​The news article about me and my book that was in the Alton Telegraph on July 20th

Paranormal novelist

Writer delves into world of supernatural beings

For The Telegraph

Trisha Jones

Trisha Jones, 33, of Collinsville, wrote “Nirvash, A Vampire’s Tale” about a world where supernatural creatures face discrimination and fear of annihilation. The protagonist, Nirvash, must team up with every supernatural creature to stop the Were-bear, Bert Xavier, who has killed Nirvash’s whole nest.

Posted: Saturday, July 20, 2013 8:00 am

Paranormal novelistBy JENNIFER K. HASAMEAR
For The Telegraphthetelegraph.com

For one local author, having her self-published book read by more and more people is an emotional experience.

“I’m thrilled and a bit nervous at the same time because people are reading it and contacting me with both positive and negative comments about the book,” said Trisha Jones, 33, of Collinsville.

Last year, Jones went through the process of self-publishing her first book, “Nirvash, A Vampire’s Tale.”

“One day I showed my husband something I wrote and he asked me if I had ever considered trying to get my writing published,” she said. “I had but I did not know whether my writing was good enough. But he was the one who gave me the confidence to move forward with my writing and get it published.”

After being told by an agent that her book was too short, she decided to go the self-publishing route.

“Writing is the easy part,” she said. “But going through your finished novel and editing it is the hard part.”

Because she was not seeing a lot of people purchasing her book, a friend recently suggested putting out a press release about the book, which helped it gain a little more attention.

“The stuff I write can be classified under many different genres. But this book can be considered paranormal and supernatural fiction,” she said.

“Nirvash, A Vampire’s Tale” takes place in a world where supernatural creatures face discrimination and fear of annihilation. Nirvash, along with her friends and lovers, must team up with every supernatural creature to stop the Were-bear, Bert Xavier, who has killed Nirvash’s whole nest.

“When Xavier is killing the humans, they have to stop him before he further alienates the vampires. Since all of Were-kind is on the verge of being discovered, the stakes are high for both the Were-creatures and vampires. Nirvash must keep the ones she has come to love safe from him. In the meantime, Nirvash falls for not one man but two,” according to the book’s description.

This stay-at-home mom has just one piece of simple advice for aspiring writers.

“Just write,” said Jones, who is mother to Destiny, 9, and Hunter, 11. “No matter, don’t try to make excuses. Whether it’s for 15 minutes a day, just write.”

She wrote “Nirvash” in 2009 during the National Novel Month. Since then, she has written another novel and is finishing her third book.

“I was told by a published author that you will receive enough rejection letters to paper your office before you finally receive an acceptance letter from an agent or a publisher,” she said. “With this next book, I am hoping to find that agent or publisher who would like to take it.”

Jones’ dream is to one day walk into a bookstore and see her published novel sitting on a shelf. Until then, her book is available online at www.lulu.com and other sites such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iBookstore.