Jennifer van der Kleut is coming to Elaine's Literary Salon

Meet the Author: Jennifer began her writing journey at the age of 10 when she started her own neighborhood newspaper, “The Santa Clara Times,” printed it herself, and walked up and down her street, passing it out to all the neighbors. She graduated from the School of Journalism, Mass Communications, and Public Relations at San Jose State University in Northern California, and went on to have a ten-year career as a journalist.

Her works have appeared in countless print and digital publications including the the Huffington Post, the San Jose Mercury News, Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, AOL, Patch, Silicon Valley Accent Magazine, and Alexandria Living Magazine, among others, and has had several articles picked up or quoted by the Washington Post.

She is a 2005 recipient of the Peninsula Press Club Award for Feature Story of a Serious Nature, and a 2013 recipient of AOL’s “Must Read” Award for Enterprise Reporting. She also worked as a Web Editor & Producer for WJLA, the Washington, D.C. affiliate of ABC7 News, before leaving the news industry in 2014.

Since then, she has worked in small business management and marketing at the Washington, D.C. area’s busiest winery, The Winery at Bull Run.

Jennifer started work drafting her debut novel, THE BETTER MOTHER, in March of 2023 after attending the Algonkian Writers Retreat with Michael Neff. She began querying literary agents in April 2024, and was offered representation by fellow thriller writer Jenna Satterthwaite of the Storm Literary Agency at the end of July. THE BETTER MOTHER went on submission to publishing houses in late September, and excitingly, received its first offer exactly two months later, leading to an auction.

THE BETTER MOTHER is due out in February 2026 with Crooked Lane Books (distributed by Penguin Random House).

Jennifer grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and currently lives in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., with her husband and two sons.

About the Book: Still recovering from a devastating breakup, 34-year-old Savannah Mitchell has finally managed to put her life back together when she gets the shock of her life—after a brief fling with a man named Max, she is pregnant.
When she gets in touch to tell him, he reveals that he’s just gotten back together with his ex, Madison, and he will need time to break it to her. Surprisingly, Madison isn’t upset—in fact, she’s excited, and wants to help.

Max insists Madison has the best of intentions, but Savannah finds her efforts—popping by uninvited, demanding lifestyle changes, and pretty much trying to take over the pregnancy—anything but helpful. When Savannah finally stands up for herself, Madison’s treatment of her goes from casually cruel to downright dangerous.

All Savannah wanted to do was form a friendly co-parenting relationship with the father of her child—but his new girlfriend obviously has much more sinister plans in mind. She has no plans to co-parent at all.

About our Elaine's Literary Salon Host, A retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, Jeff has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor. Jeffrey has been interviewed by CNN, National Geographic, and The New York Times. Learn more:

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[caption id="attachment_12728" align="alignright" width="300"]Elaine's Literary Salon[/caption]

A menu filled with delicious modern Mediterranean cuisine selections is sure to please everyone in your party. The dishes are inspired by exquisite food from Alexandria, Egypt — a blend of Middle Eastern and French, Greek, and Italian influences. Elaine’s is named for the owner’s grandmother and is based on a promise she made at the age of 12, growing up in Cairo. "I promised my grandma I would someday own a restaurant and name it after her," shares Cynthia, who is also an author. She and her husband, bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins, are proud to share my family’s recipes with new friends and families in the Washington, DC metropolitan area." Located in an 1880s building, it was the previous home for 38 years of the beloved bistro Bilbo Baggins. The newly renovated restaurant is located in the heart of Old Town’s Historic District within sight of the Potomac River and Founders Park, just a few blocks from The Torpedo Factory Art Center, and Old Town Alexandria Waterfront.

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