Jennifer Hallmark writes Southern fiction with a twist. Her website and newsletter focus on her books, love of the South, and favorite fiction. She creates stories with unforgettable characters—her stories are a little eerie and otherworldly but with a positive turn.
Jessie’s Hope, her first novel, was a Selah Award nominee for First Novel. Her latest novel, Smoking Flax, was released on January 16th, 2024.
When she isn’t babysitting, gardening, or exploring the beautiful state of Alabama, you can find her at her desk penning fiction or studying the craft of writing. She also loves reading and streaming fantasy, supernatural stories, and detective fiction from the Golden Age or her favorite subject—time travel.
Visit Jennifer Hallmark online
Smoking Flax
Almost nineteen-year-old Reed Anderson wants to belong in a world where he hasn’t always fit. Three days after graduation, he decides to ride a bus back to Louisiana and deal with the events of his thirteenth summer once and for all. Back then, he’d stood up to his abusive Pa, protecting Momma and his sister, taking control of his life. But who was the faded image of the child he saw that day? Aunt Lula predicted his life would shift and change. Something about space-time-continuum and the fourth dimension. He tucks her words in his heart. If he survives the shift, this could be his chance to start over. But the ghost child haunts his dreams. Even though six years have passed, does he want to confront the lies he’s always believed?
- ISBN: B0CPYBWYQL
- Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing
Interview with Jennifer Hallmark
What message do you hope readers take away from this book?
Jennifer: That in life, there is always hope. Even if you feel like you don’t belong or feel shame because you run away from your problems, hope can be found in family and friends. And in turning to God…
Reflecting back, what do you see as most significant to your publication journey?
Jennifer: The friends I’ve made along the way. Every time I’ve been published—from short stories to novels—I’ve met wonderful people, especially in the Christian writing community. And always significant is the closeness I feel to God when we write together.
What’s your biggest challenge in balancing writing time with your other responsibilities?
Jennifer: Procrastination and distraction. I’ll be writing, then I’ll stop to put a load of clothes in the washer. The next thing I know it’s three hours later and I’ve cleaned the bathrooms, organized the utility room, and ordered groceries online.
How do your faith and spiritual life play into the picture and affect your storytelling?
Jennifer: I write from my experiences in life and that includes my faith. I try super hard not to be preachy because I don’t like to read that kind of book myself. I dig deeply into my spiritual life as I write and hope that it flows onto the page naturally.
Who/What spurs you to write? Where do your story and character ideas come from?
Jennifer: I do. I’m always looking deep within to find the real me amidst the trappings of comparison and expectations by others. I work out the angst of real life by writing it into fiction. My first two novels came from a short story created from our writing group’s writing prompts. I also put dreams to paper at times and play the “what if?” game.
What is your writing routine? Any quirky habits or must-have snacks?
Jennifer: I sit at the desk or recliner with my laptop, usually with a list of scene ideas I need to add to my book. I only do a little plotting. Many times, I’ll have an idea out of the blue and run to my computer or grab a notebook and jot down a quick outline if I don’t have time to write it out. I drink gallons of hot tea with honey and munch on Tostitos tortilla chips.
What literary character is most like you?
Jennifer: Wow. What a question. I’d like to think of Lucy from “The Chronicles of Narnia.” She’s always following hard after Aslan no matter what everyone else thinks. And she believes that she can do whatever Aslan says. Also, she falters at times and doesn’t do everything right. I love that Father Christmas gives her a bottle of healing potion that she distributes freely.
What is the funniest thing that has happened to you as an author?
Jennifer: I got lost at a writing conference where the hotel had two separate wings. I was traveling on the elevator wondering why I couldn’t find my floor. I finally ran into the nice young lady I’d pitched an article to a few hours earlier almost in tears from the stress. She literally led me by the hand to where my room was in the other wing. Embarrassing at the time but funny to look back at now…
What do you think makes your style of storytelling unique?
Jennifer: I found my voice early on. I started writing without taking classes or anything and I never thought to try and imitate someone else’s style. So, even from the beginning, my rejection letters would have personal notes saying they loved my voice. And then how I needed to learn more about show vs. tell, etc. I’m also an avid reader (100 or so books a year) of many genres. I think it all adds up to who I am as a writer.
What led you to choose the genre in which you write?
Jennifer: I write Southern fiction, a little recognized genre by itself. My first novel was classified as contemporary romance, though in all reality, Jessie’s Hope was a contemporary Southern family drama. I took coaching classes in 2020 amidst the pandemic and discovered a love for YA with a speculative twist. Still Southern but I really enjoy writing younger characters, dealing with life and the angst that comes with that age. Smoking Flax was extremely difficult and pure joy when it came to penning its words.
What books are on your nightstand right now?
Jennifer: Living Courageously by Joyce Meyer, Just Write by James Scott Bell, Dracula by Bram Stoker, The Escape Game by Marilyn Turk, and Fugitive of Talionis by C.J. Milacci. (And over a hundred books on my Kindle)
Finish this statement: If I were not an author, I would be ___________.
Jennifer: A creative working in all fields of art. Needlework, cake decorating, sketching, and mural painting to name a few. It seems I have to create, no matter what.
__________________________________
Kathy McKinsey lives in Lakewood, Ohio, with her husband Murray and the oldest of their five children. Besides writing, she enjoys activities with her church, editing for other writers, braille drawing, crocheting, knitting, and playing with their rambunctious cat. https://www.kathymckinsey.com
Jennifer: That in life, there is always hope. Even if you feel like you don’t belong or feel shame because you run away from your problems, hope can be found in family and friends. And in turning to God…
Reflecting back, what do you see as most significant to your publication journey?
Jennifer: The friends I’ve made along the way. Every time I’ve been published—from short stories to novels—I’ve met wonderful people, especially in the Christian writing community. And always significant is the closeness I feel to God when we write together.
What’s your biggest challenge in balancing writing time with your other responsibilities?
Jennifer: Procrastination and distraction. I’ll be writing, then I’ll stop to put a load of clothes in the washer. The next thing I know it’s three hours later and I’ve cleaned the bathrooms, organized the utility room, and ordered groceries online.
How do your faith and spiritual life play into the picture and affect your storytelling?
Jennifer: I write from my experiences in life and that includes my faith. I try super hard not to be preachy because I don’t like to read that kind of book myself. I dig deeply into my spiritual life as I write and hope that it flows onto the page naturally.
Who/What spurs you to write? Where do your story and character ideas come from?
Jennifer: I do. I’m always looking deep within to find the real me amidst the trappings of comparison and expectations by others. I work out the angst of real life by writing it into fiction. My first two novels came from a short story created from our writing group’s writing prompts. I also put dreams to paper at times and play the “what if?” game.
What is your writing routine? Any quirky habits or must-have snacks?
Jennifer: I sit at the desk or recliner with my laptop, usually with a list of scene ideas I need to add to my book. I only do a little plotting. Many times, I’ll have an idea out of the blue and run to my computer or grab a notebook and jot down a quick outline if I don’t have time to write it out. I drink gallons of hot tea with honey and munch on Tostitos tortilla chips.
What literary character is most like you?
Jennifer: Wow. What a question. I’d like to think of Lucy from “The Chronicles of Narnia.” She’s always following hard after Aslan no matter what everyone else thinks. And she believes that she can do whatever Aslan says. Also, she falters at times and doesn’t do everything right. I love that Father Christmas gives her a bottle of healing potion that she distributes freely.
What is the funniest thing that has happened to you as an author?
Jennifer: I got lost at a writing conference where the hotel had two separate wings. I was traveling on the elevator wondering why I couldn’t find my floor. I finally ran into the nice young lady I’d pitched an article to a few hours earlier almost in tears from the stress. She literally led me by the hand to where my room was in the other wing. Embarrassing at the time but funny to look back at now…
What do you think makes your style of storytelling unique?
Jennifer: I found my voice early on. I started writing without taking classes or anything and I never thought to try and imitate someone else’s style. So, even from the beginning, my rejection letters would have personal notes saying they loved my voice. And then how I needed to learn more about show vs. tell, etc. I’m also an avid reader (100 or so books a year) of many genres. I think it all adds up to who I am as a writer.
What led you to choose the genre in which you write?
Jennifer: I write Southern fiction, a little recognized genre by itself. My first novel was classified as contemporary romance, though in all reality, Jessie’s Hope was a contemporary Southern family drama. I took coaching classes in 2020 amidst the pandemic and discovered a love for YA with a speculative twist. Still Southern but I really enjoy writing younger characters, dealing with life and the angst that comes with that age. Smoking Flax was extremely difficult and pure joy when it came to penning its words.
What books are on your nightstand right now?
Jennifer: Living Courageously by Joyce Meyer, Just Write by James Scott Bell, Dracula by Bram Stoker, The Escape Game by Marilyn Turk, and Fugitive of Talionis by C.J. Milacci. (And over a hundred books on my Kindle)
Finish this statement: If I were not an author, I would be ___________.
Jennifer: A creative working in all fields of art. Needlework, cake decorating, sketching, and mural painting to name a few. It seems I have to create, no matter what.
__________________________________
Kathy McKinsey lives in Lakewood, Ohio, with her husband Murray and the oldest of their five children. Besides writing, she enjoys activities with her church, editing for other writers, braille drawing, crocheting, knitting, and playing with their rambunctious cat. https://www.kathymckinsey.com
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