Interview with Jessica Subject

DEBBIE: This evening we are at our outdoor Cyber Den of Pretty Lights talking with Jessica Subject. Jessica has a new 1NS out with Decadent Publishing titled Beneath the Starry Sky, so I thought it apropos to meet out here tonight. Bundle up, grab a cup of cocoa, and join us to learn more about Jessica.

LAURA: Jessica? Jessica Subject’s in the house? Woohoo! Welcome, Jessica!

JESSICA: Thank you Debbie and Laura for having me here today!

LAURA: (To Debbie) You know, Jessica writes some rockin’ sci-fi romance…

DEBBIE: Yes ma’am, I am aware of this. I even have her book Celestial Seduction. It’s next on my list to read. You are bound and determined to turn me, aren’t you? Drag me kicking and screaming into the Solar System. Although, I will admit I’ve read some darn sexy futuristic romps along the Milky Way lately. You are making me a believer.

LAURA: You’ll thank me later. LOL
.....(Turning to Jessica) Okay, so I have to ask. I saw on the news where they just discovered Keplar 22b and say it's very much like Earth, with a balmy temperature of 70 degrees. Scientists believe there might very well be life there. What are your thoughts? As an author of science fiction romance, do you believe in extraterrestrial life?

JESSICA: I just read that. It’s so exciting to hear. I’d love to know if there is life on Keplar 22b as well as other planets located in the habitable zones of their sun. And yes, I do believe in extraterrestrial life.
.....This is one of my favorite movie quotes, from Contact, and I agree:
 Young Ellie: Dad, do you think there’s people on other planets?
Ted Arroway: I don’t know, Sparks. But I guess I’d say if it is just us... seems like an awful waste of space.

LAURA: LOL Oh, yes it does! Love that quote, and the movie was really good, too. Oh, wait a minute….I see a spike on my SETI@Home program running on my other computer. No…the cat just stepped on the keyboard. Crap. Thought maybe…. Drat! My dreams of piloting a Colonial Viper are dashed once again!

DEBBIE: Yes, I am rolling my eyes. You readers should pity me. It’s a darn hard task keeping Laura grounded in the here and now. Anyway, back to Jessica. Your Bio says Science Fiction Romance is your favorite genre to write. Why? What do you like least and most about it?

JESSICA: With Science Fiction Romance, I have the freedom to create my own worlds, species and problems. And there can be many more problems in space. I can also show that love is universal. It’s not just limited to Earth and Earthlings.
.....What do I like least? Naming planets and people. Sometimes these names come easily, but in most cases, I search the Internet for names based on mythology. For example, Frey from Celestial Seduction is of Scandinavian origin and found in Norse mythology. And his home planet Ginnun comes from Ginnungagab, also based in Norse mythology.

DEBBIE: I can image. I’ve often wondered how authors come up with these names. We were trying to name the demon in a story we are working on now and the research into that one name took hours.

LAURA: Yeah, it did. And we did a good bit of Internet surfing as well. I think we changed that demon’s name twice more before we finally settled.
.....Okay, so let’s get on to your latest release, Jessica. Beneath the Starry Sky is a story for Decadent’s 1 Night Stand series and involves a very deep, emotional issue in the lead character. What was your inspiration for using Alpoecia Areata as an illness for your heroine?

JESSICA: In Celestial Seduction, I knew Tamara wore a wig, hiding her baldness, and that her own 1NightStand experience had given her more courage. The only two diseases I knew which left patients bald were Alopecia Areata and cancer (from treatments). But Alopecia Areata is a lesser known disease which can leave patients socially and emotionally scarred, and at this point, there is no cure or drugs approved to treat this autoimmune disease.
.....To learn more about Alopecia Areata and to help find a cure, visit the National Alopecia Areata Foundation http://www.naaf.org%20and%20the%20canadian%20alopecia%20areata%20foundation%20http//canaaf.org/

DEBBIE: Oh cool! Now, I really need to get Celestial Seduction read. I didn’t realize Tamara was a character in that story. I can relate to hair loss and the repercussions it can have on a woman. I don’t have Alopecia, but due to heredity, I have extremely thin hair to the point if I don’t style it right you can see my scalp. Not something that makes you feel very sexy. Fortunately, the hubby has fantastic ways of making me feel just that!
.....Speaking of sexy, your excerpt mentions some sexy lingerie. Do you have any hidden away in your own drawer??

JESSICA: Hidden? With kids, I have to keep a lot of things hidden. LOL And my husband knows what those “things” are. ;)

LAURA: LOL I’m sure he does.
.....Okay, so speaking of kids and hubby, we saw in your bio that you’ve got two children as well as a wonderful husband…plus a writing career. That must keep you busy! Everyone needs a break now and then to recharge. How do you relax?

JESSICA: It does! But I like to read, and when I get the chance, go hiking at various waterfalls. Although, some days, just getting out of the house by myself is relaxing.

LAURA: I love waterfalls. One goal for 2012 was to do more hikes with the family…now that the littlest one is out of the stroller, he’s leaving us all in the dust! Maybe I need to get one of those retractable leashes so I can real him back before he leaps off the top of the falls. And he’d do it, too! LOL Little guy is fearless!

DEBBIE: Hmmm…I think I need a virtual retractable leash for you. 

LAURA: We tried that, remember? Didn’t work. Burned the gears out. I think you gave up and mumbled something about decaf….which will never happen. NEVER!

DEBBIE: Can you hear her stomping her feet and shaking her fist skyward. I think she’s channelling Scarlet.
.....So, Jessica, last question, and yes it’s a random one. Filled chocolates, coconut cream or cherry?

JESSICA: Cherries covered in delicious milk chocolate are yummy, but my mouth waters when I think of mint smoothies. They have to be my favorite chocolate.

LAURA: Mmm…choooclate. Ooo, and coffeeee!

Debbie: See what I mean?? Rope it in, Laura.

LAURA: Yes, ma’am! So, we have a cover for Jessica’s release, right? A blurb and excerpt? And a buy link for our lovely readers?

DEBBIE: Of course. My feet are the one planted firmly on terra firma, remember?

LAURA: Hey…you have your moments, too, chickie. All I need to do is get you hooked on caffeine and launched off to explore new worlds and all will be right with the universe!
.....Jessica, it’s been a total pleasure to have you here at the G&G Cyber Den. Your stories rock! And the cover for Beneath the Starry Sky is just gorgeous! I hope that you’ll come visit us again with your next release!

DEBBIE: Hahahaha, coffee? Not likely. Never did develop a taste for the stuff, but there may be other vises you could try to corrupt me with.
.....Jessica, thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us. Don’t forget to check out all the pretty lights while you’re here and please visit with us again anytime.

JESSICA: Thanks again, Debbie and Laura for having me today at the cyber den. :) I'd like to offer an ebook copy of Beneath the Starry Sky. Winner will be chosen at random from those who leave a comment on this post.



BUY LINK

BLURB:
Left at the altar with bald patches on her head and her self-confidence stripped away, Tamara Johnson must pick up the pieces of her life and face her Alopecia Areata, the autoimmune disease causing her hair to fall out. She is convinced no man will date a bald woman and arranges a one-night stand through Madame Evangeline’s popular service, 1Night Stand. With her new wig held firmly in place, Tamara arrives at the Castillo Hotel in Las Vegas for a night of passion and pleasure. Anything more than one night would mean exposing her bald head, and she will never do that to any man again.
.....Running into the Castillo Hotel, away from the paparazzi constantly at his heels, Josh Summers wants to spend his next few days locked away from the flashing lights and screaming fans. When he finds an incredibly sexy woman wearing nothing but lingerie lying on his hotel room bed, he thinks the hotel has made a mistake. Leaving the woman, he heads for the lobby to get the situation rectified. But an unexpected text from Madame Evangeline sends him back to his room, though unsure whether the woman on the bed is really his perfect match or just another fan believing him to be like his character on television. To find out, he must risk telling her his own secrets. If Tamara can handle his imperfections, she just might be his ideal woman.

Genre: Contemporary romance, erotic romance
Heat level: 4
Word count – 11k


EXCERPT:
.....Entering the large suite, she searched for any sign of her date. Madame Evangeline hadn’t given her any details, only that she would meet him at the hotel. Her stomach had been twisted in knots all day thinking of the possibilities. She found no one else in the room, but a welcome card sat on the king-size bed beside a box of chocolates.

Dear Tamara,

Your date for the evening will arrive soon. Please make yourself comfortable while you wait. A word of advice; don’t be afraid to show him the real you.

Enjoy your evening,
Madame Evangeline

.....She threw the note back on the bed. The real me? She didn’t even know who that was anymore.
Didn’t matter. The date would only last one night. Sure, Leah had found Jackson, but Tamara hadn’t come on the date looking for love. She only wanted a night of passion, a night to prove she could date again, even hidden under her wig. Love meant taking the wig off and she would never expose her bald head to a man again. If that meant a life of one-night stands, so be it.
.....She reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out the red lace teddy she’d bought the day before. If there’s one way to get a man to fuck me, it’s with sexy lingerie.
.....After changing into the form-fitting outfit, she waited on the bed, trying to figure out the sexiest pose to be in when her date arrived. What says ‘take me now’?