When I started these lunchtime polls last year, I knew right away that my next guest would occupy the June 2024 slot. That’s because all of her major characters share a June 13 birthday. So I am thrilled to celebrate today by sharing a little bit about my bookish bestie, author of the Raven Song and Stillwaters series, Jennifer Brasington-Crowley.

Jen!!! I am so happy to finally interview you. Let’s start at the very beginning… when did you start writing?
I cannot say I’ve always been a writer like so many of my writing friends, but I do remember being turned on my head in my junior year of high school when I was introduced to short stories with a shocking twist! Notably “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” “The Lottery,” “The Story of an Hour,” and “The Veldt.” Once I learned that stories could pack a punch, I wanted to write like that! I began writing short stories with a twist and became Fiction Editor for my school newspaper.

Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
I can’t say I remember it, but I did find a story not too long ago that I wrote and illustrated when I was 6 called “The Scarecrow that Camed Alive.” (Grammar and spelling apparently weren’t my strong suit). As the title suggested, it was about a scarecrow that came to life. I posted it on my Instagram and consensus is it is up there with my best writing, with a twist you didn’t see coming. Guess I knew about twist endings before junior year after all!

Pardon me as I go stalk your IG archives to find this gem… You famously sneak animal facts into all your books – if you weren’t a writer, would you have followed a career working with animals?
One of my biggest regrets is not following my passion to become a zoologist. My fatal flaw is my pragmatism. Some of my characters suffer from that as well, but I try to use them to live my dreams vicariously. You will note that many of my characters work with animals in some capacity as well.

Speaking of characters, how did you come up with the idea for your Raven series? Plot or character first?
Oh boy, here’s a confession! On a night out with some girlfriends, one asked about our favorite fantasy, and mine, like any good 80s rock n roll chick, was to be singled out of the crowd by a sexy rock star. I mean, who didn’t wish to be Courtney Cox pulled onstage by Bruce Springsteen in “Dancing in the Dark?”

Anyway, so that seed was planted in my head when I came across a Tweet by Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong who had gotten kicked off a plane for having baggy pants (sound familiar, Raven Song readers?). I thought, what would happen if someone had just offered him a belt?
I had zero intention of growing it into a series. It was supposed to be one and done, but Raven wouldn’t stop bugging me when I tried to write Stillwaters. Stillwaters sat on the backburner of my brain for years because of Raven.  

Ha! That Raven, such a diva. Did you always intend for your Raven series and your Stillwaters series to overlap?
I intentionally keep my stories in the same universe and try to give my loyal readers Easter eggs. In fact, Indiana Ashburn – Raven’s love interest in prequel BirdSong – was originally supposed to be the female protagonist and love interest for Jonathan Sharpe in Stillwaters. Her journey to Germany was premeditated specifically for that path; however, after putting her through what I already put her through, I couldn’t do it to her. A person can only handle so much, you know?

June 13 is the shared birthday for your unlucky birthday boys. Why?
As a Libra, my compatibility sign is Gemini. I love Geminis, so I purposefully have my guys born in June. Unfortunately for them, they all have a bit of a gray cloud that travels overhead, so I made their birthdate the 13th for unlucky number 13. 

Leads Raven Xerces, Jonathan Sharpe, and Jay Nightingale all share this unlucky date. This also serves as more of metaphysical connection between Sharpe and Nightingale that is instrumental in CAYMAN ISLAND (Jay's niece shares the birthday as well, as a much-needed plot device).

I’m close to being a Jennifer Brasington-Crowley completist, and I am amazed by how naturally your stories flow. How do you know when you are on the right (write?) path with your story?
Oh, I never know!! It always surprises me when things come together and form a coherent plot!

Switching gears… What can you tell us about your Wattpad alter ego and her stories?
What alter ego? 😉 No really, while all of my stories are self-indulgent to a point, these are the worst offenders! Wattpad is a great place to anonymously post my skeazy fanfics (um, Darth Vader/Gerard Way mashup, anyone?) or anything else I care to write with abandon.  

Your work deals with weighty topics – particularly abuse and grief – but overall, your stories are about reinvention and the power of love. How do you find the light and joy in your work?
I would like to say I purposefully do that because of something uplifting like that quote you see from Mr. Rogers about looking for the difference makers in bad times or whatever, but it’s just luck when it works out that way. I write, and what comes out comes out. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always happen. My latest release, Nightmare, for example, didn’t have that balance. It also didn’t get much reception either way, so I count that as a bit of a failure.

I loved Nightmare, and I think those who find it will love it too. What is your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite?
I love character development. Creating these personalities from scratch is always so fun – you can build your perfect villain or girlfriend or parental figure. And I love to write dialogue. I think it’s a great way to get a story moving along quickly while also learning more about the characters.
My least favorite is writing action of any kind. Even trying to write someone walking across the street is a chore.

I hear you! You and I share a theater background, and it’s so hard not to write every detail like stage directions. What is one piece of advice you wish you’d been given early in your writing career?
Don’t start every sentence with “He…” It would save me a LOT of revisions!

That’s great advice! What are you reading now?
I have several books on my TBR, including “The Return of Ellie Black,” and “This Skin Was Once Mine.” I am currently reading “The Glutton.” Some of my favorite books are ones that make you go WTH??

Where can readers find you?
Find me on Instagram @brasingtonbooks My books are on Amazon. I am one of the last of the Kindle Unlimited authors, so subscribers can read all my books for free if they’re interested.
Also, I like to mention if you are interested in reading my books and for any reason are unable to download them through regular channels, please DM me. I am happy to give you a copy. It’s not about making the big bucks; it’s about sharing stories.

Jen, thank you SO MUCH for being my guest today. Before we sign off, is there a question you wish I’d asked?
How about a music one? Since many of my books focus on musicians, what is my favorite concert moment? While I didn’t get pulled onstage to dance with Bruce Springsteen or have Raven Xerces profess his love to me in front of thousands of fans, when I was 17, I saw my favorite guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen play at a local concert venue. I was front row, barricade as they say today, but this was 1991, and there was no barricade. The singer noticed me standing there surrounded by sweaty headbangers, and he pulled one of Yngwie’s guitar picks off the mic stand and brought it over to me. My boyfriend lifted me up, and like in a music video, the singer took my hand and pressed the pick into it, closing my fist to secure it. It remains one of my most magical memories many many years later.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You are the coolest person I know! Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Raven Xerces, Jonathan Sharpe, and Jay Nightingale!