Travel, new bookstore, Frida Pennabook, freelance editing, and phantoms: author Jennifer (Jay) Whistler
Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI. In this piece, meet author and bookstore owner Jay Whistler.
Also, check out this previous interview: https://scbwimithemitten.blogspot.com/2020/11/jay-whistler-seeks-warmer-climes.html
(From an earlier Mitten interview) For me, changing how I write also changed my output. I now write more words and produce cleaner drafts that don’t meander. I used to be a “pantser” (someone who writes by the seat of their pants), but now I am a dedicated “plotter” (someone who does a lot of character development and outlining before drafting). That’s been a game-changer, but it is still a challenge to stay focused and not bang out a draft just because I am excited about my shiny new idea.
This was written a few years ago, many traveled miles ago. Where has you writing process taken you?
Since this earlier interview, I haven’t changed my plotting habits. I have created my own plotting method that I share in some of my presentations at conferences and a number of shop talks.
Maybe it’s more accurate to say I’ve mashed up some other plotting methods into my own Frankenstein version. I call it Save the Breakout Story Genius. It combines elements of SAVE THE CAT WRITES A NOVEL (by Jessica Brody), WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL (by Donald Maass), and STORY GENIUS (by Lisa Cron).
This plotting method is the one that works for me, and it may work for others, but I’m sure it’s not the plotting panacea we all search for. I won’t say it saves time because I spend so much time on the front end mapping out all my details that it probably all evens out.
This plotting method is the one that works for me, and it may work for others, but I’m sure it’s not the plotting panacea we all search for. I won’t say it saves time because I spend so much time on the front end mapping out all my details that it probably all evens out.
But all that planning means that when I finally write, it’s a clean first draft that needs fewer revisions. (And please notice that I said “fewer,” not “few.” No plotting method will allow someone to create a submittable draft in the first go.)
And since the earlier interview, I’ve had two MG nonfiction history/ghost story books published, a YA horror short story, and an adult horror short story. So something must be working.
(From the same interview) When I turned the chapter over to my successor, after only 18 months, we had tripled our membership and built a tidy nest egg. The Swiss chapter now has over 50 members and continues to grow.
That was about the time you were R.A. for SCBWI-Switzerland. You’ve done some traveling. Have you taken SCBWI to other parts of the world?
I haven’t taken SCBWI to other parts of the world, but I’ve experienced it in other parts of the world. One of the many wonderful things about SCBWI is that wherever you go, there is likely a chapter there.
We will have MG and YA books featuring lots of local and MI authors (gotta support my SCBWI colleagues!), a small picture book section, and a quality used book room. We want it to be a true community bookstore that encourages people to sit and have meaningful conversations with neighbors and friends.
Our website is still under construction, but it’s there! And we are on Instagram. Links are at the end.
Jay has over 30 years of professional writing experience.
She has over 16 years of college-level teaching experience, including curriculum development.
She holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, an MA in Technical, Writing from Bowling Green State University, and a BA in Written Communications from Eastern Michigan University.
She has extensive freelance experience editing middle-grade, young-adult, and adult novels, picture books (including rhyming and nonfiction), and short stories.
She is a former acquisitions reader for three literary agencies.
She has extensive freelance experience editing technical documents for various corporate clients.
She is the former Regional Advisor for Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Switzerland chapter.
She has experience presenting at conferences on the craft of writing.
That’s quite a resume. Any additions or deletions from today’s bullet points?
I see you lifted some bullets from my webpage. 😉 It’s a good reminder that I need to update that.
Deletions? I guess I never really talk about my corporate clients anymore. It’s not relevant to the projects I work on or want to work on. And the Swiss RA position was so long ago that there’s no need to bring it up anymore. I suppose these things are fine on Linked In. But really, who cares about them anymore?
For additions, I would add that I’ve been a submissions editor for two literary journals, and I’ve published the two MG books and two short stories.
And since the earlier interview, I’ve had two MG nonfiction history/ghost story books published, a YA horror short story, and an adult horror short story. So something must be working.
(From the same interview) When I turned the chapter over to my successor, after only 18 months, we had tripled our membership and built a tidy nest egg. The Swiss chapter now has over 50 members and continues to grow.
That was about the time you were R.A. for SCBWI-Switzerland. You’ve done some traveling. Have you taken SCBWI to other parts of the world?
I haven’t taken SCBWI to other parts of the world, but I’ve experienced it in other parts of the world. One of the many wonderful things about SCBWI is that wherever you go, there is likely a chapter there.
I have reached out to many other regions when I’m traveling to see if anyone has a meeting coming up that I might attend to meet other writers, to see if they are looking for a presenter for a shoptalk or conference, and everyone has been so welcoming.
I’ve been lucky to have those experiences in Michigan, New Mexico, California, Texas, Indiana, France, Germany, and of course Switzerland. I now have writing friends around the globe.
I’m working on a middle-grade historical fiction novel. And that’s all I’m going to say.
Do you have more to say now?
Sort of. And here’s where I talk about the benefits of plotting once more. During my research, character building, and plot outline phase, I realized that this MG novel is not ready to come out yet.
I’m working on a middle-grade historical fiction novel. And that’s all I’m going to say.
Do you have more to say now?
Sort of. And here’s where I talk about the benefits of plotting once more. During my research, character building, and plot outline phase, I realized that this MG novel is not ready to come out yet.
It’s extremely emotional and brought back a lot of memories from my own history that I need more time to process and come to terms with before I can write. I don’t want my writing to read as if I’m having therapy sessions with myself.
So I’ve set that aside for now and am working on a YA that has been on a back shelf for years. I have had colleagues and mentors alike tell me that the story was ready to submit. I knew it wasn’t, though I couldn’t have told you why.
So I’ve set that aside for now and am working on a YA that has been on a back shelf for years. I have had colleagues and mentors alike tell me that the story was ready to submit. I knew it wasn’t, though I couldn’t have told you why.
One day, as I was working with a freelance editing client, I told her, “The main story problem here is not your MC’s, it’s your secondary character’s problem. The MC can walk away at any time with no consequences. So let’s figure out the real problem.”
That was my big A-HA! moment. I didn’t know my characters, plot, motivation, or stakes. Now I am reworking it from the very beginning as if I’d never written the first novel (twice).
There’s a great quote that I think applies, whether you are a pantser or a plotter (or a plantser, which is whole other category): “I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.”
There’s a great quote that I think applies, whether you are a pantser or a plotter (or a plantser, which is whole other category): “I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.”
This quote has been mistakenly attributed to Jordan Peele, comedian and filmmaker, but Shannon Hale deserves the credit. For me, my plotter method is first sifting the sand to take out the shells, the toys kids have left behind, and the cat poo because someone forgot to put the lid on the sandbox after the kids were done playing. (I swear it wasn’t me, Mom!)
That was a goodbye piece, you were off to Texas. We are overjoyed to have you back. Are you like a bad penny? (And then I have to explain that "a bad penny" is an idiom meaning something or someone unwanted that repeatedly reappears, and ruin the joke.)
Three of my grandparents were Irish, so I know the idiom well. I like to think of myself like a boomerang—no matter where I go, there is always one place that will forever be home.
That was a goodbye piece, you were off to Texas. We are overjoyed to have you back. Are you like a bad penny? (And then I have to explain that "a bad penny" is an idiom meaning something or someone unwanted that repeatedly reappears, and ruin the joke.)
Three of my grandparents were Irish, so I know the idiom well. I like to think of myself like a boomerang—no matter where I go, there is always one place that will forever be home.
Though my husband and I said Texas would be our last move, both our daughters moved back to Michigan (because Covid blew up everyone’s lives in some way, didn’t it?) and we followed. I’d like to think we’re here to stay, but I’ve learned never say never.
And you will be an owner of a bookstore? What are the plans you’re willing to divulge?
The bookstore was always a sort-of joke in our family, especially when one of us was frustrated about a current job. “Let’s just chuck it all into the wind and open a bookstore!.
And you will be an owner of a bookstore? What are the plans you’re willing to divulge?
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| In revision stage, September 2025 |
The bookstore was always a sort-of joke in our family, especially when one of us was frustrated about a current job. “Let’s just chuck it all into the wind and open a bookstore!.
In the summer of 2024, my younger daughter said she was done joking about it. So we began planning.
At first my husband was skeptical and watched from the side lines while Linnea and I joined American Booksellers Association, Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association, went to bookselling conferences, created a business plan, researched demographics, and got certified as front-line booksellers. And now he is all on board.
A rental property in Ferndale fell into our laps in June, right in the neighborhood we wanted, in the price range we could afford, and we couldn’t pass it up.
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| And here it is, open for business |
A rental property in Ferndale fell into our laps in June, right in the neighborhood we wanted, in the price range we could afford, and we couldn’t pass it up.
So we signed a lease in mid-July. The inside has gotten a facelift, we have fixtures and shelves, our sidelines are in, and our opening inventory is ordered. Our hope is to open in mid-October.
Whistler’s Daughter Books is a general interest bookstore that will have a highly curated selection of books (because we’re a small space) focusing on literature, poetry, and art, with a bit of everything in most genres.
Whistler’s Daughter Books is a general interest bookstore that will have a highly curated selection of books (because we’re a small space) focusing on literature, poetry, and art, with a bit of everything in most genres.
.jfif) |
| Inside POV |
We will have MG and YA books featuring lots of local and MI authors (gotta support my SCBWI colleagues!), a small picture book section, and a quality used book room. We want it to be a true community bookstore that encourages people to sit and have meaningful conversations with neighbors and friends.
Our website is still under construction, but it’s there! And we are on Instagram. Links are at the end.
Jay has over 30 years of professional writing experience.
She has over 16 years of college-level teaching experience, including curriculum development.
She holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, an MA in Technical, Writing from Bowling Green State University, and a BA in Written Communications from Eastern Michigan University.
She has extensive freelance experience editing middle-grade, young-adult, and adult novels, picture books (including rhyming and nonfiction), and short stories.
She is a former acquisitions reader for three literary agencies.
She has extensive freelance experience editing technical documents for various corporate clients.
She is the former Regional Advisor for Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Switzerland chapter.
She has experience presenting at conferences on the craft of writing.
That’s quite a resume. Any additions or deletions from today’s bullet points?
I see you lifted some bullets from my webpage. 😉 It’s a good reminder that I need to update that.
Deletions? I guess I never really talk about my corporate clients anymore. It’s not relevant to the projects I work on or want to work on. And the Swiss RA position was so long ago that there’s no need to bring it up anymore. I suppose these things are fine on Linked In. But really, who cares about them anymore?
For additions, I would add that I’ve been a submissions editor for two literary journals, and I’ve published the two MG books and two short stories.
I’m also the former SCBWI-MI Mentorship Coordinator. Jessica Zimmerman is the new coordinator and she’s doing a great job. Information on the 2026 mentorship is coming soon!!!
Dear Frida Pennabook, From Scared in Sault St. Marie
You did a number of Frida Pennabook pieces for The Mitten. What were you able to say through Frida? Will Frida consider un-retiring?
I had a lot of fun pretending to be a colorful little old lady. I think I want to be her in the future. Katherine Easter Gibson’s quarterly “Ask the Editor” column, which started before the pandemic, was natural evolution.
I’m not sure Frida is ready for a comeback. Sure, I was “anonymous,” but plenty of people knew it was me. And it’s really important that new people joining SCBWI-MI don’t feel as if it’s the same clique running the chapter and all its services.
You did a number of Frida Pennabook pieces for The Mitten. What were you able to say through Frida? Will Frida consider un-retiring?
I had a lot of fun pretending to be a colorful little old lady. I think I want to be her in the future. Katherine Easter Gibson’s quarterly “Ask the Editor” column, which started before the pandemic, was natural evolution.
I’m not sure Frida is ready for a comeback. Sure, I was “anonymous,” but plenty of people knew it was me. And it’s really important that new people joining SCBWI-MI don’t feel as if it’s the same clique running the chapter and all its services.
We need fresh perspectives and voices, we need to encourage new members to get involved, and we need to nurture emerging talent in our region. The more supported each person feels, the more they can pay it forward.
I am a young adult novelist currently working on several different manuscripts. I also do freelance editing for other writers and will serve as a beta reader on manuscript drafts. Visit my website for more information: https://jaywhistler.com/
How go the different manuscripts? Have you beta-read a book that went on to bigger things?
I’m no longer taking on editing clients because I wanted to spend more time working on my own writing. It was a great adventure because I learned a little bit more with each client I worked with. While researching something for one client in particular, I finally understand what was holding back one of my manuscripts.
I want clients to have those moments for themselves, when the Gordian knot finally loosens. In some cases, the authors did just that.
I am a young adult novelist currently working on several different manuscripts. I also do freelance editing for other writers and will serve as a beta reader on manuscript drafts. Visit my website for more information: https://jaywhistler.com/
How go the different manuscripts? Have you beta-read a book that went on to bigger things?
I’m no longer taking on editing clients because I wanted to spend more time working on my own writing. It was a great adventure because I learned a little bit more with each client I worked with. While researching something for one client in particular, I finally understand what was holding back one of my manuscripts.
I want clients to have those moments for themselves, when the Gordian knot finally loosens. In some cases, the authors did just that.
I am fortunate to have been involved with several manuscripts that have been published, and my heart always melts a little when I am mentioned in the acknowledgements. That doesn’t mean I am responsible for my clients’ successes, just that I was able to help them through the confusion to find their own way to clarity.
Writing is hard work, as we all know, and while we need help along the way, ultimately the journey, the failures, and the successes belong to the author because they did not give up.
Freelance editing. What are the pros and the cons of setting up shop as a freelance editor?
OOF! That’s a toughie. There were days, sometimes weeks, especially during the pandemic, when I would ask myself about a dozen times a day, “Whyyyyy did I do this to myself?” But the job was mostly satisfying.
I loved being my own boss, setting my own hours, determining my worth as an editor, and working with people who genuinely want to learn and put their words into the world for that one reader who needs to hear them.
After helping dozens of clients over six years, I became so excited by my clients’ work that I knew that was displaced enthusiasm to get back to my own creative pursuits. I still receive a handful of inquiries every few months, but now I play matchmaker and help them find the right freelance editor for them.
Jay edits picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle-grade, and young adult contemporary realistic fiction, historical fiction, romance and romcom, mystery, adventure/thriller/suspense, satire, magical realism*, horror, or supernatural (think ghosts, not vampires or werewolves). If she hasn’t expressly ruled something out, just ask.
What’s the asterisk about for magical realism? You’ve ruled out vampires and werewolves. Anything else you don’t want to edit?
Charlie, I am so glad you asked. People often misunderstand the genre and think they are writing magical realism. Every single time a potential client said that’s what they were writing, it wasn’t.
Freelance editing. What are the pros and the cons of setting up shop as a freelance editor?
OOF! That’s a toughie. There were days, sometimes weeks, especially during the pandemic, when I would ask myself about a dozen times a day, “Whyyyyy did I do this to myself?” But the job was mostly satisfying.
I loved being my own boss, setting my own hours, determining my worth as an editor, and working with people who genuinely want to learn and put their words into the world for that one reader who needs to hear them.
After helping dozens of clients over six years, I became so excited by my clients’ work that I knew that was displaced enthusiasm to get back to my own creative pursuits. I still receive a handful of inquiries every few months, but now I play matchmaker and help them find the right freelance editor for them.
Jay edits picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle-grade, and young adult contemporary realistic fiction, historical fiction, romance and romcom, mystery, adventure/thriller/suspense, satire, magical realism*, horror, or supernatural (think ghosts, not vampires or werewolves). If she hasn’t expressly ruled something out, just ask.
What’s the asterisk about for magical realism? You’ve ruled out vampires and werewolves. Anything else you don’t want to edit?
 |
| Young Jennifer |
Charlie, I am so glad you asked. People often misunderstand the genre and think they are writing magical realism. Every single time a potential client said that’s what they were writing, it wasn’t.
Magical realism is very specific. It is a literary and art form, not a genre per se, that focuses not on the magic of the world in which it exists, but instead focuses on the aftermath of the magic and the effect is has on the characters in the story.
This form arose in the early 20th century, and the term was coined by a German art critic. He noticed that art was increasingly more surreal post-World War I. There was clearly something in the cultural zeitgeist that informed the new art movement. In the 1940s, magical realism evolved into literature, most notably with Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez.
The main identifying characteristic of magical realism is that it expresses emotion rather than elicits it. In fantasy, magic systems are outside reality, distinctly separate from our own human reality. The author makes up a world, magic system, mythical creatures, etc., and indeed the world itself is a huge part of the story, pushing plot forward.
In magical realism, magic is an integral part of our human world as it exists right now. But there is no explanation for it, no world building. It simply is. And it is this magic and its effects on the people that provide the story, not the magic itself.
To confuse matters even more, there are subgenres (but remember this is a movement, not really a genre) of surrealism and fabulism and animist realism.
The main identifying characteristic of magical realism is that it expresses emotion rather than elicits it. In fantasy, magic systems are outside reality, distinctly separate from our own human reality. The author makes up a world, magic system, mythical creatures, etc., and indeed the world itself is a huge part of the story, pushing plot forward.
In magical realism, magic is an integral part of our human world as it exists right now. But there is no explanation for it, no world building. It simply is. And it is this magic and its effects on the people that provide the story, not the magic itself.
To confuse matters even more, there are subgenres (but remember this is a movement, not really a genre) of surrealism and fabulism and animist realism.
When an author is getting ready to submit, they should do a deep dive into magical realism versus fantasy. Agents and editors and publishers want to know they are dealing with a professional. Misidentifying your book as magical realism when it is really urban fantasy is a sure-fire way to be left in the slush pile.
I don’t claim to be an expert here. But this blogpost I wrote several years ago might shed a little more light. (In full transparency, I wrote this post several years ago and mistakenly attributed the origin of the term “magical realism” to the wrong person. Credit goes to German art critic Franz Roh, in 1925.)
https://jaywhistler.com/2019/06/do-you-write-fantasy-or-do-you-write-magical-realism/
Jay Whistler was born on Halloween and grew up in a haunted house. She loves listening to ghost stories, whether real or imagined, and willingly explores haunted places on her travels across the country and around the globe. Even so, she will always be afraid of the dark.
There’s a lot to unpack here. Born on Halloween, haunted house?
What isn’t mentioned is that I come from a family of psychics, and my mother and sisters owned two locations of the Boston Tea Room, one in Wyandotte (now closed) and the other Ferndale (still going strong). I have some psychic tendencies and have had experiences that feel paranormal or unexplainable, but I wouldn’t say I’m psychic. Maybe it skipped a generation?
Regardless, I’ve known my family was “different” since I was very young. One of my sisters talked about her “first family,” beginning at two years old with lots of specific details that she was able to remember years later. I still get chills when she talks about it. Both my sisters and I have had paranormal encounters in our home, and not just spooky vibes, although we had plenty of those.
And then there was the man who, in the middle of the day, walked into my basement, where my nine-year-old-self was playing Barbies, and went directly to our furnace and slipped between the furnace and the wall.
I don’t claim to be an expert here. But this blogpost I wrote several years ago might shed a little more light. (In full transparency, I wrote this post several years ago and mistakenly attributed the origin of the term “magical realism” to the wrong person. Credit goes to German art critic Franz Roh, in 1925.)
https://jaywhistler.com/2019/06/do-you-write-fantasy-or-do-you-write-magical-realism/
Jay Whistler was born on Halloween and grew up in a haunted house. She loves listening to ghost stories, whether real or imagined, and willingly explores haunted places on her travels across the country and around the globe. Even so, she will always be afraid of the dark.
There’s a lot to unpack here. Born on Halloween, haunted house?
 |
| photo courtesy of The San Antonio Express |
What isn’t mentioned is that I come from a family of psychics, and my mother and sisters owned two locations of the Boston Tea Room, one in Wyandotte (now closed) and the other Ferndale (still going strong). I have some psychic tendencies and have had experiences that feel paranormal or unexplainable, but I wouldn’t say I’m psychic. Maybe it skipped a generation?
Regardless, I’ve known my family was “different” since I was very young. One of my sisters talked about her “first family,” beginning at two years old with lots of specific details that she was able to remember years later. I still get chills when she talks about it. Both my sisters and I have had paranormal encounters in our home, and not just spooky vibes, although we had plenty of those.
And then there was the man who, in the middle of the day, walked into my basement, where my nine-year-old-self was playing Barbies, and went directly to our furnace and slipped between the furnace and the wall.
I stared in horror, thinking about all the stories my parents had told me about staying away from strangers. After several minutes of me never taking my eyes of the furnace, I summoned the courage to scream for help.
My grandfather shone his flashlight in the sliver of free space, but of course there was no one there. But the man, who was wearing dark blue coveralls with an embroidered oval nametag, had been there. To this day, I have no doubt.
This is why I say “choosing” happiness and “finding” joy aren’t the path to achieving them. Instead, when you create something that feeds your soul as you write, a story that will speak to readers in a way no prescriptive theme from an agent ever could, the joy finds you. The happiness envelops you.
So I’m not hunting for anything. Happiness and joy will land on me as soon as I sit down to write.
Not fair to ask you this while you’re in the throes of birthing a bookstore, but what’s next on the writing front, aside from this interview?
Wow, did I say that? I guess I did because it’s in my blog. I’m so enlightened!
HA! I’m not, but I have been working on happiness and joy for a long time. I shouldn’t say “working on,” though, because when we work to find it, it becomes sand in a fist and slips away.
This is why I say “choosing” happiness and “finding” joy aren’t the path to achieving them. Instead, when you create something that feeds your soul as you write, a story that will speak to readers in a way no prescriptive theme from an agent ever could, the joy finds you. The happiness envelops you.
So I’m not hunting for anything. Happiness and joy will land on me as soon as I sit down to write.
Not fair to ask you this while you’re in the throes of birthing a bookstore, but what’s next on the writing front, aside from this interview?
Wow, did I say that? I guess I did because it’s in my blog. I’m so enlightened!
HA! I’m not, but I have been working on happiness and joy for a long time. I shouldn’t say “working on,” though, because when we work to find it, it becomes sand in a fist and slips away.
If we make it our purpose to find joy, we will forever be disappointed. Joy is a reaction to something else. So I try to create situations and experiences that engender joy. In other words, I am not the creator, but rather the recipient, of joy or happiness.
All of this started with the pandemic, during which, like most of us, I felt siloed, with nothing to help me find that elusive happiness. I took inventory of what was most important and what was missing from life and made a plan, which I repeat yearly now. It’s much more achievable to do this than it is to make New Year’s resolutions. And way more satisfying.
For example, if connection with friends is important, I nurture it by reaching out to people who have drifted away and whom I miss.
All of this started with the pandemic, during which, like most of us, I felt siloed, with nothing to help me find that elusive happiness. I took inventory of what was most important and what was missing from life and made a plan, which I repeat yearly now. It’s much more achievable to do this than it is to make New Year’s resolutions. And way more satisfying.
For example, if connection with friends is important, I nurture it by reaching out to people who have drifted away and whom I miss.
Through these rediscovered friends, I have met other women who inspire and challenge me and have become part of my network of strong women DOING THINGS.
When I practice yoga, meditate, or garden, I find peace that drowns out the din of chaos in the everyday, allowing happiness to find an open seat.
I purposely created these moments of connection, inspiration, support, challenge, adventure, and change. In turn, I am rewarded with happiness and joy, but I do not create it. It is always a byproduct of my actions.
Please share any social media:
o Jaywhistler.com
When I practice yoga, meditate, or garden, I find peace that drowns out the din of chaos in the everyday, allowing happiness to find an open seat.
I purposely created these moments of connection, inspiration, support, challenge, adventure, and change. In turn, I am rewarded with happiness and joy, but I do not create it. It is always a byproduct of my actions.
Please share any social media:
o Jaywhistler.com
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