Featured Interview With Jennifer Shriver
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up just outside of Chicago with my mom and my sister. I enlisted for the Army when I was old enough and ended up stationed in Hawaii where I met my wonderful husband. We now reside just outside Denver with our two beautiful daughters and two giant lap dogs. I am a writer, an accountant and a volleyball coach right now. In my free time, I enjoy running and hiking.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve written pretty much all my life. When I was a kid, along with my school books, I would have a personal notebook that I carried around to write in. Dr. Seuss is where my real fascination with books and writing came from. For a long time, I hoped to be just like him. My words never flowed quite the way his did, though so I developed my own way of writing. Since then, I’ll write anything from letters to essays, short stories to books. It refreshes, recharges and releases me.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I will still pick up a Dr. Seuss book now and again. It’s enlightening every time. But, other than that, I love classics like Hemmingway, Dickens, Poe, Twain. I enjoy Shel Silverstein still quite a bit and James Patterson. I love to read those authors because they inspire me. As a young adult writer, I’ve grown quite fond of John Green in recent years as well. I think that comes with having growing children in my house so keeps me in tune with them more. As far as genre goes, it’s an all-for. My mood will dictate the genre I am interested in at the time.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
“the loss of A MOTHER’s loss” is a book based on my life, my relationship with my mother. We didn’t often see eye to eye. When I was old enough, I joined the Army and got away from what I felt was holding me down. When I received the phone call from my sister, whom I also did not have the best relationship with, that my mom had passed, I was at a complete loss.
The book takes the reader on my journey back home, to all the people that my mom and sister knew and were close to, that I had been estranged from for years. Each day brings back another memory of what happened between my mom and I to lead to our estrangement. All the events that brought us to where we ended up, all the trials and tribulations, the reconciliation attempts and, finally, the realization for myself that there is no more time to reconcile, there is no more one last good-bye.
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