Author Interview: Jaime Guerard

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 31^st.

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!

Find Awaken on Amazon and B&N!!


Find Jaime on her Site, Facebook, or Twitter!!