4th Annual Indie Book Fest Author Spotlight: Wanda Jennings

Bio

Wanda Jennings is a four-time published author thanks to her writing partner Louise Turner and the gals at Southern Willow Publishing. When Wanda isn’t writing the Magnolia Manor series, she can be found at her farmhouse, wrangling her chickens. Covid has put a damper on her traveling plans, but once the restrictions are lifted, Wanda plans to visit Italy to see in the person the places her characters visit in “Saints & Sinners.”

Book Blurb

Saints & Sinners

“Three best friends and the trip of a lifetime!”

Ruby, Maude, and Opal call themselves the Stone Sisters after their beloved hometown of Rhinestone. Ruby Lawrence wants nothing more than to settle down and start a family with her high school sweetheart, Jameson. When Jameson puts a pause on their relationship, Ruby is brokenhearted. Her two best friends, Opal Tyler and Maude Cooper know the only way to fix a broken heart is the wide-open road. They encourage her to accompany them on a summer adventure that leads them halfway around the world. Hilarity ensures along with a few hiccups along the way, as the Stone Sisters come of age in this raucous southern comedy. Join Ruby, Maude, and Opal as they embark on the trip of a lifetime!

Blog Post

My favorite author is Flannery O’Connor. She was an old southern gal like I am, born to Irish parents, just like me.
While she writes short stories, I write novels in a major series. However, I would say that she has influenced my writing in a few different ways. Flannery pushed the boundaries during her time. Her characters were usually morally flawed and her stories contain somewhat disturbing elements. She wrote about real life events that made people uncomfortable. The Magnolia Manor series is real life. When you read the books, my hope is that you relate to the characters, whether they are inherently good or bad. The Magnolia Manor series is meant to be humorous, but we do not shy away from the sad, or grotesque, parts of society, much like Flannery.

In Saints & Sinners, we talk about unwed pregnancy. In Dirty Laundry, the main character’s occupation is up to the reader’s discretion. Color Me Crazy talks about alcoholism and child abuse. Louise and I wrote these books to give our readers a respite during the Covid-19 pandemic, as we believe life is better with laughter. However, we know that everything cannot always be silly or humorous; real life involves the good and the bad of society.