Meet Jess Sinclair | Women’s Fiction Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jess Sinclair and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jess, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Hi there! Thanks so much for hosting me. Any success I’ve found is due to the fact that I am stubborn. I could probably dress that up to sound more professional or literary, but I think the reason I’ve succeeded at all in getting my work out into the world is because I just couldn’t give up. I did try; but I’ve learned through the years that even when I’m not actively writing, my brain is doing the work of crafting stories anyway. During the sixteen year journey to publishing my first novel and then subsequent books, every rejection I received only served to strengthen my stubborn resolve to push forward. I’m tenacious, and it has served me well.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always been an avid reader. I started writing stories in first or second grade, but it took me more than a decade from the time I began trying to get published before finally getting a book deal. During those years, I queried agent after agent and was met with constant rejection. I’ve never counted them and never will, but I’ve saved them all. My current literary agent Frances Black rejected my first manuscript, but loved my voice and left the door open for more. I used that door, and she eventually offered representation. There’s a myth that once a writer secures a lit agent, the rest is cake. Not so. After a long time on submission with nothing but rejection, I tried to quit. I really did. I told my agent to take me off her website; she’s wonderful, but nothing I wrote was hitting the mark with editors. Fran didn’t listen. She gave me space, but then came back months later asking if I’d want to pitch a story to Hallmark’s new publishing house (now closed). I had nothing to lose, so I agreed, and now I’ve just released my sixth book in five years. So I guess that’s a long, wordy way of saying this has not been easy. I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything. Every rejection, every experience, every single heartache, all the hope and angst and sheer determination has brought me and my writing “voice” to this point. In the last three months since What We Could Have Been published, I’ve lost track of how many readers have let me know this book touched them deeply and left a mark. People are connecting with the raw emotion and flawed, relatable characters, with the rollercoaster ride through first love, crushing loss, second chances, terrible mistakes, heartbreak, elation, and redemption in this story. This is the most authentic and emotional story I’ve ever written. Hearing readers say they can’t stop thinking about the characters is an amazing gift I’m so thankful for.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a bit of a challenge, since my husband and I have just moved across the state to Michigan’s east coast near Lake St. Clair five days ago! We don’t know the area well yet, but I’m excited for a few upcoming lunch dates with friends; I already know where we’ll go. Black Cat Coffee in Mt. Clemens is super cute and has great coffee. Then we’d walk next door to Clementine’s bakery, where the aroma of something sweetly delicious wafts past you as you come in. After Clementine’s, we’ll walk one store over to Weirdsville Records and Paperback Writer Books, a husband-and-wife-owned joint venture selling secondhand vinyl and books. Can you think of a better combo?? I’d also gravitate back toward Detroit, where I’m from. We’d have to hit Hop Cat, always delicious, and maybe take a tour around Wayne State, where my kids, my parents, and I all took classes. We’d definitely have to take in a concert at The Fillmore and maybe a smaller, more intimate punk rock show at St. Andrew’s Hall.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
What a great question! Three women are responsible for my books being on shelves and in the hands of readers. Yes, I wrote the words, but they’d still be in a dark drawer somewhere if not for the support I’m so fortunate to have had. My literary agent Frances Black is an incredible, invested author advocate. Tenacious herself, Fran took my words and flung them out into the world with calculated precision, and kept doing so even when we had no traction, until I landed my first book deal with Hallmark Publishing and editorial director Stacey Donovan. Stacey kindly educated me on the nuances of emotional, compelling fiction writing, taking my storytelling to a whole new level in the creation of my Hallmark cozy mystery trilogy. Then, Crooked Lane and Alcove Press editor Faith Black Ross guided me through writing Ruby Red Herring, which stunned me by earning an Edgar Award nomination. When I jumped genres to contemporary romance and book club fiction, Faith’s belief in my writing led to my women’s fiction debut as Jess Sinclair, with What We Could Have Been. I’m forever grateful for the unwavering support these three women have provided.

Website: www.tracygardnerbeno.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesssinclair.writes

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TracyGardner_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TracyGardnerBeno/

Image Credits
all photos taken by me; graphic with Lisa Childs quote created by me