Jennifer Kibble
South Florida
USA
Good morning, Jennifer, and welcome to Vision and Verse. Can you tell us a little about what you’ve written?
I’ve written three books that are part of a young adult fantasy series called Phoenix Element. It is a series that I’ve been working on for a long time, and one that has evolved over the years before I finally took the plunge to self-publish. It follows a young lady, Anya, as she falls through a portal to another planet. There she learns that an entity is intertwined with her soul, an entity that could cause chaos if released.
Here’s a little blurb on the series as a whole: Anya can use magic. She’s not alone—in more ways than one! Normality Twisted: The lines between good and evil are blurred when Anya discovers a being from another plane of existence is sharing her body—and wants to be free. Now she grapples to understand her identity even as she masters her newfound powers. Mages of Vane: The mages of Vane must protect their home and school from The Order of Blood and their hidden leader. If Vane falls, other worlds will follow suit, and Anya is caught in the middle of it all. Reality Break: Ashima is ready to prove her might by ripping reality into pieces. Anya must locate an ancient relic that will hopefully stop her before time runs out and Earth falls next.
I want to continue with this series. I’m currently in search of something that will break this writer’s block that has been plaguing me for over a year.
What is your favorite genre to write?
Fantasy-adventure, for sure. It’s what I started to write as a kid, and what I really enjoy writing today.
Favorite food.
Cheese. The more cheese, the better. I was told when I was a teenager that I had to stop eating cheese because I was lactose intolerant. That lasted about a year, and I’ve had zero issues with cheese since. Munster cheese, blu cheese, I can be here all day listing my favorites. There’s just so many things that can be created with cheese. Sushi is a close second. I used to make sushi, where I learned a lot.
Tea or coffee?
Both?
Though my sweet tea consumption has gone down while my coffee consumption has gone up. Thanks to COVID (I guess), I started to brew coffee at home instead of going to a shop to get it. I found a Florida based coffee company called Bones Coffee. They have unique flavors like Frankenbones (a Halloween themed brew of chocolate and hazelnut), and Electric Unicorn (tastes like fruity cereal). I haven’t missed hazelnut iced coffee from Dunkin at all.
Pizza or ice cream?
I used to make pizza! Made the dough and sauce fresh from scratch. And yes, I can flip the dough into the air. I am a fan of Superman ice cream (rare in my area), but pizza wins in this contest. I might get some angry stares when I say that I like pineapple on my pizza.
Wine or beer or soda or what?
I prefer water. I used to be big on soda: Tropical Sprite Remix, Crystal Clear Pepsi, orange soda, just to name a few of my favorites. I slowly stopped drinking soda, save for ginger ale. I’m also big on orange juice but sadly, hard to find a brand that has true large pulp in their product.
Where would you like to visit?
Someplace cold. I am done with Florida weather where I go outside just to feel like I’ve been through the dryer, but only just. I’ve lived here my entire life, not really experiencing seasons. I’ve seen snow only a handful of time, and people have told me that I will tire of it after a while. I guess that’s what happened with me and Florida weather. If I ever get the chance, I would love to visit Japan, New Zealand, and New York. The two places for the culture and sights, and NY for the stage plays.
Favorite musical artist.
Linkin Park. I’ve been a fan since the get-go, going to their concerts, meeting them at a Meet and Greet…it was tragic when their lead singer, Chester Bennington took his own life. I really don’t have words. I am grateful for the music that they shared with the world, and I hold onto the memories that came from listening to Linkin Park.
Do you listen to music when you write? What?
I try to find music that fit my characters and create a playlist from that. Words that capture what the character is feeling at a particular moment. However mostly I listen to instrumental pieces, like Two Steps from Hell.
What makes you laugh?I laugh at almost anything and everything, something I get from my dad.
Favorite work of art or sculpture.
I’ve never really thought about this. I might have to say The Starry Night from Vincent van Gogh. Do I blame Doctor Who for my love of this painting…probably? The piece itself is chaos with the mixture of colors, but there is a sereneness to it as well.
How old were you when you started writing?
I was in elementary school. My fifth grade teacher told us to get a compensation book and that we would be using it for creative writing. I would spend hours on this brown bean bag that was in the classroom, just writing as much as I could. My eighth grade teacher also pushed my writing habit by allowing me to turn in short stories for a grade.
Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write?
A little bit of all the above. I mostly just write, however. My characters tend to take over the story anyway.
Describe your perfect evening.
Just staying home with my husband, pets, and playing video games. Or just watch my dog chase the cat and vice versa.
Where do you get your inspiration?
What do you do when you get a writer's block?
I would like to know as well, please! Normally listening to music will do the trick or reading a good book. These methods have not been working for me as of late. I don’t want to say that I have given up writing, but as of right now, my motivation to do so is slim. I hope that this will change since I know I have some great ideas swimming around in my head somewhere.
Who is your favorite author?
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, who wrote my favorite fantasy series: Dragonlance.
Best book you ever read.
There are so many! The Annotated Chronicles (Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, Dragons of Spring Dawning) and The Annotated Legends (Time of the Twins, War of the Twins, and Test of the Twins). Yes, yes, that’s six books but technically it is also two. They come from the authors mentioned above. I love these books so much mainly due to the characters and the bond that they have with each other. Such an amazing fantasy book series!
Last book you read.
The last book I finished was Tailchaser’s Song by Tad Williams. I had read the book as a teenager and wanted to revisit it again as an adult. It is a fantasy novel where the main characters are feline. It is an interesting read. I’m trying to read the first book in the Wheel of Time series: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. I don’t think I’ll be able to finish it before the live action series premieres.
What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?
By no means am I writer fulltime. It was something that I had aspired to be when I was younger, but due to circumstances, it just wasn’t meant to be.
What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
Have fun! Write for yourself and have fun with it. Once you get a great story going, then think about others and how your writing could be an influence to them.
Do you have some links for us to follow you?
Author Profile on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Jennifer-Kibble/e/B00BG2PAQU/
@Next_Jen on Twitter
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferKibble
Phoenix Element Collection at Books2Read: https://books2read.com/b/4XRLg6
Phoenix Element Collection on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N1SC8HB
