Welcome to Joy Ride, a monthly dose of joy, good things, creativity prompts, and gratitude by writer Jennifer Chen. If you like it, please share this newsletter with someone who might like it too.
Your Pep Talk
Since October 2022, I pitched a story I believed in and three editors passed on it. I knew in my heart that people like me, who were fans of The Baby-Sitters Club, wanted to read it. I tweeted about it. The tweet went viral. My inbox flooded with messages from editors. I ended up selling three different stories to three different outlets.
I’m sharing this because listening to my gut helped me see beyond the rejections. As someone who has been told NO more often than YES, I urge you to trust yourself. Listen to your gut reaction. If something doesn’t feel right for you, say no. If you believe in what you’re doing, keep going. You know what’s best for you.
My Latest News
For Artnet, I interviewed two cover models behind The Baby-Sitters Club books.
I spoke about writing YA books for the podcast, This Book is Lit.
You can preorder my debut book Artifacts of an Ex at Barnes & Noble for 25% off with the code: PREORDER25 (good until 4/28).
Check Out This...
TV SHOW: I couldn’t pick just one show this month. Bel Air (Peacock), the reboot of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, is amazing. Season 3 of Ted Lasso (Apple TV) is a heartwarming chef’s kiss. A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO Max) is comedy at its finest.
BOOK: Heartstoppers by Alice Oseman is a coming-of-age story of two boys in England who fall in love. The series of graphic novels are a hug of humanity.
ORGANIZATION: If you know me, you know I love dogs, specifically pugs. Pug Nation LA rescues and adopts out pugs and pug mixes who have been neglected or put in shelters.
I'm Grateful For...
This painting. For my birthday, I bought myself a Baby-Sitters Club oil painting from artist Hodges Soileau. I picked this particular Claudia Kishi cover (“Claudia, Queen of Seventh Grade”) because how the other kids look at Claudia is how I feel about her as a character. She was the first Asian American character I saw in a book growing up who was cool, fashionable, and creative. It’s a part of my childhood that sticks with me to this day.
Thrilled you bought that wonderful painting for yourself. I missed out on the whole BSC and am enjoying learning about BSC and its impact from you.
What a wonderful gift to yourself. I love it!