About Me
Humble, er--humiliating beginnings
I've been writing since my chubby little fingers first grasped a pencil.
By the time I reached third grade, I was writing Leo DiCaprio fanfic... in my language arts journal.
(I didn't think the teacher actually read those. Oopsie.)
Needless to say, I wasn't exactly encouraged early on--I seem to remember the word 'inappropriate' being thrown around a lot--but I kept writing, anyway. (You're not the boss of me, Miss Graham!) It was just a hobby until I grew up and became a nurse. Healthcare was a practical career choice. So, naturally, I hated it. There's a bright side to everything, though. The misery of long hours and sick patients reminded me that life is too short to willingly follow the wrong path.
It galvanized my goals and forced me to reevaluate my career.
I started planning and dreaming between 12-hour shifts.
Short Bio
Jen Marie Hawkins writes books that (hopefully) will not embarrass her children or her grandmother.
Long Bio
Jen Marie Hawkins is a South Carolinian masquerading as a Texan. She writes books for young adults (and the young at heart), and she is a Book Coach for Author Accelerator. She has been a Pitch Wars mentor since 2015.
Her short works can be found in literary magazines, including the Decameron Journal by Pen & Anvil Press. Her young adult manuscripts have been finalists in the YARWA Rosemary Contest and the RWA Maggie Contest. She is represented by Kate Testerman of KT Literary Agency.
Jen lives in the Houston area with her husband and sons, a lazy Great Dane, a stray cat that refuses to leave, and a leopard gecko that screams like a pterodactyl. When she isn't reading or writing stories sprinkled with magic, you can probably find her cuddling her boys, sipping sweet tea, and daydreaming about Clemson football season.
A few of my favorite things
Authors who inspire me
A.S. King, Alice Walker, Maggie Stiefvater, Laini Taylor, Maureen Johnson, John Green, Aimee Bender, Sandra Cisneros, Jeff Zentner, Matt de la Peña, Sarah Addison Allen, Kelly Link, Alice Hoffman, Adam Silvera, Laura Esquivel, Haruki Murakami, Neil Gaiman, Jandy Nelson, Pablo Neruda...shall I keep going?
My playlists always contain
Old stuff: The Beatles (4ever), Sam Cooke, Bob Marley, Stevie Nicks, A Tribe Called Quest, Elton John, Van Morrison, Jim Croce, Led Zeppelin
New(ish) stuff: THE AVETT BROTHERS, Amos Lee, Ben Harper, Hozier, Florence Welch, The Wailin' Jennys, J. Cole, Alabama Shakes, Jack Johnson, Halsey, Kendrick Lamar, Khalid, Milky Chance, Vance Joy, Damien Rice
I get a little obnoxious about
Clemson football. Texans football. Rockets basketball. Red Sox baseball. Pretty much all sports, okay? Avoid my Twitter feed during playoff games.
Endless love for
My sweet boys. Travel. Ukulele music. Cherry pie. The smell of a campfire. A well-made mojito. Smart snark. The ocean. Red Rocks. Writer friends. The crinkles around my husband's eyes.