WOW! WOW WOW WOW! I'm SO super duper ooper pleased to bring to you Jaime Guerard today. SO pleased, in fact, that I'm nervously sweating as I sweep down the last wrinkles in the pink dress my assistant put me in this morning.
*whispers* Okay, here she comes!!! *resumes super professional face*
Me: Hi, Jaime! It’s so good to have you here. *Pats the
plush red chair* Do you like my chairs? I’m kinda known for the luxury here.
*Props chin on hand* So tell me. The buzz is that Awaken published on March 31
st,
is this correct?
Jaime: Hi Megan! Thank you so much for having me here today!
Yes, Awaken was published on March 31st.
Me: I have on secret authority this book is pretty awesome.
Could you share with us just a little bit about your main character Breanna and
how she came to be?
Jaime: Awe, thank you Megan! Breanna is a normal high school
teen who one day has something strange happen to her. A vision appears before
her and shows her an event that (Bre thinks) could happen to people she knows.
When the idea for this novel came to me (back in October
2008) I knew right away who Breanna Davis was as a character. I saw her
perfectly: she was a strong independent person because of what she had to face
in the novel, she was the girl next door but had this confidence that you
trusted her with the people in her life. However, Breanna faces what I think
everyone faces in life. She has struggles with relationships, family stresses
and questions herself; ‘am I good enough’. I think Bre could relate to many
people who read this series.
I also knew what her name was immediately. I named her
Breanna (aka: Bre) because that was the name I was going to name my daughter
(if I had one). Since I had three boys and was content with my family I knew
that my main character had to be Bre.
Me: Wow, very cool. Is this book a stand alone, or a part
of a series? How many books?
Jaime: Awaken is a series and there will be three books in
all.
Me: Could you share with us a snippet of Bre’s adventures,
maybe a teaser?
Jaime: I would love to!
Austin shut and
locked the door while I stood out in the open, chills prickled down my neck. I
didn’t move my head, only my eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary. I
came up with nothing. The wind picked up a little, sending tiny strands of hair
in my face, startling me. In the silence of the night, with only the wind
rustling through the trees, my mind was running away from me. I couldn't break
away from this fear of the unknown.
Austin put his
arm around my shoulders and pulled me in tight. The house was about fifty feet
away and the further we got from the truck, the more hurried I became, speeding
up, trying to get out of this unprotected forest and into an enclosed building
where I hoped to feel a little bit safer. Austin
locked me to his side. I would’ve run if I could, but I didn't want to separate
myself from him, not out here.
“I don’t see anything,” Austin
tried to reassure me.
Then a crack came from our left, making us both jump
and stop suddenly. Austin squeezed
me tighter.
Breathing heavily, I whispered, “I know you heard that.”
“Yep,” he whispered back. He stood still, frozen like me,
either waiting to hear something that would explain it, or for another sound
that might send us bolting to the house. The row of cars parked along the
driveway made it difficult to see into the forest.
“Do you see anything now?” I asked.
“No,” he whispered.
I looked up into the trees and there they were again, those
two white eyes staring down at us.
Me: HOLY CRAP, JAIME!!! I have goose bumps. GOOSE BUMPS all over my body. Ahem. Let me gather my
bearings… *commands a straight face* As I do with all author interviews, I like
to ask the (dun-dun-dun) question about marketing. What are your plans for
marketing this book?
Jaime: There are a lot of different things you can do for
marketing: giveaways, blogging, giving your potential readers teasers and sneak
peeks. I’ve done all of that. However, I believe the way that I will gather my
readers is by word of mouth. So far it’s going great and I’m truly amazed by
what my readers are saying. I love every one of you and thank you so much for
your excitement and helping me spread the word!
Me: That’s great advice, Jaime! *pockets information* I heard
you re-did your cover. Is this true? And why did you change it?
Jaime: Yes, I did change the cover before I published. The
first cover idea I felt like it didn’t capture my story the way I hoped it
would. And this has nothing to do with the cover artist at all because my cover
artist is amazing! I just felt like it needed to go a different way. So I went
back to my cover artist and between the two of us came up with the perfect
cover! I’m in love with my cover and I feel like it really does capture what
the book is about.
Me: Wow, Jaime. I, too, am so captured by the new cover. It stands out, grabs me and really reels me in. I’m really excited for Awaken! Bre
sounds like an awesome girl. I look forward to reading all about her and this
“dream” boy.
Jaime: Thank you Megan. I’m so grateful that you had me here
today! And thank all of you who took the time to get to know me better. For all
of you who pick up my novel and read it…I thank you!
Me: *snaps her fingers* Assistant! Assistant! I need water!!! STAT!
