Jeff Zentner: Life Can Have Many Acts
In this interview, author Jeff Zentner discusses the inspiration behind his new contemporary romance, Colton Gentry’s Third Act.
Jeff Zentner is the author of New York Times Notable Books The Serpent King and In the Wild Light, as well as Goodbye Days and Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee. Among other honors, he has won the ALA’s William C. Morris Award, the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award twice, the Muriel Becker Award, and the International Literacy Association Award, been long-listed twice for the Carnegie Medal, and been a two-time Southern Book Prize finalist. Before becoming a writer, he was a musician who recorded with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. He lives in Nashville. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instragram.
In this interview, Jeff discusses the inspiration behind his new contemporary romance, Colton Gentry’s Third Act, his hope for readers, and more!
Name: Jeff Zentner
Literary agent: Charlie Olsen, Inkwell Management
Book title: Colton Gentry’s Third Act
Publisher: Grand Central
Release date: April 30, 2024
Genre/category: Contemporary fiction/romance
Previous titles: The Serpent King, Goodbye Days, Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee, In the Wild Light
Elevator pitch: A rising country star, grieving the death of his best friend in a mass shooting, speaks out on guns, ending his career. He moves back home to his small Kentucky town to rebuild and encounters a ghost from his past.
What prompted you to write this book?
I was thinking a lot about the times in my life when a formerly good thing fell apart on me, and I had to reinvent—start a new chapter. And in almost every instance, I ended up happier than before. I thought it would be interesting to write that story about someone who falls from a greater height than I ever did.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took me a year and a few months to write Colton Gentry’s Third Act once I had the idea. From there, it was two years to publication.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
One very pleasant surprise: With my YA books, I worked with a highly seasoned editor with decades in publishing and immaculate instincts. When she moved on, I thought every other editor would be a downgrade. But my new editor at Grand Central has those same immaculate instincts and I feel incredibly lucky.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
When I first conceived of the idea for this book, I never imagined that food and cooking would figure so prominently in the plot. I was planning a completely different approach. But I’ve always wanted to write a book where food features prominently and when I realized it would serve my plot better than my original plan, it was like getting struck by lightning. It was perfect.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
That life can have many acts, and the arc of the universe will bend toward our ultimate happiness if we’re willing to see falls and failures as an opportunity to find an exciting new path and reinvent ourselves.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Learn to recognize the choices you love when other creators make them. Then, develop your own toolbox of choices as a creator. You shouldn’t make the exact choices as the creators you love, but you should make choices.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
