Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Mcmurrain. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?
Success. It’s something that everyone strives for, but one detail I believe most people forget is success looks different for everyone. In my industry, most people think success is hitting the Amazon Bestsellers or New York Times Bestsellers lists, while Hollywood produces movies based on your books. They think only of “big picture” successes.
What I’ve learned is success is a lot more than how much money is in the bank account. Sometimes it’s just meeting that deadline when life is throwing punches left and right. Other times, it’s publishing a book in record time.
The important thing is finding what success looks like to you. What is going to make you feel fulfilled, validated, and, most importantly, happy?
I strived for a long time to meet other people’s definition of success and watched as other authors released a book a month. They’d earn their spots on those bestseller lists and lots of money. I got angry at myself for not writing faster.
Then I watched as those authors who had burned the candle at both ends, getting all those books out in record time, got burned out. Yes, they were successful, and their lights were bright, but I absolutely hated how some of them lost their joy in the process.
I’m not saying don’t strive to be the best, just make sure it’s your definition of success you’re working so hard to obtain and if it’s worth the cost. I couldn’t imagine losing the love of writing in the name of being “successful”.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have been an author for over a decade writing historical fiction, small town romance, and paranormal suspense (under the pen name Raven Lee). The first book in my historical fiction series, Quail Crossings, hit number one on the Amazon Bestsellers list and my career took off from there. One reason I could hit that list was because of the help from other generous authors who led me down the right path.
I knew I wanted to pay it forward, so when Sabrina Fish, president of the Oklahoma Romance Writers Guild, called and asked me if I wanted to help her start a new romance writing conference in Oklahoma, my answer was, “Absolutely!”. RomanceLahoma was born, and I was voted on to the OKRWG board as Conference Vice President.
I have now penned over thirty published works and been instrumental in helping RomanceLahoma come to fruition. Our first conference in 2023 was a phenomenal success and I can’t wait for the second one on the first weekend of August 2025.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One lesson I had to “unlearn” about the publishing world is how success is defined. I talked about this under another question, but I feel it’s really important. When I hit number one on the overall Amazon Bestseller list, I was over the moon with joy. I thought it would be smooth sailing from there on out.
This industry is full of peaks and valleys, so when I fell into the valley after dancing on the peak of hitting that bestselling list, it hurt. I became obsessed with hitting that list again. With every failure to do so came an assault on my self-esteem. I was downright brutal to myself. Work harder. Write faster. Be better.
I was miserable, and I was miserable to be around, if I’m being honest. Thankfully, I have good friends. One took me to the side and asked what was going on. All the stress of trying to hit that list again just came flooding out of me, and I knew I needed therapy.
Therapy was a godsend. I learned a lot about myself and my need for validation.
Helping others not only define their definition of success but also achieve that success has given me more validation than hitting that number one spot on the overall Amazon Bestselling list
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I really wish I would have had the Oklahoma Romance Writers Guild earlier in my creative journey. They are the best group of supportive people. I have other organizations that I’m involved with and proud of, but I’d say the ladies I work with at OKRWG really get me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.JenniferMcMurrain.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifermcmurrain/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferMcMurrain
- Other: Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/3yuZFj6
BookBub Author Page: https://partners.bookbub.com/authors/1238/edit
Image Credits
Ariel White