Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hand me a “strong pour” glass of Pinot Noir, throw a Sherpa blanket over me and give me a good book and I’m a happy girl. I live in Pennsylvania with my mechanic husband, Andrew, my sassy toddler daughter, Mila and my even sassier cat, Barnaby. I love to escape with indulgent, guilty pleasure reads which is funny considering that’s exactly the type of book Iw wrote. Sweet Pear is my first novel I’ve written.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is Sweet Pear and it was actually inspired by a quote I wrote. The quote is, “Is the grass really greener on the other side, or is it simply artificial?” Months after posting that quote it popped into my head again. I thought of, “Who would wonder this? What would they look to see on the other side?” That’s when my main character Elle popped in. During the second month of the pandemic while I was home with my infant daughter 24/7 I started to write everything that was flooding my brain while she would take her 3 hour glorious naps each day. The rest is history.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to “set the scene.” Meaning, if my main characters are drinking glasses of wine, I too may pour myself a glass. There was one scene I wrote where Elle was at a Christmas market so while writing that scene (in August) I put on a Christmas playlist and dug out my Christmas frasier fir candles and brought Christmas into my house.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, Sally Thorne, Liane Moriarty, etc. I absolutely adored “Big Little Lies” way before it was turned into a TV show (which I equally loved). I love the back n forth banter between the main characters in The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. One of my most favorite books however that pops into my mind right now is, “The Art of Racing in the Rain.” It’s been a long time since I’ve read it but that book had me crying from the first page!
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the sequel to Sweet Pear! In between books I also have on my website a blog that’s from the main character, Elle. One of the things that has always been bittersweet to me is when you finish a good book and you feel like you’re mourning them until the next book comes. I wanted to give my readers something to hold onto, something that they can check in with while they wait for the next book to drop.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love creating posts and book trailer videos and I post them on my Instagram and Author Facebook page!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, my advice is to just write. Just get your words down. You don’t need to worry or overwhelm yourself about the next step. Many times we can get ahead of ourselves and worry about how something will turn into fruition that we end up scaring ourselves and stopping. Don’t stop. Just keep writing (unedited) and get to those future steps when it’s time. Everyone has a story in them, you just have to listen to yourself closely to hear it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I’ve ever heard is to listen to your body when you need to rest. Even if you have an internal clock telling you that you need to get something done to be productive or successful. Your body is telling you something and rest isn’t selfish, sometimes it’s needed for a sense of your self.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading “A Slice of Heaven”, the second book from the Sweet Magnolia series. I love the TV show so I decided to go back and read the books.
What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next for me is to continue promoting Sweet Pear while also working on and publishing the sequel. After that, I’m going to continue writing many more books (maybe even some different genres if it speaks to me!)
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Hmm… this is hard. I suppose one of the books would be a survivalist type of book, maybe what foods you can look for and also see what types of things are poisonous. Then, I’d pick a good mystery book to keep my mind in a creative state and not to sound a certain way, but I would bring Sweet Pear. It would be to remind myself of all I accomplished at a time when things were uncertain and unstable. The 4th book would be a blank one ( I mean, cmon there’s gotta be a good story to write down being on a stranded island!) 🙂
Author Websites and Profiles
Jessica Butler Website
Jessica Butler Amazon Profile
Jessica Butler’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile