Palms on the Cape

About This Episode

Jenn Bouchard is a returning guest and award-winning author whose publishing journey could be a novel in itself. A high school social studies teacher of twenty-six years, she wrote Palms on the Cape five years ago — but when her original publisher closed, the manuscript sat on the shelf while she found a new home at Black Rose Writing. Now, after publishing Considering Us (2025 American Fiction Award winner) first, her Cape Cod friends-to-lovers romance is finally here.

Mike and Jenn talk about pivoting when a publisher folds, the magic of Mayflower Beach at low tide, why the bar is named after palm trees, and what it's like when your high school students Google you.

Key Takeaways

1. Your first novel is the hardest. Jenn's debut First Course took two and a half years to draft. Her second and third novels each took six months. The confidence of knowing you can finish a book changes everything.
2. When your publisher closes, you pivot. Jenn's first publisher shuttered mid-process. She leaned on author friends who'd worked with Black Rose Writing, asked hard questions, and took the plunge. She's now publishing her third and fourth books with them.
3. Sometimes your second book publishes third. Palms on the Cape was written before Considering Us but is releasing after it — a reminder that publishing timelines rarely follow writing timelines.
4. Cape Cod as a character. Set primarily in Dennis near Mayflower Beach, the novel also visits Chatham, Falmouth, Hyannis, and Nantucket. Jenn spent eleven consecutive Augusts renting on the Cape and channels that intimacy into the setting.
5. A When Harry Met Sally spin. Rachel's lifelong best friend Carlos — a retired Red Sox pitcher — might be the love of her life, but she won't let herself think about it. Everyone else already knows.
6. Keep the same editor. Jenn has worked with the same editor across all four books. That continuity builds trust and deepens the editorial relationship — something newer authors can seek out intentionally.