Introduce yourself; who are you and what types of books do you write?
I’m Jennifer LoveGrove and I write poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. I’ve published one novel and four collections of poetry, the most recent of which is The Tinder Sonnets, published in spring 2026 with Book*hug Press.
What are your books about?
Each book is quite different, as they should be, but I’d say what connects them is that they all deal with the oppression of women in some way, whether overtly like in my latest book, or more subtly. Often my writing is quite autobiographical and incorporates personal lived experience, so as a woman, misogyny and casual sexism is going to come up, and so I critique that in the work. My first book The Dagger Between Her Teeth examined gender and violence, exploring the mythic lives of actual female pirates, as well as my own life, to examine both violence against women as well as our capacity for enacting violence. My novel Watch How We Walk focused on a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses, told through the point of view of a young woman in her twenties and as a child, as she dealt with the aftermath of her pregnant teenage sister’s disappearance and her gay uncle’s shunning. Gendered violence and oppression factors into all my books on some level.
What was the inspiration behind writing your first book?
The initial inspiration was discovering the existence of a band of gender-non-conforming pirates from the 1700s. I mythologized and riffed on some of the lore around these pirates in my poems, and really enjoyed recreating their exploits in that book, through a contemporary lens. I also explored some personal experiences from my own life and family that dealt with trauma and violence, with a focus on our capacity for not just survival but strength and resilience.
What did you learn while writing your second book?
That was a while ago, but what I remember from the process of working on my second book I Should Never Have Fired the Sentinel was two things: don’t hesitate to let the poems get weirder, and pay more attention to sound. My interest in neo-surrealist poetry had deepened and I embraced the stranger imagery that was emerging in my writing. Sonic play also became more prominent, as I became more cognizant of how I was using sound in my poems, particularly internal rhyme within a line.
What is the most rewarding part of being an author?
For me, the satisfaction of editing a piece of writing into the best, clearest and most interesting version of itself. And the surprises that inevitably happen during that process.
What elements do you think make for a good story?
Complex, contradictory characters who don’t always act in their best interests, and allowing the reader to witness effects of their actions and decisions that the character may not immediately perceive. This can create a lot of rewarding tension and suspense. Also, obviously, originality. I don’t want to read fiction that feels too familiar, or where I can foresee or guess the direction or ending too easily. Surprise me!
What is the hardest part of being an author for you?
Time and money. Having to work a full-time unrelated job to survive and thrive, yet struggling to find and make time for writing. It’s been a constant challenge for me for decades, and life just keeps getting more expensive, while technology has led to fewer and fewer paid opportunities for writers. So I keep, but resent, my day job.
What is your current writing project?
I’ve been working a complex multi-generational novel on and off for a few years. I’d like to finish the third draft in the near future. Creative nonfiction is also interesting to me at the moment, and I’m making notes toward additional personal essays.
What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
Cut the first line or beginning of whatever it is you’re on the second or third draft of; you almost never need that starting point. It’s more for you, to get things underway, and can almost always be cut or moved elsewhere later.
Where can readers discover more about you and your books?
https://linktr.ee/JenniferLoveGrove