Happy New Year, may it be full of books and book sales!

Featuring Jenna Page

Author

Lydia Baker
January 01, 2025

Hello fellow book lovers!

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful Christmas however you chose to celebrate. We have finally got a working kitchen, and a useable dining table (woohoo!) which has left me more time to focus on writing.

That being said, AVA has been neglected once again and although the rights to the book are now mine again (yay!) I haven’t given it the time it needs to be ready to go back on sale. So please bear with me. I am considering releasing AVA and book 2, ANNA in short succession but that will require a bit more time.

The crime novel (renamed Earth and Bones) I am working on has sucked up a lot of my time and I am pleased to say the first draft was completed on Christmas Eve! My editing process usually involves stepping away to another project or taking a break and coming back to the draft later, but I am so wrapped up in the story I have decided to do a first round of edits straight away. Which means I will be looking for BETA readers in the not so distant future. If you are interested, then I have made a google form for you to express your interest. Please bear in mind that it is still a draft and I am expecting there to be missed errors. It is not the finished, polished novel!

But feedback on plot holes, pacing, characters would be appreciated 😃 

Earth and Bones temporary blurb (it needs work I know!): The man who killed DCI Faulkes eldest daughter twenty-eight years ago is finally willing to talk. Yet life has other plans, when a heart attack places Faulkes in hospital, his younger daughter, DS Julia Faulkes, must take his place and speak to the man who destroyed so many lives.

Introverted Indies News

The fabulous Lucy McLaren and I were able to meet in person to talk all things Introverted Indies and we have a few new things up our sleeves for you!

In the New Year we will be opening up our interview sign ups as well as introducing panel discussions, top tips videos and more. We have also created a Instagram page for you all to follow for updates, as well as a TikTok but that is lacking in content at the moment. The youtube channel is growing and while we have had a break over Christmas, there are plenty of interviews lined up for January and February.

Here are a few of my favourites of this year!

Both of these books by Lucy A. McLaren were a highlight of my reads this year. I can’t wait for book 3 in the series, and her other books that I know are in the pipeline. If you like fantasy, high stakes, siblings relationships, mental health rep and sassy animal companions then this one is for you.

I can’t wait to read book 2, actually that reminds me I need to buy it! I guess I’d call it urban fantasy with a humerous side. Loved it!

Interview with Jenna Page

Author of A Star in the Endless Night

Hello Jenna! Thank you so much for joining me here at Introverted Indies. Would you like to introduce yourself.

Of course! I live in the DFW area! I've been in Texas since 2018, but I spent the majority of my younger years in North Carolina. I've also been writing since high school here and there, but I've never actually sat down and tried to finish a book until recently. It only took me what... ten years to put my Creative Writing degree to work? 😅

We all do things at our own pace but it sounds like writing has always been in your blood, especially if you have a degree it in! Can you tell us about your book A Star in the Endless Night? What inspired you to write it?

My book is best described as Romantasy. I know it isn't the best descriptor as a wide variety of books can fall into this pit, but A Star in the Endless Night has equal focus on fantasy elements as well as romance. My inspiration? Maybe this sounds silly, but the past three or four times I've had to fly in the past couple years, I've listened to the Pride and Prejudice audiobook that comes with the free entertainment (I've also read the physical book too many times to count). I thought to myself that I would love to combine a Jane Austen style romance with fantasy elements where the hope could be the driving emotion. While I normally gravitate towards darker themes, something about such a notion is endearing to me.

The best comp would be described as Pride and Prejudice crossed with Howl's Moving Castle. Anywhose, It took me less than a month to write as I was just FURIOUSLY attacking it. But the editing? The editing took three to four months.

My book has an assortment of tropes: morally grey MMCs, strangers-to-lovers/fated lovers, found family, and HEA vibes/the power of hope.

A blurb for my book follows: Fate brings them together. Death threatens to part them. Time is running short. A young indentured woman attracts the attention of a wizard tormented by darkness. After sensing a mysterious magic within Estelle, Dirk decides to pay for her freedom on a whim. Once she finds herself submerged in a new world full of magic and danger, she must help her new friends face the uncertain future. Will Estelle learn the secret to her aura? Will she be able to come to terms with her growing feelings for her mysterious benefactor? Or will time bring all of her newfound joy to an end?

*This book contains fade to black sexual scenes and blood/violence.

Your book sounds super. I love a bit of Jane Austen—they are classics for a reason. I what I like about romantasy is that the romance bit doesn’t have to be the main theme, it can be a part of the story without taking over. I love a will they won’t they vibe! So, what else are you working on?

Right now, I have three congruent projects. Probably not the best idea to work on multiple at once, but one is the sequel to A Star in the Endless Night (Duology), one is a small-town Christmas romance, and one is a separate fantasy WIP that I plan on having be a trilogy. I'm a sucker for love!

Oh I’m a terror for having more than one project on the go. I’ve lost count (or rather I’m not checking!). The author journey has many highs and lows. Can you tell us about some of yours? And how you dealt with the harder aspects of being a self-published writer?

What a question! A Star in the Endless Night will actually be my debut! So though my published career is just beginning, I've had so many great moments. All of them are the interactions I've had with ARC readers who told me their thoughts and joys and aggravations with different milestones in my book. There's nothing better than hearing a reader's thoughts! As for lows, I'd say the realization of how large a task it is to self-publish was a big kick in the butt. A much needed one, too. While there are things I'd probably do differently for the next book that gets published, it's all been great learning experiences! For anyone else looking to become an Indie Author, research research research! There's so much information you have to digest along the way on the road to publishing.

It’s a bigger task than people realise, self-publishing! For me its the marketing that I dislike the most. Do you have any advice for other authors?

Oof. I think that's the biggest hurdle for every author! How do you make your book stand out in a sea of amazing new titles? I have a love-hate relationship with social media. I love being able to connect with prospective readers and other authors. I hate the "need" to constantly be online and posting regularly. If anything, I don't make it a requirement for myself to post every day. That's draining, and my time is better spent working on my books.

The best performing content on Instagram so far has been reels, and nothing else comes close. People love videos. I think a really good marketing tactic that's been good so far for me is to just genuinely engage with accounts that you enjoy. Personally, I like working with small to medium accounts-- it forms a service to both of us to promote a new indie book. Large accounts already have that notoriety, so I'm probably not going to chase them too much. Threads is A-mazing for connecting with people if you haven't checked it out yet.

Book tours, if you can afford them, are another super awesome way to get your book in the hands of reviewers! I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend working with @bookedwiththeemilys on Instagram. They've been fantastic so far, and I would absolutely use them again. Plus, their price is very, very justified and agreeable compared to others I've seen floating around. As for if you don't have a lot of money to throw at PR add marketing, which I totally get, see if you can get another author to read your book. Most authors are readers, and if your book interests them, they might turn out to be your biggest cheerleaders! I know I'd totally love to help others on their journey in any way I can (even though my account is pretty small right now).

Lastly, find people like yourself who try to promote indie authors! People like you are a Godsend, and I will love you until the end of time <3 I feel like I can go on an on, so I'll stop my rambling here!

Aw thanks! I love supporting indie authors. The author community is so great and there are so many people who want to shout about indie books. It’s heart-warming. If you could go back in time, is there any advice you’d give your former self?

Oh man, I wish I had the dedication when I was younger to just find any and all time to sit down and plug away at any kind of literary project. I think that's the biggest hurdle for all of us-- life loves to get in the way, but you gotta fight it back! Be fearless!

Other than writing do you have any other hobbies? I love to crochet, it unwinds my mind and often lets me think out plot holes.

Oh, I wish I could crochet or knit! I never had the patience myself. I love gaming, reading, baking, art, and spending time with family. I would say gardening, but the Texas heat is miserable and I avoided going out into the sun this year and all my plants died or were eaten by wildlife

Oh no, that sucks about your plants. I love plants, but I am a horrible gardener! Thank you so much for joining me at Indie Author Insight, it has beem great chatting and hearing about A Star in the Endless Night. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Other than a shameless plug announcing that A Star in the Endless Night was released October 11, 2024 and will be available on Kindle Unlimited.

I'd love to thank you for interviewing me and giving me a voice! I'm so honored to be here. And if anyone out there is interested in keeping up with ARCs for future projects, news about author collabs or book deals, and general book info, don't be afraid to sign up for my newsletter on my site!

Keep in touch with Jenna Page and buy her books below:

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful 2025!

Lydia x

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