By 
- Lindas Book Obsession Interviews @Jennifer Klepper Author of “Unbroken Threads” for @Suzy Approved Blog Tours
- What was your motivation or inspiration for writing “Unbroken Threads”?
I started writing a character who was at a crossroads in her life and had to reconnect with her past in order to find her place in the present. At the same time–in the real world–I was watching the news and seeing thousands of displaced people fleeing their homes and their countries. It seemed natural (and appropriate) for my character to look at how she connected to what was going on around her and to have a deepening awareness of her place not just in her family but in greater society as well.
- How did you research information for your book?
My main research focused on events in Syria and the asylum process in the U.S. News articles and government reports were a wealth of information, but the real depth came from following personal blogs, watching documentaries, reading personal accounts, and viewing videos.
- When did you realize that you wanted to become a writer, and how did that happen?
When I finished the first draft of Unbroken Threads, I felt a sense of accomplishment I hadn’t felt before. Maybe it was that it was the right time of my life, but the freedom to write fiction and lose myself in writing a story provided a sense of excitement and fulfillment that I couldn’t ignore.
- What are your goals for the reader to take away after reading your novel?
I’m a member of a couple of book clubs and I love books that teach me something and give my groups something to discuss. I wanted to write that kind of book.
- What is a typical day in your life as a writer?
I work part-time, and I try to do my day job work in the morning, after my kids head off to school. Then I’ll work on my book until they get home. I’m not good at hard-core single focus, though, so I bop around doing little things in the house, tending to other responsibilities, or getting on social media, etc., throughout the day. At the end of the day, my husband and I like to watch a TV show together to wind down. (Our latest show is Ozark.)
- How do you maintain a balance between being an author, a mother, a career person?
“Balance” is the key word in your question. I think finding the right balance is finding the key to happiness. When there’s an imbalance–there’s always going to be a time of imbalance–I remind myself that I just need to tick one item off the to do list, and then another, until balance is restored. That said, my husband is amazing, and is often that extra weight I need to bring things into balance. Since he can’t do my day job and he can’t write my books, that usually means taking on more than his share of the household work.
- What are things that you enjoy doing in your downtime?
I really love to spend time in the woods running the trails and walking my dog. I’m convinced it’s because I grew up in the Great Plains, and being surrounded by trees is still a magical experience for me.
- Did you base any of your characters or events on anyone that you know in your life?
Just like the grandmother in my book, my own grandmother passed down family items along with handwritten notes explaining the history of the items. I even used a few snippets of her words in my book–I had to modify some of that in editing, though, because her quirky punctuation and grammar kept throwing off the editors.
- Can you tell us something of your future writing plans?
I’m madly in love with what I’m working on right now. It’s a novel inspired by something my husband and his friends did in college, except that in my story, the cast is women instead of men, and things don’t go quite as planned.
- How would you like readers to connect with you?
I’m on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JenniferKlepperAuthor/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_klepper/), and my website is www.jenniferklepper.com.
Linda's Book Obsession: 