The Author…

Jes Young

To be completely honest with you, this is like the tenth draft of this thing. Between trying to be cute, clever, witty, relevant, irreverent and something the kids are calling “hip,” this About Me page ranks as the hardest thing I have ever had to write. For real. My tenth grade term paper on Louis the 14th was easier to write than this.

I find it really hard to talk about myself. Especially in a “These are my accomplishments, aren’t they impressive?” kind of way. Possibly because my accomplishments aren’t that impressive. Yep. That could be it.

Anyway….

The Interview…

FIF: Describe your book in a tweet (140 characters or less).

JY: Lately Tab Bennett’s life has been like a fairy tale. Unfortunately for her, it’s the
Grimm kind.

FIF: Who is your favorite character (that you’ve written)?

JY: It’s seems so obvious, but I’d have to say it’s Tab Bennett. At the start of Inbetween she’s
basically the exact opposite of the traditional kick-ass urban fantasy heroine but over
the course of the book she makes this great transition from cream puff to tough cookie.
As the series continues, she gets stronger and more powerful but she still has moments
where she’s conflicted about that. At one point in book two she asks herself, “When did I
become the kind of person who picks fight over flight?”

FIF: Do you listen to music while you write, or do you prefer quiet?

JY: I prefer quiet. It’s such a rare commodity.

FIF: Did you use an outline or make some sort of “book plan” before you started
writing?

JY: I always start with a chapter by chapter outline but once I really get into the story I’m not
afraid to completely abandon it and go a different way. Sometimes the road just doesn’t
lead where you think it will.

FIF: Is there anything you’re working on now?

JY: I’m in the middle of writing the second book in the Princess of Twilight and Dawn
series, Underneath. This one is much more action-oriented than anything I’ve written
before, with sword fights and torture and a quest for vengeance. It’s been really fun to
write. It looks like it’ll be out in late November or early December.

FIF: If you could bring back any fashion trend that has faded into the past, what
would it be?

JY: I think we should all agree to start wearing hats again.

FIF: What thought or sentiment would you like to have copied and put into one million
fortune cookies?

JY: Here are some wise words from the smartest fortune cookie I ever ate: Mediocrity is
self inflicted. Genius is self-bestowed. I kept that little piece of paper taped to my laptop
the entire time I was writing Tab Bennett and the Inbetween. Whenever I wanted to veg
out in front of the TV (instead of writing) it was there to remind me that my success or
failure was entirely up to me.

FIF: What is your favorite vacation spot and why?

JY: My sisters and I rent a house in Bethany Beach, Delaware for a week every summer.
We go to the beach, play board games, and eat funnel cake. We don’t go anywhere we
can’t reach by bicycle or wear shoes unless it’s absolutely unavoidable. It’s incredibly
relaxing. I wish I was there right now.

FIF: What was the best job you ever had?

JY: I was a copywriter at Random House for eight years. My job was to read books all
day and then write about them for catalogs and book jackets and such. It was basically
the best job ever. I still miss it.

Fun Stuff:

• Coffee or tea? I don’t like hot beverages.

• Paper book or ebook? Both

• Summer or winter? Winter

• Werewolves or vampires? Vampires

• Morning person or night owl? Night Owl (I’ll sleep when I’m dead)

• Pantser or plotter? Either

• Pepsi or Coke? Coke

• Dogs or cats? Neither

Favorites:

• Drink : Diet Coke (It’s the breakfast of champions)

• Food : Pad Thai

• Movie : My Own Private Idaho

• TV show : Supernatural

• Book : I refuse to pick a favorite

• Late night snack : Lemonheads

• Writing tools : Laptop

• Sport : No thanks

• Music : Various whiny girl singers and Johnny Cash

• Place to read : In my bed

• Place to write : In a room with a lock on the door

• Way to relax : swimming at night

 The Book…

Tab Bennett and the Inbetween

by Jes Young

Lately Tab Bennett’s life is like a fairy tale. Unfortunately for her, it’s the Grimm kind. The kind where the woods are deep and dark and full of monsters; where a mother’s longing for something forbidden means terrible consequences for her daughter; where the huntsman who takes the princess for a walk in the woods plans to steal her heart – literally – right out of her chest.

Right up until the visions started, Tab would have described herself as normal. But her sisters’ disappearance brought long-hidden secrets into the light, revealing a world she never dreamed existed and a destiny she cannot deny. Now “normal” means wicked subterranean kings and murdered Elvish princesses and clandestine revenge schemes. Suddenly Tab is juggling her fiancé’s broken heart and a handsome prince’s irresistible advances while trying to unravel an assassination plot, and avoid a sociopath with an axe to grind.

As she struggles to hold on to the human world she’s always known and understand her place in the magical one she’s just discovered, dangerous forces have begun gathering around her. If she wants to live to see the happily ever after at the end of the story, Tab will have to figure out who she can trust, who wants her dead, and why. The answers will change everything she believes about herself, the people she loves, and the place she calls home.

Goodreads / Amazon

Related articles

• Review: Tab Bennett and the Inbetween by Jes Young(paperbackdolls.com)

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