Jennifer Ann Coffeen is is a romance novelist and freelance writer in Chicago. Her novel Priceless Deception and novella Lover’s Gamble, both published last year, are available now from The Wild Rose Press. Her forthcoming holiday short story Five Golden Suitors will be available from Musa Publishing December 7.

She took a moment to speak with us about her upcoming class Becoming a Romance Writer at StoryStudio on Tuesday October 23. Plus, splendid words like “lud” and true Twitter friendship:

What do you write?

Historical Romance (Regency era)

Where do you write?

Anywhere and everywhere! Since I have a toddler, I generally write at home, in coffee shops, on the playground, at the gym, whenever I can get an extra 20 minutes.

Do you read while (before/during/after) you’re writing? If so, what?

I read several books at once. Before bedtime I usually read something fun like Georgette Heyer. I also read a popular book in my genre to keep me up to date on other authors. While I’m writing I keep Regency era nonfiction books around to help with research, clothing details, and fabulous words like “Lud!”

Tell us about the class you’ll be teaching.

Romance for Beginners is a fun introduction into the world of writing romance. We’ll be discussing what makes a story fit into this genre, the love scenes, sub-genres, and the romance business. Don’t forget your notebooks! We’ll also be doing several writing exercises to get you started on the romance novel of your dreams.

Tell us about your personal history with or interest in this class topic?

Aside from being an avid romance reader and super fan?  I have published a novel and novella with The Wild Rose Press and I have a holiday short story coming out in December with Musa Publishing. I’ve been attending romance conferences and workshops for 6 years and have learned a lot about the business and writing side of romance, too. And…I don’t want to brag, but I just had a twitter conversation with Julie Garwood last week. I’m pretty sure we’re best friends now.

What can students expect in your class?

This class will be fun, relaxed, and very positive. I love romance and I love to talk about romance novels. I want everyone to walk away from this class believing in themselves and the story they want to tell.