Guest blogger, Jayson James with his new covers for the Finding Our Way series {ebook Giveaway}

Today I am happy to hand the blog over to author Jayson James who is going to tell us all about his new cover's for his fantastic YA coming of age series, Finding Our Way. 

Thank you Tams for having me as a guest today at TTC Books and more!

Today I would like to share with you something very exciting and been in the long time coming. At last, I finally have covers for the Finding Our Way Series books.  Sure, they have been out for almost three years now and they’ve all had covers on them.  Just not covers I have been all too thrilled about on them.

When I put out my first book the cover, itself seemed to be more daunting than the editing process was.  I had an image that I’d drawn and knew what I wanted the title to be and of course my name on it.  I used the paint program and messed around with the adding the image and the text until I had it all fitting on what I thought was a book cover.  Then I went to upload it and found the dimensions were wrong and a long story short, I went through several headaches and starting from scratch until I was able to come up with a halfway decent book cover.

I eventually found a template that I was able to put my cover image into and make it look all nice and professional. It worked and they looked rather good.  Being the protectionist I am they were not good enough for me.  Thus, I always wanted to change the covers.

What has always been clear is people love the artwork.  When I published, I was so nervous about sharing my artwork.  So much so, I almost did not put it onto the cover.  I have reviewed more emails praising, asking about and complimenting my cover art than anything from readers.  Even when I have talked about changing the covers, my friends, readers or anyone else has always made a plea for me to keep my artwork on the books.  I decided over a year ago that no matter what the images for each cover was going to stay the same. 

Although I have been busily painting the cover for my new book, Pieces of Us coming out at the end of summer, dealing with edits and a schedule so crazy my head is spinning some days, I had an idea for what I wanted to do with the covers of my series.  Without further ado, here are the new covers beside the old.

Finding Our Way

Justin Parker and Derrick Wilson have been best friends since meeting back in middle school. Currently they are in their junior year at Chandler High School, and living the good life as teenagers. They have great girlfriends, plenty of close friends, their own cars, and parents who are well off. As nice as things might look to an outsider, something is missing from each of their lives.

Justin has become the invisible son in the midst of his parents failing marriage. In an effort to get his parent’s attention, Justin keeps getting into trouble. So far he has been able to get away with anything without facing any repercussions, while Derrick is feeling distant and tired of what he feels is a too “perfect family”. He just wants to have a normal social life and spend time with his friends without the pressures from his family to spend time with them. With blurring the lines of friendship in the process to realizing what was missing and discovering who they really are.

Justin and Derrick take turns narrating the story of their junior year in high school and all of the events that take place in their lives. Being a teenager can be tough. Being gay can be tougher. For Derrick and Justin they are both, and life cannot get any more complicated.

What happens when two best friends cross the boundaries of friendship? Will they be able to be happy together? Will they keep their secret?

Tams review of Finding Our Way 

Tormented Discovery

Justin and Derrick have a secret that they revealed only to their closest friends. They are gay and are now a couple. The story of Justin and Derrick continues as they learn more about being a gay couple in their senior year of high school and the complications that arise from it. Some friends will have their backs while others simply stand on the sidelines. Other friends will be accepting and others will ridicule them.

Sometimes love is almost not enough to save a relationship and both Derrick and Justin begin to have their doubts as they watch relationships around them rise and fall. Justin and Derrick both want to have new experiences, new choices and make new friends, which leads to them questioning their own relationship. They soon discover that some of the people they consider friends have their own secrets, some darker than others. The couple begins to see how people react towards homosexuality and just how people want to deal with it and them.

Will Justin and Derrick be able to hold onto each other while their lives and secrets spiral around them?
Or will they decide to step back and give up on themselves and each other?

Tams review of Tormented Discovery

Drifting

What happens when the person you love is having doubts?

These two boyfriends have been through a lot. Best friends since childhood, fell in love in high school and thought they would be together forever. They stuck together even when their friends and family found out about their relationship. Struggling with challenge after challenge, they have finally made it to college and are living on their own. Living together is a whole new world and being open with their relationship is even more so.

Spending every day together as a couple they begin to learn about their differences. Things that never bothered them are now annoying traits driving a wedge between them. Can their relationship survive their differences? Can it handle new friends and new romances? Will they find their way together or will they drift apart?

Tams review of Drifting

I appreciate you taking the time to share in my excitement!  I hope you enjoy the new covers and more so, I hope you enjoy the books!

Thanks again, Tams for having me as a guest today!

A Little About Me (Jayson James)

For as long as I can remember, I dreamt of becoming a published author someday. Though I was not sure what genre I wanted to write, I knew I liked to write and tell stories. Throughout the years, I have written various stories and shared them with my friends. A novel I had an overwhelming urge to write exactly a year ago would make this dream come true. When I am not writing, I enjoy drawing, reading, watching movies and socializing.

For more information about me, please visit my website: www.jaysonjamesbooks.blogspot.com

To purchase my books, please visit Amazon: http://amzn.com/e/B009FQAR44

And thank you Jayson for stopping by today and sharing these fantastic new covers with us. I have to tell you, if you haven't read this series yet, you really should. It's so fresh and young and there is this raw realism to the writing. I found this video on youtube not too long after I finished Finding Our Way, and it really puts a visual to how I see Justin & Derrick. So young, naive and in love... it is really what this series is all about. 

And now for the giveaway goodies! 2 winners will receive 1 ebook from Jayson James backlist, Winner's Choice! And feel free to stalk James on Facebook and Twitter, he really loves it!                a Rafflecopter giveaway