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

Hi Jenna, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’d always wanted to be an author. There was something in me, driving me to tell a story, For a while, I’d thought I’d write a treatise on the history of women in power and the way they manipulated their image to maintain or build their power, but that would take a lot of, well, research. Instead, I fell in love with romance novels. And I love exploring characters’ emotions and motivations. I love tearing them apart to put them back together. And I love a happy ending.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I absolutely love writing romance. I love trying to understand the emotions and motivations behind a character’s actions. And I love a good happily ever after.

I’ve been writing for many years, and it feels like the past year has been particularly exciting. I love connecting with readers, and I started attending book signings for the first time, It has been so amazing to hear from readers how they connected with my characters or how my story helped them through a difficult time. That means so so much to me. Reading is an escape, and I love knowing that my words help others.

I also connected with more indie bookstores, and I am so thrilled to see my books on their shelves. That was a huge long-time goal of mine. So to see it happening feels so incredible.

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?
My family and I love visiting the Dallas Arboretum, especially in the fall with all the pumpkins! The Perot Museum is super fun, especially with kids. My daughter and I love riding the historic McKinney Avenue trolley through Uptown. We’ll often take the full loop and get off at the Dallas Museum of Art or Klyde Warren Park.

HG Sply is one of our favorite restaurants, along with Flower Child. We have a number of food sensitivities/allergies in our family, and both restaurants are great about accommodations. And we are OBSESSED with Bottolino Gelato. So so good. I highly recommend the chocolate sorbetto. It’s dairy-free, but you’d never guess it. It’s so rich and creamy.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh my goodness! There are too many to name. I’m so very fortunate to have the support of so many wonderful people on my author journey from readers to fellow authors. My parents have always been supportive, and my dad is one of my biggest fans. Literally. He got sucked into reading romance after he retired during the pandemic. And he now attends my signings as an assistant. My husband and daughter are so supportive and loving. And I couldn’t do this without my assistant, Angela. My editor, Lisa, and my beta readers are so so crucial to my success. They really help me polish my story.

Website: https://www.authorjennahartley.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjennahartley/

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