JESSIE HARRELL-Interview with the Author

The Reading Cafe continues our salute to the amazing authors from the INDELIBLES. Today we would like to present Jessie Harrell-author of DESTINED.

TRC :  Hi Jessie and welcome to The Reading Café.  

Jessie: Thanks so much for having me!!

TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Jessie:  By day, I’m an appellate lawyer. By night, I’m a wife, mother of two, and author/lover of all things Greek mythology. I’m a native Floridian, frustrated world traveler, unrepentant dreamer, lover of acoustic music and not-so-closet geek.

TRC:  You are a member of the INDEBLIBLES website dedicated to indie authors of Young Adult storylines.  How has your association with the Indelibles helped your writing career?

Jessie: There are probably more ways than I can count that being part of a group like The Indelibles has helped me.  We share information, tips, and tricks; we get feedback on book covers and marketing ideas; and we’re all there for each other for moral support (as well as cross promotion).  Writing can be lonely, I’d recommend that all authors (Indie or not) have a support group.

TRC:  Do you have a particular writing style?

Jessie:  I don’t know that I do.  Destined is written in an anachronistic style (big word I learned as an author), where I intentionally did not match the speech with the historical setting.  My goal was to make an ancient myth accessible for today’s teens while keeping it rooted in the past.  I know some readers have not liked this particular style, but that’s the way I wanted to tell my story.  And as an Indie author, I had that freedom.

TRC:  Many authors bounce information and ideas between each other or their family and friends.  With whom do you bounce ideas?

Jessie:  I have some great critique partners with whom I frequently bounce ideas.  Lynne Matson has been awesome to me and I’m so excited that her novel will be hitting the shelves in 2014!  I also use my husband as a sounding board, but he usually just smiles and nods.

TRC:  Have you ever had a serious case of writer’s block and if so, how did you handle the stress and anxiety?

Jessie: What author hasn’t had writer’s block?  Sometimes I find if I just research, an idea will come to me.  Other times I have to let the characters play a scene out the way they want to.  But generally, the best remedy for writer’s block is a deadline!

TRC:  Do you find anything particularly challenging about writing?

Jessie:  Writing for young adults required that I learn a whole new skill set.  I’m an attorney and write daily for my job, but it’s a COMPLETELY different kind of writing.  Putting the craft aside, I find plotting is the hardest part of writing for me.

TRC:  What challenges did you face getting your novel published?

Jessie:  Like most authors, I queried before the manuscript was ready, and probably lost some opportunities because of it.  Once it was in better shape, I had several “near-misses” with agents, who didn’t take it on for one reason or another.  None of this is out of the ordinary from what I understand.    Ultimately though, I decided that Destined was ready for publication and the timing was right.  I released the novel myself under my own imprint (Mae Day Publishing) and have never looked back.

TRC:  DESTINED is your latest release.  Would you please tell us about the premise?

LINKS TO PURCHASE:
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Paper Books
B&N Nook and Paper books
KOBO

Jessie:  Destined is a reimagining of the myth of Eros and Psyche from ancient Greece.  Here’s the blurb from the back cover:

When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.

As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she’s come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined.

TRC:  Have you planned a series of novels based on the characters and the storyline?  If so, what is the premise of the next installment?

Jessie:  No, Destined is a stand alone novel.  I am working on another novel set in ancient Greece, but it will include all new characters.

TRC:  Where did you come up with the ideas behind your story of Psyche and Eros?

Jessie:  Well, I relied heavily on the ancient myth, of course.  But then I had to figure out what I wanted to change; what message I wanted to send.  I wanted to portray Psyche as a girl with the courage to fight for love and not as some brainless, pretty face who requires help from inanimate objects (she got a tip from some talking river reeds in the original).  I also wanted the gods to have motivations for what they did beyond just being petty.  So really what I tried to do when writing was figure out how to make the myth more robust and character-driven.

TRC:  Did you have any muse/models in your life that influenced your creation and personalities for you characters of Psyche and Eros?

Jessie:  I’m be lying if I said Psyche didn’t have a lot of me in her (the teen me was also prone to tears), but she’s also a lot wittier than I am and speaks her mind.  When I was writing Eros, my muse was a picture of a young Leonard Dicaprio.  *swoon *

TRC:  Did you study Greek Mythology, or have you always been a fan of that area?

Jessie:  I majored in Classical Studies in undergrad and the Greek history and culture was my favorite part.  My mythology professor was amazing; she always taught to a packed room.  And perhaps my favorite course was Honors Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult in Ancient Greece and Rome.

TRC: Will you be writing any future storylines about the Greek gods/goddesses?

Jessie:  My next novel set in ancient Greece will revolve around Apollo and his oracle, the Pythia.

TRC:  On what are you currently working?

Jessie:  I’m working on edits to a contemporary, mythology-based paranormal story called Beneath the Surface, as well as the Apollo/Pythia story, called Oracular.  I’m also really looking forward to seeing my short story, “I Come Bearing Souls,” appear in the Two and Twenty Dark Tales Anthology, a collection of dark stories inspired by Mother Goose rhymes.  My story is loosely based on Hey Diddle, Diddle.

TRC:  Would you like to add anything else?

Jessie:  I’d love for folks to pick up their free e-copy of Before, a short story told from Eros’s perspective about the love he had before he met Psyche.  It’s available for free on Smashwords.  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/165945

LINKS TO ORDER : BEFORE by Jessie Harrell
Amazon Kindle
B&N Nook
KOBO

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
Chicken Parmesan from Pizza Palace in Jacksonville.

Favorite Dessert
Anything chocolate, especially if it has caramel or coconut.

Favorite TV Show
True Blood

Favorite Movie
I’m not sure I have one.  I really like comedies like “Get Him to the Greek” and “The Hangover.”

Last Movie you Saw
The Vow

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Milk

Do you have any pets?
no

Favorite Flower
blue hydrangea

TRC:  Thank you Jessie for taking the time to answer our questions.  The Reading Café would like to wish you the best of luck with your writing career.

Jessie:  Thank you SO much for having me on your lovely blog!  If your readers are interested, I can be found around the web here:

Blog: http://jessie-harrell.blogspot.com
website: www.jessieharrell.com
Twitter: twitter.com/jessieharrell
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessieHarrell.Author