"When I'm not writing..." with Jeffe Kennedy

I'm pleased to welcome Jeffe Kennedy to Tynga's Reviews today for our "When I'm not writing..." feature. She's the author of a variety of works, including ROGUE'S PAWN, the first book in the Covenant of Thorns fantasy romance series.

Jeffe is here to tell us what it is she does when she's not hard at work on her next story, and it's a pretty awesome hobby. Welcome, Jeffe!

As I sit at my desk, writing this post, the snow is falling outside my window. It’s a pretty snowfall, sifting out of grey skies, slowly covering the ground in a white and brown patchwork quilt.

I don’t mind, because it’s January in Santa Fe, which is our coldest month. And the snow here never lasts long. It’s cozy and warm inside—good for writing.

But when I’m not writing?

If I could, I’d be down in the Caribbean, snorkeling.

It’s truly my very favorite thing to do. I even have anxiety dreams that we’re in some tropical beach location and I can’t get outside to go snorkeling. (Which, as anxiety dreams go, is much better than the ones where I’m taking a final exam and realize I’ve forgotten to go to class all semester.) When we do get to a place where I can snorkel, I’m happy to tour around, see sights, eat out, sunbathe, do cocktails on the balcony, all that. I mean, who wouldn’t? But have to get in that water and snorkel around as much as I can fit in. My husband, who doesn’t swim, is wonderful about indulging me in this. He reads on the beach and keeps an eye on me. He also takes a lot of photos of me emerging from the water in my bikini, which I am absolutely not going to show you.

I first learned to snorkel in 1990. My good friends got married on a cruise ship in the Bahamas. I was in graduate school and scraped together my (very) meager funds, to be able to attend. I sprang for the snorkeling excursion, thinking it might be my only opportunity to try it. Besides, everyone else was going.

And it was miraculous.

It never ceases to amaze me what kind of world lives below the surface of the water. The colors glow with otherworldly intensity, the wildlife moving in a tiered three-dimensionality you don’t see on land. With such density, too. Where you might get lucky and sometime see a herd of elk on land, under the water you can swim through schools of thousands of fish. I’ll see more different species of plants and animals in one hour of snorkeling than in years of hiking through wilderness. The silence, too, is stunning, and you’re suspended in it, weightless and calm. It’s like a meditation.

So, these days, when we can—when I’m not writing—we take trips to the Caribbean. We’ve tried a couple of the Hawaiian islands, but the Caribbean remains our favorite. We’re collecting islands, debating the merits of our favorites in our downtime. So far I’ve been to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Culebra, Vieques, St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, Tortola, the Dominican Republic and Virgin Gorda.

Once we pick our favorite (Virgin Gorda and St. John top the list right now), we hope to move down there. Then I’ll spend my days snorkeling and writing.

Sounds pretty damn wonderful.

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Thanks for visiting us, Jeffe! It sounds like you've been to some amazing places!

For more information about Jeffe and her books, check out her website or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Jeffe's visiting some other blogs this month. Click on the button below to see her other promotional stops.

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Here's the scoop on ROGUE'S PAWN:

This is no fairy tale…

Haunted by nightmares of a black dog, sick to death of my mind-numbing career and heart-numbing fiancé, I impulsively walked out of my life—and fell into Faerie. Terrified, fascinated, I discover I possess a power I can’t control: my wishes come true. After an all-too-real attack by the animal from my dreams, I wake to find myself the captive of the seductive and ruthless fae lord Rogue. In return for my rescue, he demands an extravagant price—my firstborn child, which he intends to sire himself…

With no hope of escaping this world, I must learn to harness my magic and build a new life despite the perils—including my own inexplicable and debilitating desire for Rogue. I swear I will never submit to his demands, no matter what erotic torment he subjects me to…

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon

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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favorite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit and share with us? Please email me at jennblogs (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

Posted by jenn at 05:45

 Harlequin, Jeffe Kennedy, When I'm not writing  11 People left their mark

Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.