I recently had the privilege of having author Jennell Brown, also known as BooksbyJennell, read and review my Vella, The Adventures of Rascal Boy and Marionette. The more I talked with her and chatted back and forth online, the more interesting her personal story became, and the more I knew she needed to be featured on this blog so that everyone else can get to know her.
For instance, and she doesn't mention this below, but she can speak several languages and has even written books in languages other than English. She's truly a gifted individual and it is only a matter of time before her star takes off. She's too humble to admit it, but one of her books "Pregnant and Homeless" has over 80 reviews and ratings on Amazon.
You can find Jennell on Instagram with the handle @booksbyjennell, and find her writings on her linktree: https://linktr.ee/jin.ger
She has a bunch of stuff on WattPad, and even more stories that are unpublished that she should totally launch on Vella. Y'all be sure to leave some encouraging comments below so that she knows she's got community support from my fellow Vellans when she finally decides to launch!
Now, let's meet Jennell.
1. Tell the world a little bit about who you are. Open format. This can be about where you’re from, your favorite food or place to vacation, how old you were when you had your first kiss, or even what your pet peeves are. You’re a writer. Take it away.
I’m Jennell. I was born and raised on a beautiful little island called Jamaica, that’s in the Caribbean. I moved to Maryland, US when I met my husband, Kris, who is also a writer but doesn’t have the bravery to actually publish his book and he’s really good.
I’m the youngest of 14 kids total (Yes, that’s a lot, lol) My favorite food is Stew Peas, which is basically a combination of red beans and meat, which we eat with white rice in Jamaica. I also love anything curry, Curry Chicken, Curry Goat, Curry Seafood, and anything else that can be curried. My absolute fruit is the Breadfruit when it’s fried and salted…Mama Mia, it’s delicious. Kris has also introduced me to Steak and I love it!
My favorite vacation place is probably Ocho Rios, Jamaica, it’s absolutely beautiful. I tell everyone to go on vacation in Jamaica because Jamaicans are just so friendly and energetic, the food is delicious and the price is right. I’m not just saying that because I’m from Jamaica. I also love Ontario, Canada, which is where I lived for a year before starting university. It’s a beautiful place and Niagra Falls is breathtaking.
I had my first kiss was I was 22. Lol, a very late bloomer but it’s understandable as I grew up in a strict religion, I actually wrote all my stories in secret and didn’t publicly share that I wrote romance until after I had left the religion. I still blush when I think about me writing those books or people from that life knowing that I wrote romance books. Lol, innocent Jennell writing Romance novels and Supernatural novels with demons and stuff?
I try to be as considerate and patient as possible so not a lot of things make me annoyed, however, I absolutely hate when people are mean to others for no reason; when they’re just mean…like what’s the reason?
2. We all know writing is a marathon where many stories don’t make it across the finish line. Tell us about the story you were writing when you stopped and thought to yourself “Hey, I like this and kind of want other people to validate my soul.”
Haha, I’ve stopped writing so many books. I currently have over 150 drafts of different books/stories that I’ve started, never finished, or finished but am not brave enough to share. I wrote my first set of stories when I was around 14 years old on Wattpad and I think writing on such a global platform has really helped me because I was able to get advice from writers and readers all around the world. That’s what made me become a better author; being able to connect with my readers on a more personal level than traditional publishing. I was able to see what they liked/disliked and how I can make the story better. So what I do now, is I published all my first drafts on wattpad and let them be the judge, because they don’t hold back.
3. Why do you think it is so hard for writers to showcase their work to people they know, yet they crave the unsolicited opinions of strangers?
Let’s be honest, no one judges you more than someone you know or it’s the opposite, they try to over-support you. As writers, we feel more vulnerable sharing our work with people we know because we fear negative judgment from those we know. We care about opinions and if they say something bad about our book, it might ruin everything. For example, whenever I have a story idea I usually go to my husband first and boy does he make me feel bad when he doesn’t share my opinion on it. Then I’m left hurt and I don’t want to ask him anything else. (I always go back but it still hurts)
There is also the potential for bias. Our friends and family might be hesitant to give honest criticism or might be overly supportive, which makes it really hard for writers to receive constructive feedback that can genuinely help improve our work.
Whereas, seeking feedback from strangers provides a sense of anonymity and objectivity. Strangers have no personal connection to us, so their feedback is more unbiased and focused on the work itself, rather than who were are.
4. When did you start fabricating the life events and thoughts of individuals in your head?
When I was around 15, I was reading at least 10 books a week. I went to an all-girls school and we all use to exchange romance and Thriller books every day. Not only did my love for reading grow but I also started building stories in my head, asking myself how can I make this story better. I used to fall asleep brainstorming ideas in my bed. In fact, whenever I couldn’t sleep, I started to think about story ideas.
5. What makes a story good?
Conflict and Suspense. I love drama and when there is suspense with the drama, there is nothing better.
6. What genres and types of endings are you partial to?
I love Romance, Crime Thrillers, Supernatural, Superhero fiction, and occasionally, Fantasy. I love happy endings.
7. Give your take on the publishing industry vs indie publishing and why you’ve chosen the specific routes you have for your various works.
I self-published my first book was I was 22, it was a cheesy Romance story (Pregnant and Homeless) that I started writing when I was 19/20. A traditional publishing company would have probably never given me, a young Jamaican girl, who spoke broken English (Patwah) a chance. In fact, when I first published that book (Pregnant and Homeless) it was written in Jamaica Standard English, and boy oh boy did the Americans slaughter me, constantly telling me that I was spelling words wrong, and misusing words. Lol, no, I’m just using a different type of English.
Indie publishing is a blessing for authors because traditional publishing just won’t look at us small-time writers unless we are rich or have connections and that’s just a fact.
8. Have you ever written something that has made you laugh/cry? What was it, why did it make you laugh/cry, and where can other people find it?
Yes, I have. I mainly write romance and poetry and I try to write emotions in a very intense way, that will make readers want to either laugh, cry or get angry. Pregnant and Homeless is a pretty emotional book, very intense, it talks about subjects like teen pregnancy, homelessness, and abandonment. I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback from readers on how it made them feel. The is a poem called, “Stop You’re Hurting Her” on wattpad about bullying, that’s pretty as well. But overall, all my stories have humor in them because no one likes a boring book.
9. Tell us about the worst experience you ever had with a peer in the writing industry. Is the situation resolved or ongoing? Why?
I’ve had my book stolen before, twice. The first time (Pregnant and Homeless) the person changed the name of the characters and the location and someone who read the original informed me. I broadcasted it over wattpad to my followers and told them to report her for stealing my book. She didn’t like that at all, she started spamming my account saying that it was an accident, that she didn’t know Pregnant and Homeless was on Wattpad, that she was just trying to make a fanfic and she even had her followers calling me the bad guy for calling her out. Eventually the book, she removed and she wrote an apology. To say the least, I was not pleased as it took me a year to write the book.
The other story is actually insane. I had a past client asking me to help her with marketing her new book, she sent me her Amazon author’s page while going through it, I saw a book that looked like a book that I had yet to publish or finish writing, in fact, it had been in my draft for two years. I immediately asked her how she got my book. She didn’t believe it was my story and so I sent her proof. She confessed to using a ghostwriter. The ghostwriter turned out to be the same person I gave to proofread my book years prior. I was distraught because it made me think about all the other customers he’s probably scammed and how that lady must have felt when I told her that the book she thought was hers, was actually mine. She removed the book from Amazon and I never heard from her again. I also got a full refund for the proofreading and reported him for plagiarism.
10. Give us all your thoughts on Kindle Unlimited/Vella. Why did you choose this route for your stories? Do you think opening up Kindle Vella to an international audience will hurt your Vellas or help them? Do you wish there were more long-form serial publishers available to you? Do you see it as its own thing or just an avenue to cultivate stories before going to the traditional self-publishing route?
I absolutely love Kindle Unlimited. 85% of the revenue that I make as a writer comes from Kindle Unlimited readers. I chose it because it opens so many opportunities for writers to make money without having people buy our books. I also have a Kindle subscription and it has saved me thousands. I read a lot and if I had to purchase every book that I read, I’d be broke.
I currently do not use Kindle Vella but it’s definitely something I’m interested in doing.
11. Give us a rundown of your Books and Vellas that you would like others to read.
I don’t have any Vellas but I have a few books. For Romance lovers, Pregnant and Homeless is pretty good. Please note it, it was written by a 19-year-old so don’t judge me too much. I’m currently writing the remaining books in the series. If you have children, I have a few children’s books published on Amazon. If you love self-help books, I also write those.
12. What five Books or Vellas, not your own, do you think readers should check out?
I’ve only read one Kindle Vella book, The Adventures of Rascal Boy and Marionette (read Jennell's review here), you should definitely check it out!
13. No one ends on 13 questions. They’re too scared. We’re going to tempt fate. Why do you write?
It makes me happy. People read for enjoyment and I love knowing that somewhere in the world someone is reading my book and enjoying it. That brings me joy.
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