I am delighted to be joined on the blog today by JL Myers for both an interview and my review of her book - Nerve Damage. Here's a little bio about the author.
Jessica L Myers’ vivid imagination and quiet demeanor as a child led her to the imaginary worlds of books. Even at a young age, her love for the supernatural was prevalent, with her first loved books being R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series. Following that she took an interest in other non-fantasy fiction, including Virginia C. Andrews series Flowers in the Attic. In her teen years, Jessica spent many school hours writing poetry and dark short stories and took up sketching some of the terrifying things that came from the graphic night terrors she’d grown up with. As an adult and after meeting the love of her life, Jessica got married and started a small construction business with her husband. With the birth of her son, Jessica suffered PPD and found escape in her books and their fantasy landscapes. It was at this time that her need to write flourished. In 2009 the decision was made and the first words to her New Adult Paranormal Romance novel What Lies Inside were written. When Jessica isn’t immersed in writing about extraordinary characters with dangerous abilities and deadly obstacles to overcome, she likes to spend time with her two kids and husband, curl up with a good book, or watch anything and everything supernatural.
And onto the interview!
What made you want to be a writer?
I have always loved reading and books. In school I started writing dark short stories and poems to pass the time in classes, though my real need to write flourished when I first became a parent. Suffering postnatal depression, I rediscovered my love for reading and books, but I felt like I needed more than to read someone else’s words and live in their created landscapes. I needed a purpose and something that defined me. And many of you many not understand this, (especially with a beautiful new baby that I truly loved from the moment he arrived) but I needed an escape, a way to get out of my head and the emotions that seemed to have a hold of me. Writing was my way to finding myself, to working through my own demons, past and present, and to becoming a better person and parent. Many women feel that they lose themselves when they become mothers, and for me, writing was my way to rediscovering who I was and who I wanted to be.
What kind of books do you read for pleasure?
I mostly read paranormal and fantasy books that have at the very least a hint of romance. Given me any supernatural creatures and end-of-the-world dramas and I’m happy!
What kind of writer are you: plan or not?
I am an absolute plotter. I must admit, with my first novel I did begin by sitting down with an idea in the back of my mind, which I then just continued to write as new ideas came to me. Now I like to know who my characters are, what they want most, and how each story will end. I take time now to create the skeleton of each of my stories, starting with my rough ideas and characters. I then mold that into a scene-by-scene setup with a rough layout for who appears in each scene, what actions they will take, and then what the conclusion will be to lead me on to what happens next.
What book/character of yours is your favourtie?
I have to say Amelia from my Blood Bound Series is my favourite character out of all my books and characters. She is in her rawest level an extension of me and the things I have struggled through in life. I understand her and every one of her motives, her endless protection and devotion to protect those she loves, her fears of what she’s becoming and is capable of, and her innate need to be better than she believes she is.
If you had the chance to write anywhere, where would you choose?
I must admit I have two amazing destinations in mind as the places I would most like to write in. One would be a secluded cabin that overlooks rolling mountains and all of nature in its purest form—a waterfall would be an epic addition too!
For the second destination, I’d pick a quiet beach where I could lounge in front of lapping shores under an umbrella as I create worlds that are out of this world.
What attracted you to your chosen genre?
I have always loved the spooky and strange. Give me vampires, werewolves, fairies, supernatural hunters, and all the monsters in-between and I’m in heaven. In my mind all these paranormal creatures are real, and perhaps one day, if I’m lucky enough, I’ll catch a glimpse of the real thing…
Would you ever like to branch out to a different genre?
My main genre is paranormal romance, but I’ve always loved thrillers, especially psychological ones that have you guessing and on the edge of your seat. So it may not come as a shock that my latest book, Nerve Damage, is actually a psychological thriller.
A fatal car crash. The sole survivor. And the dark hooded stranger that wants her dead.
When a terrible accident—not accident—stole
my parents’ lives, my whole perfect life changed. My memories are hazy,
and there are scars on my wrists. I’ve been locked away for my own
protection…until I prove my sanity, until I lie. There was no hooded figure on the road that day, no one standing over me as I lay paralyzed watching my parents burn.
I am Cassidy Lockheart…20-year-old orphan.
Determined to free my caged mind, I find myself far away on an unexpected trip to help return my forgotten past. The snow was part of my life before, but now it’s like a blank slate, until an avalanche changes everything. But I’m not alone. These other ‘lucky’ trip winners may not be the strangers they pretend to be. And my hooded attacker…I see him everywhere.
Is this real? Or delusion caused by head trauma?
Either way, I’m being watched. I can sense it. I can feel it. Someone is after me; maybe they’re after us all. The avalanche was no accident. It was staged to deliver us to this abandoned place. A place where the walls whisper dark secrets of a sinister past…a past no one can escape. Trapped, this snow won’t let up…it won’t let us leave. My lost memories hold clues, but they’re buried so deep, polluted and twisted in my every waking nightmare. What is real? I don’t have the answers. But I need them. Time is ticking and if I don’t figure this all out soon it will be too late.
I am Cassidy Lockheart…20-year-old orphan.
Determined to free my caged mind, I find myself far away on an unexpected trip to help return my forgotten past. The snow was part of my life before, but now it’s like a blank slate, until an avalanche changes everything. But I’m not alone. These other ‘lucky’ trip winners may not be the strangers they pretend to be. And my hooded attacker…I see him everywhere.
Is this real? Or delusion caused by head trauma?
Either way, I’m being watched. I can sense it. I can feel it. Someone is after me; maybe they’re after us all. The avalanche was no accident. It was staged to deliver us to this abandoned place. A place where the walls whisper dark secrets of a sinister past…a past no one can escape. Trapped, this snow won’t let up…it won’t let us leave. My lost memories hold clues, but they’re buried so deep, polluted and twisted in my every waking nightmare. What is real? I don’t have the answers. But I need them. Time is ticking and if I don’t figure this all out soon it will be too late.
The past is coming for us all…and it wants blood.
My review: 5 stars
I picked this book up when I read the synopsis. I've always loved a good psychological thriller and this one did not disappoint! The scene is set with Cassidy and the accident and then picks up with her having lost memories of her past. The story takes us to a remote location where there is a dark and deadly history. It was enthralling and gripping from the first page and I loved it completely! I had some guesses as to the end, but was gladly surprised with how things turned out! Amazing writing! Highly recommended!
I picked this book up when I read the synopsis. I've always loved a good psychological thriller and this one did not disappoint! The scene is set with Cassidy and the accident and then picks up with her having lost memories of her past. The story takes us to a remote location where there is a dark and deadly history. It was enthralling and gripping from the first page and I loved it completely! I had some guesses as to the end, but was gladly surprised with how things turned out! Amazing writing! Highly recommended!
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Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here.
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