92 ratings | 16 reviews | avg rating:4.07

Jessica's Bookshelves

read (89)
currently-reading (1)
to-read (9)
excited-to-read (3)
occult (3)
paranormal-fantasy (3)
urban-fantasy (3)

Jessica’s Friends (99)

Pure Textuality

898 books | 859 friends

Alana ~ The Book Pimp

1,841 books | 505 friends

Dan Porter

2,044 books | 4,999 friends
Friend details

Jodi McClure

2 books | 1,176 friends

Robert Zimmermann

2,219 books | 1,199 friends

Scandal

905 books | 396 friends

Tana

2,183 books | 3,266 friends

Bennett Gavrish

146 books | 4,393 friends

More friends…

Jessica is following 1 person

Jessica Fortunato

Goodreads author profile

url

http://gr-assets.com/JessicaFortunato

born

in Pittsburgh, The United States

gender

female

website

http://thesincollector.weebly.com/index.html

twitter username

JessFortunato

genre

Urban Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality, Mystery & Thrillers

influences

Oscar Wilde is my favorite author period. If I had a time machine I wo...more

member since

September 2011

About this author

edit data

Jessica Fortunato is a writer in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

She has been a freelance reviewer for the past three years. She has always loved a supernatural aspect to literature, as well as the addition of theology, so it is no surprise that her debut novel "The Sin Collector" combines just that.

She has been a waitress, a cook, a librarian, a book binder, nanny, and even a hairdresser when the occasion calls for it. However writing is her main focus and she is thrilled to share the first installment of what she hopes will be a a beloved book series.

Jessica says she based the heroine of her book, Liliana, on the many extraordinary women in her life.

"Firstly, I named her Liliana, the name I would have given my own daughter were I to have had...more Jessica Fortunato is a writer in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

She has been a freelance reviewer for the past three years. She has always loved a supernatural aspect to literature, as well as the addition of theology, so it is no surprise that her debut novel "The Sin Collector" combines just that.

She has been a waitress, a cook, a librarian, a book binder, nanny, and even a hairdresser when the occasion calls for it. However writing is her main focus and she is thrilled to share the first installment of what she hopes will be a a beloved book series.

Jessica says she based the heroine of her book, Liliana, on the many extraordinary women in her life.

"Firstly, I named her Liliana, the name I would have given my own daughter were I to have had a little girl. She however has very little of my own personality in her in my opinion. I tried to give Liliana the best attributes of each of these amazing women in my life.
There was never anyone as bold as my Aunt Lynda. I wanted Liliana to be strong and self reliant, and to never back down from a fight.
I also wanted her to be balanced, and so I wanted to bring the type of selfless kindness to her demeanor that my beloved Aunt Dolly brings to everything she does.
You could say I sprinkled in a bit of my Mother as well, since there is no one in the world more battle scarred, but resilient and hopeful.
Lastly, I realized the one thing my character was missing. The drive that my sister Juliana brings to whatever life throws at her. I would like to think that Liliana is the epitome of what all women can be."

Jessica is already halfway through writing the second installment in "The Sin Collector" series. She hopes that every person who reads the story falls in love with the characters as she did. When I asked about the book dedication, she had this to say.

"This book is dedicated wholeheartedly to my Grandma, who taught me from a young age the pure magic that can always be found in a book. Also I would be remiss to not thank an old friend Melissa Brandt. She was among my first readers, and her encouragement to see my book through was immeasurable."

Before I concluded the interview, I simply had to ask her the question she imposes on all her readers. What was your first sin?

"That question literally made me laugh out loud," Jessica says, "I guess my first sin was an act of thievery at the impressionable age of six. I stole a handful of Swedish fish candies from the small store up the street. I suppose ever since then you could say the sins just keep piling up."(less)

19 posts
Jessica Fortunato's Blog

99 cents today only!

In honor of the blue moon, this one time only get both of The Sin Collector books for 99 cents each!

http://thesincollector.weebly.com/1/p...

0 comments

• like •

Published on August 31, 2012 06:37 • 37 views

View all 19 posts »

combine editions
Jessica Fortunato's Books

Average rating: 3.72 · 173 ratings · 82 reviews · 4 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Sin Collector (Book 1) 3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 avg rating — 138 ratings — published 2011	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Sin Collector: Thomas 4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 avg rating — 20 ratings — published 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Steam 4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nocturnal Embers by Jessica Fortunato (Goodreads Author), Dawn Nikithser, Kelley Frank (Goodreads Author) 4.67 of 5 stars 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Upcoming Events

No scheduled events. Add an event.

Jessica is Currently Reading

Jessica Fortunato rated a book 5 of 5 stars

The Story Sisters

by Alice Hoffman

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Feb 05, 2013 04:47pm

rss
Jessica's Recent Updates

Jessica Fortunato liked a quote “That's what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you're not so lovable.” — Deb Caletti like
2 hours, 8 min ago · more quotes by Deb Caletti
Jessica Fortunato liked a quote “But there's a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother's story, because hers is where yours begin.” — Mitch Albom like
May 07, 2013 07:08pm · more quotes by Mitch Albom
Jessica Fortunato liked a quote “I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity.” — Eleanor Roosevelt like
Apr 02, 2013 05:19pm · more quotes by Eleanor Roosevelt
Jessica Fortunato liked Marco Machado's review of Steam: " Ever wonder what it's like to not have a heart? But I don't mean being heartless and mean. I mean literally not having a heart? Charlotte does. Even though she may seem like some cool superhuman by having a mechanical heart, bioceramics aren't dur... " Read more of this review »
Apr 02, 2013 07:37am · see review
Jessica Fortunato rated a book 5 of 5 stars The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 05, 2013 04:47pm
Jessica Fortunato voted for 1 books on the list Great Small Press Books and Chapbooks Vote on this list »
Feb 03, 2013 08:51am · like
Jessica Fortunato liked Noree Cosper's review of Steam: " Steam is different from the Sin Collector series, but this is a very good thing. It shows Fortunato’s gift to write a wide range of genres. First of all, Jessica once again hit the mark with her originality. The concept of a girl in the modern day... " Read more of this review »
Feb 02, 2013 08:02pm · see review
Jessica Fortunato joined the group Children's Books
Feb 01, 2013 05:38pm · like
Jessica Fortunato rated a book 5 of 5 stars From Where I Stand by Robert Zimmermann (Goodreads Author) read in November, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
One of the most difficult things a writer can do is tell a complete story in a short medium like poetry. Robert Zimmermann not only manages to tell you a story, but to draw you in completely with each of his poems. His poems range from the topics of g...more
Jan 29, 2013 03:46pm · see review
Jessica Fortunato liked Robert Zimmermann's review of Steam: " Fortunato takes a nice-sized leap away from her series, The Sin Collector, in the short story Steam. I’ve enjoyed The Sin Collector and the companion novella, The Sin Collector: Thomas, but with Steam it is a much different genre, set of character... " Read more of this review »
Jan 29, 2013 11:22am · see review

More of Jessica's books…

Quotes by Jessica Fortunato

“Truth was, I didn't really want to die today. I was in the middle of a really good book, and being alive had always worked out for me. . .”
― Jessica Fortunato, The Sin Collector

tags: the-sin-collector

13 people liked it

“Your cell phone is on the nightstand. Call me immediately if something changes. I don’t care if you are merely dizzy or if you start seeing pink dragons, do you understand?”

I solemnly swear I will call you the second a pink dragon shows up.”
― Jessica Fortunato, The Sin Collector

tags: dragon, sarcasm

8 people liked it

“You can't know how much a mother loves.”
― Jessica Fortunato, Steam

tags: daughter, loss, love, mom, mother

6 people liked it

See all Jessica Fortunato's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
One Million Pages...: Sharon's Challenges!	6	50	May 20, 2012 05:26am
Making Connections: 111. THE SIN COLLECTOR (Book 1) by Jessica Fortunato	102	99	Jun 28, 2012 08:14pm
Shut Up & Read: * {Read It & Reap72}-The Sin Collector by Jessica Fortunato	67	165	Jul 24, 2012 10:41am
One Million Pages...: 12x12 in 2012	333	144	Jan 06, 2013 12:11pm
Making Connections: 2012/2013 Group Choice Awards!	41	80	Jan 14, 2013 05:28pm

More…

Quotes Jessica Likes

“Once Upon A Time” I began. We made it through three stories before she was in a deep sleep. In the end, she probably didn’t have a better grasp on our legal system, racism, or social complexity. However, she now knew that sometimes the most loyal friend you could have was a mouse, that sometimes people weren’t always who they seemed, even if their eyes were allegedly only bigger to see you with, and that everyone had the capacity to live happily ever after. It wasn’t in her lesson plan, and maybe it wasn’t all true, but it was important.”
― Jessica Fortunato, The Sin Collector

1 person liked it

“To call it helmet hair was an insult to my helmet.”
― Jessica Fortunato, The Sin Collector

tags: humor

2 people liked it

“I was really putting a lot of pressure on this beer prop; it was going to distract me enough so that I didn’t run around screaming like a lunatic on fire.”
― Jessica Fortunato, The Sin Collector

tags: humor

1 person liked it

“I was about to run, possibly fight, definitely scream...”
― Jessica Fortunato, The Sin Collector

tags: fight, humor, scream

4 people liked it