Heart of Romance

Today I’m interviewing Jessica Therrien. Her book, Oppression (Children of the Gods is a paranormal romance and was released on February 28, 2012.



Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.

OPPRESSION tells the story of Elyse, a seemingly young woman with an extraordinary ability and a unique destiny. Elyse ages five times slower than other human beings, which means that even though she appears to be about eighteen, she’s nearly a century old. When her parents died, she believed herself to be the only one in the world with such a condition. But after moving to San Francisco, determined to keep herself hidden and alone in the middle of the big city, she quickly finds out that she is not alone. On the contrary, there’s a whole society of people just like her, who age five times slower than normal people, and who have strange, almost magical abilities.



Describe the genre of this particular title, and is the only genre you write in?


YA paranormal romance is the only genre I write currently. I do have ideas and partial manuscripts that aren’t YA, but I haven’t had the guts to get those out in the world yet. Someday…


YA – Young adult (13-adult)
Paranormal – Supernatural elements
Romance – A love story to top it all off ;) …got to have the love story, right?



How did this story come to be?  

After falling in love with the YA genre, I felt compelled to write a book. I knew I wanted it to be YA, and I’d always been fascinated by the fact that some places in Greek Mythology actually exist in the real world. This got me thinking…what if the Greek gods really did exist, but were just misunderstood? I had my premise, and my husband helped inspire the love story ;)

Did you have several manuscripts finished before you sold? If so, did you send them out yourself?

Oppression was my first manuscript, but I never actually sent it out anywhere. I took it to the Southern California Writers Conference and left with a handshake publishing deal that turned into a contract…sort of a lucky break.



What is your writing routine like? 

I don’t have a routine at all. I’m very scatterbrained when it comes to my writing. Ideas come when they come, and I write them down wherever I am.



What sort of promo do you do? Do you have help?

 My publisher does a lot of promo for me, but I do most of it. I blog, tweet, Facebook, GooglePlus, etc. This blog tour has been a great way to get the word out about my book, and my virtual launch party was a fun way to promote Oppression.



Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?  

The most rewarding experience has been getting great reactions from readers. I’m so grateful that people out there actually love my characters as much as I do. Thanks Oppression readers!



Are you a member of any writing organizations and, if so, have they helped?

Well, if you count the Southern California Writers Conference, then yes. The conference was how I got discovered, so it obviously helped me a ton! Also, Rachael Harrie’s Platform-Building Campaign (an annual blogging event) has helped me reach fellow writers, readers, and bloggers.



What’s next for you? 

I’m currently writing Children of the Gods #2. It will be out sometime next year through ZOVA Books.


BOOK BLURB

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 the average person, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's closer to 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. Among so many of her kind, she should not be very remarkable--except for the prophecy. Some believe she will put an end to traditions, safeguarded by violence, which have oppressed her people for centuries. 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.


A little bit about the author.

Jessica Therrien spent most of her life in the small town of Chilcoot, California, high up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this town of nearly 100 residents, with no street lights or grocery stores, there was little to do but find ways to be creative. Her mother, the local English teacher, inspired her to do all things artistic, and ultimately instilled in her a love for language.

In 2003, Jessica attended California State University Long Beach where her passion for language found her studying Chinese, and in 2005 she moved to Taiwan to study abroad. From 2005 to 2006 Jessica was fully immersed in the Chinese language as she attended National Taiwan University, and in 2008 she graduated from San Diego State University magna cum laude.

Jessica currently lives in Chula Vista with her husband, and is writing the next chapter in the Children of the Gods series.



EXCERPT
There was no telling what would come of me. I breathed quickly and silently, trying to decide whether I should wait or run. Sweat began to stick to my cotton pajamas as I listened for any hint of a sound. Nothing.


I moved closer, almost ready to make my move when a hand covered my mouth from behind, and my whole body tensed up from the inside. With a finger to his lips, William let go and moved to peer around the corner. I held my breath as he turned toward the kitchen and out of sight, leaving me alone in the hallway.





How can my readers buy your book?  

.99 E-Book
Amazon Kindle Edition (US)
Barnes & Noble NOOK Edition (US) 


Amazon Kindle Edition (UK, France, Germany)



$12.99 Paperback
Amazon (US)
Barnes & Noble (US)

Amazon (Canada)

Amazon (UK, France, Germany, Japan)




You can find more information about Jessica Therrien and her book, Oppression (Children of the Gods #1) by visiting her website, www.jessicatherrien.com.