What
made me choose my genre?
I’ve
always felt most comfortable writing for young adults or at least
about young adults. Perhaps I’m still a child at heart. I have a
lot of experience working with young people/teens so it’s always in
the forefront of whatever I write. I love the idea of helping them
through difficult times, so if I can’t do that physically through
my volunteering then I hope that my writing can do it.
I
feel that a coming of age story is something everyone can related to,
because you’re either going through it or you’ve been there
already. Either way, it’s something that you can understand and
identify with. I know that this story sort of crosses between genres
a little bit. It could be considered a drama and even slightly a
supernatural piece, but at its heart I believe it to simply be a
coming of age story about a group of friends who try to find
themselves. Brent has to wrestle with his past which causes his
sister to have uncertainty about her future. I think that their story
is the most important within the book. Their relationship. Their
experiences. Their thoughts and feelings with what they are forced to
endure is the heart of the novel.
I
believe that these are things that anyone can relate to, but that it
worked better having them young adults rather than in their 30’s
like I am. I just feel that being a teenager is difficult without any
added problems or pressures, so when you put them in certain
situations it makes the whole thing a lot more fun to write about. I
think as a whole, we’d feel more empathetic toward a young person
dealing with an identity crisis than we would with someone more grown
up. I guess that’s why I choose the genre, because the story I
wanted to tell would be more easily understood and believed coming
from someone so young.
I'm a 2nd Dan Black Belt in Tang Soo
Do. I have been on mission trips, one to Haiti and the other to a
Native American Reservation/Camp in Oklahoma. I loved both
experiences.
I am in the Army Reserves. And I
volunteer at Camp Sunshine each August. I also work in Security for
Farmer's Insurance. And I was a victim's advocate for the YWCA.
My passion is writing and I love to
read. I wrote a books, A Place for Me, and most recently, Soul
Searching.
When I was 19, I made an independent
film (wrote, directed and starred in it) called, Weight of the World.
I wrote A Place for Me when I was 20. Published it at 21. When I was
22, my cousins and I made a indie movie out of it.
Now at 32, I wrote another book. Soul
Searching.
Author Links -
I also have a facebook page for me,
Jamie-Jo Brenner as well as Soul Searching novel page.
Book Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Self-Published through
CreateSpace on Amazon
Release Date: July 16, 2014
Buy Link(s):
Book Description:
Brent Harper is the perfect guy. He's
Max's hero--the boy she's had a crush on since the school year began.
But when Brent goes missing, Max must face the truth that she really
doesn't know him at all. In order to find him, she will first need to
learn everything she can about him.
After Brent wakes up without any
memories, his only choice is to trust the first person he sees.
Alison, the girl who finds him, promises to help him remember. But
what if he doesn't want to remember? When his memories start to
return, Brent is confronted with the hardest decision of his life.
How do you choose between who you
thought you were and who you want to be?
Excerpt:
Prologue
Brent
There is no easy way
from the earth to the stars.
-Seneca
Images of the fight flooded my mind.
I’d considered Lucas and Mark my friends, but I wasn’t so sure
anymore. I stopped them from picking on my best friend, Max, and the
next thing I knew I was shoved against a locker. The cold metal
rattled loudly when my body slammed into it. My head throbbed in pain
at the contact.
“Stay out of it for once,” Lucas
growled.
“Maybe it’s time you learned your
place,” Mark spat at me as his fist knocked the wind out of my
lungs.
Lucas’s knee connected with my ribs,
and I winced in pain. They alternated between knees to stomach, and
punches to my face. I fell to a clump on the ground. I knew I
should‘ve defended myself, but I made a promise to someone--a
promise that I swore I’d keep. I took the beating without
complaint, because I knew I deserved it. I always deserved it.
Between kicks, I heard Mark say, “Dude,
fight back.”
It sounded like a plea. But I lost
consciousness before I figured out the significance of it. It’d
been hours since that fight, but even now my ribs hurt and my face
ached. Even with all the blood washed away, I bore evidence of the
fight, and had feared going home.
I wandered the streets and watched the
sky darken around me as I prayed for answers that never came. If they
had come, I wouldn’t have done something that I already regretted.
I made my choice. And even if I didn’t remember this in the
morning, the truth of it weighed heavily on my mind tonight. My
demons always found a way to haunt me. Somehow, I knew they’d
follow me this time as well. I just wished I hadn’t chosen to start
this journey alone.
I reached my destination, and had I
taken one last look at the sky. I found my favorite constellations,
and recalled all the times I’d admired this same sky. I always felt
at home among the stars--they were the only good thing about the
darkness. Their presence harkened the depths of imagination. They
were ageless as they gazed back at us. We were mere fragments in the
lifetime of a star. I longed for that kind of immortality. Even now,
I yearned to exist.
I collapsed onto the grass, and fought
off sleep for as long as I could. I was terrified of tomorrow.
Exhausted, I dispelled one last breath of hot air, and I resigned
myself to my fate. Things were finally going to change, I’d seen to
that. I couldn’t run forever. And with that thought in mind, I had
closed my eyes, and allowed the spell to take me.
Schedule
August 24 - October 13
August 24 - Introduction at VBT Café Blog
August 28 - Spotlight at Cherry Mischievous
September 2 - Reviewed at Give Me The Books
September 4 - 6 Besties at BK Walker Books
September 8 - Guest Blogging at Bikers With Books
September 10 - Spotlight at Mom With A Kindle
September 12 - 5 Things I Know For Sure & Favorite Recipe at CAT Magazine
September 15 - Reviewed at AG LANG Writes
September 17 - Interviewed at Ghost Rider Book Promotions
September 19 - Interviewed at BK Walker Books Etc.
September 22 - Guest Blogging at Black Coffee, Brown Cow
September 24 - Reviewed at Debbie Jeans
September 26 - Review & Interview at Deal Sharing Aunt
September 29 - Review & Guest Blog at
October 1 - Interviewed at The Avid Reader
October 3 - Guest Blogging at Lori's Reading Corner
October 6 - Author 2 Author Marketing at BookIt BK
October 10 - Interviewed at Immortality & Beyond
October 13 - Reviewed at BK Walker Books
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