Fibers
by Jennifer-Crystal Johnson
GENRE: Science Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anna Reynolds is caught up in the middle of a
secret interdimensional government agreement... and she doesn't even know it.
There's a medical anomaly loosely dubbed Morgellons disease afflicting a number of people. Symptoms include open sores that produce colorful string-like fibers, fatigue, and nightmarish visions of shadowy figures. No one knows where it came from. No one knows what causes it. There is no cure.
When Anna begins having nightmares and waking hallucinations of the shadow people, her uneasiness about her condition grows. Enlisting the help of her doctor and some friends, Anna is determined to find out what's really going on and why Morgellons is such a mstery.
With her health declining and doubts about whom she can trust, is Anna doomed to become a slave to her condition? Or will she and her unlikely group of would-be heroes come through, saving her... and, ultimately, the world?
There's a medical anomaly loosely dubbed Morgellons disease afflicting a number of people. Symptoms include open sores that produce colorful string-like fibers, fatigue, and nightmarish visions of shadowy figures. No one knows where it came from. No one knows what causes it. There is no cure.
When Anna begins having nightmares and waking hallucinations of the shadow people, her uneasiness about her condition grows. Enlisting the help of her doctor and some friends, Anna is determined to find out what's really going on and why Morgellons is such a mstery.
With her health declining and doubts about whom she can trust, is Anna doomed to become a slave to her condition? Or will she and her unlikely group of would-be heroes come through, saving her... and, ultimately, the world?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
As Anna walked home through the glistening streets of
Deeplake, Washington, she adjusted her scarf and wrapped her coat around
herself tightly, her breath fogging up the air in front of her. After a brief
glance over her shoulder, she quickened her pace, her bag of groceries
teetering in her arms momentarily as she readjusted her grip.
She’d been feeling like someone was watching or following
her for weeks. At first she just shrugged it off as her own overactive
imagination, but the other day, she could’ve sworn she saw a shadow out of the
corner of her eye. When she looked, there was nothing there. That wasn’t the
first time she had seen shadows. They were always there, just out of sight,
their existence never confirmed by a direct glance. But every time it happened,
she got goosebumps and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end like it
does when you know someone is watching you.
Her left eye began to feel itchy and grainy as she walked,
and she cursed herself for not driving. She blinked several times, but after a
few moments her eye felt like it had sand in it again. This was accompanied by
an unpleasant tickling sensation, which became annoying very quickly.
Her thoughts wandered as her eye got worse. She felt guilty
but justified for not mentioning her problems to Casey, who had more than
enough on her plate already. She also didn’t want to come across as crazy; Anna
was certain she wasn’t. Some of the recent events in her life were crazy, but
she was definitely sane.
Do crazy people think they’re sane?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who is your perfect hero/heroine and why?
What authors have caught your interest lately and why?
What type of book have you always wanted to write?
Top 3 things on your bucket list?
How did you get the idea for this particular novel?
What is your favorite scene in your new release?
What are you working on now and when can we expect it to be available?
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
What is one interesting fact about you that readers don’t know?
Hm, an interesting fact... I guess it’s pretty interesting that I have a lot of crazy true stories to tell. My life experience has been pretty outrageous so far, and crazy things just seem to happen to me (not necessarily bad-crazy, either). One sort of recent example is when my cat, Spaz, decided to get stuck about 60 feet up a tree down the road from our house. Not only was he up there for three weeks, he was also crying every time he heard me outside at our house and I would talk or laugh or even cough. I knew he was nearby somewhere! So I learned about these arborists who specifically use their skill set to climb trees and rescue cats when they aren’t at work. I called them only to find out they were in the process of shooting film for a documentary, and my kids, cat, and I wound up on episode two of Treetop Cat Rescue on Animal Planet. It’s unfortunate that the show didn’t run for very long, but it was one of those situations where I thought, “leave it to us to wind up on national TV over our cat being stuck in a tree!” =)
Talking with author
Jennifer-Crystal Johnson!
First, I’d
like to say a big thank you for inviting me to interview on your blog! It’s an
honor to be here and I hope you and your readers enjoy the interview =).
What is your writing environment?
I have a
home office in my bedroom, so I do a lot of writing there. I also just recently
purchased a laptop and enjoy working in my living room or kitchen so I can be
near the kiddos while I work... and I cook while I write sometimes, too. Or
write while I cook? Either way, the kitchen counter has always been a favorite
spot for me to get creative =).
Who is your perfect hero/heroine and why?
An
ordinary person thrown into extraordinary circumstances which they have to
overcome. This has happened to me a number of times throughout my life, and I
think that those ordinary people turned heroes are very relatable and make you
wonder what you might be capable of in a similar situation.
What authors have caught your interest lately and why?
Honestly,
I don’t read for pleasure much these days, but I am reading James Patterson at
the moment. I’m also very fond of personal development books, so I like reading
Brendon Burchard and Robert Kiyosaki when I have the time. I definitely want to
read more fiction, but it tends to be difficult with so much going on, so I’m
just kind of waiting for the storm to pass for now.
What type of book have you always wanted to write?
A
fast-paced, exciting sci-fi thriller with a little horror mixed in...
paranormal (but not the cliché stuff that’s everywhere now... I’m more into the
spirit world and alternate dimensions than vampires lol), and ideas that are
interesting and truly unique. I tend to get bored easily, so the unique part is
a big factor =). I also love psychology, so if that makes the idea more
exciting or make more sense, you’re likely to find it within the pages of my
books.
Top 3 things on your bucket list?
You know,
I actually don’t have a bucket list.... I do have some pretty major life goals,
but does that count as bucket list material? I think that maybe I’d like to
visit Europe again because I was born in Germany. My parents dragged me and my
brother all over Europe when we were little (I was seven), but I don’t remember
much. What I do remember are weird things a kid notices, lol! At some point I
want to live in a lakehouse, and I’d love to go on a cruise, too. If my books
sell, all those things can become a reality =).
How did you get the idea for this particular novel?
I was
doing research on creatures and cryptozoology, just because the topic
fascinates me and I was going through a creature horror phase at the time (the eBook
I was working on: If You’re Human Don’t
Open the Door). So there I was, browsing through YouTube videos when one
came up that said, “Alien Fibers,” so naturally I had to check it out. After
learning about Morgellons Disease, an idea began to form and I pulled it all
together with the shadow people phenomenon, an alternate dimension, sleep
paralysis, and a unique conspiracy that makes sense for the story. Of course Fibers is only the first book in the
trilogy, but I’m proud of all the time, research, and effort that went into it
=).
What is your favorite scene in your new release?
My
favorite scene is the one that the book cover is based on, where the main
character, Anna, pulls mysterious fibers from her tear duct. I am fond of a
number of other scenes in this novel, but I still love this particular one a
lot =).
What are you working on now and when can we expect it to be available?
I’m
currently working on book two of the trilogy, Numbers, which I plan to release in spring of 2018. If I can manage
to release it sooner, I will; however, I need to do this right and get beta
readers, etc. I also want to make sure I get to do at least 5-10 revisions
again like with this last one, otherwise I will seriously doubt my work. I wish
things weren’t so slow-going, but with two jobs, three kids, and a bunch of
other chaos happening, making time to write is not always feasible.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Right now
it’s summer time, so we do a lot of BBQing, go to the ocean at least once a
year, spend time with friends and family, go explore rivers and lakes in the
area, go for walks, and hopefully I have time to clean my house at some point
;). I also love to go out and sing karaoke with my best friend, who is the
karaoke DJ at a local bar. Singing is amazing =).
What is one interesting fact about you that readers don’t know?
Hm, an interesting fact... I guess it’s pretty interesting that I have a lot of crazy true stories to tell. My life experience has been pretty outrageous so far, and crazy things just seem to happen to me (not necessarily bad-crazy, either). One sort of recent example is when my cat, Spaz, decided to get stuck about 60 feet up a tree down the road from our house. Not only was he up there for three weeks, he was also crying every time he heard me outside at our house and I would talk or laugh or even cough. I knew he was nearby somewhere! So I learned about these arborists who specifically use their skill set to climb trees and rescue cats when they aren’t at work. I called them only to find out they were in the process of shooting film for a documentary, and my kids, cat, and I wound up on episode two of Treetop Cat Rescue on Animal Planet. It’s unfortunate that the show didn’t run for very long, but it was one of those situations where I thought, “leave it to us to wind up on national TV over our cat being stuck in a tree!” =)
On that note, thanks so much for
having me! I hope you’re enjoying your week and don’t forget to check out my
new novel, Fibers =). Happy reading!
***
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jennifer-Crystal
Johnson is originally from Germany, but was raised an Army brat. She has
published one novella under her former last name, The Outside Girl: Perception
is Reality (Publish America, 2005 - out of print as of 2013), a poetry book,
Napkin Poetry (Broken Publications, 2010), and a collection of poetry, art, and
prose called Strangers with Familiar Faces (Broken Publications, 2011). She's
also published a collection of short creature horror stories called If You're
Human Don't Open the Door (Broken Publications, 2012), a personal development
book called The Ten Pillars of a Happy Relationship (Broken Publications,
2014), and a collection of more horror stories (no creatures this time, just
people) called Our Capacity for Evil (Broken Publications, 2015). She has
several poems and short stories published on Every Writer's Resource and has
recently published a science fiction novel called Fibers, the first book in the
Infiltration Trilogy. Jen owns and operates Broken Publications (www.BrokenPublications.com) and
publishes an annual anthology to raise awareness about domestic violence called
Soul Vomit (www.SoulVomit.com). When she isn't writing or editing, she enjoys
playing games with her three kids, watching crime shows on Netflix, or reading.
She lives in WA State with her three children, three cats, and a crazy puppy
named Thor. You can connect with her at http://www.JenniferCrystalJohnson.com, http://www.twitter.com/brokenpoet,
or www.Facebook.com/JenniferCrystalJohnson.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1RWwC4U
Video excerpts – watch the author read!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon
or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteWho are some of your favorite writers?
ReplyDeleteGreat "semi-bucket list" lol... I wonder if you went back to Europe how much you'd remember from when you were a kid. You know how memories can be triggered, I think that'd be pretty cool :)
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the interview.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking the time to offer us this giveaway
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this giveaway!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. Glad to know there is going to be another book. This sounds like such a good story. Loved the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting bio too.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to know whether or not you believe that Morgellons Disease is legit?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
I really enjoyed the entire post. Thank you for the introduction to your new book and the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the excerpt. This book sounds like such an interesting and intriguing read. Looking forward to checking out this book.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new book and good luck on the book tour!
ReplyDeleteThe blurb is great, sounds good, what is your all time favorite books? or Series?
ReplyDelete