TITLE: Wicked Sacrifice (Wicked Things #1)
AUTHOR: Jessica L. Jaster
PUBLISHER: Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly
GENRE: Young Adult, Paranormal
PUBLICATION: June 6th, 2014
“Only you can stop it.” – “Sometimes we are called upon to make great sacrifices. Sometimes those sacrifices hurt us. Cut us deep. Sometimes. Sometimes those sacrifices are worth it.”
Those words were some of the last that Ava remembers passing through her mother’s lips the last time she saw her, when she was just 5 years old. She had made a promise to her mother that day. Now, 11 years later, in a completely different country, living with abusive adoptive parents and ridiculed at school as a freak – Ava finds it more and more difficult to keep that promise. The voices she has heard in her head all her life are getting louder and harder to ignore. How long can she keep living like this?
Then he moves to town.
Gavin O’Connor and his family are Curators – guardians of the human race. They’ve been given the ability to sense the supernatural – or, the Wicked, as they call them. All things supernatural are wicked and to be hunted down and killed – that is what Gavin has been taught since he was in diapers. But, what happens when he finds himself doubting that very thing when he meets Ava?
SOMETIME’S IT’S WORTH THE SACRIFICE…
Add to your Goodreads! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20948102-wicked-sacrifice
Watch the trailer now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twi2grZRtPo&feature=youtu.be
Jessica Jaster lives in Iowa with her husband and her
(currently) two year old and three year old, as well as their cat, Pandora.
Jessica graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in
Anthropology. Yes, she realizes that there is a big difference between
Anthropology and writing young adult novels. She actually tried for an
English major (well actually, it was Criminal Justice, then English, then
Anthropology), but the classes she had to take just did not fly with her.
Although, since Anthropology is pretty much just the study of humans and human
culture, it could tie in with her novels in some way.
She has always had an over-active imagination and has been making stories up in
her head for herself for as long as she can remember and finally decided to
start writing them down (when she is not busy chasing the two little ones
around anyway) and sharing them with anyone interested.
Jessica is the author of the Wicked Things Series, The Delta
Project Series and the Don’t Mess with the Geek Novella Series.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website: http://jljaster-yaauthor.weebly.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessicaJaster1
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jljaster/
Pushing her chair away from the
table determinedly, Ava stood up and made her way across the room to set up her
own wheel. She froze in the middle of the room. Of course, the only one left
open was next to Brick Wall. Ava clenched and unclenched her fists. Steeling
herself, she inched her way over and started getting the wheel ready. When she
had everything all set, Ava sat on the stool.
She just
sat there for a moment, with her palms on her thighs, and took a calming
breath. Well, what was meant to be a calming breath, but didn’t help much in
all actuality. Her hands shook slightly and her face burned as she slowly
rolled her left sleeve up, followed by her right sleeve. Ava could feel several
eyes on her.
She couldn’t hear them, but she was
sure there were whispers about the feather-looking marks on her arms flying
around the room. She didn’t know why they had to be like this every time the
marks were exposed. It wasn’t like they had never seen them before.
Her
knuckles turned white as her fingers dug into her thighs while she tried to
hold back the tears of frustration stinging her eyes. A few managed to escape
anyway. She let them roll down her
cheeks and tumble down, landing on the backs of her hands. Staring down at the glistening spots, she was
reminded that while she wasn’t human – although, she had no idea of what she
was – she still had all the emotions of one.
Chancing a
sideways glance at Brick Wall, Ava was surprised to see the look of hatred
gone, but his lips were still set in a frown. He looked like he was trying to
figure something out – like he was trying to figure her out. He suddenly seemed
to realize that Ava was watching him and jerked his gaze away, starting up his
wheel. Ava shrugged. No one had ever
looked at her like that. Like they were really trying to figure out who she was – past the freak that everyone
else saw. Whatever. She had enough problems – it wasn’t worth trying to figure
out what his deal was.
Tell my fans a little bit about yourself and your books.
Hey all! My name is Jessica Jaster, I will be approaching 30 in a couple years (now there’s a scary thought, I’m a Libra and I like long walks on the beach…haha…seriously, though. I’m married and we have two wonderful children (and when I say wonderful, I mean that they’re complete monsters most of the time) who are 2 and 3 years old. They were born almost exactly 1 year, 1 week and 12 hours apart. I’ve lived in the Midwest my entire life and currently live in a small town in Iowa.
When it comes to writing, my books are primarily Young Adult. The ones I have actually written are Science Fiction, Paranormal and Contemporary. They generally include a strong leading female that really kicks butt and include some romance.
How would you introduce your books to someone that has yet to read them?
That depends on which book I’m introducing.
The Delta Project Series is about a teenage girl who has been genetically modified and brought up to be the perfect soldier, along with a group of other kids – all known as Deltas. She escapes the compound she grew up in and then must figure out how to rescue the rest of the Deltas.
The Wicked Things Series is a paranormal series about a family tasked with hunting down supernatural beings in order to keep the human race safe. They are about to discover that not all supernatural beings are as wicked as they’ve been led to believe.
The Don’t Mess with the Geek Novella Series is about a teenage geek who discovers that her parents are spies and the adventures – or rather, misadventures – that follow her after this discovery.
How many books have you written? What are their titles?
I have written six books belonging to three book series. The Delta Project Series: Hide (Part One), Rescue (Part Two), Revolt (Part Three). The Wicked Things Series: Wicked Sacrifice (Book One). The Don’t Mess with the Geek Novella Series: Hero of My Own Story (Part One), Who is the Real Hero Here, Anyway? (Part Two).
What genre have you not yet written, but would like to try?
I’d like to try New Adult.
What inspired you to start writing? What age did you start?
I started writing because I’ve always had all these story ideas running through my head and not writing them down was starting to seem like a waste. So, about two years ago I decided to start writing them down and finishing them.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?
When I’m not writing I’m spending time with my kids, reading, or drawing.
What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Just write – every day. And don’t give up. This isn’t easy and it takes time and dedication.
What’s your favorite scene/line from your works?
“I really wish you wouldn’t call me that.” She muttered under her breath as she pushed more hair out of her face. “She’s not my daughter – well, not biologically. Although, I think I’ve kind of adopted her now.” Weston shook her head. “It’s kind of a long story.”
“You don’t have a kid.” He repeated, more to himself than to her. His eyes narrowed on her. “What about Six?”
Weston threw her hands up in the air. “What about him? He’s my brother!”
“Your brother.” Cormac said slowly.
“Yes! My twin brother!”
Cormac shook his head. “I can’t believe this. We were all so horribly wrong. When Six showed up at the house with a little girl in tow that looked just like you and telling us that he was there to get help for you, we all just assumed she was your daughter from your life before and he was the father.”
Weston shook her head. At least that explained why Cormac had been acting the way he had. He would have never kicked her out or intruded on her supposed past relationship. And just like he said, it hurt too much to be around her when he thought she was with someone else. Just like it had hurt her to be so close to him, yet so far away. If only Cormac had just asked her about Six, but then again, she was just as guilty about not opening her own mouth. But now – now they knew the truth.
It seemed Cormac was thinking the same thing. The forlorn look he had worn the last couple of days was gone, replaced by a look she had only just begun to see on his face right before she left the ranch. Fire burned in his eyes as he took a small step forward. “So – “ He said, eyes glued to her face.
“So – “ Weston breathed out, taking a step forward herself, bringing them toe to toe. Her heart was pounding like a drum in her chest and her legs felt weak.
Cormac reached out and cupped her cheek gently, his thumb brushing some raindrops off it. Leaning into his hand, Weston sighed. She had craved his touch for so long it seemed. When she opened her eyes and gazed up at Mac, the fire in his eyes burned even hotter. Weston gasped softly at what she saw there. Love.
“I’ve really missed you, Pipsqueak.” Mac all but whispered, his other hand coming up to cup her other cheek. His head lowered and his lips met hers.
The kiss started out gentle, but quickly deepened. Mac’s tongue flicked against her top lip and she eagerly opened for him. Growling deep in his throat, Mac pulled her closer. Weston slid her hands up his arms and around his neck, her hands sliding into his wet hair. Mac’s hands left her face and traveled down, settling on her hips. Tightening his grip, he hoisted her up and Weston wrapped her legs around his midsection.
They finally broke off the kiss, both breathing heavily as Mac leaned his forehead against Weston’s. A slow smile spread across his lips as he looked into her eyes. Weston’s own lips twitched at the corners and soon she had a matching smile on hers. Suddenly, Mac closed his eyes and chuckled.
“What?”
“Do you realize we’ve been standing in the rain this whole time?” He asked, opening his eyes, his smile growing wider.
“Oh yeah, I kind of forgot about that.”
He chuckled again and sighed. “We should probably get back to the house before everyone starts freaking out about it taking so long.” He turned them and began walking further into the forest, still holding onto her.
(From Rescue (The Delta Project Series Part Two))
What's the hardest thing about writing? The easiest?
The hardest part of writing, for me, is what comes after the writing – the marketing and promoting. It is a lot of work and very time consuming (and not easy when you have two toddlers running around), but necessary. The easies part of writing, for me, is coming up with story ideas – I have a binder full of more than thirty story ideas I’ve come up with, so I don’t think it’s going to be something I’ll have a problem with for a while.
What are you currently reading?
I’ve been working my way through The Ghost Bird Series by C. L. Stone. I’d definitely recommend it.
What are you currently working on?
I am working on the fourth and final book in the Delta Project Series, book two of the Wicked Things Series and the third part of the Don’t Mess with the Geek Novella Series.
What books did you read as a child?
Corduroy by Don Freeman, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, Anything by Marguerite Henry, the Boxcar Children.
What genre is your favorite to read?
Young Adult (pretty much any subgenre)
How has your life changed since you began writing?
Well, my life is even crazier than it was before I started writing. With two toddlers running my life, pretty much every spare minute I have needs to be spent writing, thinking about my writing and promoting and marketing.
Do you listen to music while you write?
Yes, most definitely.
What's been your favorite moment as an author?
My favorite moment, or moments, as an author has been being able to interact with fans. I love getting to know them better.
Out of all of your characters, who is your favorite?
Hm. That’s a hard question. It’s kind of like asking which of my kids is my favorite. I think right now, Aislin from the Don’t Mess with the Geek Novella Series is as close as she can get to being my favorite character just because she is so much fun to write.
What do you want readers to take away from your books?
What I want my reader to take away from my books is mostly that freedom, family and friends are worth fighting for and that you should never be ashamed of who you are.
You’re stranded on a desert island. What books do you take with you?
Hm. Is there a limit to ho many I can bring? Haha. I’d definitely take the Vampire Academy Series and the Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead.
What book(s) do you wish you would have written?
I’d say the Lord of the Rings Series or something along those lines, but that’s not really my style of writing. Going along the lines of the way I write, I wish I would have written The Darcy Walker Series by A. J. Lape and the Grey Wolves Series by Quinn Loftis.
Favorite book character?
Rose Hathaway from the Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead.
What is your dream vacation destination?
Australia or Germany.
Do you have any interesting dreams or goals?
Well, I’m already working on my biggest dream/goal by becoming an author. One other thing I’d like to do is become a tattoo designer.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully doing what I’m doing now, but with a bigger fan base.
If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
Inside the Twisted Mind of Jessica Jaster.
Where can fans find you?
Twitter: @JessicaJaster1
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jljaster/
One lucky commenter will win either an ebook of Wicked Sacrifice OR a swag pack including a Wicked Things rubber bracelet, a raven skull necklace and a 4x6 signed print of the cover. Please leave a valid email address to enter!
No comments:
Post a Comment