Featured Author - Jennifer AlLee

I was born and raised in Hollywood, CA, which is not nearly as glamorous as it sounds. I had a lot of medical problems growing up, so books were my best friends. I loved the Little House books and the Black Stallion books. I was determined that when I grew up, I would live on a farm and have lots of horses. Now I’m a 43-year-old wife and mom living in Las Vegas, NV. Apparently, God had other ideas!

When I was in college, I spent a summer in Montana, which is the setting for this book. In fact, I wrote the opening scene about 20 years ago and then put it away. When I felt God calling me into full-time writing, this is the story that still pulled at my heart, so I dusted it off and here it is.

For me, the most fun are those moments when the characters go off in a direction I never expected, and it ends up being really good. I’ve come to realize that those are the moments when I really let go and let God take the story where He wants. For example, there’s a scene toward the end of the book that takes place in a shopping mall. The characters that show up there weren’t even a glimmer in my mind until the actual writing of the scene, and then they became pretty important. I love that stuff!

As for what I least enjoy, probably final edits. The first time I go over a manuscript, it’s still fun because I’m finding new and better ways to express myself. But by the seven or eighth time I read it, I’m so bored I could scream. I had to go through several rewrites, too, because the manuscript was too long for one house, so I cut it down. Then it was too short for another house, so I bulked it up. There were three different final versions circulating, so when my agent finally sold it, I had to ask her, “Now which one is it?”

Read and write. No matter how good you think you are, or how successful you become, this business is always changing. What the editors bought ten years ago, they don’t want to see now (back story, anybody?) so you have to keep up with what’s out there. I read lots of fiction, both in and out of my genre, as well as writing craft books. I also subscribe to both “The Writer” and “Writer’s Digest” magazines. There’s nothing like getting those in your mailbox every month to remind you, “Oh yeah, I really am a writer!” And then, of course, you have to just sit down and write. Carve out some time in your day when it’s just you and your computer (or paper, if you prefer) and let the words flow. They don’t have to be perfect words, but you’ve got to write something. You can always edit later.

Right now I’m reading Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee. It’s an amazing book, particularly how Tosca paints pictures with words. I also love Deeanne Gist, Sharon Hinck (The Restorer was fabulous), Michael Crichton, and a slew of others. I have a to-be-read pile by my bed that’s about ready to topple over!

I’m almost done with a contemporary romance titled The Pastor’s Wife, which I hope will be the first of a three book series. The main theme in this one is forgiveness. I’m really excited about it, because I’ve had several of those “how cool” moments when God takes the plot in some new direction, surprising even me. If you want to keep up with what I’m doing, visit my website at www.jenniferallee.com and sign up for my newsletter. You might even win a prize.

Thanks so much for this opportunity. I’ve really enjoyed it!

The Love of His Brother is the story of Whitney Poulten, a young woman who has lost her husband, Cliff, in a small plane accident. Despite her grief, Whitney grabs hold of what is still good in her life: her family, her faith, and her unborn child. But she never expected Doug to come back.

After leaving home years earlier without even a proper goodbye to his family, Doug Poulten’s welcome is anything but warm. But he's determined to make things right with his family. When he learns that his brother is dead, his attention turns to taking care of his sister-in-law, Whitney. The last thing he expects is for brotherly love to turn into something much more intense.

Whitney is a fiercely independent woman who hates to admit that she might need a little help. Also, Doug’s homecoming and her growing attraction to him stirs up lots of guilty feelings that she has to address. I think we’ve all had times in our lives when we felt like we could handle tough situations on our own, but then God shows us that it’s okay to ask for help. That’s the boat that Whitney’s in.

What has been the most unexpected challenge you’ve had with becoming a published author?
Probably how long everything takes. I was surprised at how long it actually took me to write the book, and discovered that one of my biggest weaknesses is procrastination. Then it took about two years to get an agent, and then about a year and a half after that to sell the book, and then it was a year and a half after the sale to the print date. God has definitely taught me a lot about patience during this journey!