Indie Author Spotlight – Jalpa Williby and “Chaysing Dreams”

I’ve got a great new author to introduce to you today – Jalpa Williby.

 

Jalpa Williby was born in India and immigrated to the United States at the tender age of eight. A voracious reader, Williby’s adolescence was marked by a promising academic career. After graduating with a Bachelors of Science from the University of Illinois, Williby went on to earn Masters in Physical Therapy from Northwestern University. Her passion for helping her patients led her to a specialty in neuroscience, focusing on children and adults with neurological impairments. Juggling her time as a wife, a mother, and working full-time, her love for books never subsided. Williby introduces her debut novel, Chaysing Dreams, as she writes with her heart and soul, her passion flowing through every page.

You can follow Jalpa on Facebook and at her website.

Her brand new debut novel is “Chaysing Dreams”

 

Life…secrecy, deceit, danger…No, no! Run, escape!

 

“Run!” Her inner voice is shouting. She has to run faster! She’s about to get caught! No, no! She has to get away. Please, she must escape!

“Run faster!”

 

As long as Tess Sanoby can remember, she has always had the same nightmares, where the girl in her dreams is running for her life with an unknown force chasing her. Each time, right before the girl is caught, Tess awakens, shaken with fear and confusion. Who is the girl? What do these dreams mean?

Getting through the growing pains of high school with her best friends Jack and Kylie, and then being accepted into her dream college, Tess is excited to start her life of independence. There, she meets the mysterious trainer and mentor, Chris, and she instantly feels a strong connection with him. Unfortunately, Chris wants nothing to do with her. Although Chris continues to give her the cold shoulder, his overprotectiveness and the occasional slips of sensitivity confuse Tess. Not understanding Chris or their relationship, she is on a constant emotional roller coaster with him. Could her best friends be the stable force that she desperately needs? 

Unfortunately for Tess, the more she tries to connect the missing pieces of her life, the more obscure her past and future appear to her. To make matters worse, she realizes she has fallen hard for a man who may be her worst enemy. As passion ignites between the two, she can’t help but surrender her heart and soul to him.

Tess is unexpectedly exposed to a world of secrecy, deceit, and danger, causing her to be running for her life, chased by the unknown. Can Tess escape and save not only herself, but also her loved ones? Or, will she be caught, leaving her no choice but to face her worst nightmare?

Chaysing Dreams is the ultimate love story, full of suspense, friendship, betrayal, tragedy, and sacrifice. In this epic tale, you will laugh and cry with Tess–a story full of twists and turns, keeping you guessing until the end.

I’ve already read it, and loved it.  You can see my review here.  And you can buy the book, right now, on Amazon.

I’ve also got an interview with Jalpa…

Who is your favorite author? I have so many! I have to say, I love Khaled Hosseini- A Thousand Splendid Suns is my all-time favorite. But, I’m a sucker for a good love story. So, I love Stephanie Meyers, Richelle Mead, and Suzanne Collins .

 

How do you describe your writing style?  Chaysing Dreams is written in first person narrative style. I like to get inside the head of my character to really feel what they’re feeling, and go through the same experiences. It just seemed easier for me to express this when I was inside Tess’s (the main character’s) head.

 

Use no more than two sentences. Why should we read your book? I think many readers like to get lost in their “book world” – and Chaysing Dreams definitely gets the readers hooked. It’s got something for everyone: growing pains, real life problems, friendship, family, suspense, action, and that ultimate love that everybody craves.

 

Have any of your characters been modeled after yourself? I think each of the characters probably has a little piece of me, or somebody I know/ encountered.

 

If you could exchange lives with any of your characters for a day which character would you choose and why? I’d probably choose Tess, the main character. For one, she’s got a lot of depth to her character. And, the main male character who she has passionate encounters with, is pretty hot! Yes, I do fall in love with fictional characters! 🙂

 

What books have most influenced your life? Growing up, I’ve loved novels such as A Separate Peace, Billy Budd, Crime and Punishment. As an adult, the books that I’ve really enjoyed are The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Water For Elephants, Vampire Academy, the Outlander Series, the Twilight Series, and the Hunger Games. So, really my interests are all over the place. If a story touches my heart, then it has influenced me in some shape or form.

 

If you could select one book that you could rewrite and add your own unique twist on, which book would that be and why? Oh, definitely Mockingjay. That’s the last book of the Hunger Games trilogy. I loved the series so much, but when I read the last one, I was so upset with the way it ended, that it disturbed me for months! I just got no closure. I finally had to come up with a different ending in my head so that I can have my own closure! Yes, I can be a nerd that way.

 

Beatles or Monkees? Why? That’s tough. The Beatles are a legend. But I grew up watching the Monkees on TV. Plus, I had a huge crush on Davy Jones back then!

 

Who should play you in a film of your life? Of course, a beautiful, feisty young actress! Just kidding- couldn’t resist. My life has been so complex, it would have to be somebody who can play off all the different phases of my life.

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