Denya dreams of becoming a handmaiden because she wants to help people, and she doesn’t want to be stuck in the life of a peasant. She knows attending Healing Hands Academy won’t be easy, but she’s ready. Once she arrives, she learns that many there still are prejudice against non-elf healers.
Will Denya’s dreams of becoming a handmaiden come true, or is she destined to be stuck as a peasant for the rest of her life? Dive into Denya’s dream with author team J.S. Jaeger and I as we chat about the children’s book ‘Healing Hands’. J.S., let’s start our chat at the very beginning. Who is J.S Jaegar?
J.S. Jaeger is the husband/wife team of Jerry and Stephanie Jaeger. Jerry is the creative mind behind the series. He puts the story on paper and then turns it over to Stephanie for revisions and edits.
I have to admit that I love a bit of teamwork in writing, it can make fantastic stories awesome! I’m keen to hear all about the story of Denya, so can you share what creative thoughts lead to her tale?
We originally started writing our main series, Scrolls of Zndaria, which introduces readers to five unlikely heroes. As the series has progressed, we realized there were many stories not being told. We decided to pull additional, supporting characters out of the main series to tell their stories in what we’re calling the Short Scrolls of Zndaria. Denya is the second short story we are telling.
Do you feel that the events in Denya’s tale were influenced by your lives?
We have several healthcare professionals in our families. As we wrote Denya’s character, we pictured the compassion and dedication of these family members.
What was the central message that you wanted Denya’s caring and compassionate voice to share with the readers?
We want readers to know they can accomplish anything they set their minds to regardless of the challenges and obstacles they face.
That’s a wonderful message to share with kids. A great way to share this message with kids is by rising to a challenge yourself and accomplishing it. What steps did you take along the way to prepare to become a writing team, despite the challenges along the way?
We started writing in 2005 after we were both progressing in our professional careers. We attended writing conferences and learned from our editors as we discovered how to write enjoyable books for middle-grade readers.
Can you share a little of the feedback that you’ve received from editors or readers who have watched your progress since 2005? What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author team? What has been the best compliment?
At one point, we had our then 15-year-old daughter read the manuscript of our first book. She told us the first two chapters were really bad. After digesting that feedback, we cut the first two chapters and worked the nuggets of necessary information into the rest of the story.
Fast forward to the past week when our 11-year-old son was reading the first chapter of that same book. He said, “Sometimes I forget that my parents wrote this book.” When I asked what he meant, he said, “It’s like a professional wrote it.”
*Laughs* You just have to love the honesty of kids! Congratulations on making your work ‘professional’ enough for your kids! Now that you have the seal of professional writer from your kids, what new works can we look forward to seeing from this writing team?
We are currently working on the third book in our main series and the first book of a third side series, the Dark Scrolls of Zndaria. We also have rough drafts started for two other Short Scrolls.
Wow, two new books confirmed and even more drafts on the way. That’s fantastic news for readers who have loved ‘Healing Hands’! J.S., thanks for sharing a taste of the exciting children’s novels that will be released soon, and I wish you the best of luck in your writing partnership!
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Excited to read the book we discussed today? Find it here on Amazon: ‘Healing Hands ( ASIN: B07T4VVG5H )‘.
Want to find out more about J.S. Jaeger? Connect here!