Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Louisiana girl with a heart for Texas, hence my (first and only) book, The Trust Charm: A Texas Romance Novella. I live on a farm and couldn’t love it more. My dream is to one day call myself a Texan. But not like the football team. No, I’m a Cheesehead through and through. Call me crazy but the Packers are my team and I’m with Rodgers until the day he retires. In my free time I like to read, draw, daydream about unrealistic scenarios–some of which find their way into my books.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Trust Charm: A Texas Romance Novella. It all started with a song I heard in 2011 by Aaron Shust called My Hope is in You. I listened to the words and felt the notes resonate deep within me and the images of a breathtaking and emotional novella flowed through my creative vortex. It took me four years before I started writing it all down on paper and within seven months my novella took it’s first breaths on Amazon.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Probably procrastination. I procrastinate a lot for a writer. Then again, there are a lot of writers who claim procrastination is their weakness. Besides that, I’m pretty much your typical writer.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The first novel I read was Lassie. I was about nine or ten and I didn’t want to put it down. But when I hit my teen years I read Bittersweet by Cathy Marie Hake and not only did I get hooked on reading Christian Romance, but I knew I wanted to write it, too. If there’s any writer I would sit down and have a cup of coffee with and pick their brain it would be Karen Witemeyer. She’s an amazing historical romance writer, not only in her ideas but in her wording. She’s simply genius.
What are you working on now?
A sequel to The Trust Charm called The Road to Austin. It’s a dramatic comedy that focuses on a supporting character from The Trust Charm and his cross country adventure with his enemy’s daughter.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook. Simply put. You’ve got friends, family, and groups.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
You’re going to run into doubt and start to question your talent. Just don’t. I can’t remember who said it, but someone said (paraphrasing of course,) if you can stop writing then stop. If you can’t, then you’re a writer. That was my journey in a nutshell. Every time I doubted myself, I would stop writing for months at a time, but I always found myself eager to start a new story. If you want to write, then write. Not matter what. Not matter who says what. No matter what the rules are. Just write.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Robert Frost said, “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” You have to write with emotion. If you can write a 100,000 page novel with a straight face then you may want to readjust your writing goals. You need to write things that make you laugh, cry, fear, worry, think. That’s the bottom line to being a writer.
What are you reading now?
Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing. For many, many years to come.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Never the Bride by Rene Gutteridge and Cheryl McKay.
Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer.
A Match Made in Texas: A Novella Collection.
To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer.
Author Websites and Profiles
Jessica Alyse Website
Jessica Alyse Amazon Profile
Jessica Alyse’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account
Enjoyed the interview. I have read and loved The Trust Charm and am definitely looking forward to Jessica’s next book.