This biography was provided by the author or their representative.

 

 

Today Jennifer Quintenz joins LitPick for Six Minutes with an Author! Jennifer is the author of the Daughters of Lilith paranormal thriller YA novels Thrall, Incubus and Sacrifice. There are two more books coming out in this series.

Jennifer has written projects for TV, film and comic books. She created The Bond of Saint Marcel, a vampire comic book mini-series and co-wrote The Red Star: Sword of Lies graphic novel with creator Christian Gossett. Elizabeth misses the Hatch green chilies from her native New Mexico, but is enjoying having an avocado tree in her yard in California.

How did you get started writing?

When I was a kid, my dad made it a condition of getting our allowance that my sister and I had to write a poem or short story every week (in addition to doing our chores). So I’ve got these spiral notebooks filled with scribblings going waaaay back. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t storytelling in some way or other. I wrote and illustrated a stack of different kinds of books before graduating from high school, and since then I’ve written screenplays, television episodes, graphic novels, and—most recently—my Daughters of Lilith novels, which I am having so much fun with.

Who influenced you?

Orson Scott Card, Tanith Lee, James Cameron, Jane Yolen, Ursula Le Guin, William Gibson—just a bazillion sci-fi and fantasy writers and filmmakers.  

Do you have a favorite book/subject/character/setting?

One of my all-time favorite books is Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee.  Oh man… I love this book. It’s very short, but packed full of emotion and set in an amazingly rich world. I once read it twice in one day. I’m also a big fan of Ender’s Game and love the Battle School.  

What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author?

Write! Just do it. Give yourself permission to write even if it’s flat-out “bad writing” - that’s what first drafts are all about. Getting words on the page. You can edit and revise and refine later—but only if you have something written down to edit. Do not let ANYONE tell you you can’t do it. If you want to write a book, you can. There is no secret to it. You just have to write. Write every day if you can, even if you don’t feel like it. Don’t wait for the mood to strike you, make writing a habit. And don’t get discouraged—every book you write makes you a better writer, even if it doesn’t feel like you’re making progress. This is kind of a golden age for writers right now, because we can reach audiences directly, whereas before you had to be chosen by the publishing industry in order to reach your audience. 

Where is your favorite place to write?

Okay, this might sound insane but when I was on one of my first TV shows, we had a very intense schedule and I was writing 14+ hours a day. I actually got a stress fracture from sitting in a bad chair. From sitting! So I invested in a “zero gravity” chair and it has changed my life. Well… it makes writing for long stretches a lot more comfortable. :)  I am sitting in it right now, in my bedroom, looking out at the backyard. This is where I do most of my writing (in the zero grav chair… which I had out in the living room until recently). When I’m brainstorming or just coming up with ideas, though, I like to take walks. Something about being in motion helps me think more creatively.  

What else would you like to tell us?

Thanks so much for including me in your Six Minutes with an Author series!  I love the LitPick site - it’s a great idea and a great resource for students and fans of tween and teen lit.  

Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us for six minutes! Maybe you’ll get some Hatch green chilies soon!

“Thrall” (Daughters of Lilith: Book 1) http://amzn.com/B008464TEK

“Incubus” (Daughters of Lilith: Book 2)  http://amzn.com/B00DCB4FN2

“Sacrifice” (Daughters of Lilith: Book 3) http://amzn.com/B00I5FPOY4