Guest Post: A Worthy Man by Jaime Reese

We’re so pleased to welcome author Jaime Reese today on the promo tour for her latest release in the Men of Halfway House Series, A Worthy Man.

Welcome, Jaime!

The Parallels of Having Two Creative Outlets ~ Cover Art and Writing

I want to start by saying “thank you” to Lisa and The Novel Approach crew for hosting me today and to all the readers taking time out of their day to stop by and read my post.

A few quickie bits of info. I just released my fifth book in The Men of Halfway House series on May 2, titled A Worthy Man. Although I’ve been writing now for a few years, I don’t release as often as my fellow writers, and that’s partly due to juggling a few roles.

Aside from writing, I’m also a cover artist (I design under the name of Reese Dante) and have designed covers for both publishers and independent authors since 2009.

I’m often asked about the parallel of both roles. To be honest, they are both creative outlets for me. For the design work, I use a digital paintbrush and images whereas for writing, I use a keyboard and words. One lets me assemble and manipulate images to create a visual representation of an author’s story while the other allows me to build my own story, one word at a time.  Both allow me to create, and both are satisfying and feed my creative spirit. Regardless of which role I use for creativity, I painstaking focus on details until my inner detail-oriented beast is satisfied with the final product. And the most exciting thing about doing both is the ability to switch from one to the other and feel the creative satisfaction when I complete a design or finish a scene.

But I think the biggest difference between the art and writing is how much of myself I put out there. I’m an extremely private person. It takes me quite a bit of time to open up and even longer to reveal anything more personal than my love for our baby boy, Rocco, a 125lb dog who lets hubby and I live in his house.

When I design a cover, yes, there’s a part of my style, my interpretation, and my creativity in each cover I create. But the design is inspired by the author’s story. It is their work that guides the cover I create. And while there’s a little bit of me in each cover I design, it is ultimately the author and their story’s spirit I am trying to capture in the art.

Writing, however, is an entirely different animal. It’s very personal and I often wonder what the heck possessed me to think I could (or should) reveal so much about myself. While the characters come to me, fully formed in my mind before I write the first word about them, there is a little bit of me in each story. Whether it’s a character’s mannerism, a phrase, a personality trait, or an element of backstory…I reveal another piece of my private puzzle in each character and book. And I think that’s the most terrifying thing about being a writer: putting yourself out there, so raw, for others to see and openly judge.

But in the end, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Nor would I be able to choose between designing covers and writing stories. I wake up each day and am able to either work on art or a scene in a story. I’m blessed I can do both, and that’s not something I take for granted.

About the Book

Title: A Worthy Man
Author: Jaime Reese
Series: This is book 5 in The Men of Halfway House series. Although part of a series, this is a full-length stand-alone novel.
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Release date: May 2, 2017
Word count: 124K
Goodreads: BOOK LINK 
COVER INFORMATION: Photographer: Eric McKinney of 6:12 Photography 
BLURB: A story of two men and the boundless love that forever changed them.

Vannguard Shaw has spent the last ten years serving a life sentence and adjusting to the ache of solitude. He accepts his fate, a sacrifice for the only man he ever loved and the one person who saw beyond his rough edges.

Drayton grew up with a trust fund and pre-planned future, but an unexpected encounter one night forces him to abandon everything and start from scratch. He is now a self-made man and developer of one of the most sought after electric exotic automobiles in the world with a fortune greater than that of his birthright. Yet, he’d surrender it all—again—for the only man who’s still ever-present in his heart.

After a decade and entirely too much distance between them, Vann is suddenly released back into a world that has been nothing but cruel. Drayton never lost hope they would once again reunite and pick up where they left off, but Vann’s stubborn nature and repeated encounters with a heartbreaking world prove to be a challenge.

Vann needs to tap into his fighting spirit’s reservoir of strength and hope life doesn’t punish him for taking a chance. Only then will he realize his own value and feel worthy enough to finally have Drayton’s heart. And their chance at forever.

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About the Author

Jaime Reese is the alter ego of an artist who loves the creative process of writing, just not about herself. Fiction is far more interesting. She has a weakness for broken, misunderstood heroes and feels everyone deserves a chance at love and life. An avid fan of a happy ending, she believes those endings acquired with a little difficulty are more cherished.

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