The Lily Cafe is thrilled to welcome you to our very first author reading! Today I’m honored to host the author of the YA fantasy novel Quaking Soul, Jennifer M. Zeiger.
I’ve been a long-time follower of Jennifer’s, since 2013, and very quickly fell in love with her writing and stories. I first met her when she was posting Choose Your Own Adventure stories to her blog and inviting readers to participate by selecting one of two or three choices. Jennifer could not have been more warm and welcoming, and her love of stories was infectious.
Since 2013, Jennifer has been published in several anthologies and e-zines. Her first published story appears in the anthology Midnight Abyss alongside several other horror and dark fantasy stories (check out an interview with Jennifer and a sneak peek at some of the stories in the anthology.). She’s also had several fantasy short stories published in Story Shack, Dark Futures, Colorado’s Emerging Writers Anthology, and America’s Emerging Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers: Colorado anthology.
In 2017, Jennifer self-published her first collection of Choose Your Own Adventure stories. The Adventure includes three fantasy stories with numerous possible endings (my review). Several reviewers have raved about how amazing it is and how readers of all ages have enjoyed it. Even my then 4 year old loved it and demanded it every night for weeks.
With the publication of Quaking Soul in November 2020, Jennifer has realized her dream of publishing her first fantasy novel. It follows a young dryad as the mythic and human worlds collide and uneasy alliances must be made. Quaking Soul reads like a dream, perfect for adults and younger readers looking for an adventure, and the incredible attention to detail when it comes to the natural world is not to be missed.
Without further ado, enjoy a description of Quaking Soul followed by the reading.
About Quaking Soul
This was it. This was Na’rina’s chance to prove to her mother and the dryad Council she could navigate the mythic and human worlds. With night hanging over the city, all she needs to do is sneak in unseen, attend a mythic meeting, and report back. If only she knew who had called the meeting in the first place.
Na’rina’s a young Drydanda, destined to be Queen of the Dryads, or tree nymphs. Her world-fauns, nymphs, dwarves-hides in plain sight from the more populated human world. As long as they remain myth, they remain safe.
He’s come to warn them but he’s a wer-im, a werecat, who was banished centuries ago with the rest of his species for burning the dryad’s trees. But humans captured his leader and dozens of other mythical creatures as well. If the mythic world is to survive, he must forge alliances.
When Na’rina’s mother goes missing, she finds the violent, banished wer-im her only allies. She soon realizes that everything she’s been taught in preparation for leadership appears to be wrong. Who can Na’rina trust while attempting to keep the dryads alive in her mother’s absence? As she quickly discovers, the fate of the mythical world rests on her decisions.
Please welcome Jennifer M. Zeiger!
Thank you so much, Jennifer! It was an incredible pleasure to have you here today.
About Jennifer M. Zeiger
Jennifer M Zeiger grew up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and she now lives in South Carolina with her husband, Nate.
She’s had short stories published in Z Publication’s Colorado’s
Emerging Writers: An Anthology of Fiction Anthology and America’s Emerging Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers: Colorado Anthology, as well as in the online ezines The Story Shack and Dark Futures.
In 2017, Jennifer kickstarted her writing carrier, literally, by publishing her first book, The Adventure, after running a successful Kickstarter. The Adventure is a Choose Your Own Adventure–style book for young readers that contains three stories with eight to ten endings each.
With Quaking Soul, Jennifer has now realized her dream of publishing a novel. She plans to continue producing adventure books and novels in the future.
Connect with Jennifer M. Zeiger
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Purchase Links
The author, Jennifer M. Zeiger, retains all rights to the Quaking Soul reading published above, which may not be copied, reproduced, modified, sold, or distributed without the author’s express permission, though the author has granted permission for the video to be shared. To contact Jennifer M. Zeiger to request permission to utilize the author reading video other than to share it, please send your inquiry to Kat via the Contact page.
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The Lily Cafe 
Thank you, Kat! You put way more into the presentation of this than I expected and it looks amazing =)
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I’m so glad you liked it! I had no real idea of what I was doing, but wanted to model it after actual author readings. It was really a lot of fun to do!
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Thank you for sharing! Good job to both Kat and Jennifer. Keep it up this is fun.
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Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the reading =)
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and so grateful Jennifer agreed to do this! Her reading is amazing!
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Love this Kat! 😊
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I’m so glad! Thank you!
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