Jenn: I have often wondered what it would be like to work as a private chef. I love the idea of sitting down with people and learning about what food works best for them, their families, and their lives. Of course, my life is far different from Devon’s! I do like to have these conversations with my kids every so often, usually before a new sports season gets underway in our house. Food is always such a thing to manage when you’re trying to do it all. People still need to be fed!

But I love Devon’s drive and independence. I feel like I learned a lot from writing about her.

Christina: Food is important to your novels (we’ll talk about this later too). How is this book similar to your debut, First Course? Did your writing process change between these novels?

Jenn: I am a more confident writer now, but I still think quite a bit about food and what kinds of things people enjoy cooking and eating depending on what’s going on in their lives. I loved writing about the Rockwood School as its own community of residents. For the students who are away from home at boarding school, food serves as a point of nostalgia, comfort, and connection. As many of my readers know, I have stayed closely connected to the college I attended, and I know the dining services director there quite well. I have always been impressed by the operation she runs and how the food she serves makes people feel. I tried to make these strong connections between food and feeling in Considering Us.

Christina: A sense of place is also really important to your books, and you take your readers to the places you wanted them to be. How do you go about choosing a setting, or do they choose you? How do you capture them so effectively?

Jenn: I knew I would choose another coastal New England setting, and I toyed with the North Shore of Massachusetts for this book initially. It was my husband who suggested I choose the New Hampshire seacoast. I was a bit worried at first about this, as there are plenty of great books set at New Hampshire boarding schools. Despite my concern, I think that Portsmouth works so well here.

That said, the book I am almost finished writing at the moment is set on Cape Ann, just north of Boston. There are plenty of books to write, and this one works better with that setting.

Christina: First Course launched in the thick of the pandemic when in-person events weren’t an option. Are you looking forward to being able to launch Considering Us in whatever fashion you choose? What are you looking forward to the most?

Jenn: I am so ready for in-person events to launch this book! I am returning to Belmont Books in Massachusetts for my official launch. With First Course, we held a virtual event. To hold an event in their beautiful store will be fabulous!

I have some really great events planned in Plymouth MA, Wolfeboro NH, Westborough MA, Mystic CT, and Bedford MA so far, with more events being added weekly. It will be great to connect with more readers in person this time.

Christina: One of the ways you’ve promoted your first book is through Little Free Libraries. For those of our readers who haven’t heard about your project, can you share a little bit about it? Why choose LFLs? Will you be doing the same for Considering Us?

Jenn: I placed over 100 copies of First Course in Little Free Libraries all over the country as a way to reach more readers. Friends placed books and sent me pictures, which I posted on social media. I tagged local indie bookstores for each one. It was a great way to find more readers and to promote independent bookstores at the same time. And it was so much fun! People came out of the woodwork to help me, including friends from high school who I haven’t seen in almost 30 years!

I will definitely place books again. I will start slowly with Considering Us, as I have so many more events and giveaways planned this time around. I will reach out to ten Little Free Library stewards who I have established relationships with over the past few years, and we’ll see from there what makes the most sense for outreach.

Christina: First Course and Considering Us feature food, and it also infiltrates your short stories. Do you originally set out to write stories that involve food, or did that arise organically? How do you keep the topic fresh from book to book?

Jenn: I have seen the food angle as my niche…part of my author brand, you might say. With the book I am writing right now, it’s the guy/the love interest who is the cook! That has definitely helped to keep things fresh for me. And there’s something about a guy making a woman weak in the knees by serving her fantastic food! And even in Considering Us, where Devon is doing most of the cooking, the guys are aware of the importance of food in making her happy. The coffee delivery, the ice cream delivery….heck, even the beer delivery! It’s showing that they’re paying attention and doing something intentional and thoughtful. I like to include those little details.

Christina: When did you start cooking, and what do you look for in an excellent recipe? Any favorite spices or herbs or other ingredients?

Jenn: I started cooking in a real way after I graduated from college and was living outside of Boston. I would scour issues of Bon Appetit and try things out. And then my husband and I moved to the Chicago area and got our first Ina Garten cookbook as a wedding gift. Ina changed everything for me. She is truly my role model and best cooking teacher. Over 20 years later, most of what I cook originates with her recipes.

Christina: You’ve published both your books with small presses. When I was first starting out, I hadn’t even heard of small publishers, but many successful companies exist. What do you like about publishing with a small press? Do you have any tips for those just starting to query small presses?

Jenn: There is no wrong way to get published, but you do need to look out for scams and people who don’t have your best interest in mind. Definitely talk to authors who have worked with a publisher before signing with them. I am very grateful to Black Rose Writing, the publisher of Considering Us. I feel like they are the right publisher for this book, and I am so glad that they saw its potential.

Christina: Literary citizenship is really important, and you’ve done so much in that realm. What are some easy ways for everyone to be good literary citizens?

Read books, review and rate that ones you love, and tell the authors how much you loved their book! Support writers and recommend their books to others. Go to their events if you can. You will make their day.

Christina: What’s next for you?

Jenn: I am going to find a path forward for Palms on the Cape, which I wrote in 2021. It was supposed to be published in 2023, but the publisher has closed their doors. It’s such a fun, uplifting book, and I can’t wait to see it in print.

I am finishing up my fourth book Way Outta Left Field. It’s a bit of a hybrid between Palms on the Cape and Considering Us in many ways. It’s funny and family-focused, with lots of wise old New Englanders as well as plenty of baseball and softball. My kids are incredible athletes (I am not), and they have been my consultants on this book. It’s been fun to directly include them in one of my projects.

I hope to get started with an unnamed project that is percolating in my brain right now this summer. I hope there’s enough there that I like to write a whole book. I’ve thrown out two books in the past few years because I didn’t like them enough to keep going. When you publish a book, you will talk about it for years! You have to love it.

Jenn can be found in multiple places!

Website: https://jennbouchard.com
X: @JennBouchardBOS
Instagram: @JennBouchardBOS
Facebook: @JennBouchardBOS

Thanks to Jenn for agreeing to this interview! Feel to leave a comment!