Thursday, December 5, 2013

From High School Assignment to Published Book


By Jessica E. Subject
Happy December! It’s cold up here in Canada, but that’s to be expected for this time of year. ;)

Last year at this time, I was excited about my first print anthology, Intergalactic Heat. And this year, my second print anthology, Rebels and Romance, released. Rebels and Romance is a collection of my stories from The Underground series. All three dystopian stories are included in this book, from when Calla learns about Planet Core’s deception to the moments after The Underground rebellions attempt a coup d'état.

The series starts with Never Gonna Let You Go, a story that began as a writing assignment in my high school Science Fiction English course. I had a man and a woman on a mission to explore a new planet. (And I was adding romance to my science fiction back then, too – LOL) But besides finding a new and unusual creature, there wasn’t much conflict in the story. I had the outline and intro tucked away for years, pulling it out again in 2011.

I toyed with the plot in my mind, my muse getting free range. When the muse introduced the idea of adding another person in, I thought, okay. See, the original male (Erik) and female (Calla) were former lovers, and the new female (Melina) planned to seduce Calla.

A F/F dystopian? Not much of that around. But the story developed quickly, and worked. At least, I think so.

Over a year passed by before I wrote the next story in the series. I knew it would be Brook and Melina’s story, and how it would start, but I couldn’t come up with anything. It wasn’t until the first story received Honorable Mention in the Sci-Fi/Futuristic/Dystopian category in the 2013 Best Of Awards that my muse was drawn back to this series. Everything started clicking together, and I wrote Never Gonna Desert You, revealing why Melina made the decisions she did and what she does to redeem herself. Not only that, but Brook learns of her father’s deception and for the first time in her life, she turns against him.

Never Gonna Say Goodbye was written shortly after, as the rebellion was stirring in my own mind, and I couldn’t just leave them hanging. While the story didn’t end as I and The Underground had originally planned, I believe the rebels gave it their best effort. Did they succeed? Well, you’ll have to read the series to find out.




Giveaway!!
Leave a comment below for your chance to WIN an ebook of the first story in the series, Never Gonna Let You Go.


Rebels and Romance
The Underground series
By Jessica E. Subject
In the future...
The corporation Planet Core holds all of the power. They place restrictions on the lives of those living within their boundaries, including who they can love. And there is no escape.

Deception runs deep...
The rebel group, calling themselves The Underground, is disputing the corporation’s leadership. With the desire for freedom, they will fight.

And betrayal can come from anyone...
Will the rebels defeat Planet Core, or end up fighting for their lives?

Available From:

Reviews:

Never Gonna Let You Go:
“Her stories are so beautiful and hard to put down. But I must admit, this was my favorite one. Being I am a sucker for a good conspiracy, I was foaming at the mouth with this story.”
~ Offbeat Vagabond

Never Gonna Desert You:
“Never Gonna Desert You is a fast paced sci~fi romance that gives you pause and makes you think about what life might be like on Earth someday.”
~ Illustrious Illusions

Never Gonna Say Goodbye:
“I loved this story. Never Gonna Say Goodbye had a lot of heart, and engaged my emotions in a way that I wasn’t prepared for.”
~ Wicked Readings by Tawania

Book Trailer for Never Gonna Let You Go:

Bio:
Jessica Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotica. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. 
When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk. Fast. But she just may slow down if there is a waterfall nearby.
Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.

3 comments:

Tawania said...

Please don't enter me in the giveaway, I have all these stories. I just wanted to tell everybody that if you haven't read this series, you are definitely missing out on something special.

Jessica E. Subject said...

Thank you so very much, Tawania! :)

Teri Riggs said...

I think it's great your series started with a high school assignment. Any idea if your teacher knows how well you expanded his homework assignment?