Jessica Therrien's Blog, page 13

Just a Bit of Brain Vomit...

This post is many things. It's me with no focus. No writing project going. No editing. No formatting issues to dwell on. This is me being a chicken with my head cut off...thinking all the things I think.

1. I started a new book today. Reading for pure pleasure is something I haven't had time for in months. Now that my books are finished...(and that alone is it's own strange world of "now whats") I have time for things. Keep in mind that "time" in Mommy-terms means 15 minutes while toddler is distracted with ipad and baby is content chewing on a rubber ducky. Still, somehow being a Mommy turns you into a super-human. Amazing things can happen in 15 minutes.

2. That new book happens to be CHERRY by Mary Karr. I have no idea if I'm going to like it. It's a memoir. I write and read YA. BUT...this leads me to the next "now what" in my new world of random 15-minute freeness...I bought this memoir on purpose. I have a story in mind. My next writing project. I'm hoping to be inspired. We shall see...

3. This one is for all the writers out there. As I opened CHERRY by Mary Karr, I noticed something on the first page. Hyphens. A TON of them! I know this is weird to probably 90% of people reading this, but word spacing, right/left justification, and hyphenation were the things I struggled with most when re-drafting my series for release. Words don't just magically appear on the book page in perfect order. I scrutinized every sentence. 3 books (almost 1,000 pages) adds up to A CRAP TON of sentences. Anyway, the fact that I saw 6 hyphens on the first page of the most famous memoir in who-knows-how-long made me feel better about my copy editing choices.

4. All those hyphens made me realize something. I really should do a DIY formatting post for authors out there who have no clue how to start. I was terrified at first. Now it all seems so easy. I need to share this knowledge because I would have loved to stumble upon a post with all the how-to's.

I'll post about it soon...

Bleh. That was just a little bit of my brain vomit, lol. I guess I should start writing something new before I go nuts ;P

Interview with Holly Kammier

Today I'm interviewing my writing besty, Holly Kammier, about her amazing debut novel KINGSTON COURT.

I've been waiting a long time for this interview. I'm SO excited!!

So, Holly...

Did you always intend for Samantha to be "unlikable" in the beginning or did she just come out that way?
My intention for Samantha was that she would be one of those people who always spoke her mind, no filter. That did end up translating into a harsher character. My hope is that as readers come to understand her better, they will like her more.
How do you develop your characters?
First I have to "see" them. The way we look can impact how we behave. For Samantha, I imagined the gorgeous blonde actress Sienna Miller. From there I invented her whole childhood story and how she grew up. I wanted to know if she had Daddy issues or was betrayed by a best friend. Did she enjoy high school? Where did she hang out? Even if some of those details didn't end up in the book, knowing my character's background tells me how she will talk, dress, relate to others, and react in stressful situations. 
Are they based on real people? 
Usually. But just based on the them, because I could take a friend of mine and give her a completely different childhood and life experiences and that will change who she is. Imagine taking your best friend and having her grow up in a different country, with different parents, and she was ugly in high school and got picked on all the time. Plus she had a beloved older brother who was killed by the mafia. That's how I create a lot of my characters. They start off as someone I know, but they end up a whole different person. For me it's a fun process.
What has been the most challenging part of this whole process and how did you overcome it?
That's a hard question! Probably, believing in myself. I admire great writers so much, it's been hard to put my work out there and call myself a real author. I don't always feel worthy. I overcome it by feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
What did you learn along the way? Anything you wish someone had told you? Any advice for aspiring authors?
I learned that writing is not all inspiration and magic. Most of it is just like any other job, you have to sit there and do it, even when you don't feel like it. My advice is the same advice most writers give: write. write. write. The rest will work itself out.
Thanks so much Jess, these were fantastic questions!!!


CONGRATS, MY FRIEND!! Here is a little more about her novel...

What happens when you take middle-aged, stay-at-home moms, and throw them back into the workforce and dating? 

A modern twist between Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives, Kingston Court follows the love, lies, and friendships of two wealthy Southern California women. 

Samantha and Natalie are at a crossroads. Gorgeous, over-the-top Samantha, hangs her status and her happiness on her “perfect” husband. That is until she learns his secret. 

But she’s not the only mother on the block struggling. Natalie, nurturing and careful, is thrust back into the workforce after her husband barely survives a horrifying car crash. However, it isn’t just her new job co-hosting a national morning news show that keeps her busy. Alik, the hot young production assistant, does everything in his power to seduce the woman he loves. 

Death and misfortune in the span of a single year force these two women to rediscover their inner strength and make life-changing choices. Kingston Court is full of scandal, temptation, and all of life’s juicy little secrets.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE


Holly Kammier splits her time between San Diego, California and Henderson, Nevada. She is the author of the debut novel, Kingston Court(Acorn Publishing 2015), and Could Have Been Hollywood, a memoir. Holly is the co-creator of Acorn Author Services & Publishing. A UCLA honors graduate, Holly is a former journalist who has worked everywhere from CNN in Washington, D.C. and KCOP-TV in Los Angeles, to the NBC affiliate in small-town Medford, Oregon.  She has recently completed her second book, Kingston Court, scheduled for release this September. A world traveler in her younger years, these days when she isn’t writing or content editing, Holly spends much of her time chasing after her two boys, Josh and Alex.  Holly is an avid reader with a passion for timeless books and beautiful writing. She also enjoys long walks, romantic movies and making her mischievous sons smile wider.

Before We Were Authors...Happy Release Day!

Before we were authors we were just two girls at a writers conference in the same room with the same weird people. We sat around a table while those weird people read their weird manuscripts.

We found each other in the crowd, knowing almost instantly we were of the same breed. You know when you meet someone and it feels like you've been friend for years? I'm pretty sure our souls were buddies in a past life...

Holly has been a better friend to me than some of my "best" friends. She has heard me cry, read hundreds and hundreds of pages of my writing (something no one else on the planet has done for me *accept for my mom*), she's given me advice on life, listened to my rants, laughed with me about our neurotic obsession with making everything perfect...

THANK YOU HOLLY for being there for me every step along the way :) This has been one amazing journey. You're the best writing partner a girl could ask for!! I'm SO SO SO happy for you!!

Okay, okay...all that mushy Holly-is-awesome mumbo jumbo leads me to the main reason for this post. It's the release of her novel KINGSTON COURT!!! It's an amazing book. I've read it many many times and it never gets old.

Think SEX & THE CITY meets DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES...oh...and this is NOT a YA book. It's for the mamas out there.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

What happens when you take middle-aged, stay-at-home moms, and throw them back into the workforce and dating? 

A modern twist between Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives, Kingston Court follows the love, lies, and friendships of two wealthy Southern California women. 

Samantha and Natalie are at a crossroads. Gorgeous, over-the-top Samantha, hangs her status and her happiness on her “perfect” husband. That is until she learns his secret. 

But she’s not the only mother on the block struggling. Natalie, nurturing and careful, is thrust back into the workforce after her husband barely survives a horrifying car crash. However, it isn’t just her new job co-hosting a national morning news show that keeps her busy. Alik, the hot young production assistant, does everything in his power to seduce the woman he loves. 

Death and misfortune in the span of a single year force these two women to rediscover their inner strength and make life-changing choices. Kingston Court is full of scandal, temptation, and all of life’s juicy little secrets.

CONGRATS HOLLY!!! *LOOOOOOVE* :)

Last Call for REDEMPTION ARCs

So, this is sort of informal (I usually create forms for this sort of thing...) but if you'd like to request an ARC of REDEMPTION, please email me at therrien.jessica@gmail.com

I probably won't be able to send one to everyone, but I'm thinking the first 5 or so who email...

OPPRESSION Re-Release Day!

It's official! OPPRESSION is back out in the book-o-sphere. It feels so good to have made it exactly the way I want it. For many, not much has changed, but those who have worked with me on this know just how much effort I put in to making it my version of perfect. Thanks to everyone who has helped me make it BEAUTIFUL! *cough* Carrie Butler & Holly Kammier *cough*

If you're interested in reading the bonus chapter here is a little tease...
(It's from William's perspective)

William
I HEARD HER NAME hundreds of times before I ever met her. Elyse. It was whispered behind closed doors, a secret that tortured me when I was a curious child.
In the winter of 1973, when my fifty-year-old self appeared ten years old to the rest of the world, I decided I had to know.
“I’ll be back in a few days. I just need to see for myself that she’s safe,” my dad’s quiet voice slipped through the crack in the bedroom door. I crouched down to listen, pressing my eye to the opening so I could see them.

Purchase Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ibooks | Kobo | Goodreads
Blurb & Cover: 
Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than average people, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's well over eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal. For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she's been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability. Or so she thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Some are waiting for her to put an end to centuries of traditions that have oppressed their people under the guise of safeguarding them. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning-and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules. 


                           OCTOBER 2, 2015                     NOVEMBER 2, 2015

Oppression Re-release 7 day countdown!

Well, I didn't think I would be as nervous as I am about this...people have read it. They've seen the new cover. I guess the only thing nobody has yet to set eyes on is the bonus chapter, but hey, it's ONE chapter. It's funny how much we authors care about our "book babies."

For anyone willing to participate in the announcement of the re-release, here are the details:
Title: OPPRESSION (Children of the Gods #1)Release Date: September 2, 2015Publisher: Acorn PublishingLinks:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ibooks | Kobo | Goodreads
Countdown Embed Code (or copy it from the ticker on the right):
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Blurb & Cover: 
Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than average people, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's well over eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal. For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she's been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability. Or so she thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Some are waiting for her to put an end to centuries of traditions that have oppressed their people under the guise of safeguarding them. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning-and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules. 


                           OCTOBER 2, 2015                     NOVEMBER 2, 2015



THANKS EVERYONE!! :)

Chameleon Release Day! Yay for K.T. Hanna :)

Chameleon Releases Today! "Wow! A fast-paced, science fiction delight with fabulous action, a seamless world, and the most unique characters I've read in a long time." Elana Johnson, Author of the Possession Series. 
The World of ChameleonThe CitiesThe Cities have a central hub, surrounded by a sort of spiraling grid. The closer somewhere is to the center, the better part of town it is. Once you pass the businesses in the center, the living areas begin. Each block consists of four apartment block towers. In the center of these is a little area called a Botanica. It’s housed in a glass enclosure and is the only greenery in sight. There are some shops and eating areas at the base of some apartment blocks, but in general, it’s just full of people.Huge air filtration units run underneath the cities, pumping air through the domes so that the populace can breathe at all times of day. However, the components used to filter the air are flammable, and because the filtration is literally all over the city, guns have been outlawed. Sparks caused by guns, or by the potential ricochet of bullets off the cement towers, could spark an explosion that would run the length of all of the filtration tunnels and level the city.Generally, the outskirts house the poor people, the drug addicts, and the shady dealers. It’s where Sai grew up, and where Chameleon begins. 
The Blurb:When Sai's newly awoken psionic powers accidentally destroy her apartment complex, she’s thrown into an intensive training program. Her only options are pass or die. Surviving means proving her continued existence isn't a mistake--a task her new mentor, Bastian, takes personally. Her abilities place her in the GNW Enforcer division, and partners her with Domino 12, who is eerily human for an alien-parasite psionic hybrid. After eliminating an Exiled scientist, she discovers nothing is what it seems. With each mission more perilous, Sai must figure out who to trust before her next assignment becomes her last.Available at:Amazon | Kobo | iBooks | IndieBoundIf you'd like a signed physical copy, Watermark Books has them in stock.CELEBRATION!We're having a blog hop, and an e-card & mega swag Rafflecopter giveaway!The blog hop stops are noted below. Each day has a different theme and you can find out about the process, the idea, and the evolution of Chameleon, and even a bit about K.T. by visiting each blog, when their posts go live.4-Aug5-Aug6-Aug7-Aug10-AugFun facts about the bookWhat I learned writing ChameleonAuthor InterviewsThe world of ChameleonThe Evolution of ChameleonManuel SotoMarlo BerlinerLeatrice McKinneyRebecca EnzorPatricia LynnJ Elizabeth HillStacey TrombleyDawn AllenSharon JohnstonBex MontgomeryE.L. WickerJC DavisSuzanne van RooyenMandy BaxterMadelyn DyerJessie MullinsAndrew PattersonHeather RebelJessica TherrienCarissa TaylorEmma AdamsLady JaiElayna NoremeKendra YoungI’m giving away e-cards of your choice from B&N, iTunes, & Amazon – one to the value of $25, and three to the value of $10! Each prize includes a swag pack of a magnet, sticker, bookmark, postcard, and mousepad!Just follow the options listed on the giveaway and you'll be entered! a Rafflecopter giveawayAbout the Author KT Hanna has a love for words so extreme, a single word can spark entire worlds.Born in Australia, she met her husband in a computer game, moved to the U.S.A. and went into culture shock. Bonus? Not as many creatures specifically out to kill you.When she's not writing, she freelance edits for Chimera Editing, interns for a NYC Agency, and chases her daughter, husband, corgis, and cat. No, she doesn't sleep. She is entirely powered by the number 2, caffeine, and beef jerky.Note: Still searching for her Tardis

Kindle Version of OPPRESSION Available for Pre-Order!

The re-released version of OPPRESSION is up on Amazon for pre-order!

Pre-Order Kindle VersionIt's only the Kindle version as of right now, but it's still really awesome to see the new cover on display. I can't wait to hold the actual book in my hands. I've already ordered the proof, and (fingers crossed super duper tight) I hope it turns out well! You just never know.

I've always been a perfectionist, but reformatting my books has taken it to a whole new OCD kind of level. Here's the thing...when you justify the text of a novel to both the left and the right to give it that perfectly rectangular book page look, sometimes the words getbunchedup and sometimes the sentences get stretched out leaving big    spaces     between   the   words. Yikes. I think it looks terrible. It REEEEHHHHEEEAAALY bugs me. SO, what's an author to do? Hyphenate, right? Yeah, yeah, sometimes that doesn't always work. What if the word you're supposed to hyphenate is a single syllable word with no place to add a hyphen?!! I dug through the internet and found a pretty decent solution. There is something called character spacing. I won't get into specifics, but if you reduce it to 95%...blah blah blah. Okay. It took forever, but the book looks GREAT. No spacing issues :)
Now I wait. Because in the back of my mind, I'm terrified that my "fix" is going to look different in print. The proof will be here in 5 days. So begins my 5 days of torture. We shall see, my friends. Bah!
Wish me luck.
Has anyone else had experience dealing with spacing issues or any other formatting/book publishing challenges?

SUMMERTIME BOOK GIVEAWAY

Summertime is here! That means beaches, free time, traveling...what is awesome to have with you for all three??
BOOKS!
Ready to win some free reading topped off with two awesome gift cards?Let's do this.




a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway


Also, as a bonus...

Fans of Rachel Morgan's Creepy Hollow series finally get to begin a new adventure today with the release of the fourth book, A Faerie's Secret!

Calla Larkenwood wants nothing more than to be a guardian, but her overprotective mother has never allowed it. When circumstances change and Calla finally gets to join a Guild, she discovers guardian trainee life isn’t all she hoped it would be. Her classmates are distant, her mentor hates her, and keeping her Griffin Ability a secret is harder than she thought. Then an initiation game goes wrong, landing Calla with a magical ability she can’t control. She needs help—and the only way she can get it is by bargaining with the guy who just discovered her biggest secret.
Amazon | iBooks | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

FACEBOOK CELEBRATION PARTY!
Come and join the Facebook party tomorrow night, starting at 4pm EDT. There will be prizes from other authors, a "spoiler" thread where you can talk about the book with other readers if you've finished reading it by then, and LOTS of prizes from Rachel!

Children of the Gods COVER REVEAL

REDEMPTION (Children of the Gods #3) is ready and waiting! Hooooray! Along with it, I'll be re-releasing the first two books in my series through Acorn Publishing. Thankfully, cover makeovers are "in" these days, because my books are wearing all new jackets thanks to the amaaaaaahahazing, Carrie Butler.

Here they are!!

OPPRESSION(Children of the Gods #1)September 2, 2015
There are others like her. Many of them. And they have been waiting for her for a long time.
Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than average people, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's well over eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal.

For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she's been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability.

Or so she thinks. 

Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Some are waiting for her to put an end to centuries of traditions that have oppressed their people under the guise of safeguarding them. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning-and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules.



UPRISING(Children of the Gods #2)October 2, 2015
The Descendants have waited long enough for freedom.
Elyse has done everything she can to protect her friends from The Council's reach. As long as they believe she's dead, she has time to rest and train for war. And war is inevitable. 

When Kara arrives with the news that Anna and Chloe have been captured, Elyse is faced with the realization that no one is safe until The Council is stopped and Christoph is destroyed. She doesn't need a prophecy to tell her to lead an army. Christoph has done the one thing that ensures she'll fight to the death. He's threatened the people she loves. 

It will take more than the words of an oracle to help them fight against the most powerful Descendant alive. To break The Council's oppression and rise up against a plot so many years in the making, Elyse will need to get dangerously close to her enemy. So close, in fact, she may not survive.



REDEMPTION(Children of the Gods #3)November 2, 2015
Nobody promised freedom would be peaceful.

Lead Council member, Christoph, is dead by Elyse’s hand, and Descendants have begun to emerge, exposing their secret to the world. Some see this as the prophecy come to fruition, but the prophecy caries a heavy consequence. It was never meant to be as peaceful as most had hoped.

Humans and Descendants struggle to live together in a world that isn’t ready for such a change. America is divided. Those who glorify the supernatural race believe Descendants truly are the gods they claim relation to. Others see them as a threat.

When Elyse gives birth to the next generation oracle, she sees one final vision—war. The destruction of the country’s major cities, and the end of America as we know it.

After her daughter is born, Elyse finds herself without the ability she needs to predict the future. Desperate to save the world from such conflict, she puts her faith in the hope that Descendants are the key to survival. After all, they have the power to supply a broken society with the means to survive.

Only from the ashes can a new world be born.



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