Please share a little about yourself, your genres,
any other pen names you use.
I grew up in Southern California, and write YA/NA,
historical romance, and fantasy. I have a toy maltese and a blue front amazon
parrot to keep me company when my husband is working. Writing is something I
always wanted to do.
Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming
release.
The Carriage is set in motion by sibling rivalry.
Alexis is beautiful and popular. Her sister Brooke is a bookworm and a little
chunky. When Brooke gets tired of Alexis’ harassment, she finds a way to send
her into the future. I think most girls would have paid good money for the
potion Brooke used at some point while growing up.
Alexis crashes into the Victorian Era where she
meets Ezra, A man recently murdered by his brother Amos, but brought back to
life by dark magic. Alexis is frustrated and confused, but Ezra knows they have
something in common. They both exist in a world where neither of them belong.
Have you ever based your book or characters on
actual events or people from your own life?
Yes, I have a series of novellas I’m working on
about a boy who promised his dying Father he would take care of the family. As
he gets older he finds himself trapped, but through the help of Aryn, a girl he
falls in love with, he is able to pursue his own dream of becoming a rockstar.
It’s a fun and bittersweet story of sex, drugs, and rock n roll that starts
when the main characters are teenagers and ends well into adulthood. The supporting
characters have their own subplots.
Many of the restaurant issues are based on my own
experience, as well as the progression of learning songs the band comes up
with. The tour information was based on a friend’s experiences as well as
research from books written by successful bands.
When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have
any hobbies or guilty pleasures?
I need to take some weight so I’ve started working
out. I also enjoy making handcrafted soaps and toiletries, pinning on Pinterest
and watching anime with friends.
Which romance book or series (or other genre, if you
don’t write romance) do you wish you had written?
I probably wouldn’t have written Twilight. I liked
it well enough but loved the premise of vegetarian vampires. Agents, Teachers,
Publishers, always says to bring something fresh to the table. I think
Stephanie Meyer did that.
Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that
you haven’t tackled yet?
Not really. I have both fantasy and paranormal
stories in the rewrite process.
If this book is part of a series…what is the next
book? Any details you can share?
I didn’t originally plan for The Carriage to be a
series. There was a plan to add some short stories for fun, but a few people
have asked for a sequel and I have a loose story in mind. It will show more
about what was going on with Ezra’s brother Amos, and a chain of events he sets
in motion. I can’t give away much because it’s in the planning stage, but I
will tell you that Alexis is going to be kidnapped.
What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled
upcoming releases or works in progress?
Yes, I have a dramatic romantic fantasy I’ll be
releasing in a couple of months called Veiled Memories, about a warrior angel
sent on an assignment to restore a broken marriage. It’s a bittersweet romance
because Ilan realizes warriors are never sent on those kinds of assignments.
Lily is in danger and she needs to be with her husband Bryan, to meet whatever
lies ahead. Ilan covers her memories, then watches and waits, forced to see the
woman her loves moving forward with another man.
The Carriage
Jena Baxter
Genre: YA, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Jena Baxter Books
Date of Publication: February 16th, 15
ISBN: 978-0-9911677-2-2
ASIN: B00TOQNODQ
Number of pages: 214
Word Count: 52,313
Cover Artist: Consuelo Parra
Model: Amber Ornelas
Book Description:
A teenage girl enters a carriage in Central Park and disembarks in Victorian, England.
Cursed by her sister Brooke, Alexis Powell arrives in the Victorian Era where she meets Ezra, who was recently murdered by an assassin his brother Amos hired. Now a supernatural creature, Ezra sees into Alexis’ mind with a touch and Intrigued by her memories, offers his help only to be rebuffed for his kindness. Alexis runs away, but Ezra is unable to shake off what he saw. He follows her through the streets of London.
Vulnerable after the death of his Father, his brother’s harassment, and Alexis’ many rejections, Ezra decides to stop following her. Alexis is unable to find work or food. Facing starvation, she steals a tomato and Ezra finds her facing the local magistrate and an angry mob. He pays for her freedom.
Finally accepting the help Ezra offers, Alexis moves into the manor he shares with his brother. Romance blossoms but the bond between Ezra and Amos is worse than Alexis’ relationship with Brooke.
While Ezra and Alexis search for a way to send her home, Amos looks for a way to kill them.
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/-2P1NTDmQww
Available at Amazon
Excerpt:
Somehow I was
certain I was no longer in New York. The streets were cobblestone, and the
buildings wood and brick. A lot of them were broken down, old and shabby. The
alleys were filthy and smelled like shit. Exhausted, I looked for a place to
hide but didn’t know where to go. When I couldn’t move another muscle, I hid
behind a wooden staircase with my back against the wall and fought not to jump
at every sound.
I hadn’t meant to fall asleep, and didn’t know
how long I’d slept, but it looked close to mid-morning when I opened my eyes
and looked around.
The women
walking by were wearing long, full dresses, and big feathered hats. The men’s
pants were more form fitting, not the jeans they usually wear. Some of the
children running around were barefoot and downright filthy, looking as if they
had been rolling in mud or playing with charcoal. I cringed when I saw a boy
carrying a rat by the tail. Everything was straight out of a Dickens novel. I
wouldn’t have been surprised to see little Dorrit, or Ebenezer Scrooge waltz by
any minute now. I rubbed my nose with the palm of my hand. What the hell was I
going to do?
This obviously wasn’t real, so I must have
fallen in with a role playing community of some sort. My mother and father used
to play dungeons and dragons. Maybe this was the same thing, but in the
extreme.
Something
slammed into my back. I screamed and turned at the sound of a woman yelling at
me. The broom in her hand whooshed down again, just missing my face.
“Whoa. Hey,
stop!”
What was wrong
with these people? I couldn’t understand a word she said, so I ran. She chased
me, swinging the broom until I left the alley.
I stopped to
catch my breath, smoothed my clothes, and approached a woman in a long brown
dress with a white bonnet and black boots. She stared at me like I was some
sort of freak. Uh ... she was the freak, not me. Maybe the men would be
friendlier, but not one of them would stop. Then I saw the man that crashed
into me yesterday across the road. He looked a little different, wearing a
brown suit, and an odd piece of material similar to a scarf around his neck,
with a top hat. He was actually still attractive in the weird clothes. Dodging
carts and vendors, I made a bee-line for him. At least he wouldn’t chase me
with a broom.
About the Author:
Jena Baxter has always loved history and time travel. She liked to read, and often wrote poetry as a stress inhibitor while growing up. But like other writers, she dreamed of writing a novel. So she enrolled at the UCLA Writer's Extension, to gain the confidence and skill to move forward.
Today Jena has a YA Fantasy novel, as well as a YA Paranormal Romance novel online and in print.
1 comment:
Thank you for highlighting my story Wenona.
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