"When I'm not writing" with Jen Grayson

Today's guest is Jen Greyson, author of the upcoming adult fantasy novel, LIGHTNING RIDER. Jen is one busy lady -- she has a degree in Equestrian Studies, she writes university courses and corporate training material, and more. To find out just how she keeps busy, stick around and get to know Jen a bit better!

A huge thanks to the superstar ladies of Team Tynga for letting me come ramble about what I do when I'm not writing. Sometimes deadlines get overwhelming and since I write for my not-making-stuff-up-for-books job, there's not a lot of time in the day that doesn't involve the computer, so when I do get a break, I'm usually headed outside.

We live in Utah, and there's no shortage of amazing things to do around here. With two little boys, my Spring is filled with baseball games (seriously--we're averaging 4 nights a week with games!), but we do manage to cram in lots of yard work, and once the weather gets nice (which for Spring in Utah is anything over 58 degrees!) we hit the lake.

We live about 20 minutes from the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. Utah Lake is a crazy huge lake that's about 10 feet deep -- perfect for wakeboarding. I just learned how to wakeboard last year and I'm horrible at it, but it's a blast and my element must be water because I'm just completely at home on the lake. I love being out there.

Or maybe it's just because I love the break from yard work :)

We have a tradition to go camping on Memorial Day weekend -- which usually results in lots of snow because we always go way up in the Uinta mountains by the Utah/Wyoming border. But I don't camp without a generator and about a billion propane tanks and those huge patio heaters, so we manage to make it fun--and warm. You'd think we'd pick another weekend to ring off the camping season, but it's become a bit of a challenge now to try and outsmart Mother Nature. We're totally losing so far.

Summers are usually split between camping and boating, with the occasional camping/boating trip thrown in. We are seriously the Swiss Family Robinson when it comes to camping...it's a rare weekend when we're home. (I do take my computer with me though, so that's technically not a "when I'm not writing" event, but there's no better place to write than in the middle of a huge forest with nothing but creatures and nature surrounding me.)

Once Fall hits, we're usually putting the boat away *major sad face* but we try to camp as long as we can (since we're obviously not afraid of snow).

You're probably asking yourself when the heck I do write, but that's what Winter's for :)

I'd love to know how everyone else spends their free time -- and especially any tips about how to get better on a wakeboard. Thanks again for listening to me ramble...my writer's life is a great one.

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Thanks for stopping by, Jen! It's been great getting to know you. =)

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

You can also check out the other stops on the tour (scroll down to the bottom of the page):

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Here's the scoop on LIGHTNING RIDER:

For Evy Rivera, thunderstorms have always caused her physical pain, but she's never known why. When a record-setting storm arrives on the same night her father finds ancient ancestral documents, Evy is set aglow with mysterious tiny lightnings she can command.

Even worse, she alerts some people in the universe who've been looking for her family for a very long time.

Thrown back into ancient Spain and tasked with killing a Spanish legend, she must train alongside Constantine, a sexy yet obstinate Roman warrior. He teaches her how to wield her lightning as a weapon, through more errors than trials. With a relationship as explosive as their late-night training sessions, Evy and Constantine battle their push-pull relationship while trying to ignore the two-thousand-year difference in their birthdates.

Ilif Rotiart, her quasi-mentor, is appalled at Evy's skill. He would prefer to train her father and keep Evy on the sidelines—where women belong. Evy has a feeling Ilif is keeping something from them, but she must play nice until she uncovers the truth. And if he's lying, it will be the worst day of his four-hundred-year life.

Penya Sepadas claims she's Evy's rightful trainer, and she has the prophecy to prove it. Penya doesn't share Ilif's misogynistic attitude, but she does have her own agenda...and her own secrets.

Evy must sort through the lies and find the truth behind her family's time-traveling past before the wrong history obliterates the future. She’s spent her whole life fighting for her place. Now, as the first female lightning rider, she'll dedicate her existence to fighting to save the world.

But will Evy learn to manage her lightning and find the truth before it's too late?

Read an excerpt

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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 06:52

 When I'm not writing  2 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.