Interview with Author Jocelyn Green  

Jocelyn Green  
https://www.jocelyngreen.com/
The Manhattan Confessions

T4JYM: Your book, The Manhattan Confessions, releases today. Can you tell our readers what they can expect from it?

JG: Expect a whole lot of intrigue from 1920s Manhattan, a varied cast of characters you’ll want to root for, suspense, drama, and a slow-burn romance amidst a quest for justice. It’s a historical fiction novel with timeless themes readers will be able to relate to today. In this novel, the story takes us to some iconic settings, from Central Park to Ellis Island, from Little Italy to the Waldorf-Astoria. The main character, Ivy Malone, was one of the most fun protagonists I’ve ever written. She’s got serious issues to solve, but she’s a hoot, and the kind of girl you’d want to be friends with.

T4JYM: What other works have you published? How have they been received by the public? What kind of feedback do you receive?

JG: I have written or co-authored more than 20 books, too many to list here, but they can all be found on my web site, jocelyngreen.com. They have been well received, many of them winning national awards. But more meaningful to me are the letters I receive from readers who share with me that because of something they read, they have changed their perspective or their choices in positive ways. This happens both with my nonfiction and with my fiction books, and whenever it does, I thank God for allowing me to play some small part in whatever He was already doing in those readers’ lives. 

T4JYM: What do you prefer writing, fiction or non-fiction?

JG: It depends on the mood and what I want to get across. I wrote nonfiction first, and then fiction was a great change of pace with limitless possibilities. But that also makes fiction harder than nonfiction, in my experience—there are so many directions I could take a story, it’s sometimes hard to choose! Writing nonfiction is refreshing because I can just directly say what I want to say. But fiction is fun because stories are entertaining while still communicating spiritual truths. So I do enjoy writing both.

T4JYM: Let’s have a little fun… What is your favorite: Food? Drink? Color? TV show? Hobby? Movie? Book of the Bible? Bible Verse? Worship Song?

JG: OK! Nachos with queso; Cream Earl Grey tea; red; The Great British Baking Show or All Creatures Great and Small; scrapbooking and gardening; I can’t pick one favorite but at the top of my list for lighthearted fun is Austenland, and I love the Lord of the Rings movies, too; John; Isaiah 26:3; “Is He Worthy?” by Andrew Peterson.

T4JYM: What background do you have in writing? Did you take any special courses or obtain a college degree?

JG: I did earn a bachelor’s degree in English, concentration in writing, from Taylor University. From there it has been a fairly linear progression as I have worked in all kinds of different writing, from alumni stories for my alma mater’s University Relations to being an editor for a nonprofit on Capitol Hill, to freelance journalism for Web sites and magazines, and then finally to writing books. My experience in journalism proved to be a fantastic foundation for authoring both nonfiction and fiction. I learned to write tight, write on a deadline, and how to research and interview.

T4JYM: What kinds of books do you enjoy reading? What are you reading currently?

JG: I love reading all kinds of things. My first love is historical fiction, but I also enjoy contemporary fiction, memoir, biography, essays, and nonfiction about whatever intrigues me at the moment. I’m currently reading The Belle of Chatham by Laura Frantz, and next up is An Appearance of Impropriety by Jayna Breigh. But I’m also reading nonfiction about autism and adults (my 19-year-old is on the spectrum) and histories of 17^th- and 18^th-century New England. I am never ever bored.

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