Sass, Friendship, Redemption, and a Bit of Gore! robgirlbooks' Review of Blood Fugue by E.J. Wesley

Blood Fugue
by E.J. Wesley
44 pages
I won this ebook novelette
4 STARS

Jenny does her best to be your typical hostile gaming hermit. Then she opens a seemingly innocuous email. Suddenly she has a living grandfather she believed long dead, commits to doing a favor that involves bullets, and discovers a destiny that will test her tendency to push people away.

I'm so happy I won this novelette! E.J. Wesley created the best protagonist in Jenny. She's rude, she's nearly six feet tall, and she sports a purple Mohawk. I did not fall in love with Jenny from the start, yet I loved reading from her perspective. Through her interactions with Marshal, her pushy best friend, and her mysterious resurrected grandfather, I discovered a girl I wish I knew in real life. She'd be the coolest friend. I can't forget to mention the setting. I've read books set in Texas before and yet I never felt like my car broke down there and forced me to spend my entire vacation waiting for it to be fixed. Between Jenny's rudeness and the Texas backdrop, I fell into this story with zeal. If you're in the mood for an edgy paranormal read or love a strong female protagonist who knows how to handle guns get this book!

My new thing has been requesting mini-interviews from the authors of books I've fallen in love with. Thank you, E.J. Wesley, for taking the time to answer my questions.

You created the toughest chick ever in Jenny. I half expected her to grab herself and spit. How did you come up with a main character like her? I mean, we're talking purple Mohawk.

I think Jenny might view herself as just a TOUCH more ladylike than that—but probably just by a little. Lol She’s had a lot of heartache in her young life. She has lost both parents, and all of her grandparents by her early 20s. As they probably would anyone, these experiences have left her feeling isolated and alone. Rather than having that manifest in her character as vulnerability—which unfortunately isn’t all that uncommon with many of the female protagonists I’ve read—I wanted her to take it the other direction. She has certainly built walls to protect herself from more hurt, and her walls are more brick than glass.

I love the best friend. Will there be a solo story from Marshal's POV?

Marshal gets a lot of love from readers! I think that’s because I never really wrote him with the intention of him being a sidekick. I’ve always viewed him as Jenny’s other half, and I think she is probably his. Together they make a whole person/character. Basically, it’s hard for me to even imagine what Jenny would be like without him, and I think readers feel the same. While I haven’t really considered giving him his own adventure up to this point, I can definitely say he will continue to be a very important part of the series. We’ll learn lots more about him in coming ‘episodes’ and maybe even explore the limits of he and Jenny’s friendship a little.

Texas serves as the backdrop in your novelettes. What other settings are you dying to create for your main characters?

Everything (through book 3) has taken place in a very rural Texas setting. I don’t have immediate plans to take the series out of Texas, but you never know. (The idea of Jenny and Marshal traipsing around Manhattan IS pretty hilarious.  ) However, we’re definitely going to explore some other locations within the state. Living here, I can tell you that Texas is like its own country—it’s that large, and there’s that much diversity in terms of culture and landscape. In the short term, I’ll just say that Jenny is going to be making a trip to a very large Texas city, very soon.

I can't wait to read Dark Prelude (Moonsongs book 3), but I want more. Will we get a novel?

I’ve definitely considered it. I love the characters so much already, and I think there’s plenty to explore in the Moonsongs universe. However, I also feel like part of the fun with these stories is letting them unfold in bite-sized portions. Realizing that readers are anxious for the next episode, I’m working hard toward decreasing the time between publication for the next batch (books 4, 5, and 6) and beyond. I’ll probably kick that new publishing cycle off early this Fall.

If I’m being completely honest, these books were something of an experiment. I wasn’t 100% certain people would enjoy them, or ‘get’ the format. As a result, I think I’m still feeling out how to best implement them. That being said, I suppose if there were enough reader enthusiasm behind creating a full-length novel, I’d certainly give it some serious thought.

You have a wonderful blog, especially for anyone interested in creative ventures. Has your writer identity evolved into a blogger identity?

Thank you! You know, I’ve probably identified myself more as a blogger than a writer up until recently. That was never the intention, but it just kind of worked out that way. But that’s definitely changing some—it might take a while to get going, but once the publishing wheel gets to spinning, it’s hard to stop. That cuts into my blogging time for sure. So I’m trying to learn how to evolve my blog into this new phase of things, yet also still be a resource for the creative community you mentioned. I draw so much energy and knowledge from my fellow bloggers, artists, etc., and hope I can give a little of that back to them in the ways I know how.

 

I read and loved Witch's Nocturne (Moonsongs book 2). I will be posting that review soon.





Meanwhile, I already hurried over to Amazon and bought a copy of Dark Prelude (Moonsongs book 3). Can't beat the price. Can't wait for another Jenny and Marshal adventure!