Jen Marie Wiggins
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  • Married AF
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  • About Jen
  • Publications
  • Blog
  • Married AF
  • Let's Connect

Publications

Everyone Loves a Good Story.

It’s my business to tell them. I specialize in unique on-line content, fun story angles and writing you can’t put down. Here’s just a few of my latest publications.

Traditional and Modern: Marry the Two

Featured in Southern Coastal Weddings
You’re in love, you’re engaged … and you’re lucky enough to be getting married on the Southern coast. Planning a Southern wedding means taking those special vows in a place steeped in history and tradition, but that doesn’t mean you need to rule out all the fun and creativity of a modern affair. Believe it or not, in this age of unconventional venues, wedding hashtags and an ever-evolving cache of fads, it’s still possible to find balance...
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Playing With Fire

Featured in Savannah Magazine

Savannah dentist Mike Groover has always liked cooking on his Big Green Egg. When he volunteered to man the grills at his children’s school fundraiser one afternoon, he never imagined it would spark an infatuation that would take his cooking to a whole new level...
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This Place We’ve Never Been

Featured in Literary Mama

​Even before he looks, he knows where to find me. It's too early to sleep and the sun is still out. The thick heat of a Louisiana summer beats unrelenting against the bedroom window. Yet, there is always solace in blankets. He's learned this, my husband of nine years. I can almost see him. Shaking his head and grinning before he rips the sheets back to reveal me—a mass of blankets and tears crumpled on the bed, the last moments of a good sob still damp on my cheeks.
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"The munchkins were running amuck again, huh?" James says, surveying the spectacular mess of toys, crushed crackers, stuffed animals, books, and other kid junk covering the floor.
From beneath my pillow, I watch as he tugs at his tie, then stoops to remove his shoes. First the left, then the right. A singular, fluid motion performed a thousand times before. Only today, it seems foreign. This doesn't feel like our bedroom. This doesn't feel like our home, or even our life. Had it been a month already? With one finger, I trace the tender scar below my navel and do the math in my head. I'd pulled into this driveway for the first time with stitches still angry and red. Three weeks ago, we'd moved across the country. A week before that, Tommy was born.
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Raising Outdoor Kids in an Indoor World

​Featured in Savannah Magazine

​It is said that “play is the work of childhood.” If you were lucky enough to be raised in Savannah, chances are much of that play was spent outdoors. From the city’s iconic squares to its coastal marshes and beach, the Hostess City is brimming with opportunities for outdoor adventure. 
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So why are today’s children spending more time indoors than ever before? A recent study by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that children ages 8-18 spent as much as 7.5 hours a day on electronic entertainment. In the last four years, even children 8 and under have tripled the amount of time they spend on screens.  
As a mom of three, I know the struggle is real. Utter the word Fortnite in earshot of parents anywhere in the Coastal Empire, and it will draw the same chorus of groans and frustration. This notably addictive video game is only one of many devices keeping our children plugged in.
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The Real Reason You Should Start Working Out Right Now

Spoiler Alert: It’s not about the size of your butt.
Featured on PS I love you

Many people don’t know this about me, but I’ve been an aerobics instructor for two decades. While it’s become more of a hobby, over the years I’ve taught every type of class to every type of exerciser — from seniors and first timers to elite athletes.

The new year means a fresh start and while the gym industry is far from perfect, it has taught me a few lessons relevant to maintaining a long term exercise routine.

You know the stats: Regular exercise helps weight loss, lowers stress, improves blood pressure…yada, yada, yada. In my experience, motivation from these worthy reasons often dwindles, and old habits rear their ugly head.

So this year, I would like to propose something different. A single word I hope will resonate with you. For me, it remains long after the feel-good endorphins disappear and carries me through when I feel the urge to quit or mail it in.
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That word is empowerment...
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The Devil in the Red Hat

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Featured on Publishous
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I try to stay out of politics. I really do. I don’t discuss it at parties or post about it on social media. This weekend, I watched the video of Nick Sandmann and Nathan Phillips and something broke in me.

At first, I was angered by what appeared to be another spoiled entitled kid. But afterward, it nagged at me. I watched it again and finally caught it. Nick Sandmann’s grin — that seemingly smug teenage smirk was too familiar. As the mother of three boys and a former high school teacher, I’ve seen that expression in more than one scenario. There was more to this story….and it only took a day to find out I was right.
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In case you missed it, this Friday during the Right to Life March in Washington, a standoff between Phillips, an Omaha tribe elder, and Sandmann, a Catholic High School student was caught on camera. In the 2 minute and 44-second clip, Phillips steadily beats a tribal drum during an uncomfortable face-off with Sandman who is reportedly sneering and wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat. Clips of a chanting crowd, some also wearing the MAGA hats are featured as well...

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​Why Does Feminism Die Every December?

Featured on PS I Love You

The other day, my seven-year-old was playing quietly on the floor when out of nowhere he looked up at me with his big blue eyes and said, “Mom, you’re grumpy a lot more now that you’re working.”

I stopped, speechless as I looked up from the Christmas box I was dragging from the attic. After a moment, I composed myself and said, “You’re right. Sometimes I am a little more grumpy, but I am also a little more happy too.”
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He shrugged and went back to playing with his Legos, innocently unaware of the guilt cluster he’d just unleashed in my chest. I’ve only returned to work recently and while it’s part-time, I really love it. Yet for the rest of that afternoon, I skulked around my house with the same thought rattling around in my head:
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Women really can’t have it all...
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The Gift of Failure: Simple Steps to Win at Losing

Featured on Publishous

I’ve been thinking about failure a lot lately. Specifically, rejection.

It’s probably got something to do with the fair share of it popping up in my inbox. In the last few weeks, its been brace and wince every time my email refreshes.

I know it’s probably to be expected. Returning to the writing world after staying home with kids for the last decade, there’s been a real learning curve.

I’ve finally reached the stage where I’m pitching projects to editors and agents. One project particularly has been consuming
all my thoughts. While sometimes just getting to that point is excruciating, the next step is even harder.

Mostly, it means getting acquainted with the word “No.”

In life, failure comes in so many forms. The job you didn’t get, the girl who didn’t go out with you. Every time you shoot a ball, talk to a stranger, give your opinion— you are putting yourself out there to be rejected.
Yet somehow, I feel energized.

Even as I know that I am shooting for the stars, (and why not? — more about this in a minute) every gut-wrenching “No” has only reinforced my resolve.

In the glow of my computer’s florescent screen, two valuable lessons have emerged. The first is that:

​You Cannot Grow if You Do Not Fail...
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