Monday, April 18, 2022

Jessica Clare Interview - Go Hex Yourself


Photo Content from Jessica Clare

Jessica Clare is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author who writes under three different names. As Jill Myles, she writes a little bit of everything, from sexy, comedic urban fantasy to zombie fairy tales. As Jessica Clare, she writes erotic contemporary romance.

She also has a third pen name (because why stop at two?). As Jessica Sims, she writes fun, sexy shifter paranormals. She lives in Texas with her husband, cats, and too many dust-bunnies. Jill spends her time writing, reading, writing, playing video games, and doing even more writing.

        
  

Greatest thing you learned in school.
There is ‘a rat’ in SEPARATE. That’s the only way I learned how to spell it!

What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?
I’m going to say Netflix!

Why is storytelling so important for all of us?
It allows a little bit of escapism every day. It lets our minds stretch and not only can we learn things, but we can let our imaginations go wild. It’s a mental exercise and brings happiness. What’s not to love?

Are there any new Authors that have grasped your interest and why?
Like everyone else, I’m absolutely obsessed with Ali Hazelwood. J

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
I just finished writing WHAT THE HEX which is the next book in the Hex series. It’s two polar opposites that have to work together, an old mentor with a grudge, and a cute pet squirrel. It was a lot of fun.

In your newest book; GO HEX YOURSELF, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it.
GO HEX YOURSELF is about Reggie, who needs a job badly. She answers an ad in the paper for ‘Spellcraft’ experts and thinks it’s about a card game. Instead, she’s applying to be a witch’s apprentice. Reggie’s pretty convinced magic isn’t real…and that Ben Magnus, her boss’s surly nephew, is the biggest jerk in the world.

She gets proved wrong on both accounts!

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
Going into one of the big stores and seeing my book on a table. That’s so surreal!

What part of Reggie and Ben did you enjoy writing the most?
I really loved writing when they finally came together. There’s something so satisfying about enemies finally becoming lovers!

If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
I would introduce Ben to Azriel from Sarah Maas’s books because I would need him to scry and tell me who he ends up with, darn it.

Where did you go on your first airplane ride?
I honestly don’t remember. Maybe Norway?

What is your most treasured memory?
One of my early dates with my husband. We were at a breakfast diner and when they put pancakes in front of him his eyes lit up. There was a little scoop of pale stuff in the center of his pancakes and for some reason I will never understand, he’d thought it was a tiny scoop of ice cream and shoved the whole thing in his mouth. It was butter. Of course it was butter. But the expression on his face was priceless and I still laugh every time I think of that memory.

Best date you've ever had?
See above!

What was a time in your life when you were really scared?
Quitting my day-job to write full time. I remember lying in bed and worrying I was making a mistake.

When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
The last time I sent books to a friend! It was a very short letter tho.

Favorite things to do alone?
Play video games or read. I’m boring.

TEN WAYS YOU GET INSPIRED TO WRITE
  • 1) Bribery – I can have a piece of chocolate for every page I write!
  • 2) Spite – I have to write more than my friend did! It’s all a mental competition.
  • 3) Anxiety – If I don’t write, I’m going to be an absolute ball of stress.
  • 4) Music can get me pumped up! But only beforehand music. Like maybe the Rocky theme.
  • 5) Artistic Inspiration – Look at pictures of fanart. Dream big.
  • 6) Pages from my favorite authors – Sometimes a well-written character from another author makes me want to work on mine.
  • 7) Deadlines – Terror at looming deadlines counts as inspiration, right?
  • 8) Run out of internet to look at – At some point I have to open the document.
  • 9) Housework -- It’s waiting for me and if I’m working, I don’t have to do it.
  • 10) Fan mail – Hearing that someone is excited about the next book is the best inspiration of all.
Writing Behind the Scenes
My day to day writing process is about the same.

7-8 am: Wake up and have coffee with husband. Groan about writing or deadlines.
8-9 am: Check daily writer boards, Facebook, and check in with sprint buddies. Groan about writing.
Turn off all music. Turn on a timer. Get more coffee. It’s time to work now!
9 – 2 pm: Write. Write like the wind. Write like it’s an absolute blast, because it is. Write bunches and bunches of words because I’m in the zone.
2 – 5 pm: Get real, real sleepy. Possibly pass out in writing chair. Go for another cup of coffee (or a nap, depending on the day).
5 – 7pm: Dinner and relaxation time with husband. Gush about how great the writing is going and how much I love my job.
7pm – 9pm: More writing. Make backups of the words for the day. Email my friends and feel smug that I hit my daily wordcount.
9pm – 11pm: Music or reading with my husband. Then bedtime. Go to sleep dreaming about my characters and the trials I’m going to put them through the next day and how fun it’ll be.
7 am the next day: Groan about the thought of writing. J


One of Amazon's Best Romances of April!

It's one hex of an attraction in this romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Jessica Clare.

When Reggie Johnson answers a job ad in the paper, she's astonished to find that she's not applying to work at her favorite card game, Spellcraft: The Magicking. Instead, she's applying to be an actual familiar for an actual witch. As in, real magic.

The new job has a few perks - great room and board, excellent pay, and she's apprenticing to a powerful witch. Sure, the witch is a bit eccentric. And sure, there was that issue with the black cat Reggie would prefer to forget about. The biggest problem, however, is warlock Ben Magnus, her employer's nephew and the most arrogant, insufferable, maddening man to ever cast a spell.

Reggie absolutely hates him. He's handsome, but he's also bossy and irritating and orders her around. Ben's butt might look great in a crystal ball vision, but that's as far as it goes. But when someone with a vendetta targets the household, she finds herself working with Ben to break a deadly curse. Apparently, when they're not fighting like cats and dogs, things get downright...bewitching.


You can purchase Go Hex Yourself at the following Retailers:
        

1 Winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card.
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