Monday, April 13, 2015

Interview and Giveaway: The Carriage by Jena Baxter




Do you have a specific writing style?

I tend to write short and fast. Critiquers often get frustrated about that.

Do you write in different genres?

Yes, I write YA/NA, fantasy, historical, paranormal, with romance in all of them.

If yes which is your favorite genre to write?

I like cultures, whether I create them or they are a bygone era, so probably fantasy.

How did you come up with the title for your latest book?

It was either going to be called Ezra, or The Carriage. I never found anything but the obvious to fit the story.

Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s complete?

I title them first.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

A moralistic vein wasn’t my intention, but I think the fact that there are consequences to our actions is something we all need to be reminded of on occasion.

What books are in your to read pile?

I still haven’t been able to sit down and read Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan’s last Wheel of Time novel, so that one is for sure. Right now I’m reading Stone Guardian, by Paulina Woods.

What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?

I have quite a few in process stories right now. My angelic, romantic drama will be released in a couple of months.

I also have a fantasy on the backburner called Coven’s of Misty Haven, and another called One with the dragon.

There are a series of contemporary romantic novellas about a boy who dreams of being a rock star but because of a promise he made to his deceased father, he is trapped running the family restaurant. It’s a dramatic love story with the sex, drugs and rock n roll flow. Every character has a subplot in this one, which is why I’m breaking it up a bit.

I also plan a rewrite of Hans Christian Anderson’s short story, Little Matchgirl.
There is also a book two for The Carriage in planning since people have asked for it.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I have a hard time deciding what advice to take from my critiquers. Punctuation is also difficult sometimes.

Who designed the cover of your latest book?

Consuelo Parra did the artwork. She does an excellent job. My husband formatted it and added the background for me. I liked it because of the faint clock behind Alexis.




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.


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.







http://www.amazon.com/Jena-Baxter/e/B00M4YF352

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