I’m delighted to welcome another fantabulous author to my blog today. Jessi Gage has been burning up the romance best-seller charts with her Highland Wishes series and her Blue Collar Boyfriend series.
Her newest release, which is poised to hit online retailers any day, is a unique paranormal romance. I had the pleasure of reading the first half JADE’S SPIRIT in development stages and can’t wait to see how it turns out.
To celebrate her newest release, Jessi is doing a giveaway. Check out the deets at the bottom of her post on how to enter.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll welcome Jessi as she explains what makes JADE’S SPIRIT such an unusual read and what compelled her to write it.
~ooOOoo~
Thank you for having me, Mae! I’m so excited to share my new release JADE’S SPIRIT with your readers today!
I’m more nervous about this release than I’ve ever been before. It’s not your typical romance. Then again, I don’t really write typical romance. I’ve got a virginal hero (nothing new for me), some ghosts (again, nothing new), a heroine with a troubled past (still nothing new there). But where I diverge from my usual voice is in the message.
I’m a Christian, but I don’t usually write about faith in my books. In my own life, faith plays a huge role every day. But when I read fiction, I’m not looking to be preached at or have my faith challenged or tested. I just want to escape. So that’s what I try to do in my books: provide a pleasurable escape for my readers.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not anti-inspy (inspirational romance or Christian fiction), I just never intended to write books with an explicit Christian message. I read them on occasion, but never felt compelled to write one.
Jade’s Spirit felt different from the get-go. First of all, it’s based on a real life experience my mother had in her childhood home. She saw a ghost. And it attacked her brother, my uncle Bob. Prayer made it go away. This comes into play in the story I found pouring onto the pages as I thought about who this ghost might be and what it might want. Spiritual oppression and hauntings play a huge role in Jade’s journey as she learns what it takes to fight the supernatural.
Then there was Emmett. Virginal heroes are nothing new to me. But Emmett is the first character I’ve written who is incredibly like my husband and me. We drink beer. We listen to rock music. We love horror movies. We make inappropriate jokes…and we love Jesus. There aren’t many evangelical Christians who choose to live life the way we do or tolerate those who do. Emmett is like us. He’s…cool and accepting. And he loves Jesus.
I don’t know if a lot of people are going to “get” Emmett. I hope I’ve made him endearing and attractive (he certainly is those things to me), but this character might end up falling flat or being confusing to some readers. Don’t expect a stereotype with Emmett. He’s not your typical “Bible thumper.” He’s sexy, confident, funny, independent, and an unapologetic Christian. Kind of like me and my husband.
I think there are a lot of us sexy, fun-loving Christians out there, and I’m hoping Jade’s Spirit finds its way into the hands of people who will be able to relate to Emmett’s struggle: wanting to obey God and keep it in his pants” but also being honest with himself about the temptations of life. It’s not easy to follow God. Sometimes we make mistakes.
So, yeah, I’m nervous about this one. I read books with main characters who are atheist, wiccan, practice menage, all kinds of things that I, personally, wouldn’t do. But it’s fun to read about people who do things differently and have different beliefs. I hope the Christian message in Jade’s Spirit offers people who don’t share my beliefs a glimpse into my faith without beating them over the head with it. I hope it’s entertaining! That’s what this writing thing is all about!
Thanks for reading! And thanks, Mae, for having me! It’s always a blast to chat with your readers!
GIVEAWAY ALERT:
I want to hear ghost stories or favorite ghost tales from you guys. Leave a comment with something ghost related in it, and I’ll enter you to win an e-copy of Jade’s Spirit.
Connect with Jessi Gage at the following haunts:
website | blog | newsletter sign-up | Twitter (@jessigage)
For information on when JADE’S SPIRIT will be released, check Jessi’s website or add to your TRB on Goodreads!
From the Pen of Mae Clair 
Thanks so much for having me, Mae! Jade’s Spirit is up at Amazon and a couple other retailers. Links at my website:-) Thanks so much!
Let’s hear those ghost stories!
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It’s great to have you here, Jessi, and I’m happy to hear Jade’s Spirit is now available for purchase. I have to learn how this one ends! 🙂
I can’t think of any story when I have actually encountered a ghost (thank God!) but I do remember being creeped out a few times.
In my job, I occasionally tour homes, often old ones. Usually I’m with someone (a real estate agent), but other times I’ve visited properties alone. I remember several years ago, previewing a vacant house that was built in the 1700s. I had to check it out in order to do a condition report for a corporate relocation company. Everything was fine until I went upstairs.
I was in the back bedroom when I heard voices downstairs. I couldn’t tell what was said, but I was certain someone had come inside the property. I immediately headed downstairs and, of course, no one was there. I looked out the windows and didn’t see anyone around outside, which gave me one of those creeped out feelings–I had distinctively heard muffled voices. That’s when I noticed a paint can by the back door had been moved.
It was enough to make me hightail it out of there. When I talked to the agent who had listed the property the next day, she mentioned being creeped out in the house and how she had felt she wasn’t alone on several occasions. Luckily, I never had to visit that property again!
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oh wow. Freaky! And how cool you went in a house from the 1700s! There is nothing that old out west.
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Hi Jessi. Hi Mae.
Your book sounds intriguing. I am definitely buying it today after this post.
My father told my siblings and I about a logging accident that happened when he was a kid. It seems a tree fell on a logger knocking him in a ditch on the side of the road killing him. Every time it rains the water in the ditch turns bloody and the electrical systems of cars (lights, radios, etc) stop working when it (cars) get near the accident site.
We’ve driven by this site while visiting relatives still living in the area; I get goose bumps and a creepy feeling every time.
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ooh, a bloody puddle. How freaky!
Thanks for sharing! You are entered:)
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Hi, Alicia! Great to see you here. And what a strange, tragic tale of that poor logger and the ditch. I definitely wouldn’t want to be driving past it alone, and especially not at night! *shiver*
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Hi Jessi, I can’t say I’ve ever read a Christian romance before (of course, maybe I have but just didn’t realise it), but the way you have described Emmett makes me want to read Jade’s Spirit. Good luck with the release.
Some years ago a friend of mine and her mother were visiting a heritage house on a trip (we live in Ireland). They walked around the grounds to the back of the building where no one else was around. That side of the house was derelict, and boards sealed up the windows downstairs. When they looked up at the window on the top floor they saw a young girl holding a doll staring down at them. She was dressed in centuries old clothes. To this day they are convinced she was a past residence of that house.
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Creepy indeed, Emma! Given the condition of the house and the girl’s style of dress, it would be enough to convince me I’d witnessed something supernatural. Probably also enough to keep me from ever going back there again!
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Resident, sorry.
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🙂
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