Please visit us at our new home! Wishing you all Happy Reading and Beautiful Fantasies! ~Jessica Lauryn

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The Art of Branding: How Planning My Wedding Inspired a Rejuvenation of my Author Brand

Making quick decisions has never been my forte. As a hybrid author, I'm used to having some time to look over my work, months presumably, and I think about what my characters will say for hours on end before their words reach the public eye. Published by a digital press and also having published a few indie releases, I haven't shared in the deadline woes of many traditionally published authors and this hasn't helped my ability to make decisions on the fly. Though I'm capable of thinking quickly when I have a gun to my head, I'm also a perfectionist. I see the path I walk as an author as a journey, not a light switch and while this may be true, I still prefer to mull over decisions. Planning my wedding, I was introduced to a different way of being.

No one ever tells you that planning a wedding is a full-time job. As brides-to-be, we sort of know this is coming, but we're excited by the prospect of what's to come and not always focused on how much work it's going to take to get there. I was a different. I knew it was going to take a lot of work, but even I couldn't begin to imagine how much work, and I was also working to purchase a house at the time, working full time, and oh yeah, writing. Fortunately, I had the basic ideas of what I wanted for my wedding in my mind. This got me off to an excellent start.

When I was in high school, fantasizing about attending the prom, I focused on a sage green dress I'd seen in a  magazine. Though I never found any such dress and instead wound up wearing lavender, I never did forget that dress. I still have the magazine clipping to this day (yes, we read actual magazines when I was in high school!) and I zoned right in on this color for my bridesmaids dresses. A loyal viewer of Say Yes to the Dress, I was always bothered when I heard a bride note under dislikes that she hated lace. As a romantic with a strong appreciation for the Victorian Era, I LOVE lace and always knew it would play a prominent role in my wedding dress. Gowns in tow, decisions like flowers came easy - green of course would play a prominent role, and white, but also red. I was told that the combination might play out to be too Christmas-like, but I strongly believed a pop of red would bring my wedding fantasy look to life and I was thrilled with the way things turned out. The more decisions I made the easier the others came.

Having spent over a year of my life planning for what ultimately amounted to one day, I was filled with renewed enthusiasm to rejuvenate my author brand, which though holding its own had been neglected while I was living my "real" life. Not your typical romantic suspense author, I'm not a fan of incorporating a lot of violence and depravity into my stories and instead use the dangerous situations I create to fuel the romance between my characters. As their creator, I know a lot of what appeals to me appeals to them as well. Planning my wedding has inspired me to breathe a bit of more of myself into my author brand. You can expect a few tweaks in the months ahead, including my new author logo, designed by Kim Killion of Killion Group, new covers for my paperback titles and a new look for my website. I'm always grateful for a bit of inspiration from wherever it comes. I'm excited to see where it takes me.    

Easton Book Festival

I'm excited to be a part of this year's Easton Book Festival! I'll be doing a reading from A Sultry Performance, giving a workshop on Editing and Pacing and participating in a panel discussion on Self Publishing. All of my events take place Saturday, October 26th. I hope you can join me!

Author Expo Book Table - First United Church of Christ Social Hall 27th, North 3rd Street, Easton PA - 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Saturday, October 26th

A Sultry Performance Reading - Quadrant Book Mart & Coffee House - 20 North 3rd Street, Easton, PA - 11:30 AM, Saturday October 26th

Self Publishing Panel Discussion - State Theatre Gallery, 453 Northampton Street, Easton PA - 12:30 PM, Saturday, October 26th

Editing and Pacing with Jessica Lauryn - 

Northampton Community College, Classroom One, 25 South 3rd St. Easton PA - 4:00 PM 

Saturday, October 26th

Memories for Perspective

Winter started early for me this year. Though October has only just begun, I kicked off autumn by getting sick, and though it is ninety degrees outside where I live, today, I spent the last week or so feeling more like it was January than pumpkin picking season. Having made the decision to re-release The Pinnacles Power Series, and the first 2 titles in the Rabourn Theater Series, in paperback, I'd previously decided to give these titles a read through and when I wasn't feeling well, my desire to press on with this endeavor didn't die. In fact, on what was perceivably the worst of days for me I managed to read about a hundred pages and only stopped because I was so tired I absolutely had to sleep. Reading my backlist was a joy! It was fun, and exciting, and terribly inspiring and it made me eager to write my next story, An Intoxicating interlude, book 4 in the Rabourn Theater Series.

It wasn't all that long ago when I thought perhaps my writer's journey had come to an end. Overwhelmed with the various responsibilities in my life, and so full of love as I embarked upon the best chapter yet I thought perhaps my days of living in a fantasy world had come to an end and I was better off taking my nose out of the book and finally living in the "real world." But a bit of time spent in my imagination had me quickly rethinking my decision and my more recent trip down memory lane has reminded me of why I started writing in the first place. 

All writers could tell you a different story when it comes to why they love what they do, but for me, the love has always been a love of romance. I love the tension between hero and heroine early on in a story and I'm on the edge of my seat as I watch it build to a climax. I'm excited during the black moment, when it seems as though all is lost because I know that an incredible happily ever after is around the corner. And then there are the elements I love the most, the ones I've built my author brand on. I love seeing a former villain, a man no one thought capable of reform, least of all himself, fall head over heels in love with the woman who threatens to bring him to his knees. I crave the danger  that drives the most unlikely of couples into each other's arms, and the occasional paranormal twist that leaves you wondering, what the heck was that?

If only there were more hours in the day. It breaks my heart when I hear another author say that all authors should be well versed in the works of other authors, and be reading constantly to do it. You're preaching to the choir! I LOVE to read the works of other romance authors and I find doing so to be incredibly inspiring. But doing so isn't always possible. I need to work, yes, really, and to take care of my family and yes, I must carve out time for my own writing which has to come first if I am to succeed as an author. I read as much as I possibly can. Life, however, is life. 

Being sick can really put things into perspective, though. Because there is no time in which I want to read and write more than when I can't do it at all. Funny the way that works!

Inspired with a fresh perspective, I look forward to what I'll write and read in the coming days, and to share my trip down memory lane with you as I rerelease my earliest titles, the books that made me the author I am today.

COVER REVEAL!

Julia Dyson confronts her father's presumed abductor, resulting in an unforgettable kiss and a dangerous proposition indeed...

Dangerous Proposition is Re-Releasing in Paperback! 

Release date to follow!

Release Party!

Join me and a variety of BestSelling Authors at the Release Party for P.T. Macias's Elite Power Supreme Legacy Series October 31st - November 4th.

I'll be hosting Saturday, November 2nd at 9:30 AM EST and giving away a copy of A Sultry Performance!