We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessika Grewe Glover a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jessika thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I believe that every time we make the decision to pursue something in a creative field, we are taking a risk. Going from the art in our heads to sharing it with others–whether it is one person or the world–is challenging on many levels. I have been an artist and writer my entire life. I started my first novel at 12 years old, and majored in Creative Writing a the University of Miami. It wasn’t until the summer of 2018 that I made the decision to write something that would be seen by others. The vulnerability in handing over my writing to beta readers, agents I queried, publishers and editors, then actual readers, left me raw. Our art, our craft, is a sort of bleeding onto the page. We are allowing others to step inside the inner workings of our minds and hearts and leaving space for them to tear it apart. It is par for the course, yet deciding to offer that piece of ourselves when we make our work public, is a lesson in risk management! I was prepared with my first book, Another Beast’s Skin, to get poor reviews, That’s the way things go. However, preparing for it and experiencing it are two different animals. I made the decision early on to not read the reviews (good or bad) and to work harder and stronger on my next books. I am fully invested in my career as an author, and my third book, Stars Like Gasoline a stand alone upmarket thriller, releases April 25. I have had a taste of bringing my craft to the world and having people connect with, relate to, and fall in love with my characters and prose. That risk I took back in 2018? Well worth it. Were there things I would do differently? Of course. However, what will never change is my perseverance to succeed in my career as an author

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 am a Los Angeles based fiction author and artist, living with my British husband, two teenage children, and rescue bulldog, Coco Monster. My works are multi-genre, usually erring on lyrical, sometimes literary prose, and always having a sliver of something speculative in it. Currently I have the first two books in my adult contemporary fantasy series out. Another Beast’s Skin and A Braiding of Darkness are available wherever books are sold including four Barnes and Noble in the Los Angeles area. My next book, Stars Like Gasoline, is a stand alone upmarket thriller, described as a beachy The Goldfinch. Through my art, both writing and visual, I want to illuminate the shadowed beauty in life. The spectrum of emotions cast when we are interlopers in our our own lives, never quite belonging, yet creating a space so irreversibly magnificent, these place in which we never really belonged, are gold-touched from our presence, however fleeting. My dream is for my books to be people’s favorites. For my characters to be etched into the hearts of my readers, leaving them wanting to consume more of my art. I want to offer escape and reprieve from the outside world. I want to be a favorite author. I also would like to be able to have my writing allow my husband and me to retire and pursue more art!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The option to have writers’ unions look over publishing contracts. I highly advise this as I wouldn’t want anyone else to have to go through what I have. Many unions won’t offer membership if you’ve not made money with your writing, however some do, including the National Writers Union, and they offer contract evaluation. In retrospect, I would have had them fine-tooth-comb mine.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When my children were little, I was fortunate to be able to stay home with them. A few years back, before my husband changed careers, he (and over half the company) was abruptly laid off. I had made the decision to get my personal training certification and when our finances were in trouble, I was able to shift gears and start training clients. First in a box gym, which I did not like at all, yet taught me so much about myself. Previously, I was so introverted, I couldn’t imagine having to initiate directives with clients. I eventually was able to put together my home studio bit by bit as I made money, taking small jobs along the way, like packaging cookies for a local bakery, etc… Ultimately, I had a successful training business until March 2020 when a certain pandemic took me out of the game. However, by this time, my husband was in a place where I was able to begin querying my first book whilst working others, making the slow change to professional author.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.jessikagreweglover.com
• Instagram: @jessikagreweglover
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessikagreweglover
• Twitter: @jessikamittens
• Other: @jessikagreweglov on Tik Tok