Author Spotlight - Meet Jenn Bouchard

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Welcome, Jenn! Please tell us a little about yourself & your book.

I live in the Boston suburbs with my husband and two teenage children. My oldest will be going off to college in the fall. I have taught high school social studies for 25 years and have just recently started teaching short story classes for adults in the evening. I am a fundraising volunteer for my alma mater Bates College and a board member for my local Dollars for Scholars chapter. I am an avid cook, which is a big part of all my books. I also love coastal New England, which is why I choose to set my books here!

Considering Us is the romcom we all need to get through the end of winter. It is funny, cozy, and full of love and delicious cookies. I’m so excited for it to make its way into the world. I had so much fun writing it.

What was the inspiration or spark behind writing Considering Us?

Teaching through Covid was stressful. Plans, protocols, etc. changed constantly. I went from having five classes of students to ten. Just keeping all the schedules straight was so complicated. By the time things had normalized a bit more, I was exhausted. I knew I wanted to write something very fun and very light. I loved the idea of telling a “the one that got away” story under forced proximity circumstances. A boarding school was the ideal location for that. Let these people figure their issues out! I am surrounded by boarding schools here in New England, but I was a public school kid until college. I reached out to friends and interviewed a ton of them who either attended boarding school or taught in one. I got great responses, and that helped fuel Considering Us.

This is your sophomore novel. Did the writing experience differ from writing your debut, First Course?

This is actually my third book! I have a second titled Palms on the Cape that was supposed to be published in the fall of 2023. My publisher closed, and I got my rights back. I now need to find the path forward for it now. I’ll let you know!

But yes, my writing experience changed quite a bit. I am more confident in what I am doing now. I know what makes a story work. And I can draft a book much quicker now. First Course took me 2 ½ years just to draft. I wrote Considering Us in 6 months.

Food features prominently in your books, and I know you’re an avid chef. I’d love to know more about that!

I started cooking in a significant way after my husband and I moved to the Chicago area when we were in our mid-twenties. Someone gave us an Ina Garten cookbook, and that changed a lot of things for me. Ina is one of my role models, and her recipes are still my go-to. I learned so much about feeding other people (as well as myself!) and making fabulous things in a way that’s not overwhelming or too complicated. Plus, I just find her really inspirational. She’s accomplished so much.

Including cooking and a love of good food in my books seemed only natural to me. Maybe it’s my niche, my angle. Nora Ephron is another huge presence in my mind as I write. Her book Heartburn was the spark for First Course. And references to her movies are sprinkled throughout Considering Us.

Are there real life inspirations behind Devon’s famous cookies and her obsession with Vanilla Toffee ice cream?

Devon has her favorites, like all of us do. I loved having everything come back to those things throughout the book: the ice cream, the iced coffee, the really good whiskey sours. Introducing Heath, the hot paramedic, seemed only natural with her Vanilla Toffee obsession.

Did you draw on your high school teaching experience when writing about the fictional Rockwood and its students and staff?

I think my experience most helped me to write Kyle’s character. His knowledge of presidential trivia helps him engage with his students. Those little stories are part of what fuels me as a history teacher as well. I loved writing him so much. He has so many issues that he deals with and talks way too much, but he’s adorable. I love his appreciation for Devon and their shared past.

What type of research did you have to do for this book?

I interviewed my friends who had attended or taught at boarding schools. I had already spent lots of time around Portsmouth, New Hampshire, but I went up there a few more times and drove around. I also spent time in Kennebunkport, Maine, where Devon grew up. I looked at a lot of Google Maps, as I always do when I am researching a story.  I also thought about (and cooked) what kinds of food Devon would prepare as a private chef to Boston’s elite, as well as what a professional basketball player might enjoy. And then I had to shift gears to what her students at Rockwood would crave.

Do you have any writing routines, rituals, or schedules that you use?

It’s a bit chaotic, if I’m being quite honest. I write big sections of books in the summer when I am not teaching. My goal is to have around 30k words written by the time I start school in the fall. It’s tough to get the rest drafted with my teaching schedule and two athletic teenagers. I go to every game of theirs that I can. With my son starting college in the fall, I should have a bit more time and be able to get books written more quickly. I have made my family a priority, but there are times I have to block everything out and get a project done.

What was the most challenging and/or rewarding part of writing this book?

The challenge usually is the murky middle. You need to keep the story moving forward in an engaging and meaningful way as to not lose your reader. It’s tough for a lot of writers, myself included.

The rewarding part for me is when people start reading the book and really like it. I had an early reader tell me that she was so sad when she was done because she missed Devon. I totally get that; I missed writing her, too. But luckily, I get to talk about her a lot now. She’s my imaginary friend forever, I think!

What do you hope readers take away from Considering Us?

Value love and friendship, even when you find them in the most unusual ways. No matter what happens with David Anders’ career, he and Devon are bonded for life. And I loved writing Devon and Tam’s friendship. We all need a Tam.

How are you celebrating your book launch?

I am launching the book at Belmont Books, one of my absolute favorite bookstores in the Boston area. They did a virtual launch for First Course in 2021, and I am so grateful that they supported a brand-new author with no platform or readership. I am in a very different place now 4 years later. Thousands of people have read First Course. I hope they read Considering Us!

When did you first realize you wanted to become an author?

I always enjoyed writing but never did it in any kind of significant way until almost ten years ago. I had just finished a major volunteer role for Bates College; I was the president of the alumni association for two years. I absolutely loved it, and when it was over, I felt like I had fallen off a cliff into a hole I couldn’t quite fill. I started toying around with the idea of writing a novel. I had no reason to do this, but I wanted to create something. So, I jumped in and figured it out. It took me a very long time, but I learned so much in the process.

What has been the most rewarding experience of becoming an author? OR What is the best compliment you’ve received on your writing?

I have loved meeting readers and other authors. I have found an incredible writer community. I am a part of a collective of nine women writers called The Eleventh Chapter, and they are truly my people. Find us on Instagram @theeleventhchapter.

Where can readers best find you and your books?

My website is jennbouchard.com

I am on Instagram, Facebook, X, and BlueSky @JennBouchardBOS

My books are available everywhere books are sold! If your local indie bookstore doesn’t carry them, they can order them for you.

Thank you, Jenn! And, Friends, you can also order Considering Us at Bookshop.org which supports local bookstores.