Author’s Interview: Jenna Terese

Hi all! I’m back with another author’s interview. Please welcome Jenna Terese! I’m delighted to have her on the blog as this interview has been in the works for a while. Thanks to the Iron Walls release and then coming down with two different illnesses in a row, the interview had to be postponed, but we are finally here with Jenna! Thank you for being here, Jenna, and thank you for the patience you had as I worked to find time and the health to do this! Let’s go ahead and dive right in.

To start, I always like to ask authors to tell my audience a bit about themselves, so if you wouldn’t mind, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

First of all, thank you so much for having me! I am a Christian young adult author passionate about how art affects the world and on a mission to impact people through stories. I’m also a booknerd, Marvel geek, musician, and plant mom. 

As I said, I’m glad to have you on, finally! So the next thing I’m sure everyone’s curious about is what kind of genres you write. And as a follow up, why did you choose that style or flavor of writing?

I write mainly science fiction, but I’ve also got a few fantasy ideas in the works. 😉 I used to write only historical fiction, but once I read my first speculative fiction book I was hooked. I love the freedom of creativity I have with sci-fi and fantasy. There are no limits, and that excites me. 

That’s wonderful! Perfect fit for this blog, too! We love all things speculative fiction over here, though most of the authors I’ve had on write mainly fantasy. I personally love a good historical fiction novel too, so it’s neat that you started out there! Now, shifting gears from writing to reading, what genres do you read, and do you write the same ones?

I read mainly fantasy and sci-fi. I definitely draw inspiration from what I read for my writing.

I think you’re in good company there! Most of us write what we enjoy and read it too. So besides writing, which most writers know can be either relaxing or extremely stressful depending on the day, what are some of the things you like to do to relax?

Reading, of course. 😉 I also love to play the piano, knit occasionally, and make aesthetic Pinterest boards for my WIPs.

All great things to do! I like spending time on Pinterest too, maybe a little too much. Once you’ve gone down that rabbit hole, there’s no coming back! So, focusing back on your writing, can you tell us about your current work-in-progress?

I published my debut novel Ignite (YA sci-fi/superhero) this year, and I’m currently working on editing the sequel to it, Embers. That’s my main project, but I also have another sci-fi/futuristic racing novel in the works. 

Congratulations! A debut novel is a really big deal. It’s great that you have the sequel in the works too. It sounds like you’re making great progress on building up your backlog of books in the new genre. Did you publish your debut traditionally or through self-publishing, and can you tell us a little about the experience? If this is your first experience, what has that been like?

I independently published my debut novel and chose that path over traditional publishing for my future books. This definitely isn’t an easy road. Indie publishing is like managing your own business, and even after I’d done a lot of research, I still didn’t feel prepared for the amount of work a book launch took. But seeing readers’ response to the book release and them sharing how much they loved it makes it all worth it. Sharing my stories with the world can be a bit scary at times, but I love sharing the characters in my head and their journeys with others.

I know what you mean! I love the control self-publishing gives me over the process, but it’s certainly a ton of work. Especially with the first novel when you don’t know what you’re doing entirely. I remember how scary that was and how stressed out I got, but it gets better even if the work load doesn’t improve! So as far as this book and others go, what were your inspirations for writing?

I get inspiration from almost anywhere. Being a visual person, I’m often inspired by things I see. Movies, shows, people, places, art, and more. 

I know how that goes! I’m very similar in drawing inspiration from just about anything at all. It’s always fascinating to see what sparks an idea when you’re out and about. Can I ask, who got you into writing when you first started?

I grew up with my mom reading to me and my siblings. I loved how a story could draw you in and make you forget about the real world, take you on an adventure, and leave you craving more. That fascination is what led me to begin crafting my own stories. 

That’s awesome! I also grew up with a parent in the home who loved to read to us. There’s not much better than listening to a good story, especially if the person reading does voices. As you began moving from reading to also writing, was there anyone who came alongside you at any point when you were struggling in your writing journey and made a real difference? If so, who and why?

Along with the support of my awesome family and encouraging writer friends, God has really been there through it all. I didn’t always realize it, but looking back now I can see how He’s grown me and how that translates into my writing. Whenever I’m discouraged about my writing, I can remember the truth that He gave me a love of storytelling for a reason and that my stories matter. 

 
That’s definitely a blessing! Not every writer can say that. Speaking of other writers, especially beginners, what advice would you give to aspiring authors and writers just starting on the writing journey?

Similar to my previous answer: your stories matter. Stories have a powerful way of impacting people and you were given a passion for it for a reason. Things won’t always be easy. In fact, maybe most of it won’t. But it matters. So keep at it. And remember, practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes better. I believe you can’t achieve perfection in art, so don’t expect it of yourself. But keep practicing and refining your skills, and it will pay off. 

That’s definitely good advice! I think we often forget that practice can’t make us perfect and get discouraged when it doesn’t, but it’s encouraging to recognize that it definitely makes us a lot better! Along the same grain, what is one thing you wish someone had told you before you started writing?

Basically, my previous answer. XD Also, I wish I’d known about the comparison trap writers struggle with before I struggled with it myself and stunted my creativity. I also wish I’d known more about making my own unique creative process, experimenting with different ways to craft my stories instead of copying others. 

Yeah, those are all good things for beginning authors to know. Especially the last two you mentioned. Comparison traps are one of the biggest pitfalls a writer can fall into! And I think a lot of beginners also need to hear that it’s okay to just experiment and try things many ways without worrying about how everyone else does it! Learn from what others do and use techniques they used successfully while experimenting, but if it isn’t you, that’s okay. Move on and try something new! Now, on to the fun question that every author (really, any avid reader) hates! What’s your favorite book, and who’s your favorite literary character? Why?

It’s so hard to narrow my favorites down to one book! I’ll have to cheat a little and give my favorite series: the Out of Time series by Nadine Brandes. It inspires me as a Christian (and Christian writer). It’s a young adult sci-fi/dystopian full of suspense, emotion, and deep characters that encourage and inspire. Thank you again for interviewing me!

I know it’s not an easy question when there are so many good books to choose from! I’ll take favorite series. Usually authors end up giving me more than one, and I rarely have just one answer to the question myself!

Well, that’s it for today, everyone! Thank you again for being here today, Jenna! This was a lot of fun, and I’m sure my readers will enjoy getting to know you as much as I did. Ladies and gentlemen, if you’re reading today, Jenna’s book Ignite is available here on Amazon in Kindle, paperback, or–if you prefer to get the really nice type of hard copy–hardback. Give it a look, and if you find it interesting, maybe give it a shot! I’m sure Jenna would also love to hear from you if you have read it and enjoyed it! You can also find Jenna on the web here. That’s all for today. Until next time!

A Special Book Feature: Faith in Abertillery

Hey, guys! I’ve got something different for you today as part of the final day of the blog tour. Please don’t shoot me for changing up the routine! Just kidding. I know you guys won’t.

All joking aside, I know I normally only review fantasy, but this is an exception for the blog tour! It’s not fantasy. Instead, Faith of Abertillery is a historical romance set during the Welsh Revival. Good stuff, in my opinion. Can’t get much better than clean historical romance with a Christian emphasis, at least for me.

When TN Traynor and I were talking about what we could do for the last day of the blog tour where I’d be on her blog, she suggested we could do book highlights. That’s something you usually don’t see in blog tours, but hey, it’s different and different can be a good thing. She mentioned that the book was shorter, which was perfect since both of us were on tight schedules to finish reading the new book before today.

I knew the book wasn’t what I usually review on here before I told her what I could do in terms of posting the spotlight, but because I’d already read Idi & The Oracle’s Quest by her, I had high hopes that this new story would be equally good in terms of characterization and storyline. I certainly wasn’t disappointed, and hopefully some of you won’t be disappointed that I’m posting something that’s not fantasy. 😉

I can honestly say that between this book and Idi & the Oracle’s Quest, I much preferred this one. Usually, I like fantasy and romance about the same but favor fantasy romance more over regular romances. But in this case, I found that the author much improved her writing and her style from the first book she released (Idi & the Oracle’s Quest) to Faith in Abertillery.

Boy, am I ever glad I agreed to read this for the highlight! I loved the book. The only two things that kept it from earning five stars from me were the use of present tense throughout the whole book and the translations of every Welsh word used inline. The first is just personal preference. The second kind of pulled me out of the book to interpret and read the interpretations of the Welsh. Some of them might have needed a glossary, but others could have done without any entries or explanations because context made them clear. So I didn’t like that so much, but the book was on the whole quite enjoyable to read! If you like historical Christian romance, you should definitely give the book a whirl. I very much doubt you’ll regret it! I certainly didn’t. You can find more information here, and I put the blurb below.

You can find TN Traynor online here.

Blurb:

With ‘An Officer & A Gentleman’ feel, and a Christmas Day ending, this is a perfect festive season, feel-good book. She’s given up on love. He’s marrying for money. But God has other plans…

South Wales, 1905. Faith only believes in the certainty of pain and suffering. Born with a club foot and harboring a dark secret, the barmaid can’t escape her sinful past. But after the country’s religious revival puts her out of a job, hope sparks when a handsome aristocrat gallantly offers her a second chance.

Lord Geoffrey Driscoll fears his estate will run out of money before he can find a suitable bride. However, the devout nobleman can’t keep his mind off the stunning redhead despite her lowly status. As the attraction between them grows, Lord Driscoll is torn between his need for a wife of means and his heart.

As Faith falls for Lord Driscoll’s kindness, she wishes that she could erase the sinful past that stands in the way of their union…

Can the troubled couple trust in God to light the way to true love?

Faith in Abertillery is a touching Christian historical romance. If you like stories of forgiveness, rich backdrops, and charming chemistry, then you’ll adore Tracy Traynor’s moving tale.

Buy Faith in Abertillery to watch young love follow a higher power today!