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Meet Jennifer Irwin

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Irwin.

Jennifer, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began writing my debut novel, A Dress the Color of the Sky when I was going through a divorce after a nineteen-year marriage. The premise was springboarded by a screenplay I had written in college which gained me acceptance in a semester-long arts program in New York City. I was curious as to why some people choose the right partner and stay together forever, and some don’t. One of the thoughts I had was that my childhood must have influenced how I chose a partner. I am the child of a drug addict, alcoholic and ended up marrying an alcoholic. I wanted to dig deep into my past and figure out why.

While writing, A Dress the Color of the Sky, the book Fifty Shades of Grey was released. At the time, I was teaching private Pilates lessons and writing in the evenings. It was pretty mind-blowing to see how that book affected so many of my female clients. The story stimulated relationships and rekindled marriages. At the same time, a few male celebrities and public figures had come forward as sex addicts. I wondered if it was possible for a woman to be a sex addict. Through a great deal of research, I created a realistic therapeutic milieu for the story to take place. After my book was released, the #metoo movement took center stage. The subject matter of my book suddenly had relevance to what was going on in the news.

Since releasing my novel, I have signed with a literary agent in New York. A Dress the Color of the Sky, is the first in a trilogy. I am halfway through writing the sequel. My agent will soon be searching for a publishing deal for A Dress the Color of the Moon. This has been a journey with tremendous highs and lows. Whenever I feel like giving up, a reader reaches out to me to let me how much the story resonated with them and changed them in some way. That is all the motivation I need to keep going and never give up.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My novel moves back and forth in time which was incredibly challenging to write. This format creates empathy for a poorly behaved protagonist. I sent rough drafts out to friends to get a pulse check on how the story was resonating with readers. The feedback was outstanding.

By that time, I had won a publishing contest but felt as though the book needed polishing. I had also received multiple literary agent rejections. Anytime I received a rejection, I would rewrite my query letter and try again. One of my beta readers was so enthralled by the story that she offered me a film option. That option provided me with the funds to hire a writing coach who guided me with smoothing out my manuscript.

All the while, I was actively promoting and marketing the book on social media. I developed a loyal following, especially on Twitter. My readers were anxiously awaiting the release. When my manuscript was polished, I pitched a literary agent in New York. She requested a full manuscript which is a really big deal for any writer.

Although she did not pick me up, she gave me a complete critique of my manuscript which exponentially helped me to get the story where it is today. With the pending film deal and a high level of frustration with not being picked up by an agent, I opted to publish indie. When an author publishes indie, all of the marketing falls on their shoulders.

There is no big publishing machine pushing the book out to market. These past two years I have given myself a crash course in book marketing and publicity. After three years and no activity on the film, the option timed out. The story is now available again to get picked up for a film. I’m in discussions with a few producers which is very exciting.

My literary agent told me that I have done an incredible job penetrating the difficult book market but as an indie published author, I can only get so far. In March, Reese Witherspoon’s book club chose, The Proposal for its monthly read which at the time had 117 reviews, 4.6 stars.

My book has 112 reviews, 4.9 stars. It is nearly impossible for an indie published author to get someone like Reese Witherspoon to read their book. A Dress the Color of the Sky can never make the New York Times bestseller list because it is not available at Barnes and Noble brick and mortar stores. I did have books at several stores which sat in boxes and after a few months, were returned to me at my expense.

A Dress the Color of the Sky has won seven book awards. I have traveled all over the United States to be the guest author at book clubs and even FaceTimed with one in Canada. What I didn’t expect was how many men would read and review my book.

Mothers are sharing the story with their daughters, and some readers have found peace with their childhood trauma through the story. When I was writing Dress, Kelly Oxford tweeted her sexual assault story requesting others to share theirs. One evening I read through her twitter feed. A woman tweeted every second, some opened accounts to share their experience. The numbers were astounding. That night, I promised myself that no matter what, I can’t give up on this book.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
My business is a one-woman marketing machine. These past few years, I have said yes to every single interview, podcast show, blog talk radio, book blogger newsletter, anyone who has asked me to talk about my book, I said yes. I allocate half of my day for marketing and the other half to writing the sequel.

I enjoy helping other indie published authors market their books and share with them all that I have learned over the past few years. My greatest passion is being the guest speaker at book clubs and other groups to discuss women empowerment, healing from childhood trauma, and sexual assault.

What I didn’t realize when I set out to write A Dress the Color of the Sky was that I would learn so much about marketing, publicity, time management, and social media.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My definition of success has evolved since chasing the dream of being a bestselling author. I used to define success in monetary terms. Now that I am doing something I love which is also having a powerful impact on readers, I feel a tremendous sense of success.

Even though I am not yet earning a living as a writer, I still feel successful. It was such a thrill for me to win seven book awards because I was being judged against my peers and my writing was standing out in the crowd. The unparalleled reviews on both Goodreads and Amazon have provided me with a huge sense of success.

The pinnacle for me has been the huge number of private messages, emails, and posts on social media from people who have been deeply moved by A Dress the Color of the Sky and let me know that the story has changed their lives.

Pricing:

  • The Kindle edition is listed on Amazon at $3.99
  • The paperback is listed on Amazon at $15.99
  • The hardcover is listed on Amazon at $23.52

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Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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