Rookie Wednesday: Jessica Verday

This week's newbie author is Jessica Verday, author of The Hollow which is officially released August 29th!

What's one random tidbit about yourself?

In the town that I was born in (Beaufort, SC), there is a historical home named for John Mark Verdier. It's a family museum of sorts, and my middle name is Verdier in his honor.

What were you doing the moment you found out that The Hollow had sold?

Waiting anxiously by the phone for news.

What's the best book that you've read over the past six months?

Carrie by Stephen King.

Was the process of writing and publishing your first novel what you expected it to be?

In absolutely no way, shape, or form. I didn't have any idea what to expect, but it's been a non-stop roller coaster ride. Ups and downs, starts and stops...and in the end? A breathtaking experience.

Give us one embarrassing author moment:

I don't think I've had any yet - fingers crossed it stays that way!

What would you most like potential readers to know about you and/or your book?

The Hollow is about loss and grief. Not an easy subject to read about if you've ever experienced those things. But it's also about new friendships and first love. Ultimately it's about finding yourself in a new, and different, situation and learning how to be happy there.

List 3-5 characters from The Hollow and do word associations.

Abbey: creative, Caspian: elusive, Kristen: missed, Nikolas: revered

What's your favorite thing about The Hollow?

Nikolas's history. It amuses me to no end, and I am ridiculously pleased by it.

What projects do you have in the pipeline?

I just finished book two and I'll have to start on book three in a couple of months... but in between I'm thinking of magic, and demons, and cotton candy, and robots, and witches, and Dangerous Things. So many stories, so little time!

Any final comments?

Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me. Enjoy The Hollow, dear readers!

THANKS FOR THE AWESOME INTERVIEW JESSICA!

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead?and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

Visit Jessica's website for more info about her and her work.

Read the first chapter of The Hollow

Check out the book's trailer!