Author Interview with Jessica Therrien and Review: Oppression

I'm super excited to have Jessica on my blog today! She's super amazing and her debut, Oppression, came out on February! It's awesome and I really enjoyed reading it! I'm really glad that I also get the chance to interview Jessica

 The interview

Oppression is your debut novel (WOOHO!). Tell us, how did it feel when someone informed you that Oppression was going to be a book? 

When I got THE email, if felt like my heart shot into my throat…followed by lots of jumping, flailing and screaming (I accidently smashed a snail…poor snail). It was very surreal. I didn’t really know what to do with myself.

Where and how did you get the muse to write Oppression? Surely you didn’t make a visit to Hades, right? ;) 

My husband was my muse. He is my William. It was fun to write about love when I was actually falling in love myself. The Greek myths were also an inspiration, although they were only used as a basis for my story. 

I know that some authors say they give a piece of their soul to every character. Which character gets the most of your soul? 

Elyse. No question. I feel like she is a part of me. A lot of the emotions she feels throughout the book are my emotions. It was hard to write my first novel without giving my main character a big part of my soul. I really couldn’t help it.  

When you were a kid, what did you want to do when you grew up? 

I wanted to be a doctor. Then, when I was a teenager I wanted to be on Broadway. I’ve always loved musical theater. I would still love to act. 

Broadway is so cool! Maybe we can see Jessica act someday! What book has made you wish you were the one who wrote it? 

Divergent by Veronica Roth. As I was reading it, I was so enthralled, but I was also really jealous, lol. I couldn’t believe how good it was. Everyone who likes YA should read it.

 Imagination-escape round!

If you were a Greek Goddess, who do you think you would be? 

I would be Aphrodite, goddess of love, of course!

If you could ask for one thing in life, and it’s ANYTHING, what would you like to ask for? 

This is the hardest question so I’m going to be vague…love & happiness forever. 

It’s a beautiful and pleasant day like every day. Suddenly, your parents tell you that you’re not human (surprise!). What creature would you be? 

I’d be a descendant…you’ll have to read Oppression to know more about what that means ;) 

If you could live in a different time in the history, what time would you pick? 

I’d live amongst the Native American Indians before America was discovered. That time in American history is my favorite. Plus, maybe I’d meet some of my ancestors!

What has been your best moment being an author so far? :) 

The reactions from readers have been the best part. One advanced reader said she read Oppression in four hours, and another emailed me after she finished RE-READING it! It was the best feeling.

Thank you for answering the questions, Jessica! You're incredibly awesome and your answers are epic! 

Wait... there's more before I end this post! Yes, my review of Oppression! :)

Review

This is the book for people who believe in fate. 

Elyse is unlike other people. Her body ages five times slower than other. She looks like a healthy eighteen years old girl now, but in reality, she is eighty-nine years old. Her parents never told her why they are different. And they will never can, after the car accident that killed them in 1973. Elyse was fifty years old at that time, but her appearance was a ten years old girl. The accident broke her nonetheless, until Betsy came and took care of her. Then Betsy was dead, and suddenly, Elyse doesn’t know what she would do with her life. People whom she loves will age and die, and that makes her scared to start relationship with anyone.

On that day, I fully understood why my parents had not wanted me to have friends—friends who I would love, who would age, and leave, and die.

Elyse decided to move in to San Francisco, where it will be easier for her to hide from curious minds. In the big city, she will be just another face, another body in the crowd. But her life changes the moment she meets William. William is gorgeous, and he seems to have answers to questions that have whirled around Elyse’s mind for a long time. William said that there are more people like her, and he is just another one. But how could it possible? Why are they different from other human? Why did Elyse’s parents hide the truth from her, and keep themselves hidden from their own people?

Oppression is a wonderful read and I’m really glad to tell you that I’m not disappointed with the story. Elyse is surprisingly naïve for people on her actual age, but I guess it can be understood since she rarely interacted with people other than Betsy and Elyse’s best friend Anna. I’m really happy when Elyse meets her own kind and starts having more friends. She has been lonely for so many years and I can feel her excitement when finally she meets her own kind.

Elyse and William’s relationship is really cute too, the one you can’t help but say ‘awww’. William is funny and really protective of Elyse. I know that it is insta-love, but it’s so cute that I don’t really mind about that. The pace in the book is a little slow so some people might have problem with that, but with the whole events in the book, the not-so-fast pace make them seem more natural to me.

Needless to say, I can hardly wait for book two in this series! Hopefully there are more action parts in the next book. I hope to see more of Elyse in action, and please... more William! He’s just too cute!

“If you could sum up your whole life into a single flavor, what would it be? What do you think your life would taste like?”

I laughed. “I don’t know. That’s a strange question.” I thought about it though. It would have to be something bitter, but still sweet in a way, something that looked better than it tasted. “Maybe… semi-sweet chocolate?”

“Only semi-sweet?” he observed.

“I have my reasons,” I defended. “What about you? Something sugary and delicious?”

“Hmm, I have to rethink it. It’s definitely changed since I met you.”

He smiled at me, and I recoiled a little into the cushion seat of the booth, throwing my eyes immediately in a different direction—away from his.

“Peanut butter,” he decided.

“Why peanut butter?”

“I have my reasons,” he mocked.

“It’s not very sweet.”

“No, but it goes well with chocolate.”

Yes, I know that just like me, you’re swooning over him right now. Isn’t he the sweetest? Oppression is a brilliant debut and I’m dying to get my hand on the second book. I hope it can come out sooner!

Website * Goodreads * Amazon * Book Depository

I rate this book:

Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.


 

ATTENTION please!
E-Book (for limited time only until March 15: only $0.99!)
 

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A little bit about Jessica
Jessica Therrien is the author of Oppression, book one in her YA paranormal romance/adventure series, Children of the Gods. OPPRESSION was published by ZOVA Books in February of 2012.

Jessica is a graduate of San Diego State University. She lived in Taiwan for a year where she learned Chinese, but she lives in Chula Vista now, where everyone speaks Spanish instead. Although she is a Strategic Planner at the Otay Water District, her alter ego is a writer, who loves the arts with a passion.

Jessica is currently writing book two in her Children of the Gods series.