Please give a warm welcome to a very good friend of mine. Jessica is here to answer my nosy questions and to tell us about her new release with Siren Booktrand, Alana. If you love wolf shifters you will love this story.
Let's get to know Jessica a bit better!
*****
Wow, It’s so good to be here. Thank you
Doris for having me over. For those of
you who don’t know me, I’m Jessica Stevens, Author of my debut solo book, Alana.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hhmmm where to start? I was born in Northern Ireland and moved to
the UK when I was only 6 weeks old. I am married to a fantastic man and we have
three beautiful (challenging at times) children, ranging from nine years to 23
months. Yes I am in denial about the nearly two thing, he is my baby.
What made you write ‘this’ story?
Tell us about your cover.
When I got the cover request, I was
asked to detail anything ideas I had. The poor cover art lady got the
following:
Dark background of woods, possible
moon, maybe a wolf face/shadow in the mood?? Alana and Nick center somehow
displaying him protecting her? Sorry not
very helpful.
And this is what she came up with:
Absolutely amazing considering the
request I put in, but I am very pleased with it. Especially the meadow, which
you will understand when you read it. I didn’t put it in the request, which
just goes to show the fabulous lady must have read bits of my book at least, to
get it.
Describe a typical day’s writing for us
Sometimes my day can start in the middle
of the night. My toddler will wake for a feed and something will pop into my
head and I cannot get back to sleep. It will mull over in my mind until I get
the opportunity to write it down. Usually this isn’t until my toddler has a
nap, although of late this has dramatically shortened in length, so it has to
wait until the evening when all three children are in bed. Then I type and it
all just flows through my fingers. I can write anything between 1-3 thousand in
an hour. I don’t have a strict routine, my children have to come first. However
I do fantasise about an office type writing place and being able to write more
when all my children are in school. But that is a few years off yet so I won’t
focus on that too much.
I don’t write with noise. It has to be
silent so I can hear my characters properly. I have written the wrong thing
once or twice and they stopped talking to me. Not good! I do however have to
write by a window. Sometimes I can see what I am supposed to write played out
in the reflection of the glass. I guess it is fair to say that I am not a
plotter or a planner. Inspiration will strike and I just go with the
characters. I take each day as it comes and try not to get so stressed about
it.
What inspires you?
To write? Oh it can be anything from a
make-up add, which is what sparked my current manuscript. A walk in the woods
can trigger something. Something I see, Something I hear. Literally anything
can spark my imagination. I let it roll around in my head for a bit. Then when
the characters are strong enough to tell me what to write, I write.
What inspires me in general? I am fairly
motivated by my own desire to do well and to achieve. My husband inspires me to
keep going when it’s tough and my beautiful niece taught me to fight for what I
want, no matter what.
If you weren’t a writer what would you be?
Well before I started writing I had left
work to be a full time mum. I couldn’t go back to an office now. I would go
back to being the family teacher, nurse, cook, cleaner, councilor, referee,
mother, friend and lover.
Do your characters ever surprise you?
Oh yes! There is a creepy character in
Alana. Honestly he took me weeks to write a particular scene as I was so
against something he was doing. You will understand this when you read the
book. I tried so hard to fight with him, but I had no choice, I had to write
it. He still creeps me out thinking about him. *shudders and goes all goosy*
What could not do without when you’re writing?
My slippers. I cannot stand cold feet.
Don’t much like being cold full stop, so always have my snuggly blanket close
by with the arms in it so I can still type.
I need a window. Sometimes the scene I am writing plays out in front of
me in the reflection of the glass, so I must be near a window.
What words of wisdom do you have for the aspiring
authors out there?
Don’t doubt yourself, or your abilities
to write. Just write it, put it away for a month or so, then read it. You will
surprise yourself by what you pick up, which just shows how much you have
learnt. Just do it.
Where do you see yourself in ten year’s
time?
Lol I know where I would like to be,
writing books and having them made into a movie. As for where I will actually
be, well, like my writing, I’ll take it a day at a time. Live for the moment
and enjoy the ride, wherever that may lead, that’s my moto.
Do you have a favorite quote?
I do actually. Anything is possible if
you just believe in yourself. Not sure if this is an actual saying, but my daughter
had it drummed into her at primary school, and it sort of stuck with me.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?
No to be honest. I think that is because
my window to actually write is fairly small, so when the opportunity arises, it
just flows.
What other books can your readers look
forward to?
I am currently working on Behind The
Make-up, which was sparked from a make-up add on T.V. I am hoping to finish
this by Christmas, ready for a new year release.
And finally can you share the blurb and excerpt with
us?
I certainly can. Here is the Blurb:
Alana Knight has the power to control the minds of animals,
including shifters, who want her dead. A tragic past has meant that Alana has
spent most of her life in hiding. Concealed as a conservationist she’s helped
reintroduce wolves back into the wild. A dead body on her land proves her
enemies have found her. She has no choice but to call on her protectors.
Detective Nick Valaskin has been secretly watching over
Alana for years. He had vowed to protect her since coming of age. When she
calls the police about a dead body on her grounds, Nick takes no chances and
goes to her protection. Face to face with his childhood companion, it’s not
long before passion burns between them. It puts Alana’s life in more danger
than Nick could have imagined. Torn between love and a promise Nick struggles,
but together they face Alana’s tragic past in the hope of preventing history
from repeating itself.
And the Adult Excerpt:
“What the fuck was all
that about?” he demanded, trying to stand up straight. Alana didn’t respond,
just stood and glared at him.
“Your crazy fucking
wolf nearly caught me,” he continued, trying to justify his aggression. He
searched her eyes for an insight to what she was thinking. He hadn’t meant to
change on top of her, it just happened.
Alana moved across the
room to his pile of clothes. She picked them up and threw them at him. “Deal
with it,” she stated with such coldness that he could feel the temperature in
the room drop. Nick was suddenly aware of his naked state as his clothes flew
in his direction. His t-shirt, being lighter, only made it halfway between
them, whilst his jeans connected with his feet. He scooped down to gather them
from the floor, closing the gap between them.
Alana turned on her
heel and marched out the door into the hallway. Nick followed after her,
clothes still in hand.
“Where do you think
you’re going?” he shouted after her, as she started to climb the stairs.
“That’s none of your business, Nick, just
leave me alone.”
It hurt Nick that she
didn’t even turn to face him as she spoke. She just continued to run up the
stairs. It wasn’t his house to just follow her, but his gut assured him it was
the right thing to do. He took the stairs two at a time and closed the gap
between them, just as she tried to close her bedroom door in his face.
“Leave me alone!” He
could hear the tears in her voice and he pushed open her door with a little
more force than he intended. She jumped around as the door banged into the
wall.
“Get out,” she
screamed at him, but Nick refused. He walked over to her slowly, his voice very
calm and soothing.
“No.” Nick stopped
right in front of her. The ice he saw in her eyes before had been replaced by
pain. Instinctively, he reached out to touch her face, but she turned away from
him. Gently, Nick turned her head back to face him and he took another step
closer to her. Their bodies met with the rise of their chest as they breathed.
The atmosphere was much calmer, as if time itself was slowing down. Nick kept
his gaze on Alana as he moved his face closer to hers, her eyes slowly closing
in response to his gesture. He waited a moment to see if she would pull away,
but she didn’t. Now he understood why she got so upset. She was just as
attracted to him as he was to her.
Their lips met, soft
and lightly, as Alana took that final step to close the gap between their
bodies. Her hand caressed his chest as Nick dropped his clothes on the floor
and tangled his fingers into her hair.
“Alana,” he whispered
as he pulled back, putting a little thinking space between them. He knew his
body, and finally having her in his arms, stopping wasn’t going to be easy.
“I want this, Nick,”
she answered, as she pulled off her T-shirt to reveal smooth, silky skin.
Nick’s gaze went directly to her abundant breasts, encased in white lace. The
feel of her body against his made his erection more evident. Then Alana smiled
nervously at him as she started to unbutton her jeans. Impatience got the
better of him as he pulled Alana against his body. This time he kissed her
deeper, putting his hands inside the waistband of her jeans as he edged them
down over her hips. Alana stepped out of them as he fumbled with the back of
her bra. It was when he started to pull at it with force that Alana stepped
back from him. As she raised her hands to her breasts, Nick watched in shock,
not quite sure what she was going to do.
He had never taken her
for the “touch yourself” type, yet here she was. He swallowed hard at the
devilish smile on her face. Then she undid the clasp at the front of her bra.
With both hands reaching out for her shoulders, Nick slowly pulled the straps
down each arm, pulling her warmth back to him as he did.
Naked, but for her
matching white panties, Nick backed her against the wall. He kissed her neck
and cupped her breast, relishing the sound of her sharp intake of breath as he
teased her nipple between his fingers. Then he kissed his way down to her
breast as he helped himself to a mouthful. Alana moaned as his teeth grazed her
nipples and his long, hard length pushed against her moist panties. She lifted
one leg allowing him to move against her as her breathing became deeper and
irregular. The heat of passion made their skin glisten as Alana gripped Nick’s
hips and pulled them against her.
They both moaned out
as the tip of his shaft pushed into her wetness slightly. Her panties prevented
him from going deeper. She rocked against him, her hands sliding over his chest
and around his back before they came to rest on his ass as she thrust against
him harder and faster. Nick couldn’t wait any more. He lifted her up and walked
over to the bed. With her legs wrapped tightly round his waist, he crawled
along the bed before laying her down on her back. He pulled out of her as he leaned
back, his hands sliding down her body to guide her panties down her legs.
His face stopped at her neatly shaven mound. Nick lowered
his head and licked between her swollen lips, tasting her arousal as he sucked
her nub into his mouth. He felt Alana’s fingers grip at his hair on either side
of his head as she squirmed and moaned beneath him. He drove his tongue into
her again as he lapped at her juice.
Thank you so much for having me Doris,
and thank you for reading. Please leave a comment, I would love to hear from
you. If you would like to know more, you can find me on twitter or follow me on
Facebook. You can also find out more on my web site. Just click on the links
below.
Buy Alana here.
Or
follow me on Twitter @JPStevens79
I
look forward to hearing from you. Until next time, take care.
Jessica xXx
Thanks for having me here today Doris. X
ReplyDeleteLove the interview, Jessica! Can't wait to read Alana :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by Xandra and I hope you enjoy the read x
DeleteGreat excerpt... definitely no cold feet here after reading that, Jessica! All the best for your release.x
ReplyDeleteLol glad it warmed the soul. Thanks for stopping by Faith xxx
DeleteNice to meet you, Jessica.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for stopping by Maya, lovely to meet you too. X
Delete