Hi guys! Today I had the amaaaaaazing opportunity to interview Jus Accardo, the author of several fantastic paranormal/sci-fi books (you can read my rabid fangirl review of her most recent novel, Infinity, here!)
Hi Jus! Thank you for joining me on Vibin With Books today. First, I just wanted to say that I loved Touch. I though it was a fantastic and intriguing look on supernatural powers. Where did you find your inspiration for the powers, and what kind of research did you do for Denazen Corporation?
*waves* Thanks for having me!
I’ve always been a huge fan of stories revolving around people with extra ordinary abilities. Just the idea of someone getting to do more. Be more. When you have abilities like that, there’s just so much potential. The inspiration was everywhere. It was like just looking around and thinking, huh. How cool would it be if that person could fly/change shape/hear thoughts/control elements. On the other side of that though, the not so cool aspects were just as intriguing. Take Kale for example. While other people can do all these amazing things, his ability has always been this blackness hanging over his head.
I can’t say that I did any real research. The whole book kind of unfolded very suddenly and without any kind of plan. I went into it taking part in a 30 day boot camp thing and had no expectations. Hell, I really only came up with the basic idea a day or so before I started writing it. Written, edited, and submitted to agents all within the 2 month mark. It was one of the craziest, most fun things I’ve ever worked on!
Did the characters come to you easily or did you have to root around for some of them?
For Touch (for most of my books, really), the characters were actually the first thing that came to me. My first thought of the book revolved around a girl that was running through the woods. She was bare foot and everywhere that her feet and hands touched, turned to dust. From there it all rolled right along. They basically created themselves!
What’s your writing process like? Has it differed since writing Touch?
When I wrote Touch my life was a lot simpler. It was before my mom got sick, and I could sit down and just word vomit until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore—and I loved every minute of it. I was a hardcore pantster, which made for more complicated edits, but it worked for me at the time. Now though, I find that I need to plan things out more. Granted I’ll never be considered a plotter. If I tried to outline an entire book, my head might explode. But some amount of planning needs to happen because of time restrictions. At the very least, I have to the basic idea mapped out, as well as several of the major plot points. It doesn’t sound like much, but it was actually a huge adjustment for me since I was used to just spinning it all out as I went along.
Since Touch (which came out in 2011), you’ve written 10 books and 2 novellas. That’s absolutely incredible and mind-boggling. How have you kept everything organized? And how much coffee did you consume to accomplish that? Because I probably would’ve hooked up a coffee IV line to myself after the 3rd book!
I go through 3 to 4 pots of coffee most days. ;) As for organization, I’m NOT an organized person. I have notes everywhere. Scraps of paper, backs of notebooks…sticky notes. MY GOD the sticky notes… But, the chaos works for me, ya know? I think if I tried to do it any other way, I’d be lost.
I’ve noticed that all of your work has elements of paranormal, sci-fi, or crime-related mystery. Have you always loved writing the darker aspect of stories? Do you ever see yourself writing a contemporary?
I love the darker stuff. That’s pretty much where my heart lives ;) I do have a few contemp ideas—one in particular—that I’d love to explore if my schedule allows. Probably not this year, but I’m hoping next!
Who’re some of your favorite authors?
Darynda Jones, Jeri Smith-Ready, Sarah J Maas, Marissa Meyer… There are SO many!
And finally, can you tell us what you’re currently working on?
I’m currently working on edits for Omega, book #2 in the Infinity Division series, as well as writing book three of the same series. I’m also working on a super-secret sci-fi project that I hope to share news about soon!
Thank you so much for letting me poke at your brain a little, Jus!
About the authorJus is the bestselling author of the popular Denazen series from Entangled publishing, as well as the Darker Agency series, and the New Adult series, The Eternal Balance. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald.
The Books
When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.
Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized.
Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.
A secret Kale will kill to protect.
Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized.
Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.
A secret Kale will kill to protect.
Hell is looking for a way to break loose...
Jax lost the genetic lottery. Descended from Cain, the world's first murderer, he's plagued by a curse that demands violence in exchange for his happiness. He left everything behind, including the girl he loved, but thriving on the pain of others is lonely… And it's killing him.
After a series of heartbreaking losses, Samantha put rubber to pavement and headed for college as fast as her clunker could carry her. But she can't outrun her problems. When an attack at school drives her back home, she's thrown into the path of a past—and a guy—she's been trying to forget.
Sam strains Jax's control over his darkness, but running isn't an option this time. Someone—or, something—followed her home from school: a ruthless monster with a twisted plan centuries in the making. Forced together to survive, and fighting an attraction that could destroy them both, Jax and Sam must stop a killer bent on revenge.
A little sin can be deadly...
Jessie Darker goes to high school during the day, but at night she helps with the family investigation business. Cheating husbands and stolen inheritances? They're your girls—but their specialty is a bit darker. Zombie in your garage? Pesky Poltergeist living in your pool? They'll have the problem solved in a magical minute. For a nominal fee, of course...
When gorgeous new client Lukas Scott saunters into the office requesting their help to find a stolen box, it sounds like a simple case—until the truth comes out. The box is full of Sin.
Seven deadly ones, in fact.
They've got five days to recapture the Sins before they're recalled by the box, taking seven hijacked human bodies with them. Easy peasy—except for one thing...
There's a spell that will allow the Sins to remain free, causing chaos forever. When the key ingredient threatens the life of someone she knows, Jessie must make the ultimate choice between love and family—or lose everything.
Jessie Darker goes to high school during the day, but at night she helps with the family investigation business. Cheating husbands and stolen inheritances? They're your girls—but their specialty is a bit darker. Zombie in your garage? Pesky Poltergeist living in your pool? They'll have the problem solved in a magical minute. For a nominal fee, of course...
When gorgeous new client Lukas Scott saunters into the office requesting their help to find a stolen box, it sounds like a simple case—until the truth comes out. The box is full of Sin.
Seven deadly ones, in fact.
They've got five days to recapture the Sins before they're recalled by the box, taking seven hijacked human bodies with them. Easy peasy—except for one thing...
There's a spell that will allow the Sins to remain free, causing chaos forever. When the key ingredient threatens the life of someone she knows, Jessie must make the ultimate choice between love and family—or lose everything.
Infinity (The Infinity Division, #1)
Nobody said being the daughter of an army general was easy. But when her dad sends a teenage subordinate to babysit her while he’s away… That’s taking it a step too far.
Cade, as beautiful as he is deadly, watches Kori with more than just interest. He looks at her like he knows her very soul. And when he saves her from a seemingly random attack, well, that’s when things get weird.
Turns out, Kori’s dad isn’t just an army general—he’s the head of a secret government project that has invented a way to travel between parallel dimensions. Dimensions where there are infinite Koris, infinite Cades…and apparently, on every other Earth, they’re madly in love.
Falling for a soldier is the last thing on Kori’s mind. Especially when she finds herself in a deadly crossfire, and someone from another Earth is hell-bent on revenge…
Cade, as beautiful as he is deadly, watches Kori with more than just interest. He looks at her like he knows her very soul. And when he saves her from a seemingly random attack, well, that’s when things get weird.
Turns out, Kori’s dad isn’t just an army general—he’s the head of a secret government project that has invented a way to travel between parallel dimensions. Dimensions where there are infinite Koris, infinite Cades…and apparently, on every other Earth, they’re madly in love.
Falling for a soldier is the last thing on Kori’s mind. Especially when she finds herself in a deadly crossfire, and someone from another Earth is hell-bent on revenge…
Rules of Survival
If you want to survive, you have to follow the rules…
Mikayla Morgan is wanted for her mother's murder. She's been on the run for almost a year now, avoiding not only the police but the real killer. Tired of running and desperate to clear her name, she breaks one of the most sacred rules: never return to the scene of the crime.
Every bounty hunter on the Eastern Seaboard is after the Morgan girl—but Shaun Denver and his partner snagged her. She's a piece of work, and Shaun can't decide if he wants to kiss her or kill her. When things take a sharp turn south, Shaun does the only thing he can think of to keep her close—he handcuffs them together.
As the danger mounts and the killer closes in, the chemistry between them threatens to explode. Shaun and Kayla will need to break all the rules if they hope to get out of this alive.
Mikayla Morgan is wanted for her mother's murder. She's been on the run for almost a year now, avoiding not only the police but the real killer. Tired of running and desperate to clear her name, she breaks one of the most sacred rules: never return to the scene of the crime.
Every bounty hunter on the Eastern Seaboard is after the Morgan girl—but Shaun Denver and his partner snagged her. She's a piece of work, and Shaun can't decide if he wants to kiss her or kill her. When things take a sharp turn south, Shaun does the only thing he can think of to keep her close—he handcuffs them together.
As the danger mounts and the killer closes in, the chemistry between them threatens to explode. Shaun and Kayla will need to break all the rules if they hope to get out of this alive.
