Today I’m excited to have author Jessica L. Brooks on the
Sunday’s Author Spotlight. Jessica writes Young Adult novels and already has
four books published. Read more about Jessica’s books here on the Sunday’s
Author Spotlight.  

Seventeen year-old Jonas Norton is trying to come to
terms with what his blood disorder has robbed from him, including his two most
favorite things: basketball, and competing in Hatchet Racket, Wanless’ annual
hatchet-throwing contest. The facts that his father works constantly to pay for
his blood tests and Jonas can actually see the disappointment in his eyes for
being such a failure only make matters worse. And even worse than all of that?
Jonas’ own twin brother, Micah, is perfectly healthy and becoming quite the
basketball player. Also, Hattie, the girl Jonas has loved for forever? She has
no idea how he feels.

Sixteen year-old Hattie Akerman lives down the hill from Jonas. Though her
father, Heath, tries to hide his lack of mental clarity behind the bottle and
she’s pretty much given up on having any kind of relationship with him, she
would still rather her younger sister, Lucy, not have to deal with the
consequences of his behavior. Hattie helps her mother by baking food to sell at
Market and looking out for Lucy. No matter what the rest of the town says about
her crazy father, Jonas sticks up for them. He is, by far, her very best
friend.

As if things aren’t complicated enough already, Heath and Micah are
unexpectedly drafted into President Kendrick’s army (an army from which no one
ever returns) just days before Thanksgiving. When Heath disappears instead of
arriving at the Meeting Place to check in, Hattie and Jonas decide they’ve had
enough, and take matters into their own hands. And though nothing could have
prepared them for what happens next, Hattie and Jonas learn that hope can be
seen in every situation. You just have to know where to look.

This book is available through Audible, Amazon, iBooks,
The Book Depository, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble. 

Dahlia Kennedy’s sixteenth birthday marks a decade of
mysterious dahlias arriving and strange, lonely dreams of being in a forest.
The only difference this birthday, however, is that for the first time, someone
is there with her. And he’s practically from a whole other era.

The more often Dahlia visits Rowan in his land of Ambrosia, the stronger their
connection grows. But… is Ambrosia real? Is he real? What is going on between the two of
them, exactly, and why does he insist that she keep it to herself?

As secrets usually go, however, it’s only a matter of time before everything
comes out. And when Dahlia finds out the truth of who Rowan is, who she is, and how
he really feels — it’s beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

This book is available through Audible, Amazon, iBooks,
The Book Depository, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.

A threat, a missing book, a traitor, and an attack. Even
when you choose the light, things aren’t always so black and white when they
involve matters of the heart.

Rowan has some decisions to make.

Told in Rowan’s point of view, ‘By Sun & Candlelight’ (Flora, 1.5) gives you a new view into the characters
and daily happenings at Castle Lennox and bridges the gap between ‘If I Speak True’
(Flora, 1) and ‘Open Thy Heart’ (Flora, 2).

This book is available through Amazon, iBooks,
The Book Depository, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.

 

It’s summer in Shaver and, frankly, Dahlia Kennedy is
bored. Even though she and Eva are throwing a party for David and she gets to
visit Rowan in Ambrosia easier on account of summer hours, it seems like senior
year is never going to come. Worse yet, it’s looking like the one thing she’s
planned on doing for forever isn’t going to happen.

Cue Dahlia’s Embarrassing Incident: the tipping point that seems to shift
everything into a new direction. David’s acting weird. Something happens to
Rowan. Dahlia’s forced to ask the least likely person ever for help. A secret
is blown wide open.

Conflict between the Lennox Rochforts and the Townsends grows more and more out
of control until so much is going on in Ambrosia, Dahlia can barely keep up
with life at home. Frustrated with trying to keep track of who knows what,
Dahlia continues fighting to help the people she loves, and slowly, the truth
is exposed.

Crazy thing is, she had no idea about any of it. And it changes everything
she’s ever known.

This book is available through Amazon, iBooks, The Book Depository, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble. 

I’ve been working on a couple of projects
lately. As with all of my work, when I start writing, there’s
never a clear beginning, middle, or end. Specific scenes and dialogue come to
me in random order, and I end up working things around them in order to
incorporate everything into the overall story. This is a fun part of the
process for me: learning where to put the bits and pieces and adding them to
the structure that will be the final component.

Recently, my daughter wanted her measurements taken so
she could order a dress online. After a bit of digging in my closet, I finally
located my old sewing kit. Sadly, the measuring tape was nowhere to be found,
but as I stared at the scraps of material filling more than half my container,
it occurred to me that these scraps were a lot like the beginning stages of my
books. All of them are important, and unique, and beautiful, and meant to be,
but by themselves, they don’t mean much. They don’t
look like much, either. They’re strangely-shaped strips of cloth.

Sewn (or put) together, however, the strips come alive
with their colors and patterns and textures, complimenting one another, making
each other stand out by enhancing the positives of individual pieces and making
them fit together as a whole. That’s how writing is for me. Putting words
and phrases and sentences and scenarios together and making them fit in a way
that readers will be entertained by a finished product.

Sometimes along the journey of bits-and-pieces of scrap-writing projects, it’s
easy to get discouraged or frustrated when things aren’t looking immediately
beautified and ready to go. I think a lot of things in life can be seen the
same way. Whether it’s a blog post, current work or home project, parenting, or
even relationships, it’s important to remember that, at times,
things might feel a little tiresome or appear as if they’re never going to
come together; but if we continue to connect the scraps, they’ll
ultimately become something far beyond their original content. So never write
off your scraps—they very well might end up being a masterpiece!

Jessica L. Brooks is a lover of books, coffee, and all
things owl-dorable. She writes young adult books about near-future dystopia (‘Pity
Isn’t an Option’, Cozenage #1) and magical realism (the Flora series: ‘If I
Speak True’, ‘By Sun & Candlelight’, and ‘Open Thy Heart’) and loves to
serve virtual cookies.

Connect with her on her blog, Let Me Tell You A Story, Tumblr, or on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest.

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