, I’m itching to get my hands on the book already!

All of Jensen’s books are available in Kindle Unlimited.

BEING AN AUTHOR

Who or what inspired you to write?

I have always wanted to write books! I loved creating and telling stories when I was younger, eventually writing them down in notebooks and then on my computer. The desire to share them never went away, even if it was extremely terrifying to do so! 

What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author? 

The best? Sharing my stories and characters with people who enjoy them as much as I do. The worst? The marketing. Don’t get me wrong, I love talking about my books and sharing them, but man, the constant cycle of marketing can be really draining.

Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?

It was all about creative control for me. I dipped my toe in the querying process in the beginning, but ultimately after some conversations I had, I decided going indie was the best option. Not to mention, even the majority of trad authors have to do their own marketing (we’re talking indie level marketing). If I have to do all the leg work anyway, why not just do everything? 

When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?

A few things…

1. Writing it out by hand, that mind-body connection really helps me work through things and get the creativity flowing. 

2. Reconnecting with nature helps me a lot, especially if I’m feeling burnt out. 3. Taking a break and not looking at a screen for a day or two. Sometimes, you just have to. 

If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?

Some of my faves are We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer (thriller/horror), Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham (thriller), The Rising Order by Claire Isenthal (thriller), All About Us by Tom Ellen (fiction / romance), The Selection Series by Kierra Cass (YA romance), In Five Years by Rebecca Serle (fiction), Under the Magnolias by T.I. Lowe (fiction), How to Fake it In Hollywood by Ava Wilder (romance) and A Christmas to Remember by Jenny Hale (Christmas romance).

What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?

1. You can’t do something with nothing. I tell this to everyone who comes to me and asks for help with their books, especially a first time author. It’s probably one of my biggest pieces of advice, because you can’t do something with a blank page, but you can do something with a first draft. This is not an easy job, telling stories can be hard, but that’s part of the process and what makes the end result so beautiful. 

2. It’s okay to have a bad first draft, and more than likely, it’s going to be bad! That’s what edits are for. Ernest Hemingway said, “The most important thing about a first draft is finishing the damn thing,” and I completely agree! 

3. Find a good editor, one who you trust and trusts you. They aren’t meant to write the book for you or do the work, but to compliment you and the story, while helping you make it better. You don’t have to go with the first editor you find, shop around, ask them for quotes and sample edits! 

4. Don’t go back and edit until you’re done. This is kind of hit or miss for me, because sometimes I need to read what I wrote the day before to get back in the story, and I find myself editing here and there. But overall, I try not to edit until I’ve reached the end of the first draft when I print out the whole book and do a round of paper edits. 

5. The last piece is from Stephen King, one of my all time favorite authors. Don’t constrain yourself to the outline (if you’re a plotter) let your characters and plot develop naturally, even if it means changing course.

6. And a bonus: Don’t stop reading. It’s important to read, it doesn’t even have to be in your genre, though I think this can be important, too. You have to keep reading to keep learning and growing as a writer. 

ROMANCE AS A GENRE

Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?

Frankly, because that was the story I chose to publish first. I have other stories that lean more into the thriller genre—I even published one as a short story in an anthology last year! I love exploring complex relationships—whether it’s romantic, friendship, and family—and romance offers a space to do that, not to mention, who doesn’t love a good happily ever after? 

If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?

Thriller, but even my thriller stories seem to always have a romantic element to them. 

What are your most and least favorite tropes?

Favorite: fake dating, enemies to lovers, Christmas romance, exes to lovers

Not my preferred: surprise pregnancy, love triangles, cheating, why choose

What are some tropes you want to write in the future?

Cowboy or Rockstar, definitely a full length Christmas romance (I’ve done a novella), and another slow burn. I just finished a slow burn, and it was sooooo much fun. 

What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?

I think we need to explore the why of the miscommunication between characters more, instead of expecting them to never have misunderstandings or miscommunication. That’s a normal part of life, and can make for a great growth journey. Figure out why the problem exists and why the characters are struggling to voice those problems, and turn that into a lesson for both of them. 

Also, allowing characters to have development outside of the main relationship, whether it’s a friendship, family, and career. My characters are well-rounded and they have relationships outside of the MMC, because that’s a normal part of life. I want my characters to feel real and fleshed out, so you may see them interact with their best friend multiple times, not just once or twice. You might see them at work, solving problems and reaching goals, or having a meal with their parents, because I want that authentic feeling. People have lives outside of their relationship, that’s normal. Frankly, I get bored when I read something and it’s just the two main characters all the time with no outside interruption. 

If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?

I will only write the scene if I feel it needs to be written out, I’m open to both open/closed door in my books. However, if it’s going to be there, then it needs to add to the plot somehow. Personally, I won’t write a sex scene just for the sake of having it there. I don’t know that I have any “inspiration,” it really boils down to the characters and their personalities. 

YOUR BOOKS

What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?

Until Now just came from an idea while I was standing at work, which eventually led to creating the characters for the rest of the Strangers series. 

Heartbreaker was inspired by my love of professional wrestling. Honor Bound, obviously the second book in the EWE series was inspired by wrestling, but also my love of 2000s rom-coms, specifically How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. 

Winter’s Kiss is my Christmas novella, and I like to describe it as a Hallmark Christmas movie with extra drama and a dash of spice. While it is part of the Elite Wrestling Entertainment series, there isn’t as much wrestling in it as in Heartbreaker and Honor Bound.

The book I’m currently working on and releasing this fall is Separate Ways, it’s inspired by my love of thrillers, horrors, and the ‘80s. If you combine vibes from Stranger Things, Supernatural, and The Mummy (1999) with a kick-ass ‘80s playlist, including Daughtry’s cover of “Separate Ways,” that’s what you can expect from the book! 

Can you briefly tell me about your books?

The Strangers series is a small town-ish, interconnected series surrounding different couples in the same friend group. It follows their relationship journeys, both as friends and couples, and navigating different fish out of water experiences. They can be read independently, but you might get a spoiler or two! 

The Elite Wrestling Entertainment series are independent interconnected stories that follow characters under the same company umbrella, Elite Wrestling Entertainment. You might see familiar characters from the other books, but these are meant to be more standalone than the Strangers books. These books follow the complex relationships of people who work in the sports entertainment industry, both romantically and personally. 

Separate Ways will be a standalone paranormal, romantic suspense horror novel set in the 1980s. It follows Camille, Gray, and their friends, as they face a living nightmare terrorizing their small town. Following the events of that summer, Camille finds herself in a new city alone and heartbroken with a load of trauma to deal with. When she returns home five years later, she must confront the ghosts of her past, and has no choice but to trust Gray when the monster they thought was dead returns.

Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?

It’s definitely a tie between Nina in the Strangers series, Savannah in the EWE series, and Camille in Separate Ways. 

If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?

Oh my goodness, I hate this question when people ask. 🤣 It’s so hard to say, because I never want to force someone to think a certain way about my characters (unless of course I did get a movie deal 😉). Not to mention, there are so many to decide…How about I just pick for Separate Ways? 

Camille Torres - Mika Abadalla or Selena Gomez from the late 2010s

Gray Stevens - Joe Keery (aka Steve Harrington) from the later seasons of Stranger Things or a young Brendan Fraser

How much of yourself do you put into these characters?

I think all authors put a good amount of ourselves into our characters—whether we know it or not. We spend so much time with them, how could we not? I’ve noticed my favorite characters usually have the most of me in them, if that tells you anything. 

What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?

I really want to do an Indy 500 inspired book. As someone who is from Indianapolis and grew up going to the track and race, I think it would be a lot of fun to dive into that. I would also love to do a Pirates of the Caribbean inspired romance. I was one of those people obsessed (let’s be real, I still am) with those movies, and I think it would be SO MUCH FUN to do something like that. 

Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?

Angst, passion, and happily ever afters.  

What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?

Separate Ways will be out in October of this year, and then I have a few ideas for my next project, but haven’t narrowed down which one I want to do. 

When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?

I hope they know they aren’t alone. Books are a way to connect people through stories. This world can be really heavy sometimes, and if my stories can help connect people and make even one person feel a little less alone, then it makes me happy. 

AUTHOR’S CHOICE

• Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks

• Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense

• Single or Dual POV—I don’t have a preference, but I’ll pick one 🤣

• Standalones, series or standalones in a series

• Open door, ajar door or closed door romances

• Music or silence when writing

• Plotter, pantser or plantser

• Water, tea, coffee or….wine?

• Cold or warm weather

• Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?

• Illustrated or photo cover?—I don’t have a preference, and I can’t pick one 🤣

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