Thanks to the lovely folk at Pegasus I have a copy of the book Jessica Jayne Webb has brought along today to share as we stay in together, and although I haven’t had chance to read it yet, I simply had to find out more. Let’s see what Jessica told me:

Staying in with Jessica Jayne Webb

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Jessica and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Kia ora (Moari for hello)

Oh! Hello!

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I am a kiwi/New Zealand writer bringing with me today my first published book, it has been a journey from starting to finishing with this book and it is very dear to me. I have brought this book as it is my first, that I have published. Between you and me I have already started book two, and have three others I have already started writing.

So no second book syndrome for you then Jessica!

What can we expect from an evening in with The Secrets of Wilderfort Castle?

Gosh where do I start! It jumps straight into the adventures of Agatha, our female main character; it is loosely based within the Victorian Era and with all her friends that join her along the way, she is building her crew around her as magic is lifted and the ever present war between good and evil builds. There is action, a little bit of romance, adventures, magic, daemons the good and evil kind and coming of age magic all squished into this book.

When writing this the Beta readers were excited for the final product, a comment made recently was “This is definitely movie material” and for me that’s a huge thing as I would love nothing more than to see my characters come to life. I have even been learning how to use parts of discord to create my characters and linking some to actors I thought would look good, hint hint to any film producers.

I’m not sure film producers read Linda’s Book Bag Jessica but you never know!

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

Since waiting for the release I have been listening to a lot of music, all of which I felt matched parts of the book and the scene that unfolds. Music such as Liberation by Buzz, Seven Devils by Florence and the Machine, and another would be Losing my mind by JXCKY. This is only three though, I guess with such a vivid imagination when I listen to this music it plays the scenes out in my head and my characters come to life.

That’s really interesting as some writers tell me they need total silence to write and others have playlists. Do I sound too old if I say I’ve never heard of Buzz or JXCKY (thank goodness for Florence and the Machine to stop me being totally ancient)?

I have also brought some images of my characters for you.

The sullen looking one is Alfred the moody teenager type death daemon, Agatha of course with her brilliant reddy auburn hair and Charles in his suit lovely tanned skin and brown to blonde hair, some others are also in there for you to have a wee looksie.

I’ve had a good look and I’m not sure I’d want to meet Hessis on a dark night Jessica! I’m not including them all here as readers will need to meet them by reading The Secrets of Wilderfort Castle. Thanks so much for staying in with me to chat all about the book.

The Secrets of Wilderfort Castle

Agatha Wilderfort has spent years trying to build a life in the city outside of the sleepy town where her aunt raised her, but is pulled back home when her aunt’s sudden death leaves their family manor in Agatha’s hands. She arrives to find the castle in grave need of repair and a local nobleman, Lord Caspian, sniffing around, clearly eager to get his hands on her inheritance. She hires several workmen and an assistant who knew her aunt and they start on the renovations.

But Agatha’s aunt wasn’t just a well-off spinster… she was the guardian of a world that has been hidden from Agatha until now, and Agatha’s inherited that responsibility, too. Unprepared, but ready to do her duty, Agatha learns about the dangers lurking in the background and her own history. Lord Caspian has sinister plans for her and her home, but fortunately for Agatha, she’s not alone. Learning of worlds more than just her own, her crew and her assistant, a handsome man who’s more than he appears, is there to help. Will they be able to stand against the darkness that Lord Caspian wants to unleash and find happiness together?

Published by Pegasus on 27th October 2022 The Secrets of Wilderfort Castle is available for purchase through the links here.

About Jessica Jayne Webb

Jessica Jayne Webb is a mother of two high functioning boys, and partner who is such a very patient man, he puts up with all her racing energies and can sleep through most of Jessica’s sleepless nights (she doesn’t sleep very much). Jessica lives in Wellington New Zealand in a semi detached cottage, with beautiful high ceiling wooden beams. It’s a small place with just two bedrooms and Jessica and her family are crammed in with their very charismatic dog Mandy who is Great Dane x Staffy. Jessica has no idea how that worked, as Mandy is a rescue and has come a long way since she arrived at their house as a foster dog with the first of the lockdowns.

Jessica is also a student working towards her bachelors in Primary teaching. Next year is her final year and she is so excited for her next placement school. Jessica loves fishing, foraging although this has taken a back burner of late, and is a volunteer Kea leader for 2022 for the year. This is for the junior section of Scout NZ looking after children 5.5-8 years old taking them on adventures and teaching them important life stuff, first aid, what you need for hikes, recycling, nature benefits, and so many more things. Jessica loves walking, and her favourite thing is walking Mandy down to the coffee shop, ordering coffee and then Mandy knows they are off to the pet shop. Mandy likes to have a ‘chat’ with Jessica to hurry up so she can pick her dog treats. They then walk back home and Mandy wags her tail the entire time knowing she has treats coming.

Jessica’s partner is also studying for his job so they are very busy at the moment, balancing both thier heavy loaded study time tables and his full time work and Jessica’s part time work. Her boys who are 9 and soon to be 8 are like ever ready batteries constantly moving and on the go.

For more information head to Jessica’s Instagram page.