Thursday 14 August 2014

#AuthorInterview with Jessica Stevens @JPStevens79 #newrelease #pnr @sirenbookstrand


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!

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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?

I started this story a few years ago as part of the Nano WriMo challenge, which is basically a challenged to write thirty thousand words in the month of November. I failed epically, but the story stuck with me. After falling pregnant with my youngest and being completely put off many things, giving birth, juggling a new born and two other children, and the inspiration from my beautiful niece, Alana was finished.

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.

You can contact me from my website @ www.jessicastevensauthor.com
You can follow my blog:  http://jp-stevens.blogspot.co.uk/
Or follow me on Twitter @JPStevens79
I look forward to hearing from you. Until next time, take care.
Jessica xXx




7 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me here today Doris. X

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  2. Love the interview, Jessica! Can't wait to read Alana :)

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by Xandra and I hope you enjoy the read x

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  3. Great excerpt... definitely no cold feet here after reading that, Jessica! All the best for your release.x

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    1. Lol glad it warmed the soul. Thanks for stopping by Faith xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by Maya, lovely to meet you too. X

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