I was given the chance to chat with a very talented author this month, who took time out of her busy schedule to spend some time with us here at Joyfully Reviewed.  So, without further delay…let’s hear from

Jennifer Mueller

It sounds like writing was not always your goal, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I have a degree in forestry, writing has been a hobby since my first year of college, and it wasn't until I came back from the Peace Corps and became a mother, that my husband said I should try to get published. The rest is history.

The Peace Corps. Wow! How did you get involved with such a great organization?
I was sick with Asthma through most of high school—most my life actually.  When they finally got it cleared up my senior year, I wanted to get out and do something. I ended up working in a Ghost Town in Montana for the summer. When I came back, being an interior designer just didn't have the same appeal and I switched to forestry. Yeah, I know odd switch. I actually looked into the Peace Corps while I was in Interior Design but there was not much need for that. I forgot all about it until I was almost ready to graduate in forestry.

What was the best piece of advice that you were given when you started writing?  Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
I wrote for myself for more than a decade so no one really read anything of mine. I just wrote what I wanted to read and now people seem to like what I liked. As for advice to others never listen to anyone complaining you aren't Hemingway.

You have traveled to many places, do you have a favorite?  And is there someplace that you would like to visit that you have not?
Oh, having lived in Kenya that would probably be up at the top of the list. Malta, too, is a favorite. Hopefully, I'll get back into traveling again soon.  As far as places I’d like to go…Spain, Morocco, Nepal, Ireland, and I could keep going.  My list is long.

Tell us about who Jennifer is and what makes you…you.
Let's see, I'm a wife and mother, a member of Daughters of the American Revolution and I love traveling. Yeah, that about describes me.

I read you love history. What sparked your love of the subject?
Specifically I can't say its been a long time interest. I know by the fifth grade I was in the adult section of the library checking out non-fiction. Most of it history.

If you could travel to any place in time, where would it be and why?
You're making it too hard for me. I think that's part of why I write I'm able to travel to any time and place I want.

Do you enjoy hearing from your readers and what is the best way to contact you?
Of course, I love hearing from readers. You can get a hold of me at cjmueller@windomnet.com. I've all sorts of info at my website www.jennifermuellerbooks.com.

Tell us some of your favorites…foods, movies, music, books, authors, and any other favorites you would like to share.
Gnochi, Code Red Mountain Dew, food from the Kigwambogo cafe in Kiritiri, Kenya, Gelato in Rome.

Writing romance, do you believe in happily ever after and have you found yours?
Well I met mine in Kenya, okay it was in the airport on the way to Kenya, he came up and asked me if I knew a friend of his that went to the same school. Two years later he decided finally that the friend was gone the year before I started. He thought he was going to be sent home for medical reasons and asked me to wait for him even though it was a year and a half until I would be coming home. He sat there until the nurses kicked him out when I was in the hospital for a week with food poisoning and he'd be back the first chance he got. Yeah I think that would be a yes.

How does the writing process work for you? Do you plan it all out or does it develop as you write?
I'm an absolute panster; I just start with an idea or a character and see where I end up. I love seeing where the story goes as much as readers do.

What is your perfect writing environment? Do you need absolute quiet or can you write anywhere?
Writing as a way to keep sane while being a stay at home mother having quiet isn't necessary. I just take a notebook and pen with me if I'm traveling or even just scratch paper if inspiration hits.

Do you have a writing schedule that you follow?
Nope I just go where the ideas take me. It works well for me.

What would a perfect day for you involve?
Walking through a market in another country.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Well, coming soon from Red Rose Publishing is Havana Holiday, 5 stories, 4 days, 3 nights, 2 times the fun, and 1 heck of a good time. Dahlia, Eve, Nora, Alice, and Marianne; when five women who work together in depression era Boston save up for a trip of a lifetime to decadent Havana, anything can happen. With seductive Latin men and rich vacationers at every turn who wouldn’t enjoy dancing till dawn, the parties, the nightclubs, the beach, the gambling, and there’s always more than one side to a story. Thanks for having me.