A Chat with Jennifer Sienes

Jennifer Sienes is no stranger to The Back Porch, but it has been quite a while since you have seen her around and never for an interview. Jennifer and I have worked together on a few projects and have chatted personally, often. She is one amazing author and lady, so I am excited to share this interview with you all. So, as always, grab your warm beverage, a fluffy blanket, and curl up in your favorite reading spot, and let chat with Jennifer Sienes, the author of A Canine Christmas. 

Good morning, Jennifer, and welcome to The Back Porch.

I know you have an exstensive background in the written word. Can you tell us about your journey to becoming a published author?

I think this is a good question, especially for any would-be authors out there. I’ve been in classes where young writers get frustrated when they’re not recognized after a year or two of pursuing publication. When my husband encouraged me to quit teaching to write full time (because I felt it was what God was calling me to do), I wrote for almost ten years before getting my first book contract. I went to writer’s conferences almost every year, clocked thousands of hours at my desk, had an entire series written, and often wondered if I’d somehow misunderstood God’s call.

I was contracted with a very reputable literary agency, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. I won a prestigious award at ACFW, and still it made no difference. I finally decided it might be best to approach a publisher that didn’t require an agent, which is how I got a publishing contract.

Now, after fourteen published books, I have decided to pursue self-publishing. It will be a challenge, but I look forward to it.

I am right there with you, sis, and I am excited for you in this new path. It will be interesting to see how much the self publishing world has changed since I independently published a book.

I find that no matter what other spiritual themes I have in my books, forgiveness is always one of them. Maybe it’s because this is one area where so many people struggle (including myself). We are so quick to take offense or misread someone else’s intentions that it causes stress and broken relationships. Why are we so quick to accept Jesus’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins, but easily hold onto bitterness when someone disappoints us? If more of us could learn to forgive, our culture would be so much better for it.

Forgiveness is something shouted from every mouth of a Believer, but it is difficult to find it in the heart. Maybe that is why Jesus commanded it and the first apostles stressed its importance.

How do you develop your characters? Are they based on real people or entirely fictional?

My characters are entirely fictional. I’ve been inspired by events of people I know to write a book, but not the people themselves. For instance, Providence was inspired my brother’s suicide. The main character is a woman left with three young children in the aftermath of her husband’s tragedy. My sister-in-law was left with three young children at the time, but she’s nothing like the character of Melissa Bainbridge. And although the three children are the ages of my niece and nephews at the time, they would never recognize themselves.

My daughter was in a near-fatal car accident when she was a teenager which resulted in traumatic brain injury. The character of Taylor in Illusions was based off my daughter’s experience. Taylor is nothing like my daughter.

The characters seem to develop as I write the books. It’s very strange how that happens, but I often don’t really understand them until they reveal themselves to me.

A lot of prayer! I’ve even locked myself in my room for hours with my prayer journal and Bible seeking God’s guidance. Generally, if I’m dealing with writer’s block, it’s because I’m not seeking the Lord enough. I’ve tried to write my story instead of His story. Once I admit that and ask for forgiveness, He is faithful to give me the ideas I need to continue.

Thats powerful and great advice. If we keep our focus on God’s plan, things will work out. 

Okay, Let’s talk a bit about A Canine Christmas. 

I had two initial “sparks” that inspired A Canine Christmas. The first was my granddaughters’ Cano Corso (that’s a dog, by the way) Porter. He’s a very large, very scary-looking canine. However, he’s also the biggest chicken. Any loud noise, and he jumps behind the girls for protection. The other “spark” is my love for old farmhouses with their own family cemeteries. I honestly can’t even remember how the story came to be after that. The characters revealed themselves as I started writing, and it became such a fun project.

Thats so fun. (I love Cano Corso’s. They make me think of my own Pitbulls but in a MUCH larger form.)

As I said in the question above, the setting for this story is an old farmhouse. I have such an affinity for these places. This particular setting is important because it’s what brings Rayce Jasper, the grandson of the late owner, to town. He’s come to put the place in order so he can sell it. The mystery behind his grandfather’s past is what draws Amelia Hutchinson to pursue Rayce. She’s decided a private investigator would be a much more interesting career than mail carrier, and solving the mystery is the perfect opportunity for her to get some training.

I love old houses! I live in one. This is great. I can’t wait to read A Canine Christmas. 

Jennifer, thank you again for joining us today. It was such a blessing to have you with us. I hope this tour is a blessing to you and your book. 

Readers, please continue to read about A Canine Christmas and more that Jennifer Sienes has to say about the story. 

Merry Christmas,

Melissa

About the Book

Book: A Canine Christmas

Author: Jennifer Sienes

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance, Christmas Fiction, and Southern Fiction

Release date: November 18, 2024

What do you get when you mix a mail carrier, a monstrously large canine and his surly owner, and a mysterious death?

Amelia Hutchinson can’t seem to find her place in the world. Or maybe she’s just watched too many Christmas Hallmark movies. But come on, how come Aurora Teagarden and Hallie Dean get more exciting careers and all Amelia gets to be is a mail carrier? Not to mention, she’s living in her sister and brother-in-law’s guest house and the only man she could find was one who didn’t appreciate the purity ring her daddy gave her.

Rayce Jasper just wants to sell his late granddad’s farm and throw away the painful past that comes with it as soon as possible. But the memories of the man who betrayed him, a ditzy mail lady, and a strange request put a kink in his agenda.

As Rayce’s and Amelia’s worlds collide, neither of them can deny that God must be weaving His own Christmas story for the two of them.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Jennifer Sienes holds a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in education but discovered life-experience is the best teacher. She loves Jesus, romance and writing–and puts it altogether in inspirational contemporary fiction. Her daughter’s TBI and brother’s suicide inspired two of her three novels. Although fiction writing is her real love, she’s had several non-fiction pieces published in anthologies–two in Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has two grown children and one very spoiled Maltese. California born and raised, she recently took a step of faith with her real-life hero and relocated to Tennessee.

More from Jennifer

I’m often asked where inspiration comes for my books. Does it start with a character or a setting or maybe something from my own life? The answer is, “Yes.” Each of those have sparked story ideas. A Canine Christmas is my fourteenth book, but it’s the first (and possibly last) novel/novella motivated by a dog.

You would think it would be my own canine that inspired one of my books—but that’s not the case here. I have a short story in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Life Lessons from the Dog titled “Soul Sniffer” based on my late Bichon Friese, Einstein. He was also in Providence—and his name was Dashiell. I have another short story in Inspire Joy titled “Canine Redemption” about Cheyenne, a rescue dog we had for a short time. But an entire book? Never.

It started with my granddaughters’ Cano Corso, Porter. The biggest (and I mean that in every sense of the word) baby I’ve ever encountered. He’s massive, and yet hides behind eight-year-old Kennedy at the slightest loud noise. His size alone is enough to intimidate the average person, but he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. However, he wasn’t the only inspiration for this Christmas novella.

The setting was influenced by my affinity for old family farms and historic cemeteries (of which there are over 33,000 in the state of Tennessee.) Add a ditzy mail lady who has an intense fear of dogs, and a disgruntled man trying to put his past to rest, and A Canine Christmas was born.

This is romance through and through, and it was a pure joy to write. I hope you’ll come to love Amelia and Rayce as much as I did—and of course, Porter, the canine matchmaker.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 21

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 22

Stories By Gina, November 23 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, November 24

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 25

She Lives To Read, November 26

An Author’s Take, November 27

Guild Master, November 28 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 29

A Reader’s Brain, November 30 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 30

MrsK Books to Go, November 30

Texas Book-aholic, December 1

For Him and My Family, December 2

Holly’s Book Corner, December 3

Back Porch Reads, December 4 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.