Jen Craven
Author Interview - Jen Craven
Author of Best Years of your Life and The Baby Left Behind
Take him. Please forgive me. Cate grips the note with trembling hands, looking down at the delicate bundle on her doorstep. As she reaches down to the baby, she knows she has finally got everything she's ever wished for. But is he hers to take?
Cate tries not to cry as she closes the door on the nursery room once again. All she has ever wanted is to be a mother. Cursed with a medical condition that means she is unable to have children, her only option is to wait for a call from the adoption centre. But that call feels like a lifetime away.
Then she hears a faint cry from outside her house. She's convinced she's imagining it, that the grief is starting to overwhelm her. But when she opens her door and looks down, her heart swells. By her feet is the most perfect baby curled up in a soft blanket.
As the newborn's eyes light up, Cate feels instant love for him. She knows she can't just accept a stranger's baby - she has to call the police. But as she picks him up, it all finally feels right. This is where the baby belongs.
But when her darling baby is rushed into hospital, Cate knows that in order to save his life, she needs to expose the lie she has been so desperate to hide. Can Cate discover who the child's real mother is? And if so, will she be able to make the hardest decision of her life to protect the child?
Author Interview - Jen Craven
Author I draw inspiration from:
Kristin Hannah for the emotional depths, and Liane Moriarty for unexpected twists (that still feel relatable)
(Click here for my list of Best Kristin Hannah Books.)
Author Interview - Jen Craven | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
On my screened-in porch (sounds of nature, fresh air, but no bugs!)
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Jo March (Little Women), so I could shake her and scream, "Why didn't you choose Laurie?!"
Author Interview - Jen Craven | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I've always been a writer, but it was more so personal essays. When an essay about my great-aunt Jeanne Gildea started taking a life of its own, I knew I wanted to turn it into a book (which I did!). From there, the author bug bit me hard.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardbacks from the library, paperbacks from my second-hand store, e-books for travel, audiobooks on my morning walks... I don't discriminate against books!
The last book I read:
We Do What We Do In The Dark (Michelle Hart). I picked it up because it related to my book in terms of a student/teacher relationship, but Michelle's book is much more literary whereas mine is commercial.
Author Interview - Jen Craven | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer. I have terrible handwriting!
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Probably Hermione Granger because she's a rule-following perfectionist, but also has a mischievous side.
Author Interview - Jen Craven | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Writing is in my soul, which is why I work full time as a copywriter. In my job, I have to put on my saleswoman hat to sell the benefits of a product. Novel writing allows me to really tap into storytelling.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
Ooooh...this is such a tough one. I've always been a fashion-lover, and taught Fashion Merchandising for over a decade. I'd probably have to say either the 1920s flapper era and all the Art Deco inspirations, or Christian Dior's 1950s "New Look" with the nipped-in waists.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Ireland. My family descends from there, and I'd love to visit someday.
My signature drink:
I love a glass of dry red wine, or a good cosmo.
Favorite artist:
Confession: I'm not really into art (*Gasp!* I know). So I'll have to say my kids and the adorable drawings that hang on my fridge.
Number one on my bucket list:
I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see my name on a bestseller list someday.
Find more from Jen Craven:
IG: @jencravenauthor is where I'm most active, but also FB: Jen Craven, Author
About Jen Craven:
Jen Craven is the author of upmarket women's fiction, where one decision changes everything. The author of two historical fiction novels, "Best Years of your Life" is her debut contemporary work. She writes from northwestern Pennsylvania, where she lives with her family.
Author Interview - Jen Craven
It’s both the best and worst year for Christine: she’s up for tenure, but she’s also turning fifty, a death sentence in her quest to remain youthful. With her wife, Joss, absorbed in her own research and their marriage under strain, Christine breaks the cardinal rule of professorhood: entering into an illicit affair with a student. Soon, she’s hiding not only from Joss, but also their teenage daughter, Abbie, a freshman at the same school who’s struggling to fit in. While Christine will do anything to feel desired again, Abbie will do anything to overcome her outcast status, including stealing exams for the popular crowd from her mom’s laptop. When Joss receives a life-changing medical diagnosis, the family’s world is rocked, culminating in a deadly decision no one saw coming. With tenure and expulsion on the line, Christine—and Abbie—must choose whether to continue down the wrong path even when it feels right.
This interview was originally published on August 28, 2022.
