New & Information

Potholes the Audiobook begins Retakes

We’ve just started to retake Potholes: The Audiobook.  I can’t wait to share more progress you as this project develops.

When I was a kid, I used to love to draw up scripts and record them with my friends. It was always so much fun – but it encouraged me to want to pursue this as a career, and do to it for real – with me as the producer – is something that makes my life almost full circle.

It’s been tough to bring this to fruition over the years, but my mother’s death really made an impact on me. I watched someone die before their time -with so much life left to live – and I decided that I needed to change my life before I looked back and said, “I wish I could have….”

I made a plan in 2013 to get back to what was important to me. Producing. Writing. Directing.   I loved doing that and although I did take a brief hiatus from it to begin life as a married woman and start to form a family — it was something I knew I would go back to eventually and I’m glad I did.

I will update more with you as we continue to record Potholes, but I’m hoping to share this with you in the summer of 2019.

As always, thanks for your support and thanks for reading today.

Take care

Jen

New & Information

At Long Last – My First Audiobook is Here!

In June of 2017, I was chatting with Kelly Brajevich aka “Full Metal Can” and author of the graphic novel D.S. al Fine.  I was telling her about Billy’s Cascade and how I had hoped to make it my first audiobook.

I never forgot her next words, “I could do it, Jen.”

And in the course of one weekend, over a period of ten months, Kelly and I embarked on a journey to recreate Billy’s Cascade in audiobook format.

And now we have!

Today we have officially announced Billy’s Cascade the Audiobook available for sale on Amazon and soon iTunes.

This is my first original production from my off-shoot studio J&P Media, and I’m proud as can be to show you the finished version.

I hope you like it too.

Thank you all for all of your support.

New & Information

It’s Been A While

Hey Everybody,

I know I haven’t written to you in a while, but there’s a good reason. I’ve been hard at work on a bunch of different projects. So I want to give you a status update on what’s coming out shortly.

First, let’s start off with Billy’s Cascade: The Audiobook. Kelly and I have been putting the finishing touches on the final cut, and we believe it will be out shortly. Thanks for your support and your patience. We’ll let you know soon when you will be able to buy it.

Second, I’m sorry to say that Kristen Nelson will not be voicing Potholes: The Audiobook. While I was saddened to have this happen, we do have some great news. Kristen Ferris, who was also the first editor of Potholes, ed. 1, will be the official narrator for Potholes: The Audiobook.  I will tell the reason why Kristen Nelson is no longer involved is that of scheduling.  It was an amicable agreement on both sides. I have the utmost respect and admiration for Kristen Nelson and wish her well in all that she does.

Kristen is very excited about stepping into the role and we are now in the process of recording the book as we speak.

Turn of the Dime is still being recorded, but because of the length of the audiobook, it is far from being completed.

Additionally, I will be releasing the long-awaited sequel to the Turn of the Dime and will be assembling my pre-read team shortly.

Also, and lastly, as many of you, I am a contributing editor at Muscular Development magazine and FitnessRX magazines and websites. I am now hard at work on my fifth book which will feature a bodybuilder for the main character. So to all of my readers at FitnessRX and MD, this one is for you.

Many people don’t know, but I have liked bodybuilding since I was nine years old and I am excited about this project. I am also very excited for the upcoming Arnold Classic as the line-up looks to be spectacular.

Thanks again for all of your support….and I almost forgot – the J&P Podcast will be returning but both myself and Kelly have been super busy – so we’ll be back as soon as we can.

Thanks for reading and supporting me. I appreciate it!

All my thanks,

Jen

New & Information

Why Fitness All of a Sudden?

Usually I would make this blog post on my Facebook or Instagram page, but I’ve been embarking on a very personal journey – it’s a journey to get back to a healthier lifestyle. I thought putting this on my blog would be much better.

I’m the first to admit – I let my weight get out of control – but I also needed to understand – why?

Was it overeating? Yes. Partially, at least. My husband and I both have a sweet tooth and a love for Italian food due to our heritage.

I was doing well financially, but I hated what I did towards the last three to four years. Plus the company I worked for changed a lot of its structure, and soon I hardly recognized the company I once loved and admired. It made me depressed and anxious to go to work. What good is doing well if you can’t enjoy yourself?

I always say that breaking my foot was a God-send because it would not have allowed me to write The Turn of the Dime otherwise. Its quite an amazing thing when you publish your first book, but the flip side is I was doing a lot of sitting and not much else.

I was laid up for ten weeks with nothing to do, and it gave me a way to explore my creativity and run wild – but it also empowered my gut to grow!

Then 2016 happened. I left my job, started a business with my partner, and was ready to market my book – until my husband almost died from cardiovascular complications.

With all of this happening, my once normal exercise routine was taken over by worry, confusion, fear, crying and angst. When he survived, I was relieved. We started getting back to our lives.

When my books and business started doing well – I was eating a lot “on the road” and spending an enormous amount of time at my desk – not good.

When I realized I weighed in at 220lbs I knew something had to be done. I knew that I couldn’t keep ignoring it. It was time to take the bull by the horns and do something. I was also very inspired by my friend Stephanie who also lost a great deal of weight and looks phenomenal today because of it!

I started a schedule for myself where I dedicated time to working out. Not much. Just fifteen minutes to a half hour per day. I didn’t want to spend money on a gym because I wasn’t sure if I could commit to it.

So I decided on bodyweight training. Also I was trying to cook and eat healthier due to my husband being put on warfarin which limits what you can and can’t eat.

When I was able to put on a size 14 from a size 16 – I realized it was working and although I suffered minor setbacks here and there I continued to push myself.

As Double J IT Consulting Services continued to grow, I didn’t want to take any money from the business. It was important to reinvest in the business and find other means of providing a stipend income.

A loan wasn’t a feasible option either. It didn’t make sense to do that just yet. My goal was to get the business at a certain income level before we would take that step. So I optioned for part-time job as a research assistant at a local company.

I decided that a couple of hours per week would be enough to get me through while I was conducting business and writing. Plus when I learned the name of two of the publications I was amazed: Muscular Development and FitnessRX.

After some time, I also began writing articles for the magazine which not only reinvigorated my love of bodybuilding but let me write!

It also did something incredibly valuable for me, it gave me access to tons of references on health, exercise, fitness and fat-loss/weight-loss. As I was writing some articles I felt a little hypocritical. How could I write about health and not practice it fully?

It was then a bell went off in my head, I didn’t want to be a writer who not only knew about diet and exercise, but practiced it in daily life!

What good was learning all of this information if I didn’t put it to use? Also practicing it would give me more insight and knowledge about writing about it.

I started switching up my game plan, my exercising didn’t seem to yield much weight loss from March to May as it seemed that I was stuck at 200 and not going down at all!! I couldn’t get it! I thought I was eating healthy – what was wrong?

By chance, I was having a discussion with Steve Blechman, my editor in chief and the owner of the company. I brought up, “I wish I could lose weight the way I did when I smoked.”

He then asked me what I ate for breakfast regularly.

I answered, “Cereal usually. Maybe an English muffin and coffee with orange juice.”

“That’s your problem!” He told me. ” You have a high glycemic diet from the orange juice and high carbohydrates due to the cereal or English muffin! You need to have a more protein enriched diet for breakfast that will encourage your weight loss!”

I thought about it and decided it was worth a shot. I began my high-protein, low carb diet. I cut out orange juice and substituted lemon water.

For additional measure I made sure I used foods with good fats like avocados, nuts and olive oil.

I also upped my workouts, easing myself into a HIiT routine and upping it when I found it was becoming easier to handle.

I ate only chicken and fish for dinner. We stopped eating red meat except on special occasions like a family barbecue for example.

To give myself a treat, I allowed myself have a healthy dessert like fruits, or Jell-O.

For cheat meals, I do allow myself Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion chips once a month with my sour cream and onion flavored Greek yogurt dip.

With the combination of exercising every other day and eating a highly charged protein enriched breakfast, with a small lunch, and fish/chicken for dinner I’m definitely seeing results.

Currently I stand at a size 12 white trying to battle the remainder of my muffin top. The goal is to be a size ten by October. I am confident I will get there.

New & Information

$0.99/cent Sale!!

Today is the last day that you can get Billy’s Cascade for Kindle for $0.99!!!Tomorrow it will go up to full price. This was my second book, but it remains the one that I’m most proud of. I’ve always wanted to do a story for my grandfather. What I decided on was to tell about a period of my life that was a crucial point of growing as an individual. While I did fictionalize most of the book (mainly because I didn’t want my real-life experiences out there) I didn’t fictionalize the relationship that Jane has with her grandfather. That is 100% real. Soon the audiobook will be done. I can’t wait to show it to you! It’s going to be great 😊