TBR welcomes Jessica E. Subject

TBR: Welcome to TBR, Jessica. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
Jessica E. Subject: Thank you for having me back on TBR the blog, Cate! Hello everyone! Besides being a multi-published author in both contemporary and science fiction romance, I’m also a mother of two intelligent children, and a wife. I love to read in multiple genres, listen and dance to music, and watch movies, especially science fiction titles with some romance in them. When I’m in town, and the weather is nice, I like to go out for long, fast walks, but if I get a chance to hike by a waterfall, I tend to slow down.

TBR: Tell us about Accidental Romance and where it's available.
Jessica: Accidental Romance is a new adult contemporary romance. I wrote it as part of The Challenge series at Decadent Publishing. Here’s a bit about the series:

Challenge: A test of one's abilities or resources in a demanding but stimulating undertaking.

In every life, there are challenges, boulders in the flowing stream of existence. From the physical, to the psychological or emotional, nobody is immune. No one gets through life intact, but the challenge is not to avoid damage, but to work through, past or around the things that make life so difficult. 

We all know people who do this—live fulfilling lives in spite of the difficulties they are forced to deal with. 

The Challenge series is about characters who do just this—and the people who love them. Challenge is a romance series with a twist. The “challenge” takes a central role in the characters’ romance.

Now, many of my characters already face challenges, such as Alopecia Areata, acid burns on their face, infertility, and more. With Accidental Romance, I decided to have a younger main character, a woman still finding her way in adulthood. And I decided to break some gender barriers as well, having a female taking over the farm for her father, rather than the typical son.

Here’s the blurb:

At twenty-two, Leanne Declan has graduated from college and hopes to take over the family farm until a tragic accident changes her life forever. Unable to do the simplest everyday chores, she must depend on her family and friends as she learns to face life’s challenges. But when her fears threaten to destroy her future, can an unexpected love be strong enough to help her dreams come true?

Available From:

Amazon (US/UK) | Decadent Publishing | All Romance | Barnes&Noble | more

TBR: Please tantalize us with an excerpt.
Jessica: Here’s an excerpt from after Leanne’s accident, when she’s in the hospital:

A million needles pierced her wrist. She had to get away from the fire. Leanne flicked open her eyes, screaming, longing for the agony to stop.

White walls surrounded her. Machines beeped. Taking in the new scenery, she closed her mouth, the pain forgotten. Bags filled with clear liquids as well as blood hung from a metal pole. She followed the tubes from the bags into her left hand. Was that where the burn came from? She glanced at the other arm, the end of which was wrapped in thick bandages. The image of spinning blades and her mangled flesh flashed before her eyes. She screamed again, tears falling down her cheeks. This can’t be happening.

Bodies rushed into the room, many in scrubs. With her vision blurred, she didn’t recognize anyone. All strangers. She was in the foreign place by herself. A nightmare. Has to be.

“Shh, calm down, sweetie. You’ll be okay.”

A familiar voice. She glanced to her other side to see her mom standing beside her, her eyes glassy. She held her hand, but Leanne couldn’t feel it, only the throbbing which had returned to her other one, the one that was…gone? She groaned, turning on her side, and pulled her knees up to her chest.

“Mom, is it really…?”

She brushed her fingers over her forehead. “Don’t worry about it right now. You need to rest.”

“It hurts so bad.”

“I know.” Her mother stroked her face again. “But the nurses will help it go away.”

“Leanne,” one of the nurses hovering around her said. “I want you to take deep breaths and count backward from ten.”

“Ten.” She sucked in air and cried out in agony.

Between clenched teeth, she continued. Anything to stop the pain. “Nine.”

Ice traveled through her veins. “Eight.”

The throbbing slowly ebbed away. Seven.

Darkness swept over her and pulled her down with it.

TBR: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Jessica: Many of the characters in my stories face uncommon challenges in their lives, such as infertility, Alopecia Areata, and acid burns to their face. I guess that’s why my editors asked me to write a story for Decadent Publishing’s new series, The Challenge. But, unlike my other stories, Accidental Romance has younger characters, does not have anything to do with space, and takes place out in the country. I decided to use some of my experiences from living out in the country, as well as the stories I’d heard from my husband and friends.

TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
Jessica: I’m a little bit of both. I have a basic outline before I sit down to write most stories. But that outline is very flexible, and has usually changed by the time I finish writing the story.

TBR: How do you develop your characters?
Jessica: When I first started writing, I used to use detailed character questionnaires. But, I quickly gave that up for stories that are not part of a series. Instead, I jot down basics about my characters, such as hair color, eye color, and basic build. And then I let them reveal more about themselves as I write their story. Restricting myself and my characters usually leads to writer’s block, so I don’t do that anymore.

TBR: Did any music inspire your book? Do you have a playlist?
Jessica: I have a playlist for all of my stories, except for my short erotica stories. The Accidental Romance playlist includes Amazed by Lonestar, Before You by Chantal Kreviazuk, I Can Love You Like That by John Michael Montgomery, Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars, Kiss You Inside Out by Hedley, Spirit Indestructible by Nelly Furtado, Nobody Does It Like You by Shawn Desman, and more.

TBR: While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
Jessica: With Accidental Romance, I had to do quite a bit of research about dairy farms and amputations. A couple of things that surprised me were the preparations that happen long before cows are milked. Also, I got a taste of what Leanne would experience after her amputation just by keeping my dominant hand fisted for a period of time. It was very tough. I could not imagine living like that for the rest of my life. It truly would be a challenge.

TBR: Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Jessica: There are some very real characters and events that make an appearance in Accidental Romance. Leanne’s personality is based on a friend of mine. And there is a brief mention about cows getting loose that really did happen when I lived out in the country. We had our own rodeo on our front lawn. LOL

TBR: What's next for you?
Jessica: I have a 1Night Stand/Elatia story called Another Night, Another Planet, releasing soon from Decadent Publishing, and I will also be plunging into the world of self-publishing with the first book in my Alien Next Door series. I’m writing another 1Night Stand story now, and I have several other stories on my to-write list for 2013, including the re-write of a story I received my rights back on.

TBR: Any other published works?
Jessica: I have five 1Night Stand stories already published with Decadent Publishing; Beneath the Starry Sky, Celestial Seduction, Unknown Futures, Satin Sheets in Space, and Sudden Breakaway. I also have three erotica stories in The Edge series; The Power of Three, Crash Landing, and Alien Lover. An Unexpected Return is part of the sci-fi romance line, Elatia. Plus, Never Gonna Let You Go, and Made For Her are published with Decadent.

TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Jessica:  Here are my links:

Website/Blog | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Authorgraph

TBR: Readers, Jessica E. Subject will give away a $10 Amazon.com e-gift certificate to one lucky commenter at the end of the Accidental Romance blog tour. She'll pick a winner on April 12, 2013 and announce the winner here and on the other participating blogs. Be sure to leave your email address so she can contact you if you win. Contest is international. Good luck!

Thanks for visiting TBR, Jessica. All the best to you.