JESSICA THERRIEN

From Imagination To Publication

Friday, December 28, 2012

UPRISING (Children of the Gods #2) News!

Hello out there! Sorry it's been a while. First (for those of you on baby watch) our little guy is still a bun in the oven. 14 days left...yikes. Second (for those of you on book watch) I have some good news and bad news about the upcoming release of UPRISING (Children of the Gods #2).

The bad news...

Okay, don't hate me (because I realize this is so very NOT cool) but I've talked to my publisher and we've decided to postpone the release of UPRISING until May 28th. I'll be having my first baby in mid January and realized that a February release is just too close to the start of baby madness. I have no idea what life will be like with a 4-week-old, but something tells me that I won't be all there in February. SORRY people!!

The good news...

Because I feel really really bad about postponing the release, I'm hoping to make it up to you! On February 19th (the original release date) I'll make sure to post the first chapter right here on my blog. Also, I'll be doing a giveaway or something like that along with it :)

Some other good news...

Although the official release date won't be until May 28th, my publisher will be distributing a limited amount of ARCs to bloggers. I can't guarantee that you'll get an ARC, but if you sign up below and make a good case, I can hopefully get you on their list.

For those of you who'd rather READ IT RIGHT NOW, I've been given the go-ahead to send out the initial PDF version of the E-ARC to a limited number of people who have hosted me on their blogs or reviewed the first book, bloggers who have significant followings, and/or who are willing to spread the word. If you'd like the PDF version of the E-ARC, feel free to sign up below (again, I can't guarantee everyone will be approved to receive the E-ARC. I'm only allowed to give out 20-30).

Please Note: The PDF E-ARC version is not the final version and nothing is to be quoted from the PDF without reference to the final edition. - per ZOVA Books

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

The Buzz: Review of STRENGTH by Carrie Butler

I'm a picky picky reader. If you know me, you know that. So, when I tell you a book is good...It's GOOD. Strength is one of those you-can't-put-down books. I posted a semi-review when I was halfway through. I couldn't wait to talk about its awesomeness, because I was literally carrying the book around with me everywhere. To my delight, it just kept getting better and better.

I'm going to skip the part where I summarize what the book is about in this review (I'm posting the blurb below). Instead, I want to tell you why I loved the book so much--the characters.

First, Rena. Is. Awesome. I can't think of another YA/New adult book that has such a funny yet bad-ass main character. Seriously, when is a female lead character ever funny? I mean, laugh out loud when you're reading alone in your bed kind of funny. She's one of a kind. Carrie Butler has an amazingly unique voice as a writer that reads so naturally you forget your reading. She sucks you in, and the next thing you know you're drooling over the sexy main man--Wallace. Another reason I liked the book *wink wink* Because this book is New Adult, you get a little more of the sexiness than in YA books. *Teehee*

Of course, one of my favorite characters was Wallace's dark and cocky twin brother, Cole. Why are we girls always such suckers for the bad-boy? I really wanted to hate him...but he's so dang snarky. Is it bad of me that I'm kind of hoping for a love-triangle in the next installment? The two brothers reminded me a lot of Stephan and Damon in The Vampire Diaries, and who doesn't love them? Both hot. One naughty, one nice...just saying.

Okay, okay. Enough gushing over the hotties. What also sets this book apart is its paranormal storyline. Butler doesn't try and put a new spin on Vampires or Werewolves. She invents her own world of secrets and superpowers. It's refreshing to read something with a new and creative plot in the Paranormal Romance genre. Thankfully the plot is only going to thicken. The conflict is just beginning to brew by the end of the book, and I can't wait to see what happens next.      

When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.

Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation--and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…

Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.

They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re really in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do--even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Giveaway Update

Hi everyone! I'm still pregnant...in case you were wondering ;) Like you, I'm anxiously awaiting Christmas, only I'm hoping for a special kind of present--THIS BABY! I'm ready to pop.

For those of you wondering about my giveaway exchange for an honest review, I've already sent out the first group of books. The next set will go out in January or February. However, if you're anxious to get your hands on a copy now, Ana and Neyra from Beach Bum Reads & Darkest Addictions had me over for a really fun interview and they're hosting a giveaway along with it. Here is a little taste of the interview:



*At Cearno's Cafe in San Francisco waiting for Jessica Therrien to arrive*

Neyra: *leans towards Ana* Oh.My.Gosh Ana, look at him, isn't he gorgeous! With his beautiful green eyes.. *sighs* 

Ana: *Takes a sip of my iced tea and looks towards the man Neyra is ogling* wheeew *fans self*gorgeous indeed!

Neyra: *sigh* His name's William *spots Jessica walking into the cafe, smiles and waves her over*

Ana: *looks at William one last time then turns and stands to give Jessica a hug* thanks for joining us 

Neyra: *Hugs* Hi Jessica! Thank you for meeting with us today! Please, have a seat. Would you like some coffee? :]

Jessica: *Hugs* Hey guys! I'm dying to have coffee. *Pats massively pregnant belly* No caffeine for me, though. I miss it so much. Writers need coffee!!

Neyra: Awe! Baby bump, too cute! ^-^ How far along are you? And yes, I'll bet with all those long hours overworking your brains and most likely very little sleep! 

Ana: Aww. Well you look gorgeous! Glowing & everything :) *calls the waitress over & asks for a pitcher of water*

Jessica: Thanks! I'm six and a half months. We're having a boy, and he's due in early January. I used to joke that I was a stay-at-home author for my book babies. Now I'll be a stay-at-home author AND a stay-at-home mommy. I'll keep having my book babies of course, but now I'll have a real baby too. It should be interesting. 

Neyra: Eeep! that's too many babies! >.< LOL I bet you're excited though. Little boys are so fun, but once they get to the crawling and walking stages *whistles* Good Luck! :D 

Ana: you can always punish him later by writing him into one of your books. Though, that'd probably be awesome. Have you guys thought of a name? Is your thought process the same as when you're thinking of names for your book characters? 

Jessica: *Haha* It's okay. My book babies don't cry or crawl, so they're a little easier. We have picked out a name, but I'm keeping it super secret in case we change our minds. It was really hard to pick one that both my husband and I agreed on. Character names are much easier. My husband doesn't get a say. *sips glass of water*  

Ana: ooh secrets! looking forward to finding out what you both name him. *grabs a menu* While we're here, go ahead and order something...ANYTHING! Our treat :) 

Neyra: *eyes the cashier, and mutters to self* He's just so Hot.. *turns to face Jessica* Oh, yes that's understandable, we look forward to finding out your little bundle's name in the future ^-^ & Speaking of Names & book characters, I'm sure you can guess why we picked this city and this particular cafe to have the interview *smiles mischievously*

Jessica: Oh that's sweet of you. I'll get the fruit bowl and a blueberry muffin, one of Elyse's favorites. Yeah, a lot of people are surprised that this place actually exists. A friend of mine used to live upstairs in Elyse's apartment, so I spent many summers in this cafe. Of course, it was called Just Bean Thereback then. (Address: 201 Steiner Street, San Francisco, CA Link to Cafe Location) It's a little more mysterious these days, being owned by a Descendant and all...

Ana: It must have been fun growing up here.*smiles* ..Excuse me *stands up* do continue without me *heads to the little girls room*

Neyra: *leans forward to get a fruit* Thank you, and yes, I am definitely surprised, but at least now I have an actual picture in my mind as to how this place looks. (I was imagining it to be a little darker with wooden countertops and all).  

Speaking of Descendants, for those readers who've yet to read your book.. Oppression is the story of a young girl (Can we call her young? I mean she is old. lol), named Elyse. She's keeping secrets, and has always had to live in hiding. For one, she ages five times slower than any average person; and, two, she has the ability to heal with her blood, though she doesn't understand why. Alone for 39 years after the death of her parents, only her best friend, Anna, knows of Elyse's strange ability and age difference, or so she believes. Soon she finds herself thrust into a world she never knew existed, with others just like her, descended of the people the Greeks considered Gods. There is a prophecy, and Elyse finds herself in the middle of it all. But can she play by their rules when she's forced to choose between the life she knew and the life she's been thrust into?

I love Greek mythology based books, but they're always about the usual Gods; Hades, Zeus, Aphrodite. Your book talks about, their children's children. How did the idea for Oppression come about?

Jessica: Well, when I studied Greek mythology in high school, I remember learning that some of the places, like the city of Troy for example, are thought to actually exist. I thought, if the places actually exist, wouldn't it be crazy if the gods did too, only there was a logical explanation for it all? That got me thinking, if people with abilities and long lives were discovered in ancient Greece, they would no doubt be mistaken as gods and treated as such. I used that concept to explain modern day mythology and to develop my story about the Descendants in today's world. Most books based on Greek mythology tend to stick to those traditional ideas and gods, whereas I was more focused on the premise that the Greek gods were never really gods at all. This gave me a lot more flexibility and allowed me to be creative with which gods to use as Descendant bloodlines. I'm still really having a lot of fun with it.

Ana: *walking back to the table and hears the ending of Jessica's explanation* Well, I think its a great idea and I'm sure a lot of people enjoyed your book. *takes a sip of water* Now, I'm a big paranormal fan, but when I read the synopsis for your book, Greek mythology stood out. I was excited. I love Greek mythology, reading your book definitely upped my visit to the theaters to watch Immortals. Including Henry Cavils sezzy self on the big screen ;)

Neyra: *Looks up* Welcome back hon, and yes I agree the concept of Greek Mythology always stands, but as I said before there's always more focus on the Gods we're all familiar with. *takes a sip of coffee* I'm sure, Jessica that there was a lot of research done despite you already having studied Greek Mythology in high school? Were there any new surprises you weren't familiar with that were woven into Oppression?

Here's the link to the rest of the interview and the giveaway! Thank you so much Ana & Neyra! I had so much fun talking with you :)

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Giveaway in Exchange for Honest Review

Hey everyone! As I'm sure you've noticed, I haven't been as active online these days. I'm busy being pregnant (only a little distracting...). My husband had this idea to make up for my lack of active marketing of the series. With the release of Uprising (Children of the Gods #2) coming up, I wanted to build a little pre-book-2-buzz around Oppression (Children of the Gods #1). SO...if you're interested, have a blog, and have not read/reviewed Oppression. Fill out the form below to receive a copy in exchange for an honest review on your blog as well as any other review sites such as Barnes & Noble or Amazon. If you don't have a blog, that's okay...just post your reviews on B&N and Amazon.

I'm not sure how many people are going to sign up for this, so I can't guarantee everyone will get a copy, but I'll let you know either way. As of now, the requests can be international as long as you have a way to post a review of the book. Obviously if I get 100 international requests, I won't be able to send everyone a copy, but in that case I'll do a rafflecopter giveaway to choose those who win.

If you're interested, or know a friend who is interested, please fill out the form below :) Thanks!

Friday, December 7, 2012

Live.Laugh.Love...Baby Brain.

Okay my friends. I'm officially leaving for baby world. My little man isn't supposed to be here for another 4 weeks, but I'm too distracted to keep up my blogging schedule. I've got major baby brain. There are a million things on my plate with Christmas and baby coming...yikes! I'm not saying I'm not going to be blogging at all, just that it might be a bit sporadic and off topic. I'm still writing (believe it or not...). The routine writing tactic is working pretty well for me. The process is a lot slower than I'm used to, but I'm getting there. Book 3 is coming along, slowly but surely :) Bear with me my blogger people...life is about to get crazy.

How I'm imagining life with baby...


Reality...


Thanks for loving me anyway blogger friends! Sorry I've been the worst at staying connected...bleh. I'll make it up to you in cute baby pics when I'm back in business :)

Monday, December 3, 2012

The Buzz: Strength by Carrie Butler

I probably should wait to post about this book until I'm actually done reading it, but I can't help myself. I'm more than halfway through it, and completely hooked. It's my new accessory. Seriously, I carry the ARC of Strength everywhere. It's one of those read through dinner kind of books, and yes, my husband is making fun of the attachment I've formed. Sadly for you, the book doesn't come out until March 7, 2013, BUT...you should definitely add it to your GoodReads TBR list. Trust me, if you're a Twilight fan (and I mean that in the best way possible, because despite the movies, I still remember devouring and loving those books...so don't judge) you'll LOVE this. Especially because technically this book falls into the New Adult genre, so it's a little more graphic in terms of the "I want to make out with you but can't" dilemma, which is nice. Okay, enough already, you're just going to have to read it for yourself...in March that is... Can't wait! 

When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.

Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation--and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…

Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.

They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re really in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do--even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.


Are you reading any awesome ARCs right now? What are you excited about in the YA world of reading? ...oh, did you say Uprising (Children of the Gods #2) by Jessica Therrien? Weird! Me too!! Maybe you should go add that to your GoodReads TBR list while you're at it *wink wink*

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Writing World: Routine Writing

I've never been a routine writer. In the past I've always been fortunate enough that moments of inspiration were all I needed to make progress on a novel. I would wait for the "Aha!" idea to come, and when it did, I would write...no matter where I was or what I was doing. 

Source
Since baby-mania has taken over my brain (which apparently happens when you're 8 months pregnant) those moments which would have been spent building scenes and listening to characters banter in my head are now filled with all things baby. Sadly, it seems sort of out of my control. I can't fight the nesting, the obsessive planning, the reading and researching every minor detail about anything baby related. Just like I have some instinctual urge to eat cereal for every meal (...bone building juice for baby I guess) the mind works the same way.

Being the perfectionist that I am, it doesn't help me in my need to get everything tied up and ready for baby when I've got a third book to write. It's always in the back of my mind..."you need to write, author!" my mind scolds me in mockery. "I know. I know!" I tell it. So for the first time since...well, ever...I'm going to attempt this routine writing thing. Every morning from 7:30 to 9:30 I'm going to WRITE! I'll let you know how it works out.

Does this work for anyone else? What's your writing routine? Do you have one?

Monday, November 26, 2012

The Buzz: The Hobbit Movie Trailer

Hi all! I hope you had a fantabulous Thanksgiving break :) Mine was an awesome kind of torture...do you realize how hard it is to resist eating pie for every meal when you're pregnant? Torture I tell you! Not to mention the turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes...*Homer Simpson Drool*

I'm sure you've all seen this trailer (as I'm assuming nearly all of America had their butts on couches watching football over the weekend)...Still I had to post it. YAY! I'm really excited about The Hobbit Movie. Mostly because it's been so long since I've read the book that I'm not going to notice or be super mad about all the changes they're undoubtedly going to make to the story. I mean...they're making three movies out of one book, so I'm assuming there will be some deviation from the original. We'll see I guess...

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Writing World: Molly The Magnificent's Editing Advice

Any published author knows that finishing your initial draft is only the first step of many in completing a novel. Get ready to read through/edit your book at least 5 times (maybe more, maybe less depending on how you work). Uprising (Children of the Gods #2) has been completed for a while now, but edits and read-throughs have continued. Recently I completed what is known as line-edits. The line editing process is a line by line analysis of the sentence structure and word choice. It's very tedious, but necessary. Molly, my editor at ZOVA Books, always gives me the best advice, and I wanted to share it with you along with one other thing I learned in the process.

 Molly's Notes:
The most common adjustments I made were (a) to eliminate some (but not all) of the repeated prepositional phrases and descriptions, (b) to adjust some (but not all) of the passive voice to active, and (c) to bring the action closer to the characters. 
For example: 
(a) Inside I was empty, lost, afraid. ---> Inside I was empty, lost, and afraid. (p.300) (This may not seem like a big change, but if you look at that page, there are three instances where the same sentence structure is used. "...she was in there, protected, safe." and "...someone being in here with me, naked, so vulnerable." This is an example of a poetic structure that's more effective the more sparingly it's used.) 
And... 
I scanned the hillside to our left, to our right. ---> I scanned the hillside to our left and right. (This was an easy one to fix, though most of these repeated prepositional phrases were a bit harder, as the information was necessary but the structure was repetitive. If you find more that you can adjust, feel free. I tweaked several, but not all.) 
(b) I pleaded as I began to succumb to anger. ---> I pleaded on the verge of anger. (p.10) 
(c) Men and women towered over him as he forced himself through the mob. Voices jeered and the angry protested. ---> Men and women towered over him as he forced himself through the mob of angry protests and jeering voices. (p.59) 
And... 
My words came out surprised. ---> I said with surprise. 
(In other words, rather than giving the action to some part of Elyse, the action is hers. Elyse's mind, brain, hands, heart, and voice do a lot of things. Used occasionally, this can be poetic. Used frequently, and it disembodies Elyse, making her actions seem disjointed and disconnected from her own will. In times of distress, this might be revealing of character. But on a continual basis, it's hard to sympathize with a character who doesn't own her own actions, thoughts, and feelings.)

Genius, right? I also learned that one of my go-to words is "eyes" ...jeeez. I did a search for that word and came back with a staggering number. I went through each instance to see if there was any way to eliminate the use of the word. It turns out, sometimes those overused words can simply be deleted. My advice would be to figure out which words you use too often. Then see if you can delete them from your sentences. Here are some examples:

I couldn’t see her eyes through the dark, but I could feel her looking at me. ---> I couldn't see her through the dark, but I could feel her looking at me.

He turned to look at me, his eyes full of regret. ---> He turned to look at me, full of regret.



What have you learned in the process of editing your manuscript?