Jen Carpenter: How to Slay a Lion

I'm so excited to welcome a former Southern Virginia University student to the podcast! Jen Carpenter is a writing star on the rise and she's not just the debut author of the romcom How to Slay a Lion, she's also a co-founder of a brand new bookstore in Buena Vista, Virginia. Her energy and enthusiasm for books, bookstores, and life will leave you smiling for days.

Buy Jen's book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0990481077

Learn more about Jen:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0DJKY4ZK9/about

Follow Leaf and Lore on IG:
https://www.instagram.com/leafandlorestore/

Follow Leaf and Lore on FB:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573024493610

Learn more about Jason:
http://www.jasonfwright.com

About the book:
Amelia Anderson has always been the queen of the library, but when the town’s most historic building, her library, is threatened by a demolition order, she’s ready to become a heist mastermind. The target? A manila envelope containing the document that could save the library. The obstacle? Lucas Chernov—her high-school crush turned infuriatingly handsome billionaire contractor.

She wants her library. He wants to push it over. This. Is. War.

Lucas is no stranger to tough decisions, but Amelia is unlike any challenge he’s ever faced. As the eldest of ten brothers, each as enigmatic as the next, Lucas carries the weight of a family curse and the expectations of a town. But when Amelia, with her frizzy hair and fierce determination, stumbles into his life—or rather, his mansion—Lucas finds himself questioning more than just his building plans.

With a Newfoundland dog named Nemean at her side, Amelia is determined to save the library, even if it means facing down her old feelings for Lucas. What she doesn’t expect is for Lucas to be drawn to her quirky charm and a proposal that could change both of their lives forever.

In a town where everyone knows your business, can Amelia and Lucas find common ground—and maybe something more—before the wrecking ball swings?

How to Slay a Lion is a sweet, slow-burning, enemies-to-lovers, laugh-out-loud Hercules retelling about finding courage, love, and the unexpected places where you might discover both.

This podcast is brought to you by InkVeins, your source for book publicity, promo, press releases and more. Text 540-212-4095 for more information.

Transcript

Welcome to Leaf and Lore Bookstore

Speaker 1 0:02

Hello, hello, hello, my friends, Welcome to the Book Drop, Mike. As always, so honored that you give us a little bit of time. As a reminder, this podcast is brought to you by Inc Bain. We are your source for publicity promo, press releases and publishing consulting. That is a mouthful. If you have a book to promote or you're wanting to be seen in the media with another project, reach out and let's talk about working together. Also, have you caught our other episodes? We have talked about some really wonderful books this year and, even if they are no longer brand new in the market, if you haven't read it, it is new to you. So I invite you to go check out those other episodes. Okay, Our guest today is much more than a wonderful debut author. She is a dear friend of mine. Her name is Jen Carpenter and we are doing this interview from her brand new bookstore. Hello, Jen.

Speaker 2 0:51

Hello, it's so nice to be here. Thank you, it's so fun. Is this your first podcast? You can tell that fast.

Speaker 1 0:57

No, no, I'm just a little birdie.

Speaker 2 1:00

Yes, it is my very first podcast.

Speaker 1 1:02

Well, we're eight seconds in, but you're killing it so far, Bless. You Tell me we have to, so I've never done anything like this in a bookstore. It's a brand new bookstore. Take a minute and tell us about Leaf and Lore.

Speaker 2 1:14

Yeah, leaf and Lore is a small town bookstore. We are located in Buena Vista, virginia, and we just we haven't even technically had a grand opening yet. It's a soft opening and it was a group of fellow enthusiasts, literary enthusiasts, who came together and actually who spawned the idea is a dear friend of mine. I was volunteering on a non-profit, it's called Main Street Buena Vista. It's about local revitalization efforts and she really has always wanted to have a plant studio and her and her daughter had a great idea to do a plant studio plus a bookstore, and so it worked out that six of us collaborated together and made this space happen.

Speaker 1 2:01

And unless you have hired these customers that are standing around us, there are real people in this store right now.

Speaker 2 2:07

They are the best kind of real people.

Speaker 1 2:09

So there are a handful of you that kind of shared this dream. Yeah, how often are those of you that are owners of the enterprise? How often are you in this store?

Speaker 2 2:21

Yeah, so we all basically take shifts, so we all have a specific role within the business, like a specialty, if you will, and each of us take about eight hours or so and volunteer at the shop. So each of us basically do volunteer hours. It's run relatively like a co op and something else unique about this store is we do new and used and we also want it to be very experiential. So we're really excited for all the bookish plantish events coming to Buena Vista.

Speaker 1 2:50

Well, it feels like the kind of place that you want to come hang out for a while, and that's what you. I mean, that's the goal of every indie bookstore, right?

Speaker 2 2:56

Yeah, come and hang out.

Speaker 1 2:58

Even if you don't buy a book this time, that's okay. Yes, except for you. You better buy a book this time, don't even feel pressure.

Speaker 2 3:03

He takes that back. You feel pressure. We are not editing this out.

Speaker 1 3:08

No Good things are happening. I think you're diving into this at the right time.

Speaker 2 3:12

Yeah, I feel the same, and even if it's not, we're doing it. We're not even going to look back, we're doing it.

Speaker 1 3:31

And you know there's a market there. There are consumers for my bagels or my donuts or my whatevers. But when you start a business that comes from the passion of I love books my name's Jen Carpenter and I love books, right Like you can't fake that.

Speaker 2 3:39

Right and I'm afraid I don't fake one piece of it. And I think also I love from the economic development perspective that if you want to see change in your town, right that you are, that change right and books and literary pursuits is something I just want in my life for the rest of my life. So I feel like it really aligns and I really want to empower others to do the same.

Speaker 1 3:58

And if you're in the area, or if you're not in the area and you ever come through the area, all you have to do is be going up and down Interstate 81. You should dive in here and you might see one of your kids, which I think is kind of cool. I think I've been here a couple of times and I think both times at least your son has been here, right?

Speaker 2 4:19

Yeah, yeah. So we have five children and they all are rolling up their sleeves, if they want to or not, and are helping us out with inventory with sweeping the floor, learning about customer service.

Speaker 1 4:24

Love that. What a great story in 10 years, 15 years, 20 years for your kids to say. I grew up in a small town America bookstore.

Speaker 2 4:32

Yeah, that's pretty dreamy.

Speaker 1 4:33

Fingers crossed, that's pretty cool that their mother helped to found and that sells a thousand of her mother's books.

Speaker 2 4:42

Oh, bless you. But I also have to throw a shout out to my wonderful husband. He's also one of the owners, so we're both committed.

Speaker 1 4:50

Yes, we're talking about Neil, right, we're talking about right.

Speaker 2 4:53

None of the others, just only Neil.

Speaker 1 4:55

Yes, Neil's a good guy, by the way.

Speaker 2 5:01

this podcast could be brought to you by Neil's how I feel like with all things, especially with the bookstore too absolutely, it's always the other half.

Speaker 1 5:08

It's always the other half. So, okay, we know each other because you took my writing class at southern virginia university. Plug for the writing program at southern virginia university, wonderful professors and then me. But there's some great talent that teaches creative writing in english up on the hell bears, they say. So we met in that class and you have written, and I know that you're already on to seven other projects. But how to Slay a Lion, which you call a small-town rom-com, tell us about this novel.

Speaker 2 5:35

Okay, do you want me to tell you the background, how it came to be, or do you want to actually know about?

Speaker 1 5:38

the book. Let's test how much you remember about popular fiction 201 or whatever it was. Give Test how much you remember about popular fiction 201 or whatever it was. Give us the elevator spiel.

Speaker 2 5:46

All right, I almost feel like we should pull out the timer. Agreed, see if I can do it within an elevator ride. So the pitch is it's about a small town librarian and about a contractor who comes into town who wants to push it over. So it's enemies to lover. Sweet small town rom-com. And it's actually inspired by Buena Vista and some of the revitalization efforts that I got to see up close.

Speaker 1 6:08

We're not even at the top floor. That was like three floors. That's pretty good. You have practiced that a lot, so tell me how much of this is autobiographical?

Speaker 2 6:18

Okay, that's a great question. I think there's probably some stronger underpinnings of autobiography in it. Is that even a word? I don't know.

Speaker 1 6:28

Okay, it is now. It's on a podcast.

Inside Jen's Debut Novel

Speaker 2 6:32

I feel like that you've really encouraged us to write what's going on in our life right now. Okay, it's going to get heavy here for a second. My husband's mother was diagnosed with Balbar ALS, a form of Parkinson's disease, and upon diagnosis they have about two years of life expectancy, and so she had just recently been diagnosed and just some different family things working through and vibes, and so in the book it's one of the main characters he's one of 12 brothers and so I felt like a lot of different family feelings that I was feeling I was really able to express through there, and there also is a shout out to a little bit of recognition about that disease as well.

Speaker 1 7:14

Yeah, I love that. Yeah, that's writing what you know, which is an advice that I invented. Obviously, we were in elementary school and when we said I don't know what to write, your teacher would say write what you know. What do you care about? Right, I love that. Sorry to hear about your mother-in-law she's still with us.

Speaker 2 7:34

She is, and I love her so much. She's taught me so much and I'm so glad that I got to capture that part of our life together in that book.

Speaker 1 7:39

And the great thing about that is, the book outlives her and you and your kids Right. You about. That is, the book outlives her and you and your kids.

Speaker 2 7:46

You've created something that will be there forever, and that's why I think everybody should be a writer. Jason, I feel like you made me see that.

Speaker 1 7:50

Everybody should be. Everybody has a story to tell, even if it's just one and even if it's only theirs.

Speaker 2 7:56

Agreed, and I actually I'm really interested in it too. I want to read it and I'll sell it here at the bookstore.

Speaker 1 8:01

Yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome. You do have a gift for inspiring and encouraging other people to maybe be better than they think they are right.

Speaker 2 8:10

That's really kind of you to say, and I really felt like that's exactly what you did to me.

Speaker 1 8:15

Well, you paid me. One of the nicest compliments that I've always remembered and that I don't always actually do, but I'm working on is that we were texting back and forth last semester semester and I was raving about somebody and how wonderful they were. And you said well, you rave about everybody and I thought that's a lovely thing to say. It's probably not always true. There's probably someone listening right now going. I don't think Jason raves about me, but that's what I'm aspiring to become as somebody that genuinely sees the good in everyone and promotes the good, because we tend to find the flaws and invest in those. We shouldn't do that.

Speaker 2 8:52

Agreed and I completely agree and I feel like you were such a great poster of that.

Speaker 1 8:58

Oh, you're very kind. Thank you for that. And when I asked you to say some nice things about me in exchange for some Venmo funds, I didn't know you would take it that far.

Speaker 2 9:06

But clearly I'm getting a Venmo request on this thing. All right. Well then you better wait till we're all the way done to put in any requests.

Speaker 1 9:11

then that's fair. Let me say your book is 4.8 out of 5 on amazon, which is fantastic. Um, on goodreads it is. I just saw this 4.7 and it seems I mean you have your lowest review is a three star and it's from someone who we are not going to name them on the internet.

Speaker 2 9:37

Yes, and they're my dear friend, I'm so happy. Yes, I'm so happy for that three. I love that because it's authentic.

Speaker 1 9:43

Yes, I love it. How often did we talk in class about the need to get feedback from people who will tell you the truth? It's a gift. It is seriously a gift you have to have that, and I'm teasing about the fact that you have a three-star review.

Speaker 1 9:57

It's fantastic Again, if you ever take a class or a workshop or a seminar with me. I talk about not just getting the truth from people, but recognizing how subjective this is. I mean, my wife and I will watch the same movie or read the same book or see the same show and walk at it with very different opinions about something. That it doesn't mean it's not good just because we have different opinions of it, right? So the fact that you have all of these wonderful five-star reviews, those are authentic, real reviews from people who responded differently than your friend that gave you the three-star review.

Speaker 1 10:28

Does it make one more valuable than the other.

Speaker 2 10:31

I guess it depends where I'm at in my journey. So I really want to grow. So I think the real feedback is the most helpful.

The Art of Failure and Reviews

Speaker 1 10:37

If you're going to write for the rest of your life and write novel after novel after novel, then yeah, you need to be responding to reviews. Now, that doesn't mean that every time someone says something negative that you're going to change the way you approach the next novel. But I do think that we have to remember, as writers, that we work for our readers, which is something else. We talked a lot in class about.

Speaker 1 10:56

Our boss is the one with the credit card at the cash register to my left who's buying the book? Right, and they will fire you if you stop writing things that connect with them right.

Speaker 2 11:05

Correct, absolutely correct, and I've had that happen.

Speaker 1 11:07

I've had books that didn't perform well, where I have felt like I have been laid off for a period of time until you're rehired with the next thing.

Speaker 2 11:19

Right and I actually love that you shared some of those experiences in class that really bolstered me and just I guess just seeing somebody else doing it and their perception of failure just really helped me feel more confident of like I can do this.

Speaker 1 11:28

And failure is an art. It is an art. I'm a master I am. If they give out like different colored belts for failure, I would be whatever that black belt oh yeah, I have failed at so many things, but it is as you know. It's the failure that makes us stronger. It's the literal getting back up when the book isn't great and we get some better views. It's that getting back up that strengthens our muscles and strengthens our emotional resiliency and our creative resiliency, which is pretty important too. And you're going to write something in 10 years that someone's still not going to like. You may win a Pulitzer, you might be a 10-time New York Times bestselling author and someone will say, wow, hated this. I hated Jen's 72nd book.

Speaker 2 12:11

It was awful.

Speaker 1 12:12

Right, even though you've accomplished a lot between now and then. Right, but even just to get to that number, yeah, right, even though you've accomplished a lot between now and then. Right, but even just good to get to that number. Yeah, and you clearly will. Oh well, I'm so grateful for your confidence. Well, on that note, what's next for you?

Speaker 2 12:26

yeah, you're gonna write 72 books. What's number two? Yeah, yeah, so, um, I'm currently working on three projects, um, one of them is the next uh book in this series of how to slay a lion. Um, and then I'm also working on a magic realism book, and then I'm also working on a historical fiction book of the area ish, inspired with with a friend. Yeah, she's like a historian, at least that's her pastime, so is she?

Speaker 1 12:48

contributing? Is she writing? Is she consulting? Is she just your, your historical muse?

Speaker 2 12:53

Co-writing and all of the above.

Speaker 1 12:56

Very cool. Yeah, I love that. So what is next, though, in terms of, like, I will walk in here and buy a copy of Like as far as that next book goes, yeah, probably a magic realism book. Oh, Mm-hmm. Release date of oh you just wanted to hear this on air, didn't you?

Speaker 2 13:13

When is it? Let's say by the end of this year? On air, didn't you? When is it? Let's say by the end of this year, by the end of this year? How does that feel? Does that that? You got that out of me?

Speaker 1 13:19

I love that. And what's the age?

Speaker 2 13:20

range. Yeah, so it'll be another like sweet rom-com.

Speaker 1 13:23

Okay, so, but with some magic realism.

Speaker 2 13:26

Yeah, yeah, I wanted to explore fantasy realism, um. So I hear, especially when you're newer in your career, that, um, just experimenting slightly with different genres can be helpful. Yeah, so you can really understand your own craft.

Speaker 1 13:39

Yeah, uh, before I let you go, tell me about your first book signing. Um first book signing. First time you sat down and signed a book for somebody first book signing.

Speaker 2 13:50

First time you sat down and signed a book for somebody yeah, yeah, it probably was for beta readers and that was really cool to hold the product. I don't think there's many things that we can do in life right, where we work really hard for, and then it's something not only tangible but you can, you can share with so many others, and then it's a shared experience.

Speaker 1 14:08

Yeah, because you didn't write it for yourself, right? I mean, we talk in writing about how, the first time you write a draft, you're telling yourself the story, but you're only doing that because you're hoping to then tell someone else the story and to bless their life, and that is very well said. There aren't many things that you put that much work into and also you can't recreate that moment, the first time that you open a box from Ingram or whomever has published you, and you see that book with your name on the front, with a cover and it's exactly how you pictured it, at the right trim size, and the paper feels great. There's nothing quite like that birthing of a book.

Three Current Writing Projects

Speaker 2 14:40

Right, I completely agree, and I feel like the journey to birthing the first one for me was life-changing, absolutely life-changing, and I would love to share it.

Speaker 1 14:49

Please do.

Speaker 2 14:50

Okay, you ready? Okay, I think I've only alluded to this a little bit to you in a card one time. But a little bit of backstory. And we used to live in Utah and my husband was finishing up his doctorate degree and I felt like our life could begin after he completed his dissertation. Like our life could begin after he completed his dissertation. Right, and we have five children, we have fun, different side adventures along the way, and the day he defends his dissertation, I'm just on like I cannot wait for my life to begin after this moment. So he calls me on his way home from defending his dissertation and he says, jen, I passed. And then his next sentences we're moving to Virginia.

Finding Mentorship and Following Dreams

Speaker 2 15:30

I pulled over on the side of the road and I just wept. I wept because I just was so excited for us we had built, we had made it to a home and a lifestyle that we'd worked hard for. I had a side hustle that was growing and just really excited to explore the next season of life there where we were at. So he told me he says, jen, you know what? Southern Virginia University, there are writing classes. And he knew that I've tried to write a novel for years. And he's like when we get there I'll support you taking those classes. So that was my dangling carrot across the entire United States, across the moving truck, breaking down, across a leaky roof, across all of the crazy things that can happen when you transplant across the country. And so I needed to take prereqs and I really enjoyed the different classes I got to take. But I was specifically really excited to take a specific course from an author, and at the time I worked at SVU.

Speaker 2 16:27

I was at a university fair and I sat up next to the writing center and I was telling Ian Haver how excited I was to be in this writing class from an author and he told me he said, jen, nobody's told you yet. And I said told me what he's like. That author's retired, there's retired. And I ran out of that fair and I cried in the bathroom and I left my booth and I just cried and when I walked back out and it's because up to that point in my life I felt like I had an issue of blood, if you will, with writing a novel right that I just needed to feel the hem of a master's you know who's, somebody who had gone through it before, somebody who knew I needed a mentor. I just felt like that and I felt like that was my only opportunity and I had been such a good attitude through all of the transitions, just to be told that.

Speaker 2 17:15

And so I'm like, okay, I'm going to drop out, there's no use for me, you know, for this to continue on right, because it's taking time away from my family. But I walked out of there and Joe Buschel saw me and he could see I was not okay and he told me it's going to be okay, jason Wright is going to be the teacher. And he's like do you know Jason Wright? I didn't know Jason Wright at the time. I'd read a few of his books, a few of your books Sorry, I'm talking in third person now and then so the next day I went to class with probably an attitude it's because I didn't know if this was going to be for me or not. But quite frankly, I feel like taking your classes changed my life. It really helped me write a novel, right? I feel like that you were that mentor that helped me get to the next step.

Speaker 1 18:00

Well, thank you, that is unbelievably kind. And let's be transparent here. They invited me to come fill in very late for that good man because I'm close and they knew that I could probably, in my schedule, make it work to drive to and from. But I'm guessing that they had a wish list and I was probably not very high on that wish list. Oh, I highly doubt that.

Speaker 1 18:26

I will take geography as the reason that I landed this gig, and I do love it and it has changed me for the better as well. The relationships that are the most important thing in my life, far beyond books and writing and process and podcasts, are the people that we meet, and I do think that heaven has a way of bringing people into our lives for a reason and not as a transaction, but so that we can bless one another's lives, and you and the other students in these classes I've taught have been huge blessings in my life and I consider you friends forever, and I say that in class and all the students look at me and roll their eyes and then when I see them a year and a half later and I stop and give them a hug on the sidewalk and buy them ice cream, they're like oh, you meant it when you said that we could never get rid of you.

Speaker 2 19:11

Right, I'm so glad for it.

Speaker 1 19:19

Well, you're a gem. I cannot wait to see what is next from you.

Speaker 2 19:20

This book is fantastic.

Speaker 1 19:21

It was fun to see it come together. I'm so proud of you for this accomplishment and that you didn't rush this out, that you took the time to do it right. The cover art is beautiful. Do you want to give a shout out to your designer?

Speaker 2 19:30

I would love to. Allie Haney is amazing. She actually graduated from SVU and I really like. I'm all about shop local right, so I really wanted to empower a local illustrator and she was fantastic to work with.

Speaker 1 19:44

And it fits all of the vibes of that genre right now and that kind of contemporary romance. If you go through the Amazon bestseller list in your categories, all of the best covers look so much like yours, even the palette and just the design. It's very, very well done and of course people can see the link to the book and the cover. Jen's lovely photo Links to all the good things Jen is doing in the world will be in the show notes, including a link to the shop website right Great, because that's up, it's about to be live.

Speaker 2 20:15

It's about to be live.

Speaker 1 20:16

Yes, but we will tease that anyway.

Speaker 2 20:18

A link to social media.

Speaker 1 20:20

Yes, we'll put all your handles in the show notes.

Speaker 1 20:23

Great and, if you haven't heard yet, the Christmas Jars cookbook is available for pre-order on Amazon. You've heard me talk about how important it is for authors that if you know you're going to buy the book, pre-order it. It tells the publisher, it's a demonstration to the publisher and to retailers of whether or not there's energy behind a title. So for me, for Jen, for any other writer out there, if you have a writer that you love and follow and you think I'm probably going to end up buying this book, pre-order it. It makes a huge difference and we always appreciate when you do that. All right, jen Carpenter, you're a gem. That's our time for today. Thank you so much for letting me break into your bookstore for this conversation.

Speaker 2 21:01

That's so great. Anytime, I think everybody should buy your books and I think everybody should take all your writing classes you ever have in the entire world.

Speaker 1 21:08

You're very, very kind and I think I am going to do all the rest of my podcast interviews in this bookstore.

Speaker 2 21:14

Amen, I'll save the cord for you. How about that?