Author Life

Read more about the article [Podcast] Kobo Writing Life Podcast: #344 – Committing to Your Writing Practice with Jessie Kwak

[Podcast] Kobo Writing Life Podcast: #344 – Committing to Your Writing Practice with Jessie Kwak

I recently had the pleasure of joining the Kobo Writing Life Podcast to chat about all things writing and publishing! As an author of over fifteen books, including series like The Nanshe Chronicles and The Bulari Saga, as well as standalone thrillers such as From Earth and Bone, my expansive career has touched on many aspects of the publishing world, and I had lots of amazing advice and insights to share. During our conversation, we covered a wide range of topics, including ghostwriting, writing sci-fi and paranormal thrillers, and time management as an author. I also shared what inspired me…

Read more about the article [Podcast] Adapting To Change With Jessie Kwak – The Creative Penn

[Podcast] Adapting To Change With Jessie Kwak – The Creative Penn

I had the pleasure of joining The Creative Penn podcast to talk about adapting to life as a freelance writer and author after experiencing an injury. In this episode, I share my journey and offer tips for managing work and energy when life throws unexpected challenges your way. We discussed a range of topics, including: Adapting to changing circumstances: How I navigated my career shift after my injury and the lessons I learned along the way. When medical situations affect your author business: Practical advice for handling the impact of health issues on your work. How changing appearances affects us at a…

Read more about the article [Interview] Jessie L. Kwak – Author of From Chaos to Creativity – Armed with A Book

[Interview] Jessie L. Kwak – Author of From Chaos to Creativity – Armed with A Book

I had a fantastic conversation with Kriti from Armed With a Book about my obsession with productivity and the journey from chaos to creativity. We dove into why so many of us are fascinated by productivity – a blend of hustle culture's pressure and the sheer joy of bringing our numerous ideas to life. I shared the moment I realized I needed a creative system rather than just a productivity system. It hit me after I left my "real" office job to freelance, only to discover the challenges of managing my own schedule and finding time for my fiction writing.…

Read more about the article We need to stick together

We need to stick together

Matthew Shepard was murdered in Wyoming when I was fifteen. The following spring, I was sitting outside a McDonalds in my home town after dark with my best friend when a car full of men in their early twenties drove by, real slow.  They did a U-turn so they could drive by again. They rolled their windows down.  “Is that a girl or a boy?” one of them yelled, referencing my best friend; she was looking butch as always, with her baggy 90s grunge look, her figure lean and rangy. Laughter pealed from the inside of the car. I can’t remember what…

Read more about the article Orchids and remembrance

Orchids and remembrance

(Edited July 13, 2021 to add photos of Doug's greenhouse that I took while watering it for grandma a few days ago. He used to have two full greenhouse of orchids, but donated many of them to the orchid society a few years back as he started to downsize.) I write stories like a male bower bird builds its nest: by picking up whatever shiny object attracts my eye, and placing it just so. A twig of memory here, and overheard fragment of conversation there, a dash of a scent that reminds me of a favorite location, a half-remembered line…

Read more about the article What I Learned in my 7th Year as a Freelance Writer

What I Learned in my 7th Year as a Freelance Writer

Photo by Carl Cerstrand on Unsplash Seven years ago this week, I was snowed in, stir crazy, and fighting off the certainty that I'd just made a huge mistake. And now — sans snow — I'm struggling with that fear again. (But more on the changes afoot here in a minute.) That snowy January seven years ago, my husband and I had just moved to Portland, OR. I'd worked my last shift at the Elysian Brewing Company, said goodbye to all our friends, and hung my shingle as a full time freelance copywriter. I was terrified. One year earlier, I'd worked…

Read more about the article [Podcast] No Shelf Control

[Podcast] No Shelf Control

Between my day job and my current book project (a non-fiction book about the writing process), I interview a lot of people. It's one of my favorite things about my job — getting a chance to chat with interesting people about things they're passionate about: adaptive learning software, the college experience during COVID-19, cybersecurity, digital asset management software, writing and revising novels. So it's always a bit weird when the table gets turned and someone starts peppering me with questions. That's happened a couple of times lately. If you've been curious to learn more about me and my books, check…

Read more about the article Introducing Space Cocaine: an Anthology Reading

Introducing Space Cocaine: an Anthology Reading

TL;DR version:What: A reading with Jessie Kwak, Grá Linnea, Andrew McCollough, and Mark TeppoWhen: May 17th at 7pmWhere: Belmont Books (3415 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR)Why: Because it could be done A couple of months ago, my local sci-fi writer-friend mastermind group (the Tiara Club) decided we should do a reading. Mark Teppo, an overachiever, decided that we should produce a physical collection of the short stories we'd be reading in order to sell at the event. He started coming up with poignant literary covers. They were lovely. But I was starting to get a little nervous they would give…

Read more about the article How to Woo Me

How to Woo Me

(A version of this post originally went out to my newsletter. Photo by Katarzyna Pe on Unsplash) My sophomore year of college, my boyfriend at the time surprised me with a sweet Valentine's Day evening. He invited me over for a home-cooked meal, and he rented a couple of movies: Serendipity, and Brotherhood of the Wolf. One of these is a proper Valentine's Day Movie. One was the proper Valentine's Day Movie to pick out for me. Serendipity was one of his favorite movies, a charming romcom about the surprising little moments that can bring two people together. He wanted to share that…