Take You To Another World Contest – Day Three – JESS GRANGER
Jun
23
2010

Today’s guest is Jess Granger, who writes fabulous futuristics for Berkley Sensation. I’m always so excited to be able to recommend futuristic authors to people and Jess is one whose name comes up all the time. I love her writing. To get a taste of it, head over to her website to the Beyond The Shadows page to read the excerpt there.

Hi everyone!

I’m very excited to join the Take You To Another World Contest. The timing made me laugh because I just drove from Minnesota back to Ohio yesterday to return from a wedding. I don’t know about you guys, but really long car trips can be both fun and torture at the same time. I didn’t travel a whole lot as a kid. I think the longest trip I can remember was down to Disneyland. That was about an eight hour car trip, and it seemed like it lasted seventeen lifetimes. In college, I crossed the country several times. It was always an adventure, but an exhausting one.

Now as an adult, I enjoy the time when I’m not at the wheel to think about my writing and sleep. Sometimes boredom can do wonders for your creativity. On this trip I had the chance to muse a little about my two protagonists in Beyond the Shadows. If traveling across five states is a long haul, imagine traveling across five galaxies. In the beginning of Beyond the Shadows, Cyn and Yara embark on one heck of a road trip, complete with boredom and the crazy thoughts that follow when all you have to stare at is one other person; someone you don’t know, don’t trust, but find yourself irritatingly attracted to at the same time.

Here’s the blurb…

A man of deception. A woman of justice. Will their fragile trust be strong enough to prevent a war?

Commander Yara knows perfect leadership requires perfect control and discipline. She has spent years living without the distraction of caring for anything—or anyone. It’s a sacrifice she’s willing to make. Yara has honed herself into the perfect heir to the Azralen throne, but a bloody coup could destroy everything she’s worked so hard for. She must return home to prevent war. Unfortunately the only ship available belongs to an Earthlen trader with no regard for authority—especially hers.

Cyn is a rebel, driven to protect those suffering at the hands of the Elite leaders of Azra. Using his alias to manipulate the lovely but icy commander onto his ship, he has to keep her from Azra long enough to ignite the revolution. But when he awakens a vibrant and feeling woman beneath that icy exterior, he gets more than he bargained for—love. He must find a way to convince Yara to join him, before they get caught in a web of deception that could tear their world apart.

These two characters couldn’t have been further apart, so it was immensely amusing to stick them in close quarters and watch the sparks fly.

Today’s Question to win a signed copy of Beyond The Shadows: So, how about you guys? What’s your favorite thing to do on a long road trip? Any outrageous stories? I’d love to hear them.

Happy Reading!

Jess

DAILY CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

58 comments to “Take You To Another World Contest – Day Three – JESS GRANGER”

  1. Ina
    June 23rd, 2010 at 4:15 am · Link

    Hi Jess 🙂
    no outrageous stories, because I don’t like long trips and they are very rare… but I do like to listen to music while driving.
    wish you all the best, Ina



  2. Lindsey Ekland
    June 23rd, 2010 at 5:24 am · Link

    Love to drive but rarely go on road trips. Listen to music and it is easier to take lots of music to go these days. Also love to look for local places to eat and sample the menu.



  3. Sue Brandes
    June 23rd, 2010 at 5:53 am · Link

    I don’t really go on long trips anymore. Mostly when kids were smaller. Used to make sure we had some music and munchies and lot of things to do in the car so they didn’t get bored. This book sounds really good.



  4. Amy Kathryn
    June 23rd, 2010 at 6:21 am · Link

    I love to listen to audiobooks but I have to be careful not to get ones that I have to pay too much attention too (mysteries, etc). I was too involved in a book one time and missed the correct fork in the road…ended up in a really bad area and it took half an hour to get out and back to the correct road.



  5. Cecile
    June 23rd, 2010 at 6:47 am · Link

    Well… if I am alone ~ I just jam out to my radio or cd. I can not remember the last time that as a family we took a long road trip.
    Sorry the story is not longer…
    Thanks for the chance!!!



  6. Blanche
    June 23rd, 2010 at 6:51 am · Link

    We love road trips!! We always get a book on tape to listen to, the last 2 road trips we’ve listened to Harry Potter! One time hubby wanted to hear a War story by E.W. Griffin and I wasn’t looking forward to it because it really isn’t something I would pick up and read but I really got into it and enjoyed it!

    As for outrageous, not sure if this qualifies but 2 years ago we were driving on and very long switchback type road and our youngest got car sick. We pulled over and he and I got out and as my poor child is throwing up on the side of the road I hear this “snorting” like sound. I looked all around and didn’t see anything and as we turned to go back to the car I happened to look up and there was a huge black pig with big tusks standing at the top of the hill by the side of the road. Scared the poop out of me! I’d never seen a wild pig before and certainly didn’t expect to see one in Northern California! We took a lot of pictures of it, from the safety of the car! It certainly gave us something to talk about for a few days! 😀



  7. Christy M
    June 23rd, 2010 at 7:05 am · Link

    Hey Jess,

    i just finished beyond the rain! loved it! normally on long road trips i read, jam on the radio with the kids. or play those car games..like alphabet..spot something with the letter a in it..then b..and so on. whether it be license plates billboards or gas stations. it defo passes the time with the kids. and of course trying to get truck drivers to honk thier horns (gotta love that arm motion..you know you all have done it ) 😆



  8. Miranda
    June 23rd, 2010 at 7:11 am · Link

    My story is not outrageous, BUT when I go on a long trip (especially with my dad) I like to ask him to explain to me how things work. It makes him feel fatherly and sometimes I actually absorb the information! I might even know what a piston in an engine is now 😉



  9. Caitlin U
    June 23rd, 2010 at 7:13 am · Link

    I don’t have any crazy stories I like long trips because it is a good time to listen to audiobooks. It makes the trip go by so much faster.



  10. Book Junkie
    June 23rd, 2010 at 7:21 am · Link

    No long road trips as an adult, but I do miss them. My parents would put us in the car and just drive for the weekend. They used to be so adventurous. Life seems to have gotten in the way. But when we were little my sister and I would sit in the back for hours and read the back of the food or drink labels and give each other a show at pretending we were doing a commercial for the product. That and place race car, commentating the traffic which used to piss my dad off. Thoroughly entertaining for us of course.



  11. Jess Granger
    June 23rd, 2010 at 7:21 am · Link

    Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone. My favorite game to play is “Who am I?” One person picks a character or person everyone in the car should know, then the others pepper them with yes or no questions to try to figure out who it is.

    We’d also play the movie game where one person names a movie, then the next has to name an actor in that movie, and the next has to name another movie that actor’s been in, then the next has to name another actor from THAT movie, and round and round it goes. If you can’t answer, you can toss it back to the person who asked, if they can’t answer, they get a strike. If they can you get a strike. Four strikes and you’re out.

    I wish I could listen to audio books, but I’m not an auditory learner. It takes all my concentration to pay attention to something like that, and I tend to not focus on the road. That’s not good.



  12. Christine
    June 23rd, 2010 at 7:36 am · Link

    Well we started listening to books on tape and since we have kids in the car we listened to Harry Potter. Since my husband had never read the books he loved it.



  13. zina
    June 23rd, 2010 at 7:58 am · Link

    I like to read, last Sept. I helped my husband move our 5th wheel from Seattle, Wa to King’s Bay Ga. Talk about a long trip, he doesn’t let me drive he likes the company and sometimes I read to him. I read quite a few print and e books on that trip.
    Zina



  14. blodeuedd
    June 23rd, 2010 at 8:00 am · Link

    Ugh, cartips, lately I get reallt carsick, not cos of the car, but cos of the heat.
    But give me some water and a book and I am fine



  15. Linda Henderson
    June 23rd, 2010 at 8:50 am · Link

    If I’m in the frontseat, and not driving, I like to read. For some reason reading in the backseat makes me sick. I also like to listen to music when I’m in the car. I’ve always had a thing about stopping at gift shops on the road. I always think it’s fascinating to see all the local souvenirs. And flea markets, I like to stop at them and look for old books.



  16. Alicia L.
    June 23rd, 2010 at 9:02 am · Link

    No outrageous stories for me. I usually read or sleep. Reading most of the time because I don’t get car sick. And I dislike driving a ton so if I absolutely don’t have to drive then I’m not.



  17. Beth
    June 23rd, 2010 at 9:11 am · Link

    Haven’t done many long road trips as an adult. If I’m the driver, I’m out of luck on the boredom. The only things I can do are listen to music or talk to any passengers I may have. If I’m not the driver, well, reading time!



  18. limecello
    June 23rd, 2010 at 9:12 am · Link

    Hi Jess! Hmmm long car trips? Luckily I’ve managed to avoid them for a few years, but we used to drive to NYC at least once a year, and with the lower speed limits it as a 9 hour trip. And once we headed straight to Long Island and got lost – making it 12 hours. I might have cried.
    Making a trip fun? Well, having good company, and snacks. Talking – but these days I prefer flying if at all possible. I seem to usually be driving by myself, and I get tired and bored behind the wheel.
    [Although it might be worse with family :X]
    For making it fun? Well… this is bad. I’d count cars we passed. Usually I’m the passenger of a speed demon. It’s fun, but potentially risky.
    Otherwise, once locally in a caravan type thing at a stop sign we ran to the car behind us (obviously we knew them) and pulled up their windshield wipers so they were sticking out 😀 They got us at the next stop though, because one of the guys ran up and jumped into our car O_o
    Promise this was only once, and on a back road though. We’re not a menace to society- honest!



  19. Virginia C
    June 23rd, 2010 at 10:26 am · Link

    I love to sing while I’m driving. If there’s anyone in the car with me–I have a captive audience. 😆



  20. Nichole
    June 23rd, 2010 at 10:45 am · Link

    When we go on long road trips we like to listen to audio books…..I also tend to take the most scenic routs and stop often so I can take pictures



  21. Sue R
    June 23rd, 2010 at 10:45 am · Link

    I tend not to do road trips and if I do I tend to sleep in while listening to audiobooks.



  22. Fedora
    June 23rd, 2010 at 11:28 am · Link

    We caved and got a DVD player when we got the minivan–we alternate putting a movie in for the kids with listening to podcasts of NPR’s Wait,Wait and CarTalk 🙂 Nothing too exciting!

    Please don’t enter me, but Beyond the Shadows is FANTASTIC! Cyn is to die for, and this is a great story–I love the characters and the plot is a thrilling ride!

    Keeping my fingers crossed that Jess will continue to take us to the worlds she’s created in this series!!



  23. Chris
    June 23rd, 2010 at 11:45 am · Link

    I love talking with my sister on long road trips, we two make every summer one and then we have time to talk about everything 😀



  24. CrystalGB
    June 23rd, 2010 at 12:41 pm · Link

    We listen to music and watch cars to see how many states we see cars from.



  25. Kari Thomas
    June 23rd, 2010 at 12:51 pm · Link

    Hi Jess! When I was growing up my family took a road trip every summer to visit a new state or several. It was sort of like a history lesson via trip; and so Ive been to 37 states in the US.

    One of the funniest things that ever happened was when we stopped in Texas at a Truck Stop. My sister had been pouting all day about something and so she was refusing to talk to anyone. We got used to the unusual quiet. Then, when we pulled out and back onto the highway I noticed that my sis wasnt in the far backseat (station wagon) and as I look up there she comes running behind the car and waving her arms. I told my parents immediately but they told me to stop being funny and take a nap. Okay, so it was mean of me….but I said “Fine.” and curled up to sleep. Half an hour later my mom actually noticed that my sis really WAS missing! She and Dad went into extra panic mode, dad did an illegal U-turn on the highway and sped all the way back to the Truckstop. There we found my sis sitting in the Office having ice cream. Amidst all the screaming, crying, and laughing, I kept asking “Can I have ice cream too?” I was totally ignored! Sigh.

    Anyhoo! Love your book cover and the sound of your book!

    Hugs, Kari Thomas, http://www.authorkari.com



  26. Kari Thomas
    June 23rd, 2010 at 12:52 pm · Link

    Hey Jess! When I was growing up my family took a road trip every summer to visit a new state or several. It was sort of like a history lesson via trip; and so Ive been to 37 states in the US.

    One of the funniest things that ever happened was when we stopped in Texas at a Truck Stop. My sister had been pouting all day about something and so she was refusing to talk to anyone. We got used to the unusual quiet. Then, when we pulled out and back onto the highway I noticed that my sis wasnt in the far backseat (station wagon) and as I look up there she comes running behind the car and waving her arms. I told my parents immediately but they told me to stop being funny and take a nap. Okay, so it was mean of me….but I said “Fine.” and curled up to sleep. Half an hour later my mom actually noticed that my sis really WAS missing! She and Dad went into extra panic mode, dad did an illegal U-turn on the highway and sped all the way back to the Truckstop. There we found my sis sitting in the Office having ice cream. Amidst all the screaming, crying, and laughing, I kept asking “Can I have ice cream too?” I was totally ignored! Sigh.

    Anyhoo! Love your book cover and the sound of your book!

    Hugs, Kari Thomas, http://www.authorkari.com



  27. Joder
    June 23rd, 2010 at 1:24 pm · Link

    On long trips we sing show tunes, play I Spy, eat pork rinds and lots of other really bad for you but really yummy foods, and read when I’m not driving. A lot of times, getting there is more fun than the actual vacation.



  28. Spav
    June 23rd, 2010 at 2:05 pm · Link

    I do long road trips 2 times a year. I don’t drive, so the first hours I end up asleep and when I wake up is only because I’m getting dizzy, so I close my eyes, open a window and start singing whatever song is on until the dizziness disappears. I don’t have much fun.



  29. Jane
    June 23rd, 2010 at 2:22 pm · Link

    We just listen to the radio and sing along, but mostly we snack a lot on chips, beef jerky and donuts. No need to enter me, I already have a copy of “Beyond the Shadows.”



  30. Marlene Breakfield
    June 23rd, 2010 at 2:44 pm · Link

    The worse thing about long trips, when I was a child was being stuck in the backseat with two farty brothers. Other than that no interesting stories. We did sing alot though.



  31. ms bookjunkie
    June 23rd, 2010 at 2:52 pm · Link

    I avoid long road trips whenever possible, but I try to use my time well. If the roads are good, I read. I’ve also been known to bring along knitting or embroidery to pass the time. The car is also where I pull out my cuticle cream and start massaging it in…

    Of course, if I’m driving there must be music, preferably of the loud variety. One day I’ll try an audiobook…



  32. Angie Malone
    June 23rd, 2010 at 3:21 pm · Link

    I do love to drive but not all road trips are created equal! The ones that I have taken by myself have been long and boring for the most part! The one I took with a friend and her husband and child from Michigan to Florida had nightmarish moments! I have traveled twice from Texas to West Virginia to RAW were awesome! But my favorite road trip was the one I took with my family when I was fourteen from Germany to Yugoslavia(now know as Croatia!) in a Trans Am! Six people! Thank God my sister was still a baby! We are still not sure how we all survived it! 😆



  33. emmad
    June 23rd, 2010 at 3:22 pm · Link

    If I’m driving by myself I turn the music up loud and sing along. When a passenger unfortunatley I can’t read as get sick so end up being a pest wanting to talk and pointing out things to the driver lol.



  34. Tracey D
    June 23rd, 2010 at 3:26 pm · Link

    It has been YEARS since I’ve been on a road trip. Basically, we were going to the Big Easy from MD. At first, we were going to stop for the night about 1/2 down but decided to drive there…non stop. We made it in 18 hours!

    Hmmm, maybe that’s why I’m no longer allowed to go on road trips! LOL



  35. JP
    June 23rd, 2010 at 3:44 pm · Link

    On road trips, me and the mister do two things: argue about the music choices (we have very opposite tastes) and whine about which one of us is going to drive and for how long, LOL! :mrgreen:



  36. Chelsea B.
    June 23rd, 2010 at 3:45 pm · Link

    Favorite thing to do would be listen to music 🙂
    Story….Lets see. One time, when I was younger, me and a friend were in the backseat coming back from vacation and laughing so hard we were crying over something I can’t even remember now. But the part I do remember starting another round of laughter over is when we remembered we had on all this make up, and it was now washing down our face, making us look like extras for a bad TV zombie movie.
    The fun part was when we got back to her house, snuck inside, and scared the holy mess out of her brother LOL! His face….priceless :mrgreen:



  37. Anna Shah Hoque
    June 23rd, 2010 at 3:45 pm · Link

    Well it’s been a few years since I’ve been on a road trip but my fave thing to do is curl up in a corner and read…check out the scenery…nosh on junk food. 😛



  38. Diane Sadler
    June 23rd, 2010 at 4:07 pm · Link

    So, how about you guys? What’s your favorite thing to do on a long road trip? Any outrageous stories? I’d love to hear them.
    I usually take the time to enter some sudoku numbers; I love that game and the time seems to fly by once I get started; I also listen to audio books wile filling my boxes, I never miss the chance to have a book.
    No outrageous stories though.



  39. Estella
    June 23rd, 2010 at 4:18 pm · Link

    I am usually driving on a long road trip.



  40. Raelena P.
    June 23rd, 2010 at 4:28 pm · Link

    My fave thing to do on a road trip is sleep as much as possible and listen to music 🙂



  41. Grace
    June 23rd, 2010 at 4:44 pm · Link

    So, how about you guys? What’s your favorite thing to do on a long road trip? Any outrageous stories? I’d love to hear them.

    Well, when I travel I’d always have my mp3 player along with me but I’d always garner looks from people maybe because they could hear my bass and music from my crappy headphones 😐 Anyway, I did remember travel with a bunch of friends whereby at the reststop, there was a playground and one of my guy friends thought it was funny to play on the seesaw but he somehow stumbled and fractured his arm. D: It was a bit of a downer for everyone because we had to send him to the nearest hospital but he insisted on continuing the trip after his x-rays and cast was put on. CRAZY.



  42. Gabrielle J.
    June 23rd, 2010 at 4:46 pm · Link

    I don’t go on a lot of car drives they’re pretty rare for me and my family. When I do though I either like to read or or just stare out the window, it sometimes makes the trip go faster.

    It also gives me ideas for stories, if I don’t do any of those things I usually fall asleep there’s just something about the purr of the engine when your tired.



  43. Heather S
    June 23rd, 2010 at 4:47 pm · Link

    I’m actually about to leave for a 13 hour car ride tomorrow! What am I going to do to pass the time? That is a great question, usually I sing to my heart’s content. And my fellow passengers will just have to get over it if they don’t like my music or singing, lol.



  44. Vic
    June 23rd, 2010 at 5:05 pm · Link

    Listen to audio book!



  45. Nikki
    June 23rd, 2010 at 5:26 pm · Link

    I love road trips. When I was in my late teens early twenties I used to just get in the car on say friday afternoon and drive with no destination in mind. I just knew that I had to be home by sunday night. I would just drive and take out of the way roads to see where they went and what was there. I loved to spot those little hole in the wall restaurants… You know the ones. The ones that you’re not sure it is actually safe to eat there. Lucky I never got food poisoning or anything else. I was on one of these trips just driving when I came across a little mom and pop type diner. It was on the outskirts of this small town somewhere. They had the best grilled chicken sandwich I have ever had. Not to mention their onion rings. Everything looked so good and smelled even better. When I got home I convinced my best friend to go with me the next weekend because I wanted her to try this great little place I had found. But….. I couldn’t find it again. I talked her into a few more weekends, but we never did find it. Off and on for two years I tried finding that place again. Had some great road trips met lots of great people, but never found that place again. So somewhere in southern Illinois there is a little diner that serves a grilled chicken sandwich with green peppers on top and some kind of sauce. Not to mention the huge onion rings. If you find it stop, but maybe it is one of those places that you are only meant to find it once so be sure to really enjoy it.



  46. Redd(Neena)
    June 23rd, 2010 at 5:40 pm · Link

    Hi Jess!!

    I love to music jam on the road trips with my friends and plan them. I’m an awesome planner! =)

    My favorite and funniest rd trip tale was when a good friend of mine and I took a road trip through Ok then the TX panhandle to Roswell NM.

    We were not prepared for the smells coming from the huge cattle factories where they had tons of cattle on countless of acreage and no grass ANYWHERE! And the smell!!! Being from OK we’re use to cattle and the dung, but we were shocked at the conditions and the smell that went on for miles!

    We had the windows down and quickly rolled them up only to discover that the scent of unwashed cattle & dung stayed with us until we hit NM. We laughed for miles and never forgot about it. *grins*



  47. Armenia
    June 23rd, 2010 at 5:50 pm · Link

    Hi Jess. Its so expensive to fly a family of four, so we do long road trips to Floriday. We try to play car games, like I spy something blue, etc.. Also I stock up with some childrens audio books and now they have their mp3s. 😉



  48. Mariska
    June 23rd, 2010 at 6:36 pm · Link

    Listen to music on tapes, and since i’m not the driver, i can see the scenery 🙂



  49. Amelia
    June 23rd, 2010 at 6:44 pm · Link

    If I’m driving then I listen to the and sing. If I’m riding I may talk, listen to my ipod or read. If I have my young nephews in the car with me they play “I spy”.



  50. Daniela C.
    June 23rd, 2010 at 6:47 pm · Link

    No outragious stories. Just love to drive. We took two road trips down to florida from new york. 22 hours. We left in the evening and the kids slept part way down. One year we went down around Christmas, so I had them open up presents at intervals of bordom. It worked well!
    Last year’s trip was to the west coast. We drove from the Pheonix to Sedona to the Grand Canyon to Hoover Dam to San Diego! What better way to see our beautiful country! The kids LOVED it! They will always remember that trip!
    This year’s trip to florida, we decided to fly. We’re excited about it cuz we will get there faster but…a small part of me will miss the drive….weird, huh?