Meet Jennifer Hilt | USA Today Bestselling Author

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

Hi JENNIFER, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Risk-taking, to me, is having the courage to follow your curiosity. I’d been writing genre fiction for twenty years as well as teaching fiction. During that process, I became interested in how tropes are used in writing. Five years ago, tropes were not the hot topic in fiction or the writing process we see today.

I followed my curiosity to study what they were and weren’t in various types of storytelling. I wanted to know why they were intensely useful for making connections with readers, but many writers were afraid of them. That question spurred me to create The Trope Thesaurus, a four-book series growing to encompass more genres.

It was a huge risk for me then because I didn’t know if anyone else would be interested in tropes. At the time, there weren’t only books specifically addressing this area. It was a huge risk, but my curiosity overcame my fear. As it turned out, the book found a ready audience, and tropes have become a much more readily discussed aspect of fiction.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a USA Today Bestselling fiction and nonfiction author. I’ve been an avid reader since childhood, and that’s when I started making up stories. It was a big shock how difficult it was write down the vivid stories in my head! I studied writing formally (receiving a Master’s degree in English Literature) and self-studied, thinking, how did that author do that?!

I’ve been at it for over forty years now, doggedly keeping at it. My interests have changed from YA to romance to horror. But I still love reading fiction and nonfiction. I’ve learned that following your interests is essential and persistence is key.

My brand is all about empowering other storytellers to tell their best work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m lucky enough to live in Seattle! It’s a beautiful part of the country, especially in the summer when it’s sunny and dry. Many great bookstores and restaurants are here, so we’d be busy having Indian food at Bengal Tiger and pizza at Vlarmos. I’m a massive fan of Laff’s Comedy Club, so that’s a must-visit because what’s better than live storytelling? We’d take a three-mile walk around Green Lake to people-watch and admire all the birds.

My favorite thing to do on weekends is to take the ferry over to Whidbey or Bainbridge islands for a day trip. There are art festivals plus more great restaurants with fresh seafood.

Mostly I just love sharing our long summer days because we’re so far north we get lots of sunshine then!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people have encouraged me along the way on this journey! My family has been a huge support to me. I wouldn’t be where I am without indie author friends like Russell Nohelty, Eileen Rendhal, Tara Cremin, Janet Margot, Jen LaSalle, Matty Dalrymple, Karen Heenan, Lee Savino, Nat Connor, Melissa Storm and Jennifer Probst.

Website: https://www.jenniferhilt.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjenniferhilt/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TropeTalk

Image Credits
Jennifer Hilt