Jessica is a fellow Solstice Publishing author. My paranormal ghost romance, A NECESSARY END, was released last month with Solstice. Take a look at Jessica's trilogy here, and see if she can't transport you through time.
Following the excerpts is an interview with Jessica and her links.
Linked Through Time - the first of the Linked trilogy
Lost Through Time - the second in the
series
Coming this Summer—Destroyed Through Time
the exciting conclusion
to the Linked series!
Excerpt from
LINKED THROUGH TIME
Steering
carefully into the gravel drive of the Rapid River parking lot, I swore under
my breath as the bike’s rear wheel slid on loose gravel. Trying to right the
bike too quickly, I ended up swerving sharply to the left and crashing into the
brush at the side of the gravel lot. Flying over the handlebars, I landed in a
patch of overgrown weeds, my knee striking a rock hidden in the ground. Pain
radiated from my knee, paralyzing me for a moment. I lay sprawled face first in
the grass, breathing in the smell of earth and dry grass, cursing myself and
everything on the planet.
Emotions
overwhelmed my frazzled, fragile mind and I let loose with a string of
profanities that would have definitely earned me a whipping. Rubbing my
throbbing knee, I groaned.
Lightning flashed
and the breeze picked up as if on cue, sending the cattails above my head into
an agitated dance.
With great
effort, I stood and flexed my leg. I could feel the slightest trickle of blood
dripping a warm path down my shin. Perfect, I grimaced. Can anything else
possibly go wrong tonight?
My vision had
adjusted slightly to the moonless night, but I still had to partly feel my way
to the place Travis and I spent the evening. Pushing through the brush, I
couldn’t help but sense that uneasy, creepy feeling that comes from wandering
in the dark, as though eyes watched you and monster hands waited to grab at
your feet. My heart pounded loudly in my ears, the tingling creep of fear
working its way from my head down through my limbs. I forced myself to keep my
eyes forward, ignoring the nagging feeling that someone or something watched me
from the shadows of the rocky shore.
Limbs of the
interlocking pines poked and prodded my bare arms as I threaded my way through
the trees. The pounding of the rapids had increased with the coming of the
storm; the wind tossed the water upon the rocks, sending spray high into the
air.
When I broke
through the tree line, I stood mesmerized by the awesome power of the roaring
water. It looked as if the rapids were fighting to break free of their rocky
channel, its watery fingers washing over the rocks, reaching far down the wall,
only to withdraw and try again.
Above the
churning waters, a simple two-lane bridge hung defiantly in the air, its thick
concrete arches planted firmly around the dangerous rocks. Suddenly, a semi
loaded with logs thundered across the bridge overhead; its headlights lighting
up the darkness for a matter of seconds. I used the momentary help to break my
gaze from the water and search the outer banks for my sweater.
A flicker of
movement amidst the trees caught my line of sight, and I focused in on a ring
of pines to my right; the very place Travis and I had been a few hours earlier.
“Travis?” I
called out hopefully, thinking he had remembered to retrieve my sweater.
* * * * * * *
Excerpt from LOST THROUGH TIME
I felt the exact
moment my heart stopped beating in my chest.
“Where’s Mary?” I
said, trying to keep the alarm from rising in my voice. The group looked
around, stunned.
Vivie handed
Gracie to James. “She was just here. I swear it.”
Frantic, we
strained to see across the wagon bridge into Spooner. The brilliant blond
tresses of Mary’s head were nowhere to be seen.
Ruth spoke up.
“That man took her to the depot.”
I stared hard at
Ruth, trying to process the words, but not understanding. “What man?” I said,
confused. There were dozens of people crossing the bridge rushing in all
directions. Like ants on a collapsing anthill, the twin towns were alive with
chaos, the people coming and going with what looked like little purpose. “What
man?” I said again, the panic seizing my voice and pushing it another octave
higher. I grasped Ruth’s arms in a painful, panicked grip.
Ruth shrank away,
afraid I might lash out. “I don’t know. I was watching John. Aunt Vivie told me
to watch John.” Her eyes welled with tears. “I had John,” she insisted again,
afraid of taking the blame.
“What did the man
look like? What was he doing?” I demanded.
“He was that man
from the backyard. The big man who touched Mary’s hair. I heard him say he
could help her run faster. For her to take his hand.”
Sickness heaved
inside and I clenched my jaw.
“You were getting
sick over the bridge,” Ruth accused. “You weren’t helping at all! Mary couldn’t
keep up and she was crying!”
Vivie reached out
and gripped my shoulders. Without saying a word, we stared hard into each
other’s eyes, the truth of the situation passing between us as though we were
speaking aloud. McGraw had bided his time, watched us from afar and waited for
a weak moment. He couldn’t possibly
know the danger he faced. Was it a ploy? Would he really take Mary? Or was he
just trying to get me alone to give chase and play his twisted game of revenge?
“I’ll go,” Vivie
said, the sacrifice evident in the firm line of her mouth. “You can’t fall for
his trap, Kate. He won’t do anything to me.”
“No,” I argued.
“Too dangerous. If something happens to you, then Gran will never be born, and
then, neither will I.”
Q&A with
Jessica Tornese
The question that is always
asked—what inspired you to write Linked Through Time, and Lost Through Time?
I grew up with a
large family. My Dad was one of eleven children, so I have endless tales of
cousins and extended family. My Dad’s stories always stuck with me because he
grew up with nothing. Absolutely nothing! He did not have indoor plumbing until
high school- in Northern Minnesota! I admire him and wanted to keep his stories
alive. A lot of what happens to Kate in “Linked” are true events from my dad’s
childhood. Lost Through Time mentions a disaster that actually occurred in my
home town in 1910. I guess I just really like to keep the stories of our
ancestors from dying out. They were true, hard core Americans fighting just to
make a living.
Your take on time travel is unique
did you do any research to help you form the idea?
I love the idea
of using something that had to do with the region. Of course, northern lights
are not often seen as brilliantly as in Alaska or Canada, but they are amazing
and kind of mysterious, so I thought they could be a believable reason!
What challenges have you overcome in
having such a unique take on time travel?
As with any book,
I had to keep going back and forth to remember my rules and events to make
things happen. Since I change the rules in the second book, I had to really
sketch out why and how Kate could travel differently than other characters.
You create a very realistic picture
of farm life in the 1960’s—did you do research? If not, how did you create such
a realistic picture without research?
I actually lived
on the farm I am describing. For a few short months, I had to live with my
grandparents in the very house my Dad grew up in . They were still doing the
same chores and living the same kind of lifestyle- except with indoor plumbing
of course! The chores were endless and I absolutely hate haying!
Who is your favorite character and
why?
I love Kate. She
reminds me of myself. I was the snotty city girl that was taken out of the city
and moved to a small northern MN town when I was fifteen. I thought my life was
over! I learned a lot about myself as a person and learned how to work outside.
I appreciate my Dad more, and am so glad to have been raised closer to his
family. I love Kate’s growth and life lessons about boys. There are good
boyfriends out there and bad…definitely something we have to learn!
In book one you create sympathy for
the character of Sarah, but in book two she’s quite evil. Was making a
character that was originally likeable into a bad character hard?
Yes. It was
actually my husband’s idea to make a villain. He basically said that the story
will go nowhere without a villain, so we decided Sarah had the most to be angry
and vengeful for! Once I started, it was really fun to write the villain part
because I never get to act that way. It was a peek into the dark side
Kate matures a lot through book one,
did you always plan this, or did she mature as you wrote the novel?
Kate was really a
mirror of myself. I think I wanted to show that from day one- how she can go
from a judgmental teenager focusing on her own needs, to learning about serving
others. I think everyone makes this same transition at some point in their
lives; it’s just a question of when.
In Linked Through Time keeping track of
so many brothers and sisters was hard for Sarah, how did you do it as an
author?
I literally took
my Dad’s family and just changed the names! He had 6 brothers and 5 sisters,
and I just kept picturing them in my mind.
In Linked Through Time who was your
favorite brother or sister?
Probably a tie
between Dean and Rodney. I identify with both of their personalities. My Dad
had a little of each, so I brought out his tough military side in Rodney and
his protective side in Dean.
How did you evolve the story of Linked
Through Time into Lost Through Time?
I didn’t want
Kate’s story to be over. I knew I wanted to write about Baudette’s historic
fire, so once I decided to bring Sarah back into the picture it all fell into
place. I love history and am trying to decide how to connect with the final
chapter in Kate’s and Sarah’s life in book three.
We saw a very little bit of Travis’
son—will we see more of him?
T.J. will make an
appearance in book three. I think we will see a bit more develop with him. I
want Kate’s story to have something good in it for her. Though it is a little
Jerry Springer, I think Kate deserves a good man and some closure in all the
chaos she lives in.
What is the name of the next book in the
trilogy?
As of right now,
Destroyed In Time, recommended to me by another Solstice author, Michael Thal.
Is there a release date set?
Not yet. I am
still in the early stages of defining the book. I have to be really careful on
how I end this book.
When did you start writing?
I didn’t really
start writing books until a few years ago, but I have always loved writing and
reading. They go hand in hand, I think.
As an author, what is your biggest
challenge and how do you overcome it?
Finding time to
write. I have three kids and it is a constant tornado in the house. I try to
take some time once a week to nail down some outline ideas.
You are with an independent publisher,
Solstice Publishing, how did you find them?
I submitted my
work based on a newsletter I received called Children’s Writer. They give
contact names and emails and it just happened to work out that Nik Morton liked
the manuscript.
What do you like best about being with a
smaller press?
I like the
camaraderie with the other authors. We have a daily interaction on line. Mostly
we use it for questions or support, but it’s nice to have others in the same
boat as yourself.
What is the biggest challenge of being
with a smaller press?
Marketing. There
just isn’t enough time or money to get the word out. It has to be done over
time, mostly own your own doing. But Solstice is trying hard to work with
everyone and do what they can with their resources. I was just voted Solstice’s
Author of the Year, so that was very exciting and proof that I do have fans out
there that love the books.
For budding authors out there, how much
say do you think you have in the final product, from cover to the insides, to
the marketing?
Depending on the
publisher, you can have a lot of say in your product. I wouldn’t let someone change
my work completely, especially if it was something I didn’t believe in. Stay
true to your style and someone will come along that likes it!
Other than writing, what are some things
that you love to do?
I love volleyball
and camping, and outdoor things in general. I love, love, love to read! A good
book on the beach is my heaven!
Links:
Website:
Amazon author central page:
Facebook page:
Twitter:
@jltornese
Goodreads:
LinkedIn:
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