Jessica Bayliss
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Inspiration for BROKEN CHORDS: The dark, the musical, and the festive

10/5/2019

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​In honor of the re-release of BROKEN CHORDS, I wanted to share some of my inspiration for the book. This post will definitely appeal to music lovers out there. Anyone play the fiddle or mandolin? Cello? Anyone sing? Then stay tuned. But, my very first inspiration for this book started elsewhere. I’ll start at the beginning.

BROKEN CHORDS was born because I had to pee in the middle of the night while camping on Martha’s Vineyard with my husband. Literally.

If you’ve ever gone camping, you know the bathrooms are never conveniently located. The fastest route from our site was through the property’s playground. So, there I am, wee hours of the night (no pun intended—okay, pun intended), and it’s all cold and misty; and I think: If those swings start moving right now, I’m so out of here.

Lucky for me (and my bladder), that didn’t happen, but once I was safely back in my tent, I knew I’d write a story about a haunted playground someday.

The second inspiration for BROKEN CHORDS is musical. I wanted my book to feel the way certain favorite traditional acoustic songs sound.

​Before I get into the songs, let’s talk about the third inspiration for my book: Greyfox Music Festival. If you’ve attended and you read BROKEN CHORDS, you will recognize it all: the layout, the campgrounds, the crepes and gyros, the unique and creative individual site set-ups, even the creek behind the clearing in the woods—it’s all inspired by that festival.

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Back to the music. Once I decided on that the book would take place at a music festival, certain songs just called out to be included. I mention three bands in particular in BROKEN CHORDS: Crooked Still, Nickel Creek, and The Greencards. They’re probably best described as New Grass or Progressive Bluegrass, and OMG, all three are awesome!

The two songs that were my biggest inspiration are “Wind and Rain” and “Undone in Sorrow.”

“Wind and Rain” is based on ballad that is literally thousands of years old (here’s a great article about it), and it’s so creepy. The content has remained largely the same over the years, though it’s known by several names including: “The Twa Sisters,” “Rollin’ a-Rollin’,” and “Binnorie.” It’s about two sisters, and the older one pushes the younger one into a river because they’re both in love with the same man, and he happens to prefer the younger sister. Not surprisingly, the sister drowns, which is twisted by itself. Then a fiddler comes out of the woods, and he takes the drowned sister’s bones and hair, and he makes a fiddle out of them. When the fiddle is played, it reveals the identity of her murderer.

One line goes like this:
And he made fiddle pegs of her long finger bones.
Oh, the wind and rain.


I mean, shiver. Right? That song is the anthem of some of my creepiest entities in BROKEN CHORDS (actually, the very ghost children who haunt my playground). Probably the most chilling version of “Wind and Rain” is THIS ONE, an acapella version, by Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, & David Steele. But if you want to hear the one Crooked Still did, which also features a fiddle—I mean, apropos, right?—you can hear that ​HERE. (This version also features Rushad Eggleston, their original cellist, who is incredible.)

The other song that features in this book is “Undone in Sorrow,” which was originally written by a woman named Ola Belle Reed. That one is still under copyright, so I couldn’t use the words in BROKEN CHORDS, but when you read the book and Lenny and Jeb talk about playing their song, that’s the one. Crooked Still’s version is my favorite. It’s so haunting and sad. There’s a cello in their band, and the cello solo is one of my favorite musical moments of all time. Then the fiddle comes in and it literally sounds like the embodiment of a tortured heart. Add Aoifa O’Donovan’s ethereal vocals, and it’s a chiller of a song.

Those of you familiar with this genre will know that the cello isn’t typical for bluegrass, but it’s their inclusion of a cello that makes some of their songs so haunting. And readers of BROKEN CHORDS will know that I gave a nod to this when I made Lenny’s mom a cellist.

​I also mention the song “The Fox,” which is a Nickel Creek icon and the first song Lenny and her friends played at the first bonfire of the festival in BROKEN CHORDS. That band is made up of three geniuses of music who all started as kids. (Literally, one member, Chris Thile, won a Macarthur Award. Joining him are siblings, Sara and Sean Watkins.) You can see them at it when they were wee ones right here.

Lastly, I mention the Greencards, an Australian-based band, that definitely takes the progressive in Progressive Bluegrass to the next level. As they like to say, some of their songs are “weird ones.” But they’re incredible too. Here’s one of my favorites from them, “Wind and Water,” and this version also happens to feature Brittany Haas from Crooked Still on fiddle. Their version of “Davy Jones” is another of my favorites, and it definitely crosses the line into more progressive territory.

Of course, BROKEN CHORDS was also inspired by some of my favorite horror themes and films (I like to call it acoustic Poltergeist), but the heart of the book is its setting, and there’s so much that I love captured within it.

If you check out any of the performances or artists PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE tell me what you think. There’s nothing I love more than sharing music I love with people who love it back. (And if you want more song recs from these fabulous artists, I may just have a couple more where this came from. Hehehe.) 
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It's the TEN AFTER CLOSING release day!

9/4/2018

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I can't believe it, but TEN AFTER CLOSING is now out! It's been a long road from when I started this book to today. I'm so excited to share Winny's and Scott's stories. with you!

Purchase TEN AFTER CLOSING

Amazon  /  Barnes & Noble  /  Apple Store  /  Walmart  /  Target  /  Indiebound  /  Book Depository  /  Books-A-Million  /  Booktopia
10PM: Closing time at Café Flores. The door should be locked, but it isn't, Scott Bradley and Winsome Sommervil are about to become hostages.
TEN MINUTES BEFORE CLOSING: Scott's girlfriend breaks up with him in the café's basement storeroom because he's late picking her up for the big end-of-the-year party. Now he can't go to the party, but he can't go home, either—not knowing if his dad will still be in a drunken rage. Meanwhile, Winny wanted one night to let loose, away from her mother's crushing expectations. Instead, she's stranded at the café after her best friend ditches her in a misguided attempt at matchmaking.
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Come hang with me at Barnes & Noble for my first official book signing

9/1/2018

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So, it's now September 1st, and TEN AFTER CLOSING comes out on September 4th, which is crazy to me. I can't even believe the day is here. I know many of you reading this are writers too, so you know how long this process is. (Just to give those of you who don't write a feel, I started this book in January of 2015, and it was done by July of that year. I did an intensive revision period in winter 2016, so it was ready to submit by then. Of course there were more edits after we sold it to Sky Pony, but you get the picture.)

To celebrate the culmination of this long road, I'll be doing a series of appearances in the coming months, some in CT but not all, so keep your eyes open for info.

For now, here are the dates I have nailed down for sure:
  • September 8th, 4-6PM: BOOK SIGNING at Barnes & Noble in Milford, CT 
  • October 21st, 2-6PM: BOOK SIGNING at Barnes & Noble in Fairfield, CT (Fairfield University Bookstore)
  • September 29th, 5PM: MULTI-AUTHOR PANEL & SIGNING at Briars & Brambles Bookstore in Windham, NY
I'd LOVE to see YOU there.

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TEN AFTER CLOSING pre-order giveaway

6/25/2018

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Welcome back! Today, the official pre-order campaign for my debut YA thriller, TEN AFTER CLOSING, begins! I'm so grateful that you want to read my book. It comes out on September 4th.

Until then, you can pre-order TEN AFTER and everyone who does will be entered into my giveaway. 

To enter, please fill out this FORM or email your name, mailing address, and proof of purchase to jessicabaylisswrites@gmail.com.

​Here's how it works ...
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​ORDER FROM YOUR FAVORITE RETAILER:

Amazon  /  Barnes & Noble  /  Apple Store  /  
Walmart  /  Target  /  Indiebound  /  Book Depository  / Books-A-Million  /  Booktopia ​​

Everyone who enters will win ...

- A signed bookmark
- Special, supplemental chapters that show what the secondary characters were doing in the hours leading up to the hold up in Cafe Flores
(I will send this out AFTER the book is released. No spoilers now!)

AND will be in the running for one of the other fun prizes I've created to go perfectly with the theme of a cafe, like Cafe Flores in my book.

- A Cafe Flores mug
- A TEN AFTER CLOSING key chain with the Cafe Flores mug charm, a clock charm, and other colorful beaded charms
- A signed copy of TEN AFTER CLOSING

and the GRAND PRIZE is ...

All the prizes above AND something to go in your mug (coffee or tea--winner's choice)

 - - Enter the giveaway now. - - 

TEN AFTER CLOSING will be available on September 4th, so the last day to pre-order is September 3rd, 2018. The prize winners will be chosen on the 27th, and I'll get them all in the mail promptly. Giveaway is US only.

And, last but not least, THANK YOU again for your support! 

If you have questions, just let me know: jessicabaylisswrites@gmail.com.
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Out Now: THE FIVE SENSES OF HORROR

6/21/2018

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It's not every day that the editor of a small horror press randomly emails you and asks you to contribute to a nearly-complete anthology, but that's what happened to me. Eric Guignard, editor of Dark Moon Books, and author, was looking for a doctoral level psychologist who happens to write horror fiction. Could that have been any more perfect for me?

There's nothing I love more than when I get to mash up my two careers, and this was not only the most unexpected opportunity, but SO MUCH FUN! The book is called THE FIVE SENSES OF HORROR. First and foremost, let me talk about the other contributors. There are some horror hard hitters in this book. Fifteen stories, with three that represent one of the five senses. For a full list of titles and authors scroll down or click HERE. And the art. The art!!! Artist Nils Bross did hauntingly beautiful sketches throughout the book. This is not only a well thought out anthology, but it's so elegant with all those little touches I love--beautiful medallions at the start of each chapter, fancy fonts, and those sketches.
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​And I get to be IN it!

My part in it takes the form of six non-fictional essays on the psychobiology of horror. These include one general essay as a sort of intro to the book, followed by one shorter essay for each of the five sections, which are dedicated to each of the five senses. Researching and writing these was super fun, and I got to deepen my own knowledge of this topic too!

I can't wait for you to see the finished product, which will be available on July 9th, 2018. For more information on the book, click HERE.
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BROKEN CHORDS is now an award-winning book!

2/4/2018

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When I entered BROKEN CHORDS into this competition, I had zero expectations. Let's just say I've entered a couple book contests in my day. But, my book took an honorable mention! What a fabulous surprise! As this is a horror novella, I'm extra proud as genre fiction can sometimes get lost in the mix, and I love this book so much. (I know I'm a little biased.) 

Get your copy of BROKEN CHORDS here (PAPERBACK and digital editions now available).

​And don't forget, if you're in the Palm Beach, FL area on February 18th, come see me, four other debut authors, and the legendary R. L. Stine at Palm Beach Peril where we'll be doing a panel presentation followed by a book signing (my FIRST book signing! Squee!) I hope to see you there. Find out more about this event HERE.
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TEN AFTER CLOSING has a brand, shiny new cover (and I LOVE it!)

1/26/2018

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Sometimes, in the life of a book, the publisher decides to go back to the drawing board on the cover concept, even if the book hasn't been released yet. And that's what happened to my book, TEN AFTER CLOSING. I loved my old cover, but I LOVE my new cover. The artist is Kevin Tong, and he's FABULOUS!

​So, here it is, the new cover for TEN AFTER CLOSING. 
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Pre-Order TEN AFTER CLOSING: http://bit.ly/TACBAYLS


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Happy Book Birthday: BROKEN CHORDS, by me!

10/9/2017

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AHHH! BROKEN CHORDS is now out in the world! I can't even believe it. I started plotting the book two years ago, in preparation for NaNoWriMo in 2015. In fact, I specifically wrote it to meet requirements for a call from Leap Books. For a short time only, they'd take submissions from non-agented authors, but only for their Bloody Good Reads series. The books had to be stand-alone YA horror for Leap Books Shine, their novella line, so that's what I wrote. When I sent the story in, I was still a good month away from being accepted into the Pitch2Publication competition and around four months out from the day I signed with my fabulous agent. Needless to say, when editor, Judith Graves, send me an offer on this book, I was thrilled. 

Buy BROKEN CHORDS

Amazon  /  Kobo  /  SmashWords 
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​And here we are, literally two years after my brain first started churning around Lenny and Jeb's story, and BROKEN CHORDS is ready for readers. I am so excited for people to read this. I want to say a HUGE thank you to Judith and the other folks at Leap Books for making this such a beautiful book and such a wonderful experience.

Here's a little sneak peek for you.

    Jeb’s voice ebbed and flowed, his fear growing and sending out seedlings of dread to take root in my own chest. He must have woken the entire camp by now. I fumbled open my tent flap, stumbled outside, and zipped it shut with trembling hands. When I turned around, I knew immediately why no one put a stop to Jeb’s calls.
     He wasn’t in the normal world anymore.
     Neither was I.
     Despite not asking for it, something twisted and bitter in this universe had bestowed it anyway. We’d been transported to the astral plane. The world was bathed in dark beauty, like velvety gauze or some tranquil digital camera filter, making everything hazy and wavery with dim blue-white light. I could actually see the air – or matter or ether or whatever it was--that made up the world around me. When I waved my hand, contrails showed its swishing progress long after I’d ceased movement. Like, whatever I was made of in this form could interact with the very construction material holding this universe together. Or, maybe whatever I was made of in this form was the very construction material of this universe.
     “Oh God,” I whispered. 
     That meant, behind me, within the tent I’d just fled, my body lay prone. Not in sleep, and not a trance. Not dead, but not really alive either. 
     An empty shell. 
     I stared at the dark green vinyl before finally getting up the nerve to look inside. My body lay on my air mattress, curled up as if I were merely sleeping. My chest rose and fell as my organs responded to signals from the most primitive part of my brain, which kept the basic functions of human life online even though the system user had abandoned the controls.
     I breathed in time with my body. I wasn’t sure if I was really moving air around in my spectral form, but the reflex to carry out the action was strong, and it still felt soothing when I blew what might be nothing out of lungs that probably weren’t there anyway. I took another deep, fake breath and closed my eyes. My brain attempted to point out the ridiculousness of this – how I still felt normal even though I was nothing but a ghost now. A spasm of laughter escaped my throat, but I swallowed it down. If I let my mind think too hard about things like where? and what? and how?, I’d crack. Game over.
     Instead, I chanted Jeb’s mantra: “Just go with it.” Then I turned to face the astral plane.
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Countdown to BROKEN CHORDS!

10/7/2017

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BROKEN CHORDS launches with Leap Books in TWO days! In honor of the release, I'm holding a giveaway for a free copy and some swag. 
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BREATHLESS is back (or, how I survived self-publishing)

5/15/2017

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Wow. It's been a heck of a year. I can't believe I've made it to the day when my romantic ghost story, BREATHLESS, hits the shelves again. This has been an immensely LONG process that started months ago. 

As you may know, I'm pursuing a traditional author career where my books are published by established presses (like my debut, TEN PAST CLOSING, which is tentatively scheduled for release by Sky Pony Press in the spring of 2018), but when the small press that originally put out BREATHLESS closed, I knew there was no way for it to ever be out in the world again if I didn't self-pub it. So, challenge accepted.
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For people out there who think self-publishing is easy, let me tell you: it's not. Authors don't just write something then slap it up there on Amazon. There is a lot that goes into making, not only an incredible story, but a book that done well and done right.
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Read a sneak peek of BREATHLESS below.
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How did I do it?  Juliana Haygert. I asked her EVERY QUESTION YOU COULD IMAGINE about what to do at each step. Twice. And she was immensely patient with this newbie. ​​Seriously, people, I love her. (And if you haven't done so yet, you should read her books because they're super sexy and totally fun.)
​

So, here we are, re-release day for this little story that I love. I'm so grateful that there's a way for me to bring it back to readers.

Buy your copy of (the NEW & IMPROVED) BREATHLESS right here:

Amazon (Kindle)  /  B&N (Nook)  /   iBooks (Apple)  /  Kobo

Read a sneak peek of BREATHLESS.

      I exhale and watch bubbles float off into the churning blue above me. I draw another breath, except this time, there is no air. My lungs, in all their twenty-seven years of finding no resistance to their whims, of drawing in sweet gulps, huffs, and puffs, meet a wall of stainless steel. With the next try, that wall slams into my diaphragm.
     My left hand grasps the air pressure gauge as it bobs and snakes down by my hip. The dial’s needle hovers at a thick black line highlighted in red. Zero pounds per square inch.
     I’m seventy feet below the Caribbean Sea, and I’m out of air.
     Heavy nausea grabs hold of my gut and throat. I almost spit out the regulator mouthpiece, but reason kicks in. I stop myself just in time.
     Don’t panic. Stay calm.
   But it’s so hard to follow my own instructions. The warm water cradling my body has no mercy for this tiny, helpless human, and it turns to ice around me, needling my skin with cold until I’m numb. I hold my final breath. Everything in me screams out the wrongness of this. The world on the other side of my mask fuzzes out. My mind will soon follow if I don’t do something. Now.
     Remember the training. Just find another diver.
     Thank God, one of the instructors is less than ten yards away. My finned feet power me to Dale’s side with five hard kicks. He’s tucking something into a waist bag, and when I thrust my air pressure gauge into his face, at first he jerks away from it. Then his eyes widen as realization hits.
     I expect him to immediately reach for his spare regulator, the savior of rubber and metal, my sole hope if I want any fate other than drowning. Instead, he brings his large, strong hands to my face. The honey-gold flecks within his irises glint and flash in what filmy light breaches the yards of water between the surface and my airless lungs. There’s no warmth down here, and I’m out of time.
     Dale is my only hope.
    I let him capture my face between his palms and hold me with his anchor eyes. My heart beats a fluttery, jerky rhythm, and I count--One. Two-three. Four. Five-six-seven--and wait as though I’m not moments from my death.
As though I have all the time in the world.
    But whatever he’s doing, it’s working. I’m calmer. For the first time since I found nothing behind my inhale, my heart beats steady and true. He gives me a firm nod, and I return the gesture.
   It’s then, only then, that he unhooks the spare regulator from his dive vest. His other hand comes to the mouthpiece I still clench in my teeth. He brushes his fingers against my lips as he pulls the device free, and I give it up reluctantly even though it’s totally useless. A small, salty flow of water hits my tongue, and I swallow it down—the first of what could turn out to be a whole ocean’s worth if we mess up this maneuver.
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