From Jennifer:
It's my birthday and I want to give away presents!
Dani and Michael have almost nothing in common. She works as burlesque dancer. He works as a therapist for special needs
children. But both have a secret.
Stronger and faster than ordinary humans, Dani must partner
with Michael, whose psychometric gifts let him pick up psychic impressions
through touch, if she is to have any hope of saving her brothers and one of
Michael's clients.
If they join forces, they could save those they care about
from becoming the latest victims of a decades-long hunt. But the fiery chemistry between them
threatens to unlock a millennia-old secret which could devour them both.
The clock is ticking and they will be faced with the
ultimate hero's choice: save the world or save each other?
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Revelations
by Jennifer Carole Lewis
Giveaway ends May 15, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Author Interview
Jennifer Carole Lewis - Revelations
·
When
did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer?
I came to the
realization over several steps. When I
was a child, I loved drawing but got frustrated because the story in my head
would move faster than I could complete the scenes. A teacher suggested I try writing out the
stories instead, so I began my early fan-fiction career writing stories where I
got to hang out with Anne of Green Gables or visit the My Little Ponies.
As I got a little older,
I began to be interested in different material, particularly comics. I started writing what I called “between the
scenes” moments, such as interactions between Batman and Alfred after a long
evening of crime fighting.
Then I began creating
my own characters and stories within the different universes. At this time, I still thought of it as an
amusing hobby, something to share with my friends. A friend of mine, who had
always been an enthusiastic reader, suggested I create my own universe. She was the first one to tell me that she
thought what I wrote was as good as any paid author out there.
Before that, I hadn’t
really thought seriously about the people who wrote these stories or that I
could be one of them. It sparked
something inside me which kept pushing me to take my writing seriously and push
myself to improve. That was over 10
years ago and it was the final stepping stone that put my feet on the path to
publishing.
·
How
many books have you written?
I’ve
written dozens of books but thus far I’ve only published one. There are a large number of fan fiction
adventures which I’ll be keeping to myself out of a great desire to avoid being
sued. My first independent manuscript
was a paranormal romance about a Faerie lord who falls in love with a 20th
century mortal woman, called Lord of
Underhill. It will be staying in the
dusty corners of my computer for the foreseeable future while I work on the 6 Lalassu books I have planned but I hope
to some day dust it off and improve it.
·
What
are you currently working on?
I’m
currently working on Metamorphosis,
which is the sequel to Revelations. We’ll follow Corporal Ron McBride as he tries
to cope with what happened to him.
Without giving away any spoilers, it will be a continuation of the
issues raised in Revelations and
should be available in early 2016.
I’m
also preparing a short story about a paranormal investigator and a devout
skeptic. The two of them clash as she
investigates the strange goings-on in his parents’ home but find themselves
having to work together and learn from each other. That should be available in September 2015 as
a pre-Hallowe’en treat to my readers.
·
What
was the hardest part about writing Revelations?
The hardest part for me
was learning to write from an outline.
I’ve always been a seat-of-your-pants writer, letting inspiration
flow. But I’ve found that leaves me with
long periods of creative drought, where I can’t write much of anything.
Instead, what I’ve
learned to do is use those days when my mind is blazing and the ideas are
flowing. I write down as much detail as
I can in my outline and then I have something to guide me on those days when
I’m not as inspired. I’ve been surprised
to discover that the outline makes it easier for me to become re-inspired.
·
What
inspired the lalassu?
I’ve always liked the
concept of secret societies. The idea of
having a group in plain sight and yet hidden from everyone except each other
intrigues me. The original inspiration
for Revelations was a dream I had in
which a burlesque dancer was actually a succubus, luring men in. She became linked to the stories I’d read
about the ancient priestesses of Babylon, who used orgasm to connect
worshippers with the divine.
As I played with the
idea more, I thought about the ancient legends and stories of gods and
demi-gods walking the earth. What if
those stories were accurate? What if
there were people who were capable of extraordinary feats? Where would they have gone? What would their descendants be like? The idea of that the children of ancient
heroes could have inherited their gifts combined with the idea of a secret
society and the lalassu were born.
The word lalassu is ancient Akkadian, the
language of Babylon. It means ghost or
hidden. I chose it to represent the
“hidden” people with their extraordinary gifts.
·
What
is the strangest writing habit that you have?
The
strangest habit I have is going over scenes and dialogue in public, sometimes
out loud. My husband bought me a
Bluetooth headset to wear when I walk to pick up the kids so that I look less
like a crazy person as I talk and gesture to myself. I’ve watched my seven year old son pick up
the habit and now we both talk to our separate imaginary friends.
·
Were
Dani and Michael’s characters inspired by people in your real life?
Some
aspects of Dani were inspired by the burlesque dancers I met and spoke with as
part of my research. The description of
how she feels when she dances (powerful and beautiful and as if everything in
the world makes sense) came directly from one of the dancers who explained that
she began dancing after breaking up with an ex-boyfriend who cheated on her.
Most
of Dani’s character was inspired by the larger-than-life legends of female
warriors and dangerous beings which I love.
I wanted a character who was strong with that exotic touch of danger to
her.
Michael
was primarily inspired by a number of therapists who work with special needs
children. These people are amazingly
generous with their time and energy, working tirelessly on the smallest goals
with patience and humor. Their positive
and optimistic outlook inspired me and made me want to write a character
completely different from the dark and gritty cynics I often create.
I
did use a little bit of my father for Michael, namely when he is being
introduced to the burlesque dancers. My
dad has a great gift for making people feel comfortable and he can draw them
into personal conversations within seconds of meeting them. I wanted Michael to have that same comfort
and knack of connecting with people.
·
What
advice would you give aspiring writers?
The best piece of
advice I can offer to aspiring writers is to never stop learning. I was amazed by how much I learned from
joining the Romance Writers of America.
I make it a point to attend as many workshops and events as I can
because there’s always something valuable to glean, some little trick or
improvement that I can apply to my own work.
I also read constantly, across a wide variety of genres, to expose
myself to different techniques and ideas.
Be open to new ideas and you’ll grow faster than you could have
imagined.
·
What
is your favorite thing about fantasy/paranormal fiction?
This
is actually a tough question for me because there are so many things I love
about fantasy/paranormal/science fiction.
But I think in the end, I have to say that I love how it can explore
issues and introduce people to new ways of thinking without them even realizing
it. The classic example would be Star
Trek’s exploration of racism. By
transposing the issue onto another culture, they could talk about it without
people getting personally upset.
Another
thing I love is the skillful building of alternate worlds. The best fantasy/paranormal works are
internally consistent and detailed. They
feel as if they could be real.
·
What
famous person would you love to have as a fan of your work?
There
are a number of authors that I admire and would have trouble acting cool and
nonchalant with if they said they liked my work: Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jenna Black
and Gena Showalter, to name a few. But
if I were to open it up to anyone, I think I would be on a geeked-out wave of bliss
for weeks if Joss Whedon said he liked my stuff.
·
If
you were stranded on a deserted island and you could have ONE character from Revelations on the island with you, who
would it be and why?
I
think I would want Vincent, Dani’s brother, to be with me. His enhanced strength and senses would
definitely come in handy. He’s cute and
(currently) unattached and has experience with odd and useful survival
skills. He’s funny and
entertaining. And it would give me the
best chance of being rescued, since I’m sure his sister would come looking for
him.
Thank you, Ella, for having me on your blog and
reviewing Revelations. It’s been a great deal of fun thinking
through your questions. This is all
still a new experience for me and I’m honored to have the chance to share my
stories and ideas with others.
Jennifer
Carole Lewis
