Please help me welcome Jessica A. Kong to my blog today. Jessica is giving away a $5 Starbucks gift card to one lucky commentor so I know you’ll leave her lots of comments and make her feel welcome.

Tell us about yourself. My name is Jessica Kong. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I attended Queens College and majored in Early Childhood Education and Child Psychology. Currently, I am a stay-at-home mother of teenage triplets. I love to read and my personal library has a healthy amount of romance, horrors, fantasy, and science fiction books that I have read and collected over the years. Beside my collection of book is my collection of video games that my boys and I share.

Have you had other careers before becoming a writer? Before I became a writer, I worked as an Administrative Assistant for several years. I left my job to stay home with my babies.

Are you a full time writer or do you have a “day job”? I am fortunate that my husband’s career covers our expenses, so I can focus on building my writing career.

How did you get started writing? Shortly after my triplets were born, I sat in front of my computer hoping to escape into a world that I had complete control of. As I played my video game, I thought of a scene from a black and white romance movie that I once saw. It was a couple laying on the beach in an intimate embrace as the incoming waves washed over them. While I continued to play, I also recalled my favorite books and movies. Even though the plots were great, there was always something I wished the characters had done differently.

This led me to ask the ‘what if’ question. What if the man on the beach was a secret agent and the woman he held in his arms was an alien from another world that he was protecting from his government? What if this alien humanoid evolved from felines? My mind began showing me a storyline heading in a different direction than the movie’s. I found it interesting and fun, so I turned off my computer game and opened up a word document and started typing. My new ‘escape from a chaotic world’ was created.

What genre(s) do you write in? The main genre my books fall under is science fiction romance. However, I have several books that have branched off into the paranormal realm. Why? I go where the Royal Clan – McCalls, Blaisdales, and Moonstars – take me.

Tell us about your current series. The current series I am working on is called, “Sea-anan Saga”. As I wrote about this blossoming romance between the spy and his alien lover, the couple became more real to me. Their story continued to unravel in my head. It began to include family members, best friends, traveling into space, even a timeline. From that one beach scene, I eventually wrote “A Lost Kitten”, a paranormal romance with science fiction elements entailing the firstborn son of that spy and alien feline.

In “A Lost Kitten”, John McCall escapes a space station explosion but is lost in space and stranded on an unknown planet that turns out to be a ghost planet. Since John is part feline, he is highly sensitive to his environment. He soon encounters the spirits. One spirit in particular affects him the most. During his stay on the planet, John tries to uncover why. He eventually discovers this spirit is his soulmate. Now what is he to do? Should he stay with his dead soulmate, or should he return home and search for his missing family?

Now as we all know, felines can have litters of multiple kittens. Therefore, John’s story is not the only one that demands to be told. His large family is scattered throughout space, each encountering their own adventure. Hence, the ‘Sea-anan Saga’ was born.

What is your next project and when will it be released? My next book is called, “A Forgotten Kitten”. Even though it is the second installment to the ‘Sea-anan Saga’, it does not begin where my first book ended. I know my readers will be unhappy about that, but hopefully they will understand and like this book. “A Forgotten Kitten” is more a science fiction romance that takes place parallel to the first book. To be more precise, part two is the story of one of John’s many siblings and the obstacles she has to overcome to obtain her truelove. If the stars align in my favor, book two will be released in May. As soon as I know for certain, I will post the actual date on my website. http://www.seaanan.com

What is your favorite part of writing? Gee, the part I love most is when the story displays itself in my head and my fingers have to catch up as they type each scene and dialog into the computer. That easy flow of thoughts is when the best natural feelings and dialog occur.

What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? What I find most difficult to write are the love scenes. Why? The scenes have to be natural and sensual, not forced and awkward. My scenes are not the best, but I feel they get my point across. At least I hope they do. 

How has your experience with self-publishing been? Better than what I had expected. For years, I have heard of horror stories that made me cringe at the thought of self-publishing. But when a friend of mine published his first book and told me it was a great experience, I took my husband’s advice and decided to give it a chance. I do not regret my decision.

What went into the process? Writing, editing, cover design, formatting, etc. Share your ups and downs and how you went about it. If you used a service, can you share? I used Amazon’s CreateSpace to publish my book. Their service covers everything from editing to interior formatting to cover design. Whatever you need, they can provide it, for a fee of course. They will work within your budget and aid you in creating a custom package. Whenever I had a problem or a question, they were readily accessible. And when they explained things to me, they did not make it worse by confusing me more. I truly had a great experience with them that I returned to them with my second book.

What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish? First off, do not be afraid. I know self-publishing is a scary thing, but if you take it one-step at a time, before you know it, your book will be published. Just find a company that you feel comfortable with and work within your budget. And be prepared to spend a lot of time marketing your own book. For me, marketing is the true challenge.

Book Excerpt:
While he sat on the small bench, the coldness that plagued him gradually subsided to a cozy warmness that wrapped around him, as did the pervasive scent of vanilla. The warmness grew as a new sensation gripped him. It felt like someone was combing her fingers through his hair.

John passed his fingers through his short hair. He rubbed his scalp. The sensation continued. He glanced around. There was no one in the classroom. He stared at the clean blackboards. He knew he should feel afraid, but strangely, the invisible fingers had a soothing affect on his tight nerves.

John closed his eyes and deeply inhaled the aura in the room. One by one, his coiled, aching muscles relaxed. Those magical fingers lowered to his shoulders, pressing into his muscles. His head dipped forward while they massaged the tension from his shoulders. John felt the stress leaving him—a first since the attack. He sat there enjoying the massage.

Jasira was beside herself with joy. She could not believe she was able to touch this beautiful man. To be given a mate was more than she had dared to hope for, but here he was. Solid and real. And extremely stressed, by the look on his face.

It was recess. Two teachers were outside with the class of sixty while Jasira remained indoors, preparing for the next lesson. When she had glanced up from her papers, she had been startled to see John’s face by the window, peering into the room. She had watched him enter. She could see the strain on his handsome face. She wished she could speak to him, learn of his problems, ease his suffering. But for now, all she could do was try to ease his tension by massaging his shoulders.

She heard an odd sound. Jasira realized it was coming from John. She smiled. It seemed he enjoyed her touch. She leaned her hips against his back and placed more force behind her hands. The sound coming from John intensified.

He could not help himself. The purr escaped him. The feeling was enjoyable. There was a slight pressure and increased heat against his spine. It felt like a body. John again glanced behind him. No one was there. Weird, he thought.

Since the classroom was the only place he could find that was warm, he decided to stay for a while. Taking a deep breath, John placed his arms on the desk. He lowered his head onto his forearms.

The pressure on his spine indeed felt like a body—a woman’s body. His purrs deepened. His thoughts drifted off to another place, a more pleasant place. A place where there was no war, only a beautiful woman massaging him.

Strong fingers traveled along his spine. John clenched his jaw and curved his back slightly, hoping to press her more firmly to him. If it were not for how soothed and relaxed he felt, he would think the classroom was haunted.

Ten stress-free minutes passed before his mind considered the possibility more seriously. His slow-paced heart picked up speed. His closed eyes opened. He stared at the wooden desk beneath his arms. He focused his senses on the pleasurable feelings. It definitely felt like a small body was pressed against his back while small, strong hands rubbed and molded his shoulders and upper back. It felt real. Very, very real.

Back Cover Blurb:
Seacat John McCall labels the attack on the Sea-anan Empire as a nightmare. He escapes the enemy’s invasion, only to find himself stranded on a distant planet called Surreal. Tormented by thoughts of his family being massacred or captured by the enemy, he focuses on returning to aid them until he experiences a mind-boggling kiss that can only come from the one he is meant to share his life with. To ease the terror he feels for his family, John seeks the identity of his secret admirer. He quickly learns the true meaning of nightmare when he discovers his soul mate is of “the mist.”
Jasira Eversole is drawn to the powerfully built outlander sitting at the king’s table. Unable to resist the need to see him again, she enters the warrior’s room while he sleeps. John’s rugged good looks and chiseled body compel Jasira to reach out and touch him. Being of the mist, Jasira knows she will not be able to feel John, but she cannot resist his pull. The richness of John’s hair, the firmness of his muscles, and the clean scent of his skin all take Jasira off guard. She swiftly realizes John is her intended mate. Now, Jasira must somehow convince the young warrior that they are two halves of one soul without chasing him off Surreal, leaving her to a lonely existence as mist.

Author Bio:
Jessica A. Kong lives in Somerset, New Jersey with her loving husband of 21 yrs. and teenage triplets. She is an avid reader of fantasy, futuristic and paranormals. When she is not reading she enjoys puzzles, crocheting, and playing video games.

Links to Author:
Facebook Book Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-World-of-Sea-ana/462338863811603
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Kong/155150417957328
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AreoMc
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6533956.Jessica_Kong
Website: http://www.seaanan.com
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/

Links to Book:
Amazon Book: http://www.amazon.com/A-Lost-Kitten-Jessica-Kong/dp/1475143400/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347412932&sr=8-1&keywords=A+lost+kitten
Amazon UK Book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Lost-Kitten-Jessica-Kong/dp/1475143400/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-lost-kitten-jessica-a-kong/1112436828?ean=9781475143409