Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Fibers NBtM Tour

Blurb:
Anna Reynolds is caught up in the middle of a secret interdimensional government agreement... and she doesn't even know it.

There's a medical anomaly loosely dubbed Morgellons disease afflicting a number of people. Symptoms include open sores that produce colorful string-like fibers, fatigue, and nightmarish visions of shadowy figures. No one knows where it came from. No one knows what causes it. There is no cure.

When Anna begins having nightmares and waking hallucinations of the shadow people, her uneasiness about her condition grows. Enlisting the help of her doctor and some friends, Anna is determined to find out what's really going on and why Morgellons is such a mystery.

With her health declining and doubts about whom she can trust, is Anna doomed to become a slave to her condition? Or will she and her unlikely group of would-be heroes come through, saving her... and, ultimately, the world?


Excerpt:
As Anna walked home through the glistening streets of Deeplake, Washington, she adjusted her scarf and wrapped her coat around herself tightly, her breath fogging up the air in front of her. After a brief glance over her shoulder, she quickened her pace, her bag of groceries teetering in her arms momentarily as she readjusted her grip.

She’d been feeling like someone was watching or following her for weeks. At first she just shrugged it off as her own overactive imagination, but the other day, she could’ve sworn she saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye. When she looked, there was nothing there. That wasn’t the first time she had seen shadows. They were always there, just out of sight, their existence never confirmed by a direct glance. But every time it happened, she got goosebumps and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end like it does when you know someone is watching you.

Her left eye began to feel itchy and grainy as she walked, and she cursed herself for not driving. She blinked several times, but after a few moments her eye felt like it had sand in it again. This was accompanied by an unpleasant tickling sensation, which became annoying very quickly.

Her thoughts wandered as her eye got worse. She felt guilty but justified for not mentioning her problems to Casey, who had more than enough on her plate already. She also didn’t want to come across as crazy; Anna was certain she wasn’t. Some of the recent events in her life were crazy, but she was definitely sane.

Do crazy people think they’re sane?




Jennifer-Crystal, thanks so much for stopping by. Tell us a little about yourself.
First, I’d like to say thank you so much for hosting this interview on your blog! I appreciate your time in doing so and hope you and your readers enjoy it =).

Most people just call me Jen, which is what I prefer. I’m a single mother of three awesome kids, have worked from home as a freelance writer/editor/designer since late 2007, and have a total of nine books under my belt.

·        The Outside Girl: Perception is Reality (out of print)
·        Our Capacity for Evil
·        Napkin Poetry

The domestic violence anthology is currently seeking submissions if anyone has a story to share: www.SoulVomit.com.

I was an Army brat, so I spent the majority of my childhood moving around and being the new kid everywhere lol. This taught me how to make friends easily and I am grateful for that because I think it’s helped to make me a pretty well-rounded person.

I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with my three kids, our three cats, and our puppy.

Spaz the cat landed us on a reality show



How did you get started writing?
I originally got started writing through music because I learned how to play the keyboard/piano when I was eight. Within a few months I was composing my own songs, and song lyrics followed shortly thereafter, although I also enjoyed writing stories at that age. For me, music and writing are both necessary for happiness, even though I haven’t been playing the piano or singing nearly as much as I would like to. For now, I’m focused on my writing career and getting these stories out of my head and into the world =).


What was the inspiration for your book?
The inspiration for Fibers came from researching Morgellons disease, which is a real condition that has no cure and is steeped in controversy. I thought that it was intriguing, so of course my imagination ran off with an initial idea and started piecing things together to create a full-fledged story. I didn’t want to feed the real life controversy, however, so I adjusted things according to my trilogy’s plot and characters... and made it more sci-fi =).


Are there any genres you won’t read or write in? Why?
To each their own, but I tend to stay away from romance and erotica because it makes me uncomfortable lol. Not only was I raised Catholic, I’m also a domestic violence survivor and spousal rape was an almost nightly occurrence unless he was in the field or deployed, so obviously I have some issues surrounding sex. I also find that a lot of romance is completely unrealistic, which I suppose is the point, but I prefer a realistic partnership as opposed to fluffy fantasies... I had those about my ex-husband and look where that got me. Fortunately, I bounce back fairly well, but the experience definitely made me reconsider how – and how fast – I get to know people.


What are you up to right now? Do you have any releases planned, or are you still writing?
Right now I’m marketing Fibers and working on some client projects that took a backseat during April, but I’m also working on the sequel (Numbers) as well as an educational/practical eBook called The No Bull Guide to Self-Promotion for Independent Authors. This eBook, along with several others in the making, are all part of my website www.NoBullSelfPublishing.com, which aims to teach authors and aspiring authors how to self-publish their own books and promote them without breaking the bank. I can tell you that I plan to release Numbers in spring of 2018 so I have enough time to send the manuscript to beta readers and make revisions until I’m satisfied. The quality of my work is extremely important to me.


Alright, now for some totally random, fun questions. Favorite color?
Purple is my all-time favorite color, followed closely by burgundy =).


Favorite movie?
I have a number of those... Off the top of my head, some of my favorites are Girl, Interrupted; White Oleander; Fight Club; Vanilla Sky; Se7en; Pulp Fiction; Lucy; Limitless; SLC Punk; Suckerpunch; and a number of others.


Book that inspired you to become an author?
It wasn’t one book that made me want to become an author... I was always an avid reader as a child and would take at least one book with me everywhere I went. As I grew up, I started keeping a journal and found that writing was an excellent way to always have a best friend no matter how often we moved. When I was with my ex-husband, keeping a journal allowed me to look back on a number of times when he mistreated me and made me feel like I couldn’t do anything right (and then made me feel like I was going crazy through manipulation, guilt trips, and gaslighting). Because I was able to look back on all of the pain that was usually followed by an apology that really didn’t mean anything, I knew what I needed to do within three years of being married and left him. After that, writing in my journal helped me to sort out panic attacks, anxiety, strange reactions to sex and affection, and how I could overcome those things. I can literally say that writing saved my life more than once, so my heart and soul depend on it.


You have one superpower. What is it?
Tapping into the unlimited power of 100% of my mind & soul at will =). That would be awesome. To harness the ideas and productivity of the mind while simultaneously harnessing the infinite energy of the soul... holy crap, that would be intense lol.


Last question: Which of your characters are you most like and how/why?
Fibers is interesting as far as that goes because Anna is a lot like me now, and her best friend, Casey, is a lot like how I used to be in my twenties. I think that, as the trilogy progresses, they will branch away from my personality more, but I needed a starting point, so I used aspects of myself =).

Thank you for the excellent questions! Please don’t forget to pick up a copy of Fibers on Amazon. If you’d like to receive excerpts as well as updates from me, please head over to www.JenniferCrystalJohnson.com and sign up for my author newsletter. I won’t spam you, but you’ll receive new blog posts as well as updates, announcements of new releases, chances to win prizes, and more.

That’s all from me, thanks so much for taking the time to stop by!





Author Bio and Links:
Jennifer-Crystal Johnson is originally from Germany, but was raised an Army brat. She has published one novella under her former last name, The Outside Girl: Perception is Reality (Publish America, 2005 - out of print as of 2013), a poetry book, Napkin Poetry (Broken Publications, 2010), and a collection of poetry, art, and prose called Strangers with Familiar Faces (Broken Publications, 2011). She's also published a collection of short creature horror stories called If You're Human Don't Open the Door (Broken Publications, 2012), a personal development book called The Ten Pillars of a Happy Relationship (Broken Publications, 2014), and a collection of more horror stories (no creatures this time, just people) called Our Capacity for Evil (Broken Publications, 2015). She has several poems and short stories published on Every Writer's Resource and has recently published a science fiction novel called Fibers, the first book in the Infiltration Trilogy. Jen owns and operates Broken Publications and publishes an annual anthology to raise awareness about domestic violence called Soul Vomit. When she isn't writing or editing, she enjoys playing games with her three kids, watching crime shows on Netflix, or reading. She lives in WA State with her three children, three cats, and a crazy puppy named Thor. You can connect with her on her website, Twitter, or Facebook.


Video excerpts – watch the author read!




12 comments:

  1. What book/s are you reading at present?

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  2. Enjoyed your comments. This sounds like an exciting story.

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  3. Great post, thanks for sharing such personal responses to the questions. I admire you greatly :)

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  4. You're terrific and so are your giveaways! Thanks for the chance to win!

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  5. Enjoyed the excerpt and thanks for sharing this giveaway.

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  6. Thank you for the giveaway chance and for the interview =)

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  7. Congrats on the new book and good luck on the book tour!

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  8. I enjoyed reading the excerpt. This book sounds like such an interesting and intriguing read. Looking forward to checking out this book.

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  9. I have added this book to my TBR list and look forward to reading this book!

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  10. What is the name of your favorite restaurant?

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  11. Happy Memorial Day! Hope you have a fabulous holiday! Can't wait to read this book!

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