We’re so pleased to welcome author Jesi Lea Ryan to TNA today on the tour for her brand new paranormal urban fantasy release, Surreal Estate. She’s got a fun guest post to share today as well as a giveaway, so be sure to check out all those details below.

Welcome, Jesi Lea!

Why This Paranormal Author Is Happy to Be Human

Hi, everyone! Jesi Lea Ryan here, author of Surreal Estate. When I tell people I write books about psychics, the first question they ask is whether I’m psychic. The answer is no; I’m about as psychic as a stump. And I’m perfectly fine being a plain ole human. Paranormal creatures have way too much drama and baggage for my taste. Don’t believe me? Here are five examples:

1. Vampires are entirely too obsessed with food. Half their day is spent thinking about getting blood, and the other half concealing the fact that they’re drinking it instead of eating the dinner you cooked for them. The immortality might be cool for a while, but an eternity listening to people at parties do bad Bela Lugosi impressions? No, thanks.

2. Then we have werewolves. I’m not sure which is worse, turning furry when it’s that time of the month, or the constant doggie breath. Gag. Besides, I can’t keep track of the day of the week, much less the entire moon cycle. It would be just like me to start sprouting whiskers and claws while at a business function. Faux paw?

3. And don’t get me started on fairies. If a sociopath looks at you and says, “Dayum, she’s cold!” you have a problem. But then, I guess, if you are a fairy, you wouldn’t give a $#@! what people think. Fairies are not Disney creatures, they are supernatural jerks. Call me old fashioned, but I like my morals and ethics. I like being nice to people without the expectation of personal gain. This is a concept that is completely foreign to the fair folk.

4. Witches and mages… Okay, the ability to do magic would be fun. But the last thing I need is another excuse to be lazy. I know me. First, I’d come up with spells to clean my house. Then maybe work something up to handle all the mundane tasks at my day job. Oh, and how about a spell to deal with spam email and social media garbage? Before you know it, I’d be spending all day on the couch reading books or playing games on my phone. Would I enjoy that? Sure. But I reluctantly concede that it wouldn’t be good for me.

5. Lastly, we have psychics. Supernatural know-it-alls. Psychics are my personal favorite paranormal, because unlike the other creatures, they just might exist. At least I want to think they do. I want to believe in an un-tapped part of our minds that would allow us ways to more effectively communicate and interact with our fellow humans, and that someday, this potential may come to light. I write about psychics because they are like us, but better.

However, being psychic has drawbacks. There are a lot of things I’d rather not know about people. I suspect the inner thoughts of most people are bitchy, dirty and negative. That’s why we have filters to prevent all of that from spilling out of our mouths at inopportune times. Can you imagine having to wallow through the molasses of people’s minds every day? No, thanks. And forget about knowing the future. If I knew what was going to happen, I’d feel morally bound to do something about it. Too much pressure.

Take my character Sasha Michaels for example. Sasha can read a room, literally. He has an empathetic relationship with homes and buildings that allows him insights into the past. While it’s interesting for him to be able to walk into a room and see how it might have looked in some past decade, Sasha is burdened by the past’s emotional baggage in the process.

So, there you have it. I like to read and write about paranormals all day long, but at the end of the day, I’m happy to go home to my normal, slightly boring, human life.

About the Book

Sasha Michaels is a psychic with an affinity for houses. And he’s homeless. Go figure. After months of sleeping rough, he stumbles upon an abandoned house, and the lonely place beckons him inside. He’s finally safe . . . until someone comes blundering in to his hideaway.

House-flipper Nick Cooper lost everything in the recession. Desperate to revive his business, he turns to a loan shark to fund his comeback project: flipping an abandoned house full of potential. But it turns out the house has an unexpected occupant.

Nick and Sasha make a deal: Sasha can stay in exchange for helping with the renovation. To both of their surprise, the closer they get to the loan shark’s due date, the stronger their feelings for each other grow. Problem is, Nick isn’t the only one with feelings for Sasha, and now the house doesn’t want to let Sasha go.

Now available from Riptide Publishing!

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Jesi Lea Ryan grew up in the Mississippi River town of Dubuque, Iowa. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in creative writing and literature and a Master’s in business administration, along with an assortment of Associate’s degrees, certificates and designations, none of which have anything to do with writing books about psychics.

Jesi considers herself a well-rounded nerd. She loves studying British history, exploring foreign cities on Google Earth, watching TED talks, listening to true crime podcasts, floating in her pool, and reading or listening to books — approximately two hundred books a year in many different genres. The side effect of all this is that she’s the ideal person to have on your trivia team, or what a former co-worker called “a dump truck of knowledge.

Her biggest vice is procrastination. #TheStruggleIsReal

Jesi spent most of her adult life in Madison, Wisconsin, but now lives in Maricopa, Arizona, with her spouse and two exceptionally naughty kitties. Summers may be brutal, but at least she doesn’t have to shovel the heat off her driveway.

Facebook || Twitter || Website

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Surreal Estate, one lucky person will win a $20 Riptide gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 10, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!