Monday, October 22, 2007

Never Underestimate the Power of a Determined Woman



I am the oldest of three daughters, and I probably drove my two younger sisters nuts with my bossy ways. Our mother raised us to be feminists in a way, though she had trouble following through with her precepts.
Not so with my younger sister, Janet. The word “determined” springs to mind immediately when I think of her. Case in point: her recent achievement. She graduated from Utah State University and then went on to get her Masters in Speech/ Communicative Disorders from Northwestern. After practicing in schools for a while, she stayed home to raise her three boys, but found herself back at Utah State for a while.
Then she took the big leap to realize a dream that she had always had: to be a published writer. It’s been a long haul for her. She worked on a collaborative effort, The Book Lover’s Cookbook, and had much fun with that. It’s a compilation quotes and stories about food in literature and recipes that go along with them. It’s a delightful read and has some great pieces as well as excellent recipes. But she really wanted to write her own stuff. Her own fiction. After finishing her first novel, she shopped it around and got rejected, and rejected again, and again. Not because the writing wasn’t good, (it’s excellent), but the topic is a bit touchy in the circles she runs in, LDS (Mormon) writers. The biggies would not touch it because it mentioned the word polygamy. But it’s not about polygamy. It’s fiction, the story of a wonderful romance, along with great colorful characters, and wonderful humor. She has always had a unique sense of humor, and it’s a great part of the books.
Finally, her one last hope came through. A regional publisher has picked it up. We are so excited about it coming out. I know our mother would be so proud of her. I feel a small part of it. I helped her with editing, both content and grammar and all that. We had many a discussion of motivation and plot, (my other sister, Ellen, has a sharp eye for detail and is a great sounding board).
So, next week. Don’t You Marry the Mormon Boys, comes out. You can mosey over to her website, http://www.janetjensen.com/ or her blog, http://www.janetkayjensen.blogspot.com/ to get more information about her, the book, and what’s next. I look at this publishing as a dream realized, and well deserved. You can also see pictures of her lovely grand daughter Paige.
Mom would be so proud. I know I am.

1 comment:

Janet Kay Jensen said...

Oh, thank you, big sister! Your comments brought tears to my eyes. I think Mom has been in the picture all along, and has helped all three of us more than we know. She never thought she could be independent, but here you are, showing her it can be done with grace and dignity. She passed on marvelous gifts to Ellen, our middle sister, who blesses us with them every day.

THANK YOU for the support I know I will always find when I write or call you. Sisters are priceless.

Love, Janet