Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Interview with Janice Jones, BY BLOOD SWORN

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
By Blood Sworn is the continuation of the Dagger Chronicles series. Alexa (Alex) Stone, former vampire assassin turned fashion mogul, is leading a team of young bodyguards whose latest assignment is the protection of an up-and-comer in the vampire world, Jason Stavros. We pick up where book one, In Her Blood, leaves off.

Do you have a favorite character?
Of course, Alex, but I think I like my main bad guy just as much. Tristan Ambrose is highly intelligent, straight forward, and determined to get his revenge. He’s a lot of fun to write. When he and Alex are together in any scene, he challenges me to make her just as smart, if not smarter.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?
Yes. Benjamin Palmer was a minor character when I started writing the series. He developed as I started the editing process because I needed someone Alex could trust. Someone that made her more human. Ben was that character.

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?
I wanted to be able to focus on writing so I chose the traditional route. I queried publishers that were interested in new writers, but it was still a challenge to get them to read my manuscript. I got lots of rejections. Mostly, because I was told it would be hard to sell a thirty something black female lead in any market. I disagreed and kept trying until I got someone who was willing to take a chance on that thirty something black female lead character.

What is your writing process?
Do you listen to music or do you like silence? I hand write everything before it goes into my computer. Music helps with certain scenes, but mostly I write with the sound low. Once I get into something, I hardly hear anything, but what’s going on in my head.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?
All the editing was done by me. As I was finishing my manuscript, I was also earning a Master’s in Creative Writing. I used the manuscript as my thesis, so feedback on what worked and what didn’t was abundant. And, I was able to edit and rewrite the weak parts and feel confident about sending it out again.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?
 Barnes and Noble online and an independent bookseller, IndieBound.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?
 I promote on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, mostly. With the help of my publisher, Amberjack Publishing, I think we’re reaching a lot of potential readers in the market.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?
Not really. My publisher is doing a great job with promotions, so I just retweet or re-post what they send out if I haven’t created something for myself. Facebook has an easy ad creation tool that I’ve found to be really helpful as well.

What’s next for you?
I’ve got a lot of things on my computer, but I’d like to try my hand at YA and contemporary romance. I’ve been working on a cross between Ferris Bueller and Vampire Academy. And, a romance with no vampires or superpowered heroines. Just that crazy little thing called love.

By Blood Sworn
Janice Jones
(The Dagger Chronicles #2)
Published by: Amberjack Publishing
Publication date: August 22nd 2017
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Supernatural
As the Dagger, Alex Stone hunted down supernatural threats on covert ops team, Night Command. After the capture of a particularly bad-ass vampire, Tristan Ambrose, Alex gets out of the game. In the years following her departure, Alex started a hot new clothing line and moved on with her life. She was happy pretending the supernatural didn’t exist, but, with Tristan’s escape, she’s pulled back into the game.
Alex is hired to continue guarding the very tempting body of Jason Stavros–up-and-coming vampire politico–alongside her new team, The Trackers. Stavros is scheduled to head to an international conference of the supernatural community in Bucharest, and Alex and her new team must keep him safe while investigating new threats, and ghosts from the past.
When the conference is interrupted by betrayal and sabotage, Alex must pull her weakened team together to bring the saboteurs to justice–and get some well-deserved revenge.
Suddenly, she’s not just back in the game, she’s all in.

By Blood Sworn is the thrilling, psychological, and sexy sequel to In Her Blood , the first book in The Dagger Chronicles series by Janice Jones.

Author Bio:
Graduating with a Masters in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University, Janice's first novel, In Her Blood, is the first book in her vampire adventure series The Dagger Chronicles. This series introduces you to the world of Alexa "Alex" Stone, ex-vampire hunter and assassin turned fashion mogul. Hiding in plain sight, Alex must return to the world of the supernatural in order protect a handsome vampire and her own secrets.
Look for Book Two, By Blood Sworn to hit online outlets soon. Janice is looking forward to readers of New Adult Fiction and Vampire lore to embrace a new kind of action adventure hero, a woman with many secrets and many stories to tell.
(Author photo courtesy of Omar Ramos Photography www.omarramosphotography.com/Makeup by LaChandra Middlebrooks)


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