Today, I am thrilled to welcome Jennifer Cox, author of Getting to Know You, a sapphic contemporary romance about love, healing, and chasing dreams in the world of theater. In her debut novel, Jennifer brings to life the story of Maggie Fromm, an aspiring actress navigating heartbreak, ambition, and an unexpected connection with director Gwen Knowles. With themes of resilience, self-discovery, and the power of new beginnings, Getting to Know You is a heartfelt journey for romance lovers everywhere.
Book Description: Maggie Fromm moved to LA to follow a dream: to become an actress and live happily ever after with her high school sweetheart. When her heart is broken after a year of eking out a living, Maggie finds herself fighting for her dream alone. Her luck may change when she meets Gwen Knowles, a talented and spirited director drawn to Maggieβs energy on stage.
As they work to bring an independent play to life, Maggie and Gwen face shadows from their pastβbut this time, they have each other.
Getting to Know You by Jennifer Cox
Join us as Jennifer shares insights about her writing process, the inspiration behind her novel, and whatβs next for her as an author!
Jennifer Cox Interview
Eliza: Getting to Know You explores themes of healing and chasing dreams. What inspired you to write Maggie and Gwenβs story?
Jennifer: My inspiration for Getting to Know You came in three parts. (Insert witty statement about how popular theater often has three acts, ha ha ha.) When I was in high school creative writing club, one of my friends who enjoyed the romantic subplot in one of my submissions asked me to write a lesbian love story “where no one dies at the end.” This was around 2010 when the bury-your-gays trope was king of LGBT+ representation. I started a story at the time, but realized I didn’t know how to write an engaging love story, and shelved it. Inspiration part two was my own experiences in young adulthood learning about myself and about relationships. I learned I wasn’t straight, I had a three-year-long relationship with a woman, and I had to navigate intimate partner violence in the LGBT+ community. I went through my own healing process until 2019, when my third strike of inspiration came in the form of the whirling online discourse about romance novels like “Fifty Shades” and “After” and how they were accused of glorifying domestic violence. I had a moment where I asked myself, “If those kinds of books can get readers and publishing deals, what’s stopping me?” And I started my first draft with my newborn on my lap, and poured into it parts of the healing I was processing at the time.
Eliza: The theater setting adds such a rich atmosphere to the novel. Do you have a background in theater, or did you have to do a lot of research?
Jennifer: The only background in theater I have is school musicals from fourth to eighth grade and one musical in college. But I have always been enamored with theater! Not just the glittering stage, but the absolute chaos backstage, and the kind of creative go-getters that keep theaters alive no matter the challenges. I did some surface-level research to understand the range of acting theory that students would start to learn. (I certainly will not claim to be an expert by any means!)
Eliza: Maggie and Gwen both face challenges from their pasts. What was the most rewarding part of writing their journey?
Jennifer: I love this question, thank you for asking. It was heavy on the heart, but there were two chapters I found the most rewarding. The first is when Maggie and Gwen attend a Hanukkah party with all of Maggie’s new friends and faith community. Maggie has a moment of realization that she is surrounded by people who equally value her as a Jewish woman and as a lesbian, without asking her to focus more on one part of her or another. When I was in college, it was the Jewish community that took me in when I realized I no longer felt comfortable participating in Catholic Mass. I wanted to give Maggie a moment of full acceptance that I’m still looking for when it comes to the multiple aspects of my identity. In the penultimate chapter – so staying vague due to spoilers – Gwen’s moment of confrontation with her past was the easiest for me to write but the hardest for me to re-write and edit. But I’m glad I did, because I have the chance to say things I think younger me needed to hear.
Eliza: Your book is a sapphic contemporary romance. What do you love most about writing LGBTQ+ love stories?
Jennifer: What I love most is the feeling that I’m writing from an authentic place. I look like I’m straight a lot of the time because I’m femme-presenting married to a man, and the imposter syndrome kicks in pretty heavily. But my friend and work community are all LGBT+ and I spent so many years as a teen and young adult unknowingly masking at being “straight” and gender-conforming. When writing with LGBTQ+ characters, I can let go of all the social rules I hate and don’t understand, and feel like my full self through my story.
Eliza: What was the biggest challenge you faced while writing Getting to Know You, and how did you overcome it?
Jennifer: The biggest challenge I have for writing period is time. I’m a full-time therapist, a parent, a spouse, a home keeper, and supposedly a human being under all of that. Prioritizing time for writing has always been difficult and I’ve never been good at making a rigid routine for it. I think I mostly overcame it through stubbornness.
Eliza: Can you share what youβre working on next? Will we see more stories set in the world of theater?
Jennifer: I don’t currently have any theater story plans, but if I get the right inspiration, I would love to do a love story for a costume designer and lighting technician working in the same theater as Gwen and Maggie. I’m infatuated with the image of them but I have no story idea for them! Maybe someday. What I am working on is a five-book series about a family of witchcraft practitioners. The first book stars Morgan Beckett, a witch on a small island with a strong tie to the ocean, whose place in the world is challenged through loss and new love. She has to confront her own emotional needs and the limits her current way of life has in meeting them.
0 Comments