Today I am excited to introduce a wonderful author I recently discovered after reading her YA novel ENTANGLED, the first in a teen witch trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought it was so well-written, I had to invite Nikki Jefford to be a guest on my blog. Welcome, Nikki!
Tell us a little about your background and
how you became an author.
I’ve
been writing since I could hold a pen. I didn’t get serious about it until 1997
at the university level, but ultimately I went into journalism because I didn’t
believe it was possible to earn a living off fiction.
From
2005 until 2010 I worked hard to find an agent for my historical romance novels
and had some near hits, but no cigar. Last year I switched to young adult,
self-published, and haven’t looked back. I feel like this is where my true
voice is and I’m having the most fun writing paranormal YA.
What is one of
your favorite books and why?
I
love “Divergent” by Veronica Roth. I’d never read anything like it before and I
like female leads who are tough and not overly emotional.
What inspired you
to write this book series?
This
may sound silly, but it was after watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I loved
the humor, action, danger, and colorful cast of characters.
How would you
describe your writing process?
Anything
from crazy awesome to tedious and torturous.
What has proven
to be your most successful marketing tool?
Enrolling
in the Amazon Prime program and doing free promo days. Only problem is now I’m
off and it’s been a challenge getting the word out that I’m back on Barnes
& Noble. I had decent Nook sales before Amazon Prime (which requires you to
unpublish everywhere else for 90 days). Now I’m back on Barnes and sales are
dormant.
What advice would
you give to other authors?
Maybe
they have advice for me. LOL
To
self-published authors I’d say, don’t rush your work out. Let it sit awhile and
look at it with fresh eyes. Get beta readers and professional proof readers and
copy editors to fine tune your novel.
Entertain
me!
I’ve
had to slog through quite a few books lately that take forever to get started
and describe every emotion and background. My day job is rough, I want reading
that’s fun and easy.
Don’t
be afraid to cut. The delete key is your friend.
Please provide a
favorite excerpt from your book.
My
favorite parts in Entangled are the interactions between Graylee Perez and Raj
McKenna. I’m going to share their first (literal) run-in.
In
this excerpt, Graylee Perez uses an invisibility spell to sneak into English
class late. She thinks she’s in the clear until warlock Raj McKenna makes it
clear at the end of class that he caught her in the act.
In
the world of Entangled there are only a few witches and warlocks at McKinley
High and “normals”, as they refer to the non-gifted, aren’t aware of their
abilities.
See
You Around
Just
as she headed toward Sadie, Graylee was bumped from behind. The force of the
body against hers sent her pack flying out of her hands onto the ground. Okay,
now she was pissed. “What’s your…”
Graylee
whipped around to find herself face-to-face with Raj McKenna.
“…problem,”
Graylee finished, the word fading like bleached denim.
Raj
flicked his Zippo open and closed in his left hand while studying Graylee.
Raj
had the kind of bronze-toned skin the socialites of McKinley tried obsessively
to replicate in tanning booths. The only thing they managed to enhance was
their orangish glow. Raj’s was a hundred percent authentic. His mother was
Indian—as in India Indian. He’d inherited her lush dark hair and exotic eyes,
the color of which he got from his American father; green like a panther’s,
which fit him well ’cause he looked ready to pounce if you made the mistake of
turning your back to him. Case in point: ramming Graylee as he’d just done now.
The
Zippo clicked shut again. Raj really shouldn’t be playing with a lighter
considering he’d burnt down his last house.
“Sorry,
didn’t see you.”
Graylee’s
jaw dropped.
This
time, Raj’s eyes met hers. There was a glint there, or maybe that was just the
flash from Raj’s lighter as he flicked it open and closed again.
Where can readers
find you and your book?
Blog: http://www.nikkijefford.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NikkiJefford
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NikkiJefford
Book
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZnDgYFCVVw
Barnes
& Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/entangled-ya-paranormal-romance-nikki-jefford/1112486738?ean=2940013963412
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/134582
iTunes
Apple Store in iBook (no direct link yet, but it’s there)
Thank
you, Kathy!
It was my pleasure, Nikki! I highly recommend ENTANGLED and the next book in the series, DUPLICITY, is at the top of my to-read list!
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