Meet Jerri Lien | Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jerri Lien and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jerri, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I tease that I have a gypsy heart and was raised on the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak. Although I had a long and fulfilling career in skin care, including working as an esthetics instructor, I’m not particularly fond of a 40-hour work week, commuting, nor being beholden to someone else’s time demands.

Writing has been a great love of mine for a long time, but I didn’t know for ages that having my work published was a possibility. I’ve always written for pleasure, but I have stories to tell (and share!), so about 3 years ago, I joined an online writer’s conference during my birthday week and was smitten. It’s gone on from there.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve always been a reader, but I fell in love with writing when I was in the 4th grade. We had a poetry segment and I’d never loved anything school-related quite so much. Before my elementary school career was over, I had won a couple of writing competitions. Junior high and high school was filled to the hilt with the writing of innumerable sappy and embarrassing romantic poems.

As an adult, I’ve done a lot of writing for personal and business reasons, even creative writing. I’ve taken creative writing classes, but I did not know how to make the real leap until I became involved with my current publishing company.

I always thought my first book would be a memoir of sorts, but I chickened out and dipped my toes into the kiddie pool and wrote and published two children’s picture books starring my real and inspiring Shih Tzu, Bixby, and the child version of my son, Brad.

Writing and publishing the first book, Bixby and the Very Bad Idea, was an almost excruciating process. I felt overwhelmed, had a terrible case of imposter syndrome, and honestly, I initially felt intimidated by my then writing coach. If I had not signed a contract, I might not have gone through with it. So… the money on the table kept me committed! But really, so did my lifelong dream of becoming a published author.

The second book, Bixby and the Very Jolly Christmas, went much more smoothly.

Since then, my only child’s fairytale wedding at a Scottish castle last year, and the real-life traumas, dramas, and miracles we have experienced, have inspired my current project, a Christian fairytale series.

What I want the world to know is that we do not have to let our past or the trials we endure steal our destiny.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am still pretty new to Arizona, so I would be exploring right along with my friends who visit. Central Arizona is overflowing with things to do and places to eat, live music venues to enjoy, etc. But here are a few things I would take friends to do if we had a week:

1) The Olive Mill – it’s so pretty there. We could take in an olive oil class, an olive grove tour, and enjoy our delicious food out under the trees while listening to a local musician.

2) San Tan Flats – it feels like a real, out in the country type of place, great for grabbing one of their smores kits and making smores at a firepit near your picnic table, and listening to whoever is playing music.

3) The Monastery is so much fun to go with friends to take in a few local bands (yes, outdoor music is my favorite kind). They have some pretty good bar-type food if you’re hungry, there’s room to dance, and they also have lawn games.

4) At least one whole day could be spent in Scottsdale, from Old Town to the fanciest shopping malls, and more great food, coffee shops, and bars than you could get yourself to.

5) Depending on the season, we could do pool time at my home in Maricopa, have a delicious lunch at Mandy’s Wine Bar (THE best lasagne!), and go line dancing at Duke’s Roadhouse.

6) My city also has a nice casino, so if we didn’t want to leave Maricopa, we could go bowling, catch a movie, have a fancy dinner, and hit some slot machines. I haven’t tried karaoke there yet, but that could be an option for my friends who like to mesmerize the crowds with their singing!

7) Also in my city, there are two nice golf courses, we could have a meal and do a little golfing at The Duke at Rancho El Dorado (in my neighborhood), or Southern Dunes (I love the views there, really lovely and ranked one of the top 100 courses in the US).

8) I’m putting Bearizona Wildlife Park up in Williams because it’s on my list!

9) Oh… and The Compass, a rotating restaurant in Phoenix, atop the Hyatt Regency, is a fun way to get a 360-degree view of the city.

I could change this list dozens of times over; there is just that much to do.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A sweet friend back in Washington State, Anita Van der Elst, used to host a small writers group that I participated in. Anita connected me with a nearby publishing company, Redemption Press, which offers many virtual and in person trainings and conferences. I signed up for my first one, which was held in January 2022, during my birthday week!

If not for Anita connecting me with Redemption Press, I don’t believe I would be a published author today.

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