Gemini Rising gets a face lift...

Hello followers! I'm still alive! My series has been renamed to "The De-Evolution" series, my name is now Jessica Lark and the name of Book 1 is "Ethereal Dusk." I have been busy editing all three books and I am almost done and still busy sending out query letters. Once I get re-published I will begin to actively post again. Sorry for the one year disappearing act! My new blog is De-Evolutionseries.blogspot.com

Enter to WIN a $50 Amazon GC and a signed copy of Gemini Rising! Romance Book Junkies: Gemini Rising: Ethereal Fury by Jessica O’Gorek

Enter to WIN a $50 Amazon GC and a signed copy of Gemini Rising!



Romance Book Junkies: Gemini Rising: Ethereal Fury by Jessica O’Gorek: Gemini Rising: Ethereal Fury by Jessica O’Gorek ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLURB: Angry at the human race and its methodical destr...

I broke up with my publisher. How much should a publisher contribute?

I have a young adult book series and book I is published with a small company in New York that provides me with no support other than editing, cover art and ebook formatting collaboration. All the marketing, advertising, travel costs, social media kits, review requests, blog tours, etc. is left up to me. I found that I had no time to write!

Book II is edited and was set to be published, but I broke up with them! I decided, after sending at least 75 query letters, that I wanted to venture out into the agent searching swamp. I found two that are interested and I have submitted Book I and II for consideration of the entire series. I often worry that I made a mistake though. Below is my personal list of pros and cons between being with a small publishing company and a big publishing house. Although some of the pros of the big publishing house will be knowledge from other authors who I have spoken with, and maybe some daydreams of my own, I hope it will still help anyone else in my situation!

Small Publishing- 
Pros
1 point of contact for everything
Personal attention
More of a say with editing and art
Quicker publishing process                                
 
Cons
Book covers are stressful! I want an artist to make it!
Publishing houses can take 1 yr.-18 mo. to publish
Sometimes slow to act on requests & questions
Not enough freedom w/ price changing &Amazon access

Publishing House- 
Pros
Guaranteed salary
Publish exposure
Written press releases
Social marketing support
Artists to do cover and character
Wont' have to use my own money for travel
Editor to work closely with
Won't have to call stores myself!
Wont' have to call and set up my own signings
Help with placement in
Someone to set up events and send me places
Paid travel

Cons
Pressure of the contract - 1 book every 6 months to a year
Not a lot of say in travel and events 3
I won't have as much control over posts/ads etc.
Won't have as much say in art & graphics      

                                      

YA book have too much sex/drugs or "other" content? Get it RATED at Clean Teen Publishing

I always worry that my twelve plus rating for my YA series, Gemini Rising, will offend some parents. Although I do not have graphic sex, I do have a forty-year-old spirit fall in love with a soon to be seventeen-year-old girl and I have "implied" make out scenes that border on, dare I say, erotic? Erotic only because Onyx's idea of great sex is spiritual possession of the body and soul leading to (in most cases) death. If you've read some of my fan reviews on Goodreads you'll notice that some of my reviewers have expressed discomfort with the age difference and others have suggested my book as a 16 plus YA or "mature" YA. I just figured that if Edward (Age 113 June 20th this year!) can fall in love with Bella, at 17 then this may push the envelope a bit, but I've always been a rebel!

So how can I get my book professionally rated? Recently I ran across a rating service on Clean Teen Publishing Order a rating for your book! and I just had to share it. I may order one for my series just to ease my anxiety over who should or should not be reading my content. The last thing I was to do is anger a bunch or parents over my rather unconventional and risque content.

They also have great services for Indie authors like ebook formatting and cover design. So check them out!
http://www.cleanteenpublishing.com/

WIN a $25.00 Amazon card and five signed print copies of Gemini Rising!

Sapphyria's Book Reviews: Book Excerpt & Giveaway: Gemini Rising Ethereal F...: Gemini Rising Ethereal Fury, Book I Jessica O'Gorek Genre: YA paranormal romance Publisher: Cogent NY Date of Pub...

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Mom With A Kindle: VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR [Excerpt & Interview + Giveaway!...: Gemini Rising Ethereal Fury Book I by Jessica OGorek Genre: YA paranormal romance Publisher: Cogent NY Date of Publication: Ap...

Beautiful creature, lay with me, into my arms until you can't see.

Falling apart, breaking down, slipping, slipping, into the ground. Over here, over there, around me, surround me, everywhere. Come to me in my dreams, my nightmares and in between my ripped seams. Shake me, love me, poison my tears. Snare me in your depths, burn me with your leers. Over the coals I will walk, through the night, we will talk. Soaring through the lullabies, the whispers of delight, the foolish lies. Beautiful creature, lay with me, into my arms until you can't see. The pleasure, the deceit, the pain I so fear, it's all around us. Safe. Right here. Under my skin you writhe and grow, stay here with me so you will know. Into the forest of light and curses, my trees are bare of leaves and verses. Disturb the dark, play into my hand, cover me, breathe me, so I can stand. I want your scars, your sins, your mistakes. I will eat them and caress them, cherish them and bury them. Forgiven, forgotten, consumed and lost.

Enter to WIN a $25.00 Amazon card and 5 signed copies of Gemini Rising!!!

Bewitching Book Tours: Now on Tour Gemini Rising Ethereal Fury By Jessica...:



May 12 Interview Darkest Cravings www.darkestcravings.blogspot.com May 13 Character Interview Author Karen Swart http://autho...

$25 AMAZON Card! Roxanne's Realm: Spotlight and Giveaway:Gemini Rising Ethereal Fury...

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Roxanne's Realm: Spotlight and Giveaway:Gemini Rising Ethereal Fury...:

$25.00 AMAZON CARD up for grabs AND Onyx's interview!

Come read ONYX'S character interview and enter to WIN a $25.00 Amazon card AND five signed copies of Gemini Rising!



Eclipse Reviews: Book Blast, Interview & Giveaway: Gemini Rising Et...:

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Darkest Cravings: Book Blast, Author Cage & Giveaway: Gemini Rising ...:       Gemini Rising Ethereal Fury Book I Jessica OGorek Genre: YA paranormal romance Publisher: Cogent NY Date of Publication: ...

OPINIONS NEEDED for Gemini Rising Series Book II cover!

Please leave me feedback on these two covers I created! Comments, suggestions, all honest opinions welcome!

Ethereal Fury will take readers on a wonderfully dark journey...

The YA Lit Chick: Review: Ethereal Fury (Gemini Rising #1) By Jessic...: Amazon Synopsis BEWARE! THE PLANET IS WOUNDED... THE GEMINI ARE RISING AND OUR TIME ON EARTH IS LIMITED Angry at the human ra...

"Our planet is sentient and She is pissed." Teenblurb.org gives Gemini Rising 5 STARS!!!

http://teenblurb.org/about/ 

"Gemini Rising: Ethereal Fury is a refreshing and unique story where Mother Earth starts to fight back after the careless and destructive way humans treat Her. In this story our planet is sentient and She is pissed. In Her fury she recruits souls that have just left their body to fight for Her. So a battle begins…

Violette is a human that is fighting in a battle to save the human race against the very planet that they live one. The Gemini are strong and a forced to be reckoned with, but Violette and her friends will do everything in their power to win. What Violette does not expect is Onyx.

Onyx is the leader of the Gemini’s, and there is something about him that calls to Violette on an elemental level. Her soul seems to burn when he is near. In a world turned upside down with beings that we thought were purely make believable, loving the enemy is not the wisest course of action, but love rarely makes sense. 

Violette and Onyx have such a fierce and primal connection; it cannot be denied. Will these star crossed lovers find a way to heal the earth and be together? 

This story is such a wonderful blend of earth conscious themes and what can happen if we do not stand up and make a difference, let our voices be heard. The characters are very realistic and you can’t helping falling in love with them, and loving to hate the villains, even though I feel that most of the characters are neither good or bad, they seem to exist in a grey area. 

This is a beautifully told story and a promising start to a new and unparalleled series!" - Samantha Martin

SEDUCTIVELY DANGEROUS yet magnetic villain...

“DRAWING IN HER AUDIENCE, O'Gorek creates a SEDUCTIVELY DANGEROUS yet magnetic villain that the reader CANNOT HELP but find alluring.”

READ FULL 5 STAR review here!

Are you really going to take her like this? Like an animal on the ground?

Excerpt, Gemini Rising Book I, Chapter 23- Scent

"Are you really going to take her like this?”  Slate was still hemming and hawing. “Like an animal on the ground? You want this to be her first experience with a man? Look at her! Look at how light and sweet she is! I see that now, even through your dark eyes. You owe her the comfort of time and grace, not lust and greed. Not on your level. She doesn't belong there.” The words sounded in his head like icy needles being thrown on hot coals. They sputtered and steamed and infuriated him.

Shut up. His mind fought the internal battle against the inner angel. Why had he come back? Another Collin? Another mistake he’d made?

“No, I won't. I will not shut up! You know you can't keep her! You know she’ll hate you if she finds out you’ve done this to her, to me. She will never forget, never forgive you, never.”

I don’t care! I want it, I want her! Shut your mouth, you fool! When I’m done with you, you are going to suffer.

She thinks you are me, you idiot! She loves me! Not you!

Onyx’s resolve was weakening. He was being so careless with his little prize, so mean. Slate was so very right and it made him angrier. He looked down at her sweet face, so relaxed and open, waiting to be loved, to give her very core to him. He could not do this. With a hiss of air, he rested his head onto hers and spoke to her in a regretful whisper.

"Oh, little one." Once the words were out, he felt her stiffen, sensed the change in her demeanor. He raised his head, expecting her to scream at him, pummel him; fight to get him off. He knew he had spoken those very same words to her in the field, right before he had attacked her, and that she would recognize the tone and pitch. This would be easier for him to resist. Her resentment would surely sever this union of their bodies, however brief and wonderful it was. He needed it to end.

Thank you. Slate whispered with relief from within.

When Onyx’s eyes met hers, none of the emotions he had prepared himself for emerged. Instead, there was a curious tilt of her head, and an excited light he'd never seen before. This is not good, Onyx thought.

“Most definitely not,” Slate chimed in.

"Slate? Is that you?" Her voice held hope and wonder. Not a hint of fear or anxiety. He licked his dry lips and responded.

Acid rain makes water ways LESS ACIDIC?

Acid rain makes area water ways in the eastern US LESS ACIDIC?

Due to the landscaping around the rivers being weathered, the alkaline particles from the soil are washing into them.  This has been described as a “River on Rolaids” by Michael Pace, a professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia.

The results of the higher calcium carbonate mean less acid in the water, which is great news for the fish and other aquatic creatures, but not so much for the water treatment plants that make our water safe to drink! New measures will have to be taken to make sure the calcium does not build up in the pipes scale them, or foul the lines.

Score a point for Mother Earth! Really, we do this to ourselves, but fail to see the irony over and over again of how the planet fights back to heal itself by inconveniencing us, and sometimes even killing us! When will we learn…  

Read more about on NPR.org:
 http://wamu.org/news/13/09/03/scientists_basic_chemistry_of_area_waterways_changing

TSUNAMIS: Mother Earth’s way of saying, “Get off me!”

In another show of affection, Mother Earth wiped out 18,000 people on March 11^th 2011. I believe she is always trying to balance whatever effect we have on her. On Dec. 26^th 2004 the Indian Ocean Tsunami was responsible for 150,000 deaths… or was it? Did the earthquake that caused the Tsunami claim the lives of so many, or did the force behind the quake render us as her victims?

Is the human race so stupid to think that all of these natural disasters happening around us are simply coincidence? The answer is yes, we are. When will we realize that are callousness and ignorance is going to be our demise? I’m not sure there is a clan or paranormal beings below the ocean, shifting the plates and following the commands of the earth, but the concept is intriguing, yes? If you agree then you should read the first seven chapters of my book on Watt-pad! http://www.wattpad.com/21320013-gemini-rising-ethereal-fury-book-i-chapters-1-7

Here are some of the amazing facts about the Japan earthquake and tsunami.

• The earthquake shifted Earth on its axis of rotation by redistributing mass, like putting a dent in a wobbling top. The temblor also shortened the length of day by about a microsecond.

• More than 1,000 aftershocks have hit Japan since the earthquake, the largest a magnitude 7.9.

• About 250 miles (400 km) of Japan's northern Honshu coastline dropped by 2 feet (0.6 meters).

• The jolt moved Japan's main island of Honshu eastward by 8 feet (2.4 meters).

• The Pacific Plate slid westward near the epicenter by 79 feet (24 m).

• In Antarctica, the seismic waves from the earthquake sped up the Whillans Ice Stream, jolting it by about 1.5 feet (0.5 meters).

• The tsunami broke icebergs off the Sulzberger Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

• As the tsunami crossed the Pacific Ocean, a 5-foot high (1.5 m) high wave killed more than 110,000 nesting seabirds at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

• In Norway, water in some fjords pointing northeast toward Japan (up and over the pole) sloshed back and forth as seismic waves from the earthquake raced through.

• The earthquake produced a low-frequency rumble called infrasound, which traveled into space and was detected by the Goce satellite.

Reference:

Japan Earthquake & Tsunami of 2011: Facts and Information | LiveScience . 2013. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.livescience.com/39110-japan-2011-earthquake-tsunami-facts.html. [Accessed 18 November 2013].

God, she was so tempting, so helpless.

"Who's there?" Her little whisper startled him. He was not expecting her to speak out loud, to confront her fears. "What do you want? Why are you here?" Her voice was demanding, but there was a quiver underneath the bravery.

She reached out and poked her reflection in the mirror. Could she see him in there? He decided to take this a step further, to push the limits. He leaned down and brushed his lips against her head. She was amazing; her curiosity won out over her instinct to run. He reached out with both hands now and brazenly lifted her hair off her back. She sat, frozen like a deer in headlights, too afraid to move. Her long ponytail was brought to the front and laid to rest on her left shoulder.

"Oh my God," she said aloud. "What are you?" He couldn't answer her so he cupped her face in his palms and ran his lips over her eyes to close them. A soft smile began at the corners of her lips. He was not sure if he had transfixed her or if she had hypnotized him. He smiled too and he did not want to let go of her sweet little head. She still sat peacefully, no signs of stress or fear. His palms ran over her lips now, he could see them pull slightly from the friction. She started to shake her head slowly and began to speak, but he hushed her with a finger to her lips. He did not want the spell to be broken. If she knew she was being touched by a murderous apparition, she would scream and run. At least this way, she felt safe because she was in awe of the experience, just as a child might be. Without seeing him, she could sense and trust his sincere intentions. She knew he was nice and meant her no harm. If only this were completely true.

They stayed this way for some time. He touched her tentatively, in different places, and watched her reaction to each caress. He knew he would have to let her go soon and make his way to the cellar, but this was the sweetest thing he had ever experienced and he wanted to savor it.

He could feel a rip current of energy start to build within him. He imagined what he could do to her right now. Then he asked himself if this was right. He did not know her well, but in the field she had enjoyed his advances to a certain level of intensity, and then tried to stop him. She had not wanted to share herself then and he could not imagine she would want to now. Not with a murderer.

With great restraint, he kissed her collarbone lovingly, pressing his lips against its smoothness, and then climbed up to her neck to do the same. God, she was so tempting, so helpless.

"Can I touch you, Violette? I want to touch you, here."

"A warlock? A male witch? It's almost easier to accept a demon. Besides, what would a male witch, or any witches, for that matter, want with me?" She mistook the incredulous look he gave her for general annoyance with her questions. But what he said shocked her into silence.

"I can answer that, Violette," he said, seductively lowering his voice. "But I don't know if you're prepared for me to." His hand went to her neck then, the thumb resting on her racing pulse, his palm on her delicate collarbone.

This was not the young man she had a crush on. This was an experienced seducer, with clear intentions; he was making her feel as if she were being crushed by waves and was in danger of getting lost in the undertow. She was most definitely not ready. Her heart and brain screamed out in warning, but her edgy muscles were putting up a good argument. All this time, she'd spent trying to get his attention…now she had it and she was petrified.

“I’m… prepared.”

“Are you?” Suddenly, he leaned in close to her face, his lips three inches from her ear. She felt his breath caress the skin of her shoulder. He hovered there, as if he were silently asking for permission to proceed. His thumb and palm held still; the heat where her neck joined her shoulder was searing.

Violette looked away, down at the flickering candle, exposing her collarbone. No words would come to her. Her mind was racing. She couldn't settle on one thought. What should she say? Why was he having this effect on her? She always liked Slate, but this was more, much more.

Because he wasn’t speaking at all, it would be up to her to break the silence. When she was about to speak, his lips softly kissed her neck. Shivers careened up and down her spine and curled around her toes. The hand that had been on her neck was now slowly coming down in front of her, closer to her waist. Her breath caught in her throat. She still kept her head turned.

Slate pressed his lips firmly against her shoulder now; the pressure of his hand resting on her rib cage was sending a strange humming sensation all the way through her. Her gaze dropped to look at the hand that was assaulting her so sweetly.

“Slate…” Her voice was questioning, seeking answers, not understanding what was happening. Her instincts were telling her to arch her back in offering, her common sense screamed danger!

"Can I touch you, Violette? I want to touch you, here." His hand hesitated over her outer thigh.

Even if she wanted to say no, she could not find her voice.

“And here,” he placed his other hand on her sternum, pressing her down to the cot. She resisted. His touch was not rough, but curious, earnest. Despite his seductiveness, he seemed unfamiliar with what he was doing, almost fumbling, but gracefully.

“You feel soft…sweet.” He was mumbling silky endearments, inhaling her scent, nuzzling her ear. Her belly quivered; every nerve was on high alert, screaming for more stimulation. Without thinking, her eyes closed and a subtle moan escaped her.

“Mmm… lie down.” An ever so delicate command, but one that she obeyed. She was aware, yet totally witless. She knew his knees had hit the floor and that her hips were suspended, her shaking knees striving for the strength to support her lower half. She lifted her head to look down, and was terrified to see him sitting there. Her skirt was still a barrier. With his head leaning down to her belly, a look of pure hunger bathed the usual angles of his face, and made them fiercer, more virile.

She watched him bow his head and kiss her stomach through the thin white shirt. She wanted to stop him, should stop him, but her body was not her friend right now; it was an unrecognizable vessel of betrayal. Answering his affections, her hands went to his head, rubbing tentatively through his hair. He dared to look up at her, the eye contact a clash of electricity, a door to their worlds opened with the connection. His lips were pressed so firmly together now as if he were in physical pain. When he spoke, his voice was restrained; he was fighting something back.

 “Ah, this is sweet, you are lovely.”

She didn’t know what to say.

 “My dear Violette, it is time to stop now. You are wonderful; I am weak. I do not want to hurt you, I can’t do this, it would not be fair.”

His words made absolutely no sense and she didn’t hear half of them.  Violette understood he wanted to stop, and after that comprehension, the rest of what he said rolled across her like ice water. Her wanton position beneath him did not allow her to sit up. Hesitating, her hands left his head and went straight to either side of his face and tried to pull him toward her.   

His eyes grew suddenly wide and their lips met sweetly. What was she doing? What was happening to her? Was she dreaming again?

When he pulled away from her and his intense gaze roamed the length of her body beneath him, she decided this was real and she was insane. What he said next made her blood start to churn.

“I just want to feel the inside of you. I know it’s just as pretty as the outside.” He lifted up on his knees again now; his hands moving from her face to her waist. He held her gaze intently while he squeezed her rib cage, feeling how tiny she was.

“Slate?”

“Yes?” he asked, smiling lazily now.

“I’ve never…I mean, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what you want. Do you…do you… love me?"

Violette’s simple, diffident question and the hope in her hooded eyes when she asked it, struck him deeply. He surely lusted after her. He wanted to possess her, literally, and he would kill for her, but did he love her? A desperate need to lie to her swept over him, but no matter how he tried, he could not falsify his feelings. When he took in her frailness, her innocence compared to his wickedness, he suddenly felt unworthy.

Onyx let go and pulled her up into a sitting position. He could not speak; he did not want to hurt her feelings, and he honestly did not know what to say, short of a callous “I don’t know.”

“Slate? What are you doing?” Her perplexed expression made him angry with himself. Why had he done this? Why? He felt like he was losing his mind and all his senses.

“I’m sorry.” He ground out the words between tight teeth, his face a mask of dark emotion.

My Little Cosy Corner: Review and Interview - Ethereal Fury by Jessica O'...

She is mean and merciless and after reading this book I am seriously going to recycle more. She is terrifying and her army of Gemini are even worse....

My Little Cosy Corner: Review and Interview - Ethereal Fury by Jessica O'...: BEWARE! THE PLANET IS WOUNDED... THE GEMINI ARE RISING AND OUR TIME ON EARTH IS LIMITED Angry at the human race and its methodical...

E.L. James was discovered in part because of her WATT-PAD reads...

Hiya my lovely blog followers! I was just wondering if all of you have read my book. I wanted to let you know I have Chapters 1-7 posted free on Watt-pad and could use your reads! Did you know E.L. James was discovered in part because she has over 100,000 reads on Watt-pad? A publisher approached her for this simple fact! I know I already have a publisher, but the recognition couldn't hurt, right?

So... if you have a half an hour, take a look, and if you like it, please recommend it!

http://www.wattpad.com/21320013-gemini-rising-ethereal-fury-book-i-chapters-1-7

As always, thank you for your support!!!

TEAM BADGES are here! Check out Onyx, Violette, Slate and yes, the TEAM UNDECIDED badge!

 WANT A BADGE ON YOUR BLOG OR WEBSITE? Get the HTML code from my photobucket site at: http://s1286.photobucket.com/user/GeminiRising1/library/#/user/GeminiRising1/library/?sort=3&page=1&_suid=13777877452480593359672030342