Interviews
An Interview with Jennifer Leese
Jennifer Leese is a book reviewer (A Story Weaver’s Book Reviews), a volunteer judge for the EPIC EPPIE Awards and a finalist in the children’s e-book category for her book, ‘Sounds I Hear’, which is published by Wordbeams.
AUTHOR NETWORK: Do writers pay you?
JENNIFER: No. As long as I maintain a FREE website to post my reviews on…I do this as a fellow struggling author…reviewer and friend.
AUTHOR NETWORK: How did you get started with Story Weaver?
JENNIFER: Well, in reading articles how to better promote yourself as a writer, I read that it would be helpful, fun, relaxing, and a way to better my own writing is to review books. Since I first posted that I review books in my spare time, I have been swamped by authors and publishers asking that I review their books. I do my best to get the reviews out to them in a reasonable time frame. I know as an author, how hard it can be to wait and wait and wait for a review…plus hoping that it will be a positive review.
AUTHOR NETWORK: Have any of your reviews propelled a writer into hardcopy success?
JENNIFER: Honestly, I don’t know, but I sure hope I have.
AUTHOR NETWORK: When you read and review books, don’t you have an urge to edit?
JENNIFER: Yes. It’s hard for me to read ANYTHING without wanting to correct it…:) It’s always easier to see everyone else’s writing errors, but it’s sooooo difficult to see my own. Why is that? 🙂 To be honest with you…I don’t see very many errors in the books I’ve reviewed so far, but I have seen some.
AUTHOR NETWORK: Could you tell us a little about yourself — where you live where you grew up and went to school, where you’ve traveled, the kinds of jobs or careers you’ve had.
JENNIFER: Sure. I’m a mom from Maryland to three beautiful children…Nicholas who is nine, Cameron who is four and Jordan Annie who is three. I’m also a Childcare Mom to a little 4-year-old girl named Angela, a gift basket and craft entrepreneur working on becoming a successful writer in all genres. Recently I’ve expanded my business into printing books and binding them from my home. Mind you, I can’t compare to major printers, but I do and have done a pretty good job at keeping up with them. 🙂
I have been writing children’s short stories since I was only ten years old. I’m a volunteer judge for the EPIC EPPIE Awards and recently found out that I’m also a finalist in the children’s e-book category for my book, Sounds I Hear, which is published by Wordbeams. I have several children’s books e-published, adult content books e-published, poetry, as well as articles in various topics–all can be found on my writer’s web page at www.geocities.com/ladyjiraff.
I’m a member of SCBWI, Society of Children’s BookWriters, and Illustrators since the beginning of 2000, and I’m a member of EPIC, Electronically Published Internet Connection since the beginning of 2000. I recently started a newsletter for individuals interested in knowing more about me, and my writing. It is called, aMUSEing and can be found at: www.egroups.com/group/aMUSEing
I am always open-minded and ready to learn more about the art and business of writing. I always knew that writing was just something I had to do. The creating, crafting, and construction of words are a deep passion of mine and I am always available to anyone who may have questions, comments, or similar interests. I’ve also had the privilege of having several ofmy poetry published with the International Library of Poetry. In addition, I’m listed with Valerie Hardin’s “Children’s e-Book Writer’s Hall of Fame.”
JENNIFER L. B. LEESE, www.geocities.com/ladyjiraff/books.html
A STORY WEAVER’S BOOK REVIEWS, www.geocities.com/ladyjiraff/booksivereviewed.html
BASKETS AN BOWS, www.BasketsANBows.com