Getting to know interesting people is one of my favorite things and the Indie Author Community is full of good sorts, like Jennifer Brasington-Crowley. I first met Jennifer while in the midst of an Instagram writing challenge organized by Writer TL Brown. Her wit, supportive nature, and love of animals won me over instantly. Now you get to meet her too.👏👏👇
Interview with Indie Author Jennifer Brasington-Crowley
If you could meet any author, living or dead, who would it be?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: I wish I could meet Allan W. Eckert because I want to kick him in the teeth!! I read his book “The Crossbreed” as a young girl while on vacation with my family. The ending angered me so much. I still remember the fury seeping through my veins and the tears stinging my eyes as I finished reading it on that long car ride. I re-read it in my adult years and it still made me angry, but I could understand it an author’s viewpoint. (Still want to kick him in the teeth, though.)
You are planning a dinner party. Which fictional characters would you invite?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: I am the LAST person you want planning a dinner party. I will attend one hosted by Elen Chase’s Alessandro from her Italian Romance “When We Were Out of the Ordinary” because I daydream of the authentic Italian family dinners in that book!
Do you think you were born in the wrong era? Or are you exactly where you should be?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: I was born in the exact right era, but I should have just stayed there.
If you could physically travel into a fictional book world, where would you go and why?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. It is a children’s chapter book I read to my daughter a million times, and there are so many magical things in the book that I would love to see with my own eyes!
Would you ever want to live in any of the fictional places you have created?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: Yes, because most of them live by the sea and in California, and I am landlocked in the Midwest. Jay Nightingale’s strawberry farm on top of the hill in Monterey, California, would be a dream come true. Same with Raven Xerces’ private beach house near Laguna.
As a reader, do you prefer a series or stand-alone?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: I prefer a stand-alone because I don’t want to be committed to reading seven books or whatever before I get a conclusion. I am okay with a series where each book can be read as a standalone. Cliffhangers tick me off!
What do you love about self-publishing?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: I love not having to censor myself! I sent query letters a million years ago and, when I received responses like “the story is solid but we don’t accept themes of infidelity in our books” I couldn’t in my right mind change my story to appease some publishing company. I write about real life. It’s not always pretty, and I think that’s what makes my stories relatable.
What do you dislike about self-publishing?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: The stigma that a self-published book is not as good as a traditionally published book. I have read so many self-published authors that put the national names to shame!
Are you a pantser or a plotter? Or a bit of both?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: I am pretty much a complete pantser, but I write the ending first. Then I write the beginning and hope somehow I can get from A to Z!
What’s your go-to beverage when writing? What’s your go-to snack when writing?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: I can sum these both up at once. I don’t eat or drink at all when writing. In fact, I will find myself gulping down 2-3 glasses of water after a writing streak because when I write, that’s ALL I do!
What’s an opinion that non-writers have about writers that is completely ridiculous?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: That it’s a “little hobby.” It’s so much more than that. There is a quote from Loki from the Avengers that I have engraved on not one, but two bracelets, because I feel like it represents my need to write: “I am burdened with glorious purpose.” It isn’t easy, writing. But it’s a necessity. And I truly believe that stories have the power to change lives.
Do you have a word that you use too much in your writing?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: Oh my gosh, so many!!! I overuse “so,” “smirk,” “smile,” “laugh,” “gently,” etc. I am the worst!
When or where do you come up with your best ideas?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: I run dialogue on walks or in the shower – always the most inconvenient time or place!
Do you have a favorite character from your books?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: Jay Nightingale (Cayman Island, Nightingale, Nightmare) would be my favorite to meet, but Raven Xerces (Raven Song, BirdSong, Hell’s Bells) is my favorite to write (probably because we are so much alike).
How do you come up with cover concept(s)? And do you design yourself or do you have a designer?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: I design and create my own covers. I don’t go with the trends. I design so that readers CAN judge the book by its cover. The covers themselves tell the story: Raven Song has an image of Stanzie’s actual belt (fun fact: It is MY grandma’s actual belt she bought in Morocco in the 1960s). Cayman Island has the actual illustration Jay has commissioned. Hell’s Bells features the wedding invitation to Stanzie and Raven’s wedding as well as Raven’s prescription bottle of Xanax (with the real address and phone for the Walgreens in Laguna Beach), and BirdSong prominently displays a tooth like the one Robin carries in his pocket for the duration of the story.
What do you want readers to know about you?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: Your reviews give me life!! (even the bad ones)
What do you not want readers to know about?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: I am pitifully unsuccessful. My best-selling book is a comic book parody of the life of My Chemical Romance bassist Mikey Way.
Do you use a pen name?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: N/A
Do you have a new book coming out? When? Title? Genre? Blurb?
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley: No (crying face)
Tell readers about your books: The theme that carries through my books is addicts trying to find their way in a sober world.
| Book Cover | Genre | Blurb | Link |
 | Romance | If your favorite rock star got drunk and crashed your favorite soap opera and ad-libbed all of his lines, you’d get something like Raven Song. | Raven Song – Kindle edition by Brasington-Crowley, Jennifer. Contemporary Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. |
 | Coming of Age | A raw and unapologetic coming-of-age story, BirdSong follows the journey of seventeen-year-old Robin Xavier from world-class nobody to world-famous rock star. | Amazon.com: Birdsong (Raven Song Book 2) eBook : Brasington-Crowley, Jennifer: Kindle Store |
 | Romance | Raven Xerces is getting married. Finally clean after a lifetime of substance abuse, Raven is quickly learning that perhaps he was better off on the drugs. | Amazon.com: Hell’s Bells (Raven Song Book 4) eBook : Brasington-Crowley, Jennifer: Kindle Store |
 | Romantic Drama | Jonathan Sharpe is an engineer, a Gemini and a liar. He also kills people with his dreams. But now, he’s met the only woman he’s ever loved, and he never wants to fall asleep again. | Stillwaters – Kindle edition by Brasington-Crowley, Jennifer. Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. |
 | Romance | Cayman Stillwater is ready to die. Her ex-husband abused her. Her fiancé killed himself, and now she wants nothing more than to join him in the afterlife. But when a chance encounter with a stranger leads to her lost love once again, she’ll do whatever it takes to keep him here, even if it means pretending to fall in love with his host. | Amazon.com: Cayman Island (Stillwaters Book 2) eBook : Brasington-Crowley, Jennifer: Kindle Store |
 | Romance | Jay Nightingale is living his best life: newly engaged, a baby on the way, this unassuming strawberry farmer has everything he’s ever dreamed of. But there’s one problem, and it’s a Nightmare. | Nightingale (Stillwaters Book 3) – Kindle edition by Brasington-Crowley, Jennifer. Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. |
 | Drama | When 16-year-old Jacob “Chubby Cubby” Nightingale runs away from his upper-middle-class home in Terrace Park, he thinks he’s fled his worst demons. What he doesn’t know is he hasn’t even faced them yet. Follow Jacob from teen runaway to teen heartthrob fronting a successful metal band, and the subsequent rise and fall of alter ego Jake Nightmare. | Amazon.com: Nightmare eBook : Brasington-Crowley, Jennifer: Kindle Store |
Author Bio
 | Jennifer Brasington-Crowley is an author, illustrator, artist and animal advocate. She is a graduate of Scripps School of Journalism and an advertising copywriter and graphic designer. She is the author of the Lyndsay and Lainey Lion children’s book series (www.sunnyvillezoo.com), as well as unconventional romance series Raven Song and Stillwaters, available for download from Amazon.com. She is a little obsessive about things like music and animals and has finally come to terms with being sorted into Slytherin. |
Where to Find Jennifer Brasington-Crowley Online
IG:@brasingtonbooks
Goodreads: Jennifer Brasington-Crowley (Author of Raven Song) | Goodreads
Website link: Novels (sunnyvillezoo.com)
Things That Might Interest You
Check out my interview with Writer TL Brown: https://sharitmitchell.com/2024/05/29/indie-author-chat-with-tl-brown/
Get to know Lucie Bellerose from Writer TL Brown’s Door to Door Mysteries and Bellerose Witchline series: https://sharitmitchell.com/2024/06/28/meet-lucie-bellerose-mc-of-tl-browns-bellerose-witchline-series/
Here’s my interview with my main character Marnie Reilly: https://sharitmitchell.com/2024/06/19/get-to-know-my-main-character-marnie-reilly/
I’ll be back soon with more Indie Author interviews and updates about Marnie Reilly Mysteries Book 4.
Thanks so much for hanging out with Jennifer and me. Take care and see you next time!👋
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley is one of my favorite authors! I’ve read her Raven Song series and the Stillwaters series—both are excellent! Cayman Island is my absolute favorite. Jennifer knows how to write flawed, real people. I’m so happy you interviewed her!
Stay tuned for my interview with Raven. Going live July 19th. 🎸