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EmailWhy do I write?
Posted Feb 8 2019 in About Jen, Reading, Writing, Writing craft
In a Facebook group this week, another writer asked: “Why do you write?” While the answer is different for each writer, the question made me think about the constants from when I first started my writing journey—enthusiastic and starry eyed—through to now—still enthusiastic but more realistic. Making sense of the world Making sense of the […]
Read More...My writing life
Posted Mar 30 2018 in About Jen, Firefly Lake, Friendship, Publishing, Writing, Writing craft
I don’t often blog about writing, but in the past few months I’ve been thinking about what and why I write. Whilst these experiences are mine, I suspect that published or not, other writers will recognize bits of themselves in me. And if you’re a reader, I hope this post gives you some “inside insight” […]
Read More...Meet me at the diner – Contemporary romance author Jennifer Wilck
Posted Nov 3 2017 in Food, Jennifer Wilck, Meet me at the diner, Reading, Writing, Writing craft
If you read my blog regularly, you know that I occasionally feature writer friends in a series called “Meet Me at the Diner.” Today it’s my pleasure to welcome Jennifer Wilck, a contemporary romance author with the Wild Rose Press. I met Jennifer at the Romance Writers of America’s national conference in New York City […]
Read More...Meet me at the diner: Susanna Bavin author of “The Deserter’s Daughter”
Posted Jun 30 2017 in England, Meet me at the diner, Susanna Bavin, Writing, Writing craft
In this occasional series on my blog, I’m chatting with my friend Susanna Bavin, whose debut novel, The Deserter’s Daughter, was published on June 22nd. Susanna and I are both members of the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) in the UK. We met via Twitter and haven’t stopped emailing since! She’s a dear and supportive friend […]
Read More...What’s in a name?
Posted Oct 21 2016 in About Jen, Family, The Cottage at Firefly Lake, Writing, Writing craft
In the past month, I’ve been called Rebecca, Mary, Megan, and Jessica. At church last Sunday, another parishioner asked me where “Jennifer” was, mixing up English Rose and I. Together with a struggle to name a character in my work in progress, and a report in Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper that nearly a fifth of parents regret […]
Read More...Life lessons in ABC
Posted Jun 3 2016 in About Jen, Community, Family, Friendship, Word for the year, Writing, Writing craft
We’ve all had times which have brought more life lessons than we wanted to learn. As the primary caregiver for a child diagnosed with a chronic illness, the past five months have been that way for me. Yet, as I look back, I realize that maybe they were lessons I needed to learn and they’re […]
Read More...Music in life and stories
Posted Jan 29 2016 in About Jen, Music, Writing, Writing craft
Confession. I’ve listened to a lot of songs by The Partridge Family lately. Along with ABBA, Jace Everett, Dean Brody, Bruce Springsteen, Sam Hunt and a Mozart flute concerto. Why such an eclectic mix? Like many authors, I have a playlist for each book I write. Music that says something about a character and their […]
Read More...My Romance Writers of America (RWA)® conference 2015, from A to Z
Posted Jul 31 2015 in About Jen, Golden Heart® sisterhood, RWA conference, Writing, Writing craft
As some of you know, I was in New York City last week for the 35th RWA® conference. This annual event is the biggest gathering of romance writers in the world. As a first-time attendee and 2015 Golden Heart® finalist, it was an exciting, overwhelming and never-to-be-forgotten experience. Here’s my conference, from A to Z. Authors Several thousand […]
Read More...Ten things I wish I’d known about the writing life
Posted May 22 2015 in About Jen, Writing, Writing craft
A friend working on her first fiction manuscript emailed me this week to ask if I had “any words of wisdom” to share. I answered her privately, but her questions made me think about the things I wish I’d known when I started writing in pursuit of publication. Find your voice I’ve dabbled in genres like nibbles at a tapas […]
Read More...We can (not) do it all
Posted Sep 26 2014 in About Jen, Writing craft
As a teenager, I had an image of my adult self. I wanted a job where I carried a briefcase and wore a suit. The message I’d received was girls could do it all – have a successful career, happy family life and an immaculate home too. I was reminded recently of the teenage girl […]
Read More...The Latest News
- Mar 29, 2019: Willkommen an die deutschen Leser!
- Mar 29, 2019: Welcome to German readers!
- Feb 15, 2019: Penguin Verlag acquires German rights to Firefly Lake series
- Dec 11, 2018: Take Two Characters: Jen Gilroy chooses two of her favourite fictional people — Guest post, author Susanna Bavin’s blog
- Oct 12, 2018: Writing workshop for North Grenville Writers Circle
- May 29, 2018: All About Books — Guest post on Odd Socks and Lollipops
- Dec 18, 2017: My favourite holiday books as a child — Guest post, That Artsy Reader Girl, A Bookish Little Christmas
- Dec 17, 2017: How I find writing inspiration – Guest post, ChickLit Club
- Dec 16, 2017: My favourite fireside reads for the holidays – Guest post, Fresh Fiction
- Dec 15, 2017: Having a happy (British) Christmas in Canada — Guest post, Bookish Jottings
