First Cup of Coffee - February 7, 2025

The RELUCTANT WIZARD audiobook is available wide! Preorder NEVER THE ROSES at B&N for 35% off today only! Also, my editorial meeting, participation in VOW for Girls, and the unbearable loudness of casita-building.

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RELUCTANT WIZARD is out now and audiobook is live!! https://www.jeffekennedy.com/reluctant-wizard

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Transcript

00:01.57
Jeffe Kennedy
Good morning, everyone. This is Jeffe Kennedy, author of Epic Fantasy Romance. I'm here with my first cup of coffee.

00:12.03
Jeffe Kennedy
So welcome. ah Today is Say It With Me, people. And it's Friday. Woo-hoo! Thank goodness. You're in the US every week. Seems to get longer. It is February 7th.

00:28.06
Jeffe Kennedy
so um And I've lots of things to tell you about today. First, I want to gripe ever so slightly that between, I think it's Chrome. I think Google Chrome is doing this um where they are resetting my input volume. It took me three times to get this going so that it's loud enough so that those of you who tell me it's not loud enough have plenty of input volume.

00:56.25
Jeffe Kennedy
They really did not want me to change that. I'm considering going back to Firefox and keeping Chrome in my back pocket for things that will only run on Chrome. But I was reading that Firefox is a nonprofit and not funded by a billionaire. And since we are in the position of fighting the billionaire, our oligarchy now ah with no other guardrails on our rapacious government, something to consider.

01:26.03
Jeffe Kennedy
So I think I'm going to try that. We'll see what happens.

01:31.84
Jeffe Kennedy
Other things. So there's lots of things to tell you. I think I said that already. ah One thing is, you know, I've mentioned ah regular listeners know that we are building the casita ah for my mother and for other purposes. I think Someday in the future, I might host like writing retreats. People can come and stay in the Casita with our amazing views and wonderful, usually peaceful countryside. And I can mentor you on projects. So that's something I'm looking at down the road. But for now, it's very noisy. I will post a picture

02:11.85
Jeffe Kennedy
ah It's coming right along. They're doing all of the hammering and nailing now. And yeah, it's it's amazing how fast they're going. But I had complained to my editor and agents and so forth, as one does. I mentioned it in an email and they're all like, what is this, Casita? Tell us about it. So I ended up telling them all about it.

02:35.57
Jeffe Kennedy
But I was on a call with agent Sarah wednesday Wednesday morning. We did our annual new year's planning chat. I know I've mentioned numerous times that one thing I love about Sarah is that she does this annual new year's planning chat and she, she does the whole like, you know, vision board and she's like, you know, so what things do we want? What, what ideal things do we want to hit?

03:01.04
Jeffe Kennedy
I should mention that we are out on submission with both Among the Daughters, the Feminist Horror Revenge story, and Sex, Lies, and Ley Lines. They're in the hands of an editor right now, so we'll see what happens. They're on an exclusive with one editor right now, and the Savvy Among, you could probably guess who that is.

03:23.17
Jeffe Kennedy
It's a, it's a courtesy thing. And then if that editor doesn't want the stories, then we will go by it on submission. So lots of things happening. I also got interest on German translation rights for Never the Roses. So that's great. Oh, and my assistant editor, Dianna, sent a thing showing that Never the Roses is the most requested, among the most requested books I mean, right now.

03:54.32
Jeffe Kennedy
Pretty cool, huh? So anyway, I was on this planning chat with Sarah and we were on the call for like an hour, 15 minutes, hour and 15 minutes. And at one point she paused and she goes, is that your construction outside? And I'm like, yeah, yeah, yes. She's like, oh my God. And I'm like, you thought I was just bitching, which I was, but it also, it's really loud. On um Monday,

04:24.30
Jeffe Kennedy
I think this was after the podcast. Oh, I have to tell you about the editorial meeting, don't I? You all were so nice sending me nice notes. um But are you people who told me it was going to be fine? It was not fine. Just saying. Sorry, I have so many things to say today. I'll stop saying that. Anyway, they started like framing in, putting up the the frames, you know, like and I always think of it, you know, like in the Amish movies where they like who looked up the thing, it was about like that. And the in fact, if you're on video, no, you probably can't see the courts, but there's an outlet right underneath my office window. And so they plugged into that and they had this air compressor there. This was Monday afternoon that runs like the nail guns and that kind of thing. And oh my God, you people, it was so freaking loud.

05:22.05
Jeffe Kennedy
I could not hear myself think. i It was like rattling. Because it was right there. It was sitting right there. And it was like, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop. And I was like, no, no, I can't do this. And regular listeners will recall that I'm like, trying not to be a diva. But I thought, OK.

05:43.26
Jeffe Kennedy
this this is my we've hit my threshold I cannot work this way and I texted my amazing girl boss of a contractor who is fabulous Aviva and I said Aviva I really don't want to be a Karen but is can we put that compressor on an extension cord and move it down the portal because it's right under my office window and I cannot hear myself think and This, this shall not be born. And she is so sweet. She immediately replies, which I love about her. And she says, um, she says you could never be a Karen, which I appreciate it because I feel like I do have great Karen potential. Uh, she said, um, I will bring an extension cord in the morning and have them move it. So I'm like, I don't have to put up with it for a couple more hours, but then,

06:37.39
Jeffe Kennedy
Five minutes later, the couple of the guys come up on the port hall and they move it and it goes away and I can think again. and And so I texted her and I was like, oh my God, they just moved it and I adore you, thank you. And she sent me back a little fairy emoji and I said, you are, you're magic. And she said, that's the best compliment.

06:58.69
Jeffe Kennedy
was like no Oh, and now I notice we have an outlet. They're plugged into all of our outlets, which sounds sexy, but isn't. So we have this one on the portal.

07:10.06
Jeffe Kennedy
We have one in the secret garden. I opened the back gate for them to plug into that, which I notice they've got the air compressor over there on the other side of the house. I feel like this is Aviva's work. I cannot hear it at all. I just hear the the thumpings and the sawings, which isn't so bad. And then they wanted to plug into the garage outlet as well. So I guess we'll see what the electrical bill looks like, huh? So other pieces of news before I forget, because I actually have them written down.

07:37.68
Jeffe Kennedy
um Reluctant Wizard audiobook is now wide. It's up everywhere, including here on YouTube, for those of you who listen on YouTube. So go ahead and start listening. I had to do it in two parts because YouTube's decided, and that was a little bit of a delay because I uploaded my 15 hours of audiobook and after, like it took forever,

08:05.73
Jeffe Kennedy
And they processed, then they said, oh, we're sorry, YouTube no longer allows videos of longer than 12 hours. And I'm like, did you tell me this? They sent me emails of that I don't read. So maybe they told me, but I had to then go back and re reformat the audio book and do it in two parts. So that's why. Um, so that's up.

08:28.69
Jeffe Kennedy
What else? Oh, um Barnes and Noble is doing a promotion. I've been a very bad kitty cat and didn't mention it before today, but all of the books that are on pre-order, if you're part of their special class of people, what what is it? um I'm looking...

08:50.83
Jeffe Kennedy
It's 25% off for BNN members, 35% off for premium members. ah And it looks like the premium members is print pre-orders only, but B&N members is 25% off. And if you put in the coupon code pre-order 25, you can get that.

09:16.33
Jeffe Kennedy
And yes, never the roses is subject to that. And with that being an inexpensive print book, that 35% off, if you're a premium member, I don't know what you have to do to be a premium, um, to be worth it. Be worth it. So said I'd show that finally in the news categories, I am participating in this project called every girl deserves a happily ever after. Uh, it's VOW V O W.

09:45.91
Jeffe Kennedy
And it's um I'm not trying to figure out what vowel actually stands for. They've been sending me a lot of stuff too.

09:57.12
Jeffe Kennedy
So that campaign really kicks in next week. I couldn't figure out what the V.O.W. stood for. So um I've been supposed to watch videos. I haven't. I'm a bad author. I get no cookie. But I am sponsoring ah this ah donation drive. It's to end child marriage. So um we have a lot of shitty things going on in the U.S. right now. I know that we are all overloaded with existential dread and worried about our democracy being literally dismantled, but ah this is also a thing and it is a tangible thing that we can be doing. So I will post more about this next week. But, you know, there're they've got the graphics that they've sent me, which I haven't looked at till just this moment. and You all could do this with me. But 12 million girls are forced into marriage every year.

10:54.29
Jeffe Kennedy
And I don't know if you all follow the news, but the Taliban just passed a law legalizing marriage to girls as young as nine years old, which is so horrifying. So I'm going to post the link in my show notes.

11:11.90
Jeffe Kennedy
um for you to to donate, and I'm also going to be hosting a giveaway. We'll have that up next week. Corinne, assistant Corinne, suggested the Chronicles of Dasnaria trilogy, which I thought was a great idea, because hey, the protagonist is a very young woman who is forced into a child marriage and abused, so apropos. So I'm going to be giving away a print signed print trilogy of that, and Oh, that reminds me of one thing. I just remembered I needed to complete the drawing from Monday on For Fantasy Romance February, August, February. So we will be announcing that winner. We're winners, winners. So let's see. That's, I think, everything on my list. Look for more on Vow for Girls next week. And...

12:10.69
Jeffe Kennedy
Pre-order for Barnes and Noble deal only goes through today because I am, as previously mentioned, a bad author kitty and did not mention it till today. But you get what you get. What I did was I popped off and I asked Carien to pick the winners on that. So she's handling it as we speak. That's why we live in the system. Okay. So, so it's been a week. It's been,

12:39.29
Jeffe Kennedy
Feels like it's been a long and busy week. Editorial meeting on Monday. Uh, everybody was very nice, but I won't say they hated the book. Um, but I was, I was despondent after the call. Uh, and I've probably got about a month's worth of revision to do on it, which I've been going back and forth on this. Uh, I am not often a neurotic writer,

13:07.92
Jeffe Kennedy
even when there's a casino building outside my window. But yeah, it was, there's just a lot to do on this book. And as we know, longtime listeners know, I'm trying to finish Strange Familiar also, right? And so like inserting a month's worth of revision in the middle of that was just what I was dreading. After the planning call with Agent Sarah on Wednesday morning, one of the last things I asked her was,

13:37.26
Jeffe Kennedy
how she thought that the editorial call went. And because I don't want them to hate me, I want them to love me. ah And Sarah laughed. She was like, I could tell that you were upset at the end of that call. And she's like, but really, Jeffe, you are way too hard on yourself. And She said that was, you knew it was going to be a collaborative discussion. And that was what Ali wanted to do. And you were trying things and you wanted to see how they landed. And now you know. And she said it was a really productive, positive discussion. And you know what you need to do. And I mean, she was trying to explain because Sarah is lovely. I mean, she is.

14:24.65
Jeffe Kennedy
very positive. I mean like you know going through the division board with me and everything and like what ah what do we want to manifest this year and all of these things oh but at the same time she's like okay Jeffe you need to get a freaking grip which is probably what makes her a good agent. So yeah I was pretty bummed on Monday night ah and as Many of you know, because I know a lot of authors listen to this too, my my author friends out there, um this is not an easy thing to complain about, right? Because we were on this call for an over an hour with Agent Sarah and Editor Ali and Assistant Editor Dianna. And I know that there are many, many people out there, perhaps you, who would,

15:20.04
Jeffe Kennedy
you know, sell their first born child to have an hour long editorial meeting with an executive editor at tor telling you how to fix your book. And so I am, I am grateful. I, I totally appreciate my good fortune and having access to this. I love that. Ali is so interactive. She sent me a follow-up editorial letter. Um,

15:45.12
Jeffe Kennedy
She said it's her favorite part of the job. I love, I love everything about that and yet it's still difficult to get past the the inherent feeling of that I didn't do it right the first time. I'm much better about that than I used to be. When I was a baby writer, I used to feel like revisions and edits were fixing everything I didn't get right the first time. I used to say that.

16:14.62
Jeffe Kennedy
And I have since migrated. I've become wiser in my old age and experience. um

16:28.04
Jeffe Kennedy
But it's still, I don't know, I think that just doesn't go away. It doesn't, you know, you still, I think, and and I had brunch yesterday with my critique partner Jim Sorensen and his fantastic wife Ming Li came along who's a kick-ass trauma surgeon ah and is so incredibly smart and knows nothing about books and publishing so Jim and I end up having to explain things to her which is always interesting what questions she asks but Jim was explaining to her that I was despondent in part because he said there is a part of us as creators that we still want when we get

17:09.99
Jeffe Kennedy
feedback on something, there is a part of us that wants them to to tell us just how brilliant and perfect it is and that it doesn't need anything. Even though we know, I mean, you just don't get that. You almost never get that.

17:25.97
Jeffe Kennedy
And when you do get it, sometimes it's a lie. Like I have that one editor, longtime listeners will recall that she like said the book was so great that, and she just sent it straight onto production with her line edits incorporated. And that was terrible because, and I said at the time, I like, I know I'm not that great of a writer. It's not a perfect book, but she was a lazy editor and didn't want to deal. So I don't want that either.

17:56.29
Jeffe Kennedy
So the thing is, is I knew that I hadn't quite landed this book. I was trying something ambitious. I wasn't sure what would work. um They came back telling me what did work and what doesn't work. I need to add. well It was funny because Jim was saying, well, how much revision do you need to do? And I So I think it's going to take me about a month. And he says, is it you know like really substantive? And I said, I need to add a ah point of view, a POV, I said. And Ming Li is like, what's POV? And I said, point of view, I have to add a point of view character. And Jim went, oh. And all of you author types out there, you're like, oh, yeah, it's a lot. but it It's to take me a while to do. Adding an entire POV is a lot. And Ming Li, love her.

18:44.86
Jeffe Kennedy
She's great, but she's like, well, can you maybe work with your editor and like send her pieces and have her then come back with, you know, like whether or not that's working? Cause this is very much her perspective, right? As like a, um, working with a boss at a hospital and you would go through this iterative process. And so I was explaining to her all the ways that that wouldn't work. Uh, and if you are all,

19:09.87
Jeffe Kennedy
any of you out there interested in hearing why it wouldn't work to do it that way, there's a number of reasons which I laid out for me. I'm happy to share, but I think probably a lot of you winced at the suggestion. It's like, no, no, that's not going to happen. So I'm feeling reasonably zen about it. I figured out that I can spend the rest of February writing Strange Familiar. I think I can get it completely drafted or mostly switch over to the revision on A Rose in the Mirror, which is not due till April 1st.

19:58.55
Jeffe Kennedy
Ali said that she would like it. She would expect it March 17th, deadline April 1st. And after I went back and like figured out what I'm trying to do, um I'll probably end up telling her it's going to be closer to April 1st. But then I can. If I can get that revision done, and hopefully, Strange Familiar won't take too much revising, I'm going to have probably a couple of people read it in between. So I'm going to have to put you out, really stay on Strange Familiar, unless I like really start cranking on it.

20:34.70
Jeffe Kennedy
oh which is possible, but unlikely. Yeah, it's probably going to get pushed out to being releasing like March 31st something like that. So that's where we are. Welcome to my world. Ping, bang, bang. Saw, saw, saw. All right. On that note, I hope you all have a great weekend and I will talk to you all on Monday. You all take care. by Bye bye.