Author Q & A: Jessica Prather

Hey fellow booklovers! I had the chance to interview the wonderful Jessica Prather, author of , and it was a lot of fun. So, without further ado, please welcome Jessica on my blog.

Hi Jessica! Welcome to my blog!

Hi Ruby! It’s my pleasure. Thanks for having me!

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hmmm... I’m a Colorado native who moved to Utah a few years ago. I have a beast of a dog named Avery, who’s as weird as I am. Even though I’m super lactose intolerant, I really like cheese and ice-cream (not together, though). When I’m not writing, you can find me drinking coffee, reading, or someplace in the wilderness! 

Q: What inspires you to write?

I’ve always had a passion for literature, so writing’s always something I’ve been interested in. I do read a lot, and sometimes that’ll inspire ideas.

Q: Describe your book in one sentence.

Nothing is ever as it seems!

Q: What was the hardest and the easiest scene to write?

Oooh this is a tough one! I don’t know if I’d call them the easiest, but my favorite scenes to write were the battle scenes. I love confrontation *evil laugh*. I also really enjoy backstories, which is weird, but I love anything that has to do with the history of a character. It’s fun to see what motivates them, what makes them human, you know?

The hardest scenes were probably some of Kenadee’s darker moments, which I can’t share without giving things away. Her and a few other characters really hit rock bottom. It’s hard to see that happen!

Q: Who are some of your favorite authors?

There are so many! F. Scott Fitzgerald, Maggie Stiefvater, Leigh Bardugo, Jeffrey Eugenides, Donna Tartt, Markus Zusak, John Steinbeck and J.K. Rowling to name a few!

Q: What comes first in a book for you, the characters or the general story?

It really depends. With TTC, the plot came first. Kenadee used to be a whole different person and sort of developed through time. But on another project I’ve been working on for a while, the characters came first. I think it really just depends on the story and what pops into my head.

Q: What are your must-haves for when you write a book? What does a regular working day look like for you?

It changes quite a bit. I’m a person that needs a pretty set work schedule. I usually try and get up early in the mornings before I go to my day job. I slacked off this summer and haven’t been able to get back onto it, but I used to get up at six, make coffee, and write until it was time to get ready for the day. Sometimes I’ll write late into the night too, if I get really caught up in it! 

Q: What other projects are you working on?

Right now, my biggest priority is TTC 2. It’s due in a few months, so I’ve been figuring out where to take Kenadee next. I’ve also had a few other ideas I’ve been gradually working on. Maybe once TTC 2 is in, I’ll be able to give them more time!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Thanks so much!

ABOUT THE TRAITOR'S CRUX

In a country ravaged by years of war, plague, and death, witches and wizards are blamed for the state of the world and hunted by the U.S. government. Kenadee Coria was only a young girl when her brother was taken prisoner for having magical powers.

Now sixteen years old, Kenadee discovers she too has magical powers and must face the facts: the government is watching, and they have plans for her. She’s given a deadly mission and an impossible ultimatum: the lives of a hidden group of magic refugees, or the safe return of her long-lost brother.

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Release Day Blitz:Seducing Sin & Tempting Fate by J. Kenner, Dee Davis, Kathleen O'Reilly

       

These bad boys are going to raise a little hell … Jack. Nick. Marcus.

Sexy, seductive, and so good looking it’s practically a sin.

They’re the baddest of the bad. The illegitimate sons of Satan, who have managed to make love, raise hell, and milk life in a manner worthy of their heritage. Until the day the devil himself needs to name his heir, and crafts a series of tests to see which one is worthy to be the next ruler of Sin City.

The mission? Each son must complete a task that is designed to stretch his mental, physical, and emotional powers to the limit.  The prize?  The Keys To Hell.  The problem? Three strong, enticing women who are just as determined to ensure that the men fail.

And at the end of the day, Jack, Nick, and Marcus may learn that it’s not the key to their father’s kingdom they want … but the key to a woman’s heart.

 

AMAZON 

       

Bad girls need love, too…

Lucia. Jezebel. Lola.

Three bold, beautiful and sexy women who just happen to be Lucifer’s daughters.  And daddy dearest is desperate to retire. On the heels of their brothers’ failures, the devil is putting his faith in his daughters. All they have to do is successfully complete the challenges he sets before them.

Surely one of his daughters will win the keys to the Kingdom.

But even the most devilishly determined women can find themselves thwarted by that most debilitating of weaknesses. The single most powerful human emotion of all—love…

 

AMAZON

J.Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.
Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal mommy lit.
JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for them.” A five time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy). Her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series (as Julie Kenner) is currently in development with AwesomenessTV/Awestruck.
Her books have sold over three million copies and are published in over twenty languages.
In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YouTube | Amazon Author Page

Dee Davis has a BA in Political Science and History, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration. During a ten-year career in public relations, she spent three years on the public speaking circuit, edited two newsletters, wrote three award winning public service announcements, did television and radio commercials, starred in the Seven Year Itch, taught college classes, lobbied both the Texas State Legislature and the US Congress, and served as the director of two associations.
Her highly acclaimed first novel, Everything In Its Time, was published in July 2000. She's won the Booksellers Best, Golden Leaf, Texas Gold and Prism awards, and been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Holt and two RT Reviewers Choice Awards. To date, she has written twenty-two books and five novellas, including the Random Heroes Collection and the A-Tac series. She's lived in Austria and traveled in Europe extensively. And although she now lives in Connecticut she still calls Texas home.



It's such a strange twist of fate that I ended up as a writer. I swore up and down that I would never write, but everyone always shook their head and said, "Kathleen, you're going to be a writer." As fate would have it, they were right, and I wasn't (don't you hate that?)
My favorite part of writing is creating my characters. I fall in love with everyone in each book, and it's pure magic when it all comes to life.

Blog Tour Book Review: Chasing Christmas Eve by Jill Shalvis

Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: Heartbreaker Bay #4
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: September 26th 2017
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Avon
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Meet cute...

Run for the hills—temporarily. That's Colbie Albright's plan when she flees New York for San Francisco. Wrangling her crazy family by day and writing a bestselling YA fantasy series by night has taken its toll. In short, Colbie's so over it that she's under it. She's also under the waters of a historic San Francisco fountain within an hour of arrival. Fortunately, the guy who fishes Colbie out has her looking forward to Christmas among strangers. But she's pretty sure Spencer Baldwin won't be a stranger for long.

Make merry...

Spence's commitment to hiding from the Ghosts of Relationships Past means he doesn't have to worry about the powerful—okay, crazy hot chemistry—he's got with Colbie. Just because she can laugh at anything, especially herself... just because she's gorgeous and a great listener just because she gets Spence immediately doesn't mean he won't be able to let Colbie go. Does it?

and hope for a miracle.

Now the clock's ticking for Colbie and Spence: Two weeks to cut loose. Two weeks to fall hard. Two weeks to figure out how to make this Christmas last a lifetime.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Avon in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

I've been slowly but surely getting in the mood for seasonal books lately, and Chasing Christmas Eve fits the description perfectly. This was my very first Jill Shalvis book, and let me tell you, I really really liked it.

I really loved the characters in this book, not just the main ones, but all of them. Colbie is such a kind woman, a talented one, but one that doesn't really know how much power she has inside of her. I oftentimes felt as if she didn't really appreciate how strong she was, and how much she really deserved happiness, and I thought that taking a little vacation, a break from her day to day life is the first thing she ever truly did for herself, aside from writing. She slowly opens up to Spence, and once she does, it was easy to understand why she's not aware of herself as much as she should be. I was sad for her, especially towards the end of the book, when her mom dropped a pretty big shocking truth in her lap. And throughout the book I realized that while she's not so different from Spencer, she's seen by the people in her life as weak or someone who needs to be taken advantage of, which made me super mad for her.

Spencer is the hot nerd type, which is probably one of my favorite types of heroes. He's letting his family history rule how he lives his life, and unfortunately he doesn't know how to stop doing it. That is until he meets Colbie. As I said before, he's really similar with Colbie in how focused he can get, and how willing he is to help people, but unlike her, most people around him protect him instead of take advantage of him. And the people who do use him aren't don't pretend to care for him. It was interesting to see this play out throughout the book. I liked the relationship he has with Eddie, and I love to see how the history of that relationship unfolds as the story goes on. Spence is a guy that really doesn't give himself much credit, and I liked seeing how his friends stood up for him. He's a pretty loyal friend, and I liked him.

As I said, I enjoyed reading about the other characters as well, and it wasn't until I got to the end of the book that I figured out that this book was part of a series, which made me insanely happy.

The book is fast paced, and I managed to read this book pretty fast. As I said before, the fact that it's the 4th installment in a series wasn't an issue, because I was able to read it without having any previous knowledge of the other characters and their stories. There were tons of funny moments, let me tell you! There were a few big, climactic moments in this book that made me realize that sometimes people can be truly generous with others without realizing what drives them to do that. And I thought that was a really interesting thing.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book, and since it is part of a series, I'll definitely check the other books out. Also, for my first Jill Shalvis book, I'm in love and kind of kicking myself for not trying out her books earlier. Definitely check this book out, whether it's for the Christmas spirit, the romance, the humor, or the life lessons you'll find in it.

BUY LINKS for CHASING CHRISTMAS EVE:

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million | iBooks | GooglePlay

ABOUT JILL SHALVIS 

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Connect with Jill

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