Book Talk With Jessica L. Cozzi, Published Author and MFA Grad

Jessica L. Cozzi ’22G wasn’t always a published author. But she’s always been a writer.

“My mom loves to tell this story,” she said. “I was maybe three or four. She read me 'The Giving Tree' and I didn't like the ending, so I ripped out the last few pages and tried to write an ending myself.”

Rewriting that ending was, in many ways, the beginning of Cozzi’s story.

Working in Publishing

When she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 2020, she knew she eventually wanted to pursue a Master of Fine Arts (MFA). But first, she wanted to secure a job in the publishing industry — and she did. Cozzi started as an editorial assistant and now works as a publicist for HarperCollins in New York City. Her job? Helping authors get their work out in the world and into the hands of readers who will love it.

“I think working in PR specifically is really fun, because you never have the same day twice,” she said. “Some days, I'm going with my authors to Good Morning America. Some days, I'm traveling to Seattle with one of my authors for a book tour. Some days I'm helping them move their luggage between hotels because the paparazzi found them.”

Working in publishing was one half of Cozzi’s dream. Publishing her own novel was the other — and she knew an MFA would help her get one step closer to achieving that goal. The problem? With a busy 9-5, an in-person graduate program felt out of reach.

“I thought my only option was to do night school, and I live two hours away from Manhattan," she said. "I knew I couldn’t work til 5 pm, go to night class til 9 pm and then go home. I couldn’t do it.”

Why SNHU for an MFA — and What She Learned Along the Way

When Cozzi found out that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) offered an online MFA program with no residency requirement, she knew she’d found the right fit.

“I just thought it was really, really amazing, because the fact that it was asynchronous meant that I was able to do schoolwork on the weekends and on evenings after work,” she said. “I didn't want to have to choose between grad school and my dream job.”

Once she started classes, Cozzi said she especially appreciated the marketing skills she gained in the program: things like designing your own newsletter, setting up your author social media accounts and building a website.

“All three of those, which I did as class assignments, are still what I use today,” she said.

She also learned various novel outlining methods, and said she loved the flexibility students were given to experiment with various techniques and find what fit their own writing style. As someone who had previously outlined her ideas loosely, she was searching for a more structured approach — and she found it.

“We did this big index card method where you write scene cards and lay them out. It felt like the story got unlocked in me in a way that had never happened before,” she said. “And that’s the outline method I’ve used for the five books I’ve written since then.”

Ultimately, Cozzi said that SNHU’s MFA program stood out to her because it went beyond the basics of novel-writing. It prepared her, she said, for everything additional that comes with the goal of being a published author.

“A lot of MFA programs teach you to write a book, which is great and important. It's arguably the most important part of the MFA. But then you just graduate with a book, and you're like, ‘Well, now what?’ And that's not what happens here,” she said.

Writing YA Romance 

When it came to choosing a direction for her work, Cozzi knew she wanted to write for a young adult (YA) audience. She said she struggled with the fact that YA gets a bad rap, at times; stories with teenage main characters aren’t always taken seriously, or are looked down on as silly or non-substantial. Cozzi, in her own work, was determined to help shift the narrative about YA.

“I think young love in particular is just so messy and imperfect in a way that makes it fun to write and to read,” she said. “As a teenager, that's very often the first time you're navigating some of life's biggest emotions, which can cause complete chaos because you have no idea how to handle it. And that's really what draws me to it.”

Cozzi said, too, that she was appreciative of the fact that SNHU’s MFA program lets students choose a genre of focus — contemporary, young adult, romance or speculative — because it allows writers to tailor the program to their goals. And while her thesis novel wasn’t the novel she published, it did secure her an agent. It was the stepping stone she needed, she said, to write the book that would make it out into the world.

Ready for Takeoff

Cozzi had the idea for her debut novel, "We’ve Hit Turbulence," on a flight to visit her brother in Hawaii.

“Our female protagonist, Olive, is in a long-distance relationship, and it’s a little bit rocky,” she said. “So she decides to fly across the country to visit her boyfriend, where he's at school in Hawaii, to try and fix their relationship. And on the flight, she ends up sitting next to Tyler, who is her ex that she never truly got over. So, the ultimate forced proximity trope — on a plane.”

Cozzi wrote the first draft of "We’ve Hit Turbulence" in just 25 days, but said the process to get it to a polished manuscript — as many writers know — was much longer and more arduous. Finally, she got the call from her agent that the book had been picked up by Delacorte Romance, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

“It was a Friday night, a week before Christmas. I was going into Manhattan with a bunch of friends and family. My agent texted me and said, ‘Hey, are you free for a quick call?’ She FaceTimes me on the train, and it’s crackling, and I can barely hear her. But she says, ‘You got the deal.’”

Cozzi said this was a moment she’d never forget, particularly because she got to celebrate, right then and there, with some of the most important people in her life.

Now, "We’ve Hit Turbulence" has been published and is in the hands of readers. Cozzi’s next novel, "The Rom-Com Conundrum," is set for release in Fall 2027, also from Delacorte Romance.

Advice for Aspiring Authors

Cozzi’s advice for aspiring authors? It’s twofold: Build a routine, and find fellow writers who will hold you accountable.

First, she said, find a time and space that works well for you — and don’t be afraid to switch up the space you write in, either. If you typically write at your desk at home, for example, you might try the library, a coffee shop or a local park.

Next, find other writers who are also trying to build a routine. This could mean connecting with other MFA students you’ve shared classes with. Or, you could find a writing group in person. There are also ample opportunities to connect with other writers online via platforms like Discord, which Cozzi has used. All that’s left to do, she said, is stick to your agreed-upon schedule. She’s had hers for five years.

“Every Sunday, unless somebody's sick or it's a holiday, we all show up virtually,” Cozzi said about her writing group. “I guard that time the way I would guard an appointment I made at a doctor, and I make myself honor it.”

And if you’re looking for the structure and skills you need to prepare a novel for publication, earning your MFA is another great step you can take.

“It really sets you up for success,” Cozzi said. “I graduated having everything I needed to take the next step into publishing — truly.”

Abigail (Abby) Syversen-Mark ’23G is a copywriter, contributing content writer and adjunct faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). A passionate storyteller, Abby hopes her writing will help prospective students and employees alike see just how transformative SNHU could be for them (as it’s been pretty transformative for her). You can connect with her on LinkedIn.