Pardon me while I gush.
I adore Lauren Groff!
I have to pinch myself. This week, I met (and hugged!) one of my favorite authors, Lauren Groff, in her fabulous Gainesville bookstore, The Lynx. (Become a member! It’s more than just a bookstore. Check it out here.)
And when I showed her (nervously, tentatively) an advance copy of my book, Bottom of the Breath, she asked, (get this!) “Can I keep it?” (Are you freaking kidding me right now, Lauren?!) Can you keep it?! I just drove 65 miles to give it to you!
Then, as if out of a movie—one in which wildly successful, famous authors are unbelievably kind and generous—SHE asked ME if I would sign my book for her. (Surely, I’ve entered the bizarro world!)
So, trying to steady my shaking hand, I wrote—with Lauren frickin’ Groff standing right next to me, smiling patiently—“To Lauren, from one of your biggest fans. Love, Jayne” Corny, I know, but I’m lucky I was able to write at all!
And that’s not all, friends. She then says, “Please come back. We’ll host an event for you.”
Do you realize what this means?! This is my version of being invited on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Lauren Groff, if you don’t know, is B-I-G, BIG! Her first book, The Monsters of Templeton, was a smashing success (debuted on The New York Times Best Seller list, reviewed by Stephen King—that sort of success.) And Fates and Furies, one of my all-time favorite books, was nominated for tons of awards and (I just learned) named by Barack Obama (yes, that Barack Obama) as his favorite book of 2015. (Great minds do think alike, after all.) Lauren’s short story collections are fabulous, too.
I could go on but back to my visit to The Lynx. . . The brilliant, Pulitzer Prize-winning Karen Russell was the guest that night and graced the very spot that I was just invited to occupy in the front of The Lynx. (See photo above. I know! Pinch me!)
One more strange and serendipitous thing about Lauren Groff, (Did I mention she hugged me and congratulated me at least three times on my book? I love her!) is that we are both interested in the Cooper family of Cooperstown, New York. Kind of random, right?
Stay with me.
Lauren’s first book, The Monsters of Templeton, weaves the true history of Cooperstown (called Templeton in the book) throughout the modern storyline about a woman who returns to her hometown after being away for some years. Before I read that book, I became interested in a writer named Constance Fenimore Woolson. Constance used to winter in St. Augustine just blocks from where I live. The house where she stayed, the Ximenez-Fatio house is now a museum with a fascinating history. When I learned about Constance, I knew I wanted to write about her. (More about Constance in another post. Hers is an intriguing and tragic story, I promise.)
The connection to Lauren is as follows: Constance Fenimore Woolson is the grand-niece of the famous novelist, James Fenimore Cooper. Lauren, who was born in Cooperstown, borrowed the fictional name, Templeton, from Fenimore Cooper, who first used this pseudonym to refer to his own father, Judge William Cooper, the town’s founder. Whew!
So, in short, if all goes well, my next novel will try to do what Lauren accomplished so beautifully in her book: weave a true history of a member of the Cooper family, Constance Fenimore Woolson, into a modern storyline set in St. Augustine, a place Constance loved (as do I) and wrote about in the late 1800s. (I hope to lift a few structural techniques from Lauren’s wonderful book. After meeting her, I don’t think she’ll mind.)
Maybe by the time I’m deep into the writing of my next book, Lauren and I will be the best of friends, I’ll be a regular at The Lynx (they have yoga on Saturday mornings!), and she’ll be giving me advice as I go! It can’t hurt to dream.
Book News: My latest trip down the rabbit hole is to the world of audiobook production. If you’re like me, I listen to as many, if not more, books than I read. I am extremely picky when it comes to narrators. If I don’t immediately like the sound of the narrator’s voice, I won’t get the book.
After listening to many impressive auditions, I have narrowed my choice of readers to two. As thrilling as it was to hold my book for the first time, it was just as surreal and exciting to listen to a professional rendition of my written words. More to come!
Life is good! In other news, I just attended the 36th annual Literary Feast in Ft. Lauderdale. This is a fabulous event, well-run with a roster of great writers helping to raise money for the Broward Public Library Foundation.
I am now a new fan of two wonderful writers: Julia Phillips and Elinor Lipman. I plan to read them both, and I assure you, whether you want a more serious read (Bear by Phillips) or to chuckle your way through any one of Lipman’s 17 novels (her latest is Every Tom, Dick & Harry), they are writers and women worthy of space on your reading list.
That’s it for today. Thanks, as always, for being here. And remember. . .
Life is short. Read fast.
From one lover of the written word to another,
With love,
Jayne
Coming July 8, 2025! Bottom of the Breath is the story of a woman catapulted from her tranquil life on the Florida panhandle onto a cross-country road trip with her recently estranged husband. She must outrun a hurricane, digest a shocking, decades-old family secret, and come to terms with her own pain-filled past. Laced with mysticism and set among the majesty of Sedona and the Grand Canyon, the novel explores the power of friendship, the importance of forgiveness, and the vital need to create a future that embraces the past.
I'm so glad that meeting your hero was as amazing as you imagined! I can't wait to read your book. Congrats!
Julia Phillips! I know her from Vanishing Earth. And Lauren fucking Groff! Wowzer. Congrats!! 65 miles well worth it, eh?!