The Writing World: Interview with author Jessica Jaster

Welcome and I'm please to introduce Jessica Jaster to the blog for an interview.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Can I? Yes. The better question is, will I? Hahaha. Hm. Let’s see, I currently live in small town Iowa with my husband, our two children and our cat. I’m a stay-at-home mom working on my dream of being a writer. So far, I have self-published two books, both young adult and of the same series (Delta Project: Hide and Delta Project: Rescue). I should have plenty more to come in the future – lots of stories stuck in this head of mine and they all want out!
What do you do when you are not writing? Besides wrangling my one and two-year old or cleaning? I used to draw a lot, but haven’t had as much time for it lately.
When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book? Well, I started writing in my late teens. I wrote a couple of beginnings to books, but never really got that far into them. Then college happened and writing got put on hold. It wasn’t until after my youngest was born that I really got back into it. I finished my first book last October.
How did you choose the genre you write in? Hm. I don’t think I actually chose it. I think it kinda chose me. I just go with whatever pops in my head and most of the stories that do that are young adult oriented, so that’s what I write.
Where do you get your ideas? Oh, lots of places and sometimes nowhere. I might get an idea from something on TV, on a movie, in another book, in a song, a news story…OR sometimes an idea for a book literally just pops into my head and I really have no idea where it came from.
Do you ever experience writer’s block? Yes. So frustrating. When I do, I try switching to one of the other books I’m working on, so that I’m at least writing something.
Do you work with an outline, or just write? A little of both. I try to write out an outline, but a lot of the time, I will be in the middle of an outline and I’ll get a detailed scene in my head, so I just start writing.
Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published? I’m self-published, so none of mine have been traditionally published. I would love to have them traditionally published though.
Can you tell us about your upcoming book? The one I hope to release next is Wicked Sacrifice, the first book in a three book series called Wicked Things. Here is a little blurb on it: “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?
Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination? All pure imagination.
What project are you working on now? I have a few in the works. I’m working on the third book of the Delta Project series and like I said, I am also working on the first book of my Wicked Things series. I also have another series called Fox and a standalone novel, Murder At Thirteen, that I am working on.
Will you have a new book coming out soon? That depends on your definition of soon. I hope to have Wicked Sacrifice out by some time in July.
Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with? There are several themes I would like to work with. Werewolves, aliens, dystopian, just to name a few. I’m planning on getting to those eventually, but I’ve got enough in the works right now.
Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers? Don’t give up and keep writing.
Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans? You guys are all awesome and you ROCK! Love you al!!
Do you prefer fuzzy or tub socks? Tube socks
Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point? Sometimes I do, but rarely. I don’t see much of a point.
Do you go out of your way to kill bugs? Are there any that make you screech and hide? No. Bees and wasps kind of freak me out because my mom is allergic, but I don’t really screech and run away from them.
Coffee or Tea? If I had to pick – coffee – but I rarely drink it.
What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to social media? (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) People sharing way too much personal information or people getting into an argument with someone over something that should probably be discussed privately.