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CHRISTINA: I joined a fiction writing group on Facebook and first started seeing Jenny Cafaro posting about her coming release of her memoir, Run Girls, asking us to chime in about her cover choices. It's been fun to see her publishing journey on Facebook, and I was delighted she took time for this interview.
When did you first think you had a book to write and how did you start?
JENNY: By the age of seven, I already knew my life was anything but conventional. By then, I had lived in five foster homes, stayed in two or three homeless shelters, and been fostered by an Amish colony. Directly after that, we endured abuse at the hands of a Pentecostal Christian family in Columbus, Ohio, who threatened to drown me if I reported them. All of that happened when I was only five years old and younger. Unconventional to say the least.
But it didn’t’ end then. After Daddy removed the windows out of our trailer and shot at us, we fled, moving to Kentucky. Daddy was gone, but life was just as challenging. We lived farmhouses and moved a lot. To make ends meet, my mom raised chickens, tended a garden, and preserved food to keep us fed. She fished in the creek, smoked hog meat and packed our freezer full of anything she could.
It was barely enough and a story in and of itself.
The idea of writing a memoir first came to me when a college professor asked if I had ever considered writing a book. He told me I was a talented writer, that my story was compelling, and that writing about my trauma could be therapeutic. As a child, daydreaming had been one of my primary coping mechanisms. I often envisioned myself becoming “something.” My professor’s words stuck with me, and I saved my college essays for years, planning to one day compile them into a book.
At the age of 30, while pregnant with my second child, I began journaling about my childhood and piecing together a more cohesive narrative. Yet, I kept the journal tucked away in my closet for years, feeling like my story was still evolving. When my marriage to my childhood sweetheart suddenly ended, I found myself a single parent at 35. I was fighting for my life.
Five years later, I had completed a master’s degree, became a registered nurse, worked in the ER, and taught college nursing students. Eventually, I became the director of nursing at a 5-star facility, leading a team of 90 professionals. After transforming my life, raising my daughters (who is now an RN herself), and becoming a Christian, I felt ready to share my story with others who might be struggling.
At the age of 49, I picked up the project I had started so many years before. During the time I wrote it, I became emotionally overwhelmed. It exacerbated my PTSD and proved to be very difficult to relive some of the trauma. However, in just three months, I realized my dream and completed the first draft of my memoir and released it on my fiftieth birthday. Its launch has been a remarkable success—so far, approximately 400,000 pages have been read by the public in just over four months.
CHRISTINA: Speechless... I am amazed by your story... How far you have come.
What do you think makes a good story?
JENNY: A good story captivates readers by laying down a great foundation. There needs to be a rich backstory, engaging characters, and a meaningful resolution. These are the ingredients it takes for an emotional connection that draws the audience into the world of the narrative. Of all these components, the backstory often serves as the foundation.
Take the story of Cinderella, for example. Her backstory is heartbreaking yet that feeling essential to the story’s impact. Losing her mother and being raised by three narcissistic women sets the stage for the reader’s emotional investment. We watch her tirelessly clean, serve, and endure cruelty, which builds our empathy for her plight. The story’s climax—the moment Cinderella attends the ball and loses her glass slipper—is so poignant because we’ve been on her journey from despair to hope. Without the backstory, the magic of the ball would lack emotional weight, and the reader wouldn’t root for her triumph as passionately.
In my story, Run, Girls, the backstory is equally vital. It chronicles three generations of women in my family who endured poverty, abuse, addiction, and worse. My grandmother, the eldest of seven children, was impregnated by a man in his sixties. My mother’s tumultuous upbringing mirrored this legacy of hardship. When it became my turn to raise my daughters, I realized I needed to break the generational curse. My battle cry became the story’s title—a plea to my daughters to "run" far from the cycle of trauma that plagued our family for generations and towards prosperity.
Just as in Cinderella, the backstory in Run, Girls creates the emotional groundwork. Readers see the sacrifices, heartbreak, and resilience that shaped my journey. It’s not just a story about struggle—it’s a story about hope, determination, and transformation. The backstory is what makes the climax, where my daughters overcome the odds, so powerful. Without it, the victory would feel hollow.
A good story doesn’t just entertain; it lingers in the hearts and minds of readers. Whether it’s about a child earning a grade or a family rewriting its legacy, a story resonates when it combines compelling backstory, authentic emotions, and a satisfying resolution. These elements create not just a good story, but one that’s worth remembering.
CHRISTINA: I love this Cinderella analogy.
What is your current project or latest release?
JENNY: I recently finished a complementary novel that could be considered a sequel to my memoir, Run, Girls. Set primarily in Appalachia, Kentucky, in my hometown, the story follows protagonist Flora as she travels to confront unfinished business with her ex-husband. After leaving her hometown years ago, Flora has avoided returning, unwilling to face the memories of the childhood trauma she endured there.
On her way to Kentucky, Flora encounters unexpectedly treacherous weather in the mountains, which is especially challenging given her less-than-stellar driving skills. The journey is peppered with flashbacks—both good and bad—that stir up her emotions and leave her questioning her decision to return.
Just as she nears a local inn, Flora loses control of her car on a snowy road and crashes, sliding down a hill. She eventually makes her way to a nearby cabin for shelter, where she encounters a weathered mountain man who has been watching her. Initially, he approaches cautiously, but Flora’s natural wariness and mistrust keep her guarded. Her fears deepen when she realizes the man is a classmate and former neighbor, now a war-battered Iraq veteran with unpredictable behavior.
As the story unfolds, Flora is forced to confront the demons of her past while navigating her isolation with this mentally wounded man. Along the way, she discovers something unexpected: people can change in surprising and profound ways.
You may have heard the saying, “If these walls could talk,” but in Kentucky, it’s not the walls.
It’s those mountains that have seen and heard it all.
The book, Where the Mountains Whisper, is set to release in 2025, although the exact date has not yet been finalized.
To my own surprise, I am also three chapters into my third novel, a story inspired by the life of my great-grandmother. Although fictionalized, it draws heavily from her real-life experiences in Appalachia, Ohio, during the 1930s. The novel explores her life as a young woman who, at barely 18, became pregnant by a 62-year-old real estate agent. Her father worked tirelessly in the coal mines while her mother struggled to care for seven children during the harsh realities of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.
This deeply personal story is my favorite project yet.
CHRISTINA: I know a lot of people who will gobble your stories. How exciting you have been so prolific these last couple years.
Do you put people you know, or their characteristics, in your book?
JENNY: Absolutely! What’s the point of living if you can’t write about the people you’ve known or met? My own personality traits have found their way into each of my books—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and that’s how I keep my stories believable. I’m a people watcher, and I love picking up traits that inspire my writing. Let’s face it: we’re all a little bit crazy, so why not highlight that for entertainment?
CHRISTINA: What do you wish you had known before you started writing a book?
JENNY: For me, books were intimidating—not just to write, but even to read at times. I’ve struggled with attention deficit disorder (ADD) my entire life, and focusing has always been a challenge. However, one “superpower” that often comes with ADD is the ability to hyperfocus. When utilized properly, it’s a tool that can allow you to accomplish incredible things, including writing books.
I wish I had used this strategy earlier and turned it into an advantage. For anyone struggling with ADD or similar challenges, I highly encourage you to use this superpower to write your book. Setting a clear goal and timeline can help complete the project timely. That’s exactly what I did. I committed to and refused to waver or give up. Once I channeled that mindset, I didn’t just write a memoir—I went on to complete two additional novels.
If I had known how empowering it could be to lean into my strengths and take small, consistent steps toward my goals, I might have started writing much sooner. The greatest lesson I learned is this: your weaknesses don’t have to define you. Sometimes, they can be the key to unlocking your greatest achievements.
CHRISTINA: Thank you for sharing your remarkable life stories and your craft. Excellent advice. I wish you much success. You deserve every good thing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jenny Rose Cafaro was born in Alliance, Ohio, to the strongest woman she knows. She lived as an Appalachian Kentucky transplant most of her childhood, where she attended Morehead State University. Although she moved to the Carolinas, she has held strongly to her Appalachian roots. As an adult, she earned an associate's degree in theology and in general education and then a nursing license. Attending Lenoir Rhyne University, she earned a bachelor's in science and ultimately a master's in science of nursing, along with being a registered nurse. She is a painter and a director of nursing. She has four daughters, three grandchildren, and a golden doodle. Jenny holds her relationship with God higher than any other aspect of her life. You can connect with Jenny via her website and social media.
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