#EVER - Blog Tour

Seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life has been on hold for the past
two years. She’s secretly in love with her best friend Frankie,
and he’s completely oblivious.

Of course, it doesn't help that he’s dead, and waking up to his
ghost every day has made moving on nearly impossible.

Frustrated and desperate for something real, Ever finds herself
falling for her hot new neighbor Toby. His relaxed confidence
is irresistible, and not just Ever knows it. But falling for Toby
comes with a price that throws Ever’s life into a whirlwind of
chaos and drama. More than hearts are on the line, and more
than Ever will suffer.

Some girls lose their hearts to love.

Some girls lose their minds.

Ever Van Ruysdael could lose her soul.

If that doesn't make you want to read the book, I don't know what will? How about that cover?

I asked the Ever's Author, Jessa Russo, the same question I ask every author who guest posts here: What part of you is in Ever?

This is Jessa's response:

Yikes. This is a tough question to answer – which is probably why you asked it, isn’t it?

Well played, Madam Editor … well played.

Off the top of my head, I can say that a lot of my life experiences are in this book. The most significant being my dad dying when I was 16, which both traumatized me and severely stunted me. I think that a huge chunk of me stopped growing when he died, staying sixteen forever. I joke that I am a sixteen-year-old at heart, but in all seriousness, I truly believe that some of me is still stuck in 1996 – tucked safely away so as not to have to deal with the sudden death of my dad. I hadn’t planned on bringing this tragedy into my writing, but it seemingly wrote itself into EVER. Maybe it was my way of acknowledging something I still can’t believe, these 16 years later. Some of the things relating to Ever’s dad’s death, or that happen in her life because of it, are very real to me, though I don’t feel comfortable airing them on the world wide web. Her mother’s inability to cope, her own brash decisions when it came to jumping into sexual situations with Toby, her one-day-strong-the-next-day-weak feelings, etc. Without going into detail and explaining *why* those things ring true to me, I will just say that for one reason or another – either personal experiences or things I’ve witnessed – they just do. We’ll leave it at that.

The love triangle – ah yes, the love triangle. Aside from the fact that I think every girl/woman secretly loves them because of the simple allure of having two sexy guys vying for your heart, I think the love triangle in EVER exists because of how completely boy crazy I’ve always been. Well, I don’t know if I can really say *always* now that I’ve been with my husband for over ten years, but maybe it still rings true a little bit. I mean, I do have like, 20+ fictional boyfriends after all. I have also always been torn between the types of guys I liked. I was drawn to the tattoos and bad-assery of the bad boys, but remarkably, they never seemed to be very good guys. {Insert confused expression} But the super sweet guys, though charming and kind, always seemed to leave me wanting. Side Note: I got really lucky with my husband – super hot, tattooed and a heart of gold (he’d kill me for saying something so silly, but it’s true. He keeps that heart under lock and key though.) Anyway, back to the subject at hand, I think Frankie and Toby represent the two types of love interests that were always in my story. The brooding, unreachable guy you crave, and the loving, sensitive guy who craves you.

In Book Two, I have added a sorcerer who smooshes Frankie and Toby together, forming the perfect guy.

Oh geez, I’m kidding. Sorry to get your hopes up like that.

On a deeper level, I think that there is a lot of myself in Ever (the character). Her ability to fall head over heels for a guy before even looking before she leaps … her insecurities … her amazing ability to make bad choices when the good choice is practically snapping its fingers in her face … her awkwardness mingled with a confidence she doesn’t know she has … these are all parts of me (whether me now, or the me I was sixteen years ago). I think that’s what makes it even harder on me when reviewers trash her. She’s me.

On a superficial level, the setting of the book is very much home. Though I am not from Orange, I am from Orange County, so everywhere that’s in the book, I’ve been. I may leave Southern California one day, choosing to raise my daughter somewhere less rat-race-ish, and I may frequently scheme and plan and wish for a way to get back to New Orleans (the city that stole my heart), South County will always be home. So that aspect of the book is also a huge part of me – only, like I said, a very superficial part.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can find Jessa's book on Amazon, B&N, and many other retailers. You can also learn more about Jessa at her website.

When not consumed by reading or writing young adult fiction, Jessa Russo enjoys spending time with family and friends, painting, and planning her next trip to The Big Easy. Jessa will always call California home.

[amzn_product_inline asin='B009F0YTMQ']