AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Jennifer Bardsley
Do you love books that feel like the best sort of comfort food? Sweet, wholesome love stories that serve up plenty of heartwarming and hilarious moments? If so, Jennifer Bardsley’s Harper Landing series is just what you crave. Her first novel in this charming series, SWEET BLISS, debuted this summer, and the second—GOOD CATCH—in which a pair of frenemies navigates the shallow depths of a small-town dating scene only to find the romance they need is right in front of them, came out this week! If you like realistic romances that feature lovable and relatable characters along with a setting that feels so real you could almost walk into the pages, Jennifer’s novels won’t disappoint. I love a good romance when I need a bit of a “palate cleanse” from the darker fare I usually read, and Jennifer’s series is one of my favorite comfort reads. I can’t wait to go back to Harper Landing to catch up with the locals and meet some new characters, too!
The Full Synopsis
Former ballerina Marlo Jonas has all the right moves—except when it comes to men. Her latest boyfriend? A cheater. In the wake of her breakup, her father has a novel idea for her: try dating men for who they are and not how they look. This makes it easy to ignore her hot nemesis, Seattle Times reporter Ben Wexler-Lowrey.
Ben’s take on romance means spending time with interesting women whose personalities might sparkle more than their looks dazzle. But Ben’s mother thinks he can fare better. He’s never tried online dating before, but what could be the harm in putting himself out there?
As Marlo and Ben both suffer through a series of hilariously awkward dates, they’re left feeling empty. Marlo needs someone empathetic enough to soothe her past hurt. Ben needs someone who truly sees him for the man he is.
These enemies love to loathe one another; could that mean Marlo and Ben are foes in love?
“Bardsley returns to small-town Harper Landing (after Sweet Bliss) with a charming, uproarious romance…As Marlo and Ben navigate knee-slappingly disastrous dates, their walls break down and they discover what they’ve been searching for. Their humorous transformation from enemies to lovers is a delight.” —Publishers Weekly
And now for our interview…
Paulette: Hi Jennifer! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me about your latest book. Can you tell us all about GOOD CATCH and Harper Landing?
Jennifer: Harper Landing is a sweet romance series that takes place in a fictional town thirty minutes north of Seattle. It was inspired by my own community, Edmonds, Washington. "Sweet Bliss" released July 13th and is about the town's froyo shop owner. "Good Catch" released October 5th and is about a former ballerina turned spin instructor. Harper Landing is like my version of Stars Hollow from the Gilmore Girls. Quirky characters abound and you feel happier after every visit.
Paulette: It does feel a lot like Stars Hollow, and any number of other small towns I’ve visited—fictional and otherwise. You really have a gift for conveying that “main street USA” atmosphere in your books, and I love it. There are so many colorful characters that feel like real people. Do you have a favorite character?
Jennifer: It's hard to pick a favorite, but I adore Ben Wexler-Lowrey, the main character from "Good Catch" because he's so patient. Ben's in his early twenties and works as a journalist for the Seattle Times. He has a hard time saying no, especially to past girlfriends like the yarn-bomber, or the one who makes balloon animals for a living.
Paulette: Ben sounds like a real sweetheart! I can’t wait to meet him. And those are some colorful-sounding exes! We had a group of yarn-bombers in my hometown, and while I never joined up, I got pretty close to being recruited, but I tend to only knit in the wintertime, so I probably wouldn’t have passed muster!
You are an incredibly prolific writer, and it’s amazing to me how quickly you can draft a novel. Can you tell us about your writing process?
Jennifer: I start with a two-sentence hook and then write my synopsis. The original hook for "Good Catch" was: "Marlo's determined to date men for the quality of their characters, not their looks, so why does she fall for Ben, her hunky childhood nemesis?" Once I have the synopsis, I develop my characters. It's important for me to know what my main characters' goals are, as well as what problems they will need to overcome. Then, I write between 1,500-3,000 words a day without taking breaks until I finish my first draft. My writing group, which meets once a week, helps critique my story thirty pages at a time. I never give a manuscript to my agent unless multiple people have already read it and provided feedback.
My favorite part of writing is creating the synopsis, which I'm actually pretty good at. My friends call me their blurb doctor and often ask for help with that. My least favorite part of writing is spelling and editing, because I have a learning disability related to dyslexia. I've always been a poor speller which is one of the reasons I value my writing group because they help me with that.
Paulette: I love how you dedicated GOOD CATCH to “creative spellers” and have been really open about talking about your learning disability. My husband had a teacher in middle school who told him he’d never be successful as a writer because he couldn’t spell, and unfortunately, it scarred him from ever wanting to try. Talking so frankly about your experiences will no doubt help to inspire many other people who may struggle with thinking their dyslexia or other learning challenges will keep them from finding success as a writer—because you certainly have proven otherwise!
How have you celebrated your successes?
Jennifer: I have a bookshelf with all of the books I've written, including the foreign translations and audiobook copies. I also publish under the pen name Louise Cypress.
Paulette: That sounds like such a wonderful visual display of all your hard work. This has been such a big year for you, because you debuted with SWEET BLISS and then had GOOD CATCH coming out soon after. What have been some of the challenges of putting two books out in the same year?
Jennifer: The biggest challenge of my debut year has been going to the post office. That sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth. I get heart palpitations just thinking about it. My publisher gave me sixty-eight advanced review copies of "Sweet Bliss" plus twenty-five finished copies. I received the same number for "Good Catch." I mailed all of those books to reviewers on Instagram. It was cheaper to use media mail, but that requires waiting in line for the service counter instead of the self-serve kiosk. The international mailings needed custom forms too. Our local UPSP is short staffed due to budget cuts and many of the workers would give me a hard time when I came in. "Is this really media mail? Did you sneak a letter in here? You can't include a letter." Sometimes they'd make me wait in line twice because they would only allow me to mail five items in one transaction.
Paulette: Yes. The post office. It can be a lot. Even with trying to divide visits and go at non-busy times, it’s still so stressful. I have been telling debuting authors to budget a lot more money than they think they’ll need for mailing ARCs and other materials and to also prepare ahead of time with their customs forms, because any amount of time you can save with promotional tasks is that much more time for writing.
Do you have any advice for writers, especially those going into their debut year?
Jennifer: This is my debut for adult romance, but for young adult fiction I debuted back in 2016. That's given me an edge I think, because this isn't my first rodeo. My main advice would be to guard your wallet. There are so many people out there who make money preying on an author's hopes and dreams that it's easy to be ripped off if you aren't careful.
Paulette: So true. There are predatory people who just can’t wait to take advantage of eager and excited authors and it’s wise to be on your guard. Thanks so much for chatting with me about GOOD CATCH today, Jennifer, and I hope we’ll see even more Harper Landing books in the future!
You can buy SWEET BLISS and GOOD CATCH from Amazon
Jennifer Bardsley believes in friendship, true love, and the everlasting power of books. A graduate of Stanford University, she lives in Edmonds, Washington with her husband and two children. Jennifer’s “I Brake for Moms” column has appeared in The Everett Herald every week since 2012. She also writes Young Adult Paranormal Romance under the pen name Louise Cypress.
When she’s not writing books, or camping with her Girl Scout troop, you can find Jennifer walking from her house to the beach every chance she gets. You can connect with Jennifer on her website, Facebook, and Instagram.