Jen McDonald's Blog

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If you’ve ever found yourself curled up with a warm beverage and a captivating mystery novel that doesn’t leave you feeling disturbed or unsettled, chances are you’ve experienced the charm of a cozy mystery.

But what exactly defines this beloved subgenre of crime fiction? Let’s explore the essence of cozy mysteries and their evolution from classic to contemporary. I’m also highlighting some of my top picks that you can enjoy today!

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It seems our favorite foods often have a happy memory associated with them. Spring and summertime call for some of my favorite childhood foods: grilled hamburgers, homemade ice cream (using the old-fashioned mixer with a hand crank that we all took turns with until we felt like our arms would drop—but no ice cream ever tasted better), and fruit cobbler.

This blueberry cobbler recipe comes from my paternal grandmother and was likely pass...

Main image from Lara Hata from Getty Images Signature via Canva.com

This recipe comes from our years living in Hawaii and was originally shared on my former site. It’s perfect for popping in the oven or your slow cooker, whether you’re having a busy working day or curling up with a book!

If you’ve visited Hawaii or attended a luau, you may have tried the island version of pulled pork called “Kalua Pig.” Since the traditional Hawaiian way of making Kalua pig involves an entire boar, banana...

I’ve worked from home since 2009, well before the surge of remote work that occurred during the pandemic.

Over the years, I’ve learned so much–not only professionally, but about myself, setting limits, and much much more. As a homeschooling mom, I freelanced and wrote articles and reviews here and there before taking on a remote job. Landing my first remote editorial job all those years ago while still homeschooling was a huge blessing for me professionally (and for my pocketbook!), but it al...

We’ve all said it, we writer types.

“If I only had more time…I could finally finish writing my novel.”

“I’m so tired from my busy week that I don’t have any energy left to write.”

“How can I actually think a thought and take time to write when I’m busy from waking till sleep with work, family, and kid activities?”

We envision languid days in coffee shops where we can ruminate over our muse and type out brilliant words while sippin...

Time for some reading updates! My latest book picks are mostly fiction, with of course a heavy emphasis on cozy mysteries, which 1) I adore and 2) read a lot of since the book I’m currently writing is in that genre.

In fact, I read and watch so many cozies on TV that my husband has asked if he should be worried. Hmm….I’m not certain what draws some of us to murder mysteries. Maybe because it’s like solving a puzzle and that aha! moment when you’ve figured it out.

When it comes to how I re...

My latest book, Milspouse Matters: Sharing Strength Through Our Stories, includes many experiences from our thirty years as a military family. A few stories didn’t make the cut for final publication, like this one, but I thought it would be fun to share it here!

Seated with other service members and their spouses at a dinner on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, with a visiting celebrity who was making the rounds of overseas bases on a USO tour, my husband Steve and I did our best to make small talk...

I always think authors have the most interesting book recommendations, and while I’m not sure I fall into that camp just yet, I thought I’d share a few of my recent favorites. This was intended to be a spring reading list, but hello, almost summer.

From memoir to mystery, there’s quite a variety. I’d love to hear about your current favorite books!

I’m a big fan of audiobooks, and yes, I think that counts as reading. What’s your preferred reading format? Do you like a book you can hold in y...

Hello, and welcome!

I’m so excited to introduce you to my new site and blog, geared towards my writing and author journey. Here, I’ll be sharing about my books, upcoming projects, writer-y tips and resources, as well as some slices of life behind the scenes.

I’ve been in the blogging world for decades, starting waaaay back when Blogger was the schniz. (Anyone else remember this?) My content for about the past 15 years has been mainly geared towards supporting m...

This was written a few years ago in response to a writer asking how to get their article noticed when I was working as a magazine managing editor. I’m sharing it again as I think the advice still stands!

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I read a lot of articles and blog posts in the course of a given week. Some good, some mediocre, some not worth reading past the first few sentences, and some that show a lot of promise but need work. And every once in a while, something so outstanding that I text my publisher, “You’ve...