A message to my readers…

The opportunity to swim with humpback whales in Tahiti presented itself when I met an incredibly kind and knowledgeable biologist who hosts humane swims with marine animals of all sorts all over the globe. Anyone who knows me knows how deeply I care about the ocean and the plethora of marine life that lives there, especially whales (my new book is proof of this obsession!). We saved our money and dreamed about whales for a long long time in anticipation of this trip.

When you go out into the wilderness and have the unique opportunity to interact with wildlife on their terms, you gain a different perspective. You learn something about yourself. Frankly, I came back a different person. A better, more honest person.

What did I learn?

I learned I’m far more courageous than I thought (hellooooo, 30-ton wild animal swimming right. toward. me.).
It’s really hard to cry inside a snorkel mask without ruining the seal and having the mask fill up with seawater. (I learned this the hard way—repeatedly—but at least they were happy tears. Dream-come-true tears).
I learned that the more patient and encouraging I am with myself, the faster I swim. As someone who is constantly stressing over impossibly high, self-imposed expectations, this lesson was a big fat metaphor for my life and career.

What does this have to do with my newsletter, my books, and you, dear reader?

Well, long story short: I decided I want to be more “real” with my readers about who I am—as an author and a person. This is the start of that.

*We spent a lovely morning with this mama and her curious two-week-old calf. For scale, adult humpback whales can grow up to 52 feet (that’s the length of a semi-truck).*

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Another thing I learned from swimming with whales: go with the flow.

When you swim with humpback whales, you’re in their territory. And in Mo’orea, French Polynesia, their territory is beyond the teal lagoons, beyond the breakers, beyond the reef drop-off, and out in the big blue ocean. The water out there is warm, salty, and incredibly deep—like, thousands of feet deep. It truly is the whales’ domain, which means they control the encounter. You approach them quietly and respectfully, wait, and let them come to you.

And let me tell you, there is nothing—nothing—as uniquely humbling and profound as when a mother humpback whale decides to trust you in the presence of her two-week-old calf.

It’s wild. It’s awe-inspiring. It’s life-changing.

*Curious baby checking us out. Good thing I captured this with my GoPro, because my eyes were blurry with happy tears in this moment.*

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So, back to my books.

If you’re a regular subscriber, you’ve probably noticed that my new newsletter doesn’t have a recipe section. While I still plan to share recipes on a regular basis, I’m moving away from the recipe theme in an effort to be truer to myself as a writer—which of course includes the baking you loved from The Ingredients of Us, but also includes so much more.

Here’s what you can always expect from a Jennifer Gold book: I will always write book club fiction about real, flawed women—stories about love, mistakes, second chances, self-discovery, and finding inner strength. If you loved Elle’s journey in The Ingredients of Us, then I think you’ll love Abby’s journey in my new novel Keep Me Afloat (coming March 2020!). Both books are about love, forgiveness, and redemption. And they both end with the realistic hopefulness that I love to see at the end of my own TBR pile reads (it’s what I refer to as a “hopefully ever after”).

All this is to say: I have a new goal…

*Unmatched beauty: a young humpback whale calf.*

The whales were my call-to-action to live a life that is more courageous, vulnerable, and free. To trust my intuition and my heart. To go after what I want with bravery and tenderness, and to quit being so hard on myself.

My new goal is to be more open, honest, and have deeper conversations with the people I care about—and that includes you, dear reader.

I want to give you an inside look into my books and my life as a writer. I want to include you in naming characters and other fun things. Mostly, I just want to connect! If you love connecting with authors, then we’ll probably get along splendidly.

xo

-Jenni

Oh, and one more thing: you best believe this whale-swim will go in a novel someday soon! In the meantime, check out my new novel, Keep Me Afloat, which features plenty of humpback whales spotted from boats.

If you’re interested in going on your own swim with humpback whales, I highly recommend Mo’orea Ocean Adventures. They are by far the safest, most considerate, and humane company out there. Feel free to email me with questions.