Less Than Perfect
When it's just you and your father, life can be complicated. But when your new best friend is a teen prostitute and her brother is a drug dealer, things can get even trickier.
Less Than Perfect follows the life of Annie Hayes as she navigates life along the Chetco river. Shelley, her best friend, is a keenly observant outcast a year younger. Shelley does her best to guide Annie and is great in the forest, but Shelley may not be the best guide in life. Annie meets a few people others who want to help her out, including Peter, the teenage son of a very wealthy Los Angeles family. He flies to her rescue when she's caught between her father and her boyfriend.
But Annie can't stay with them, so she runs off -- again.
Annie finally turns 18 and gets back in touch with Shelley, only to hear that Annie's father has died. She returns to Oregon and learns that her father left her one last gift: a small fortune. Annie reunites with Peter, but his friends are not welcoming. Will they end up together?
NOTE: Less Than Perfect is ready for publication.
Riding the Wave
Riding the Wave is an insider's look at the dotcom rise and fall from a female employee's point of view.
We’ve seen the movies about the men running Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple. But we have heard nothing from the workers, the people in the trenches at these companies – especially the 20% female workers. What was it like to work there 80 hours a week, with free drinks and ping pong tables in break rooms, to watch the value of your stock options go up and down? It’s the Rosenrantz and Guildernstern are Dead of the DotCom era plus a fascinating look inside the companies through ordinary eyes.
NOTE: Riding the Wave is currently in editing.
In the Blood
In the Blood follows the story of a brilliant doctor and two of the women who love him, Carol and Carmen, who, unbeknownst to him or them, are mother and daughter -- his daughter. The attraction was immediate. Even their mannerisms were the same. People thought it was cute, how Carmen, the gifted student, mimicked her professor's (and lover's) behavior. But come on, he's old enough to be her father!
In the Blood is an exploration of genetics, attraction, and tragedy.
Brandi or If Tomorrow Never Comes
Brandi is the story of a white high school girl from an abusive home who moves in with a man who wants to use her to make money. She becomes an underage prostitute until her death a few years later.
This novel is a "ripped from the headlines" kind of story — unfortunately.
Gordon Gatsby, (Younger) Son of the Richest Man in the World
Gordon Gatsby, younger son of the richest man in the world, is a playboy who doesn’t have to take life seriously, and doesn’t. He lives a life of privilege, free of consequence. That is, until he is cut off from the family fortune for a scandalous tell-all in a men's magazine.
Before he can patch things up with his father, the latter dies, leaving Gordon’s disapproving older brother Harold in charge of the family business. Harold has no tolerance for Gordon’s behavior. Gordon is low on funds. He knows he can’t possibly work for a living — he’s never worked a day in his life. How will a spoiled womanizer survive?
Young Adult Novels
Yet Another Teen Vampire Story?
Inspired by reading the Twilight series, a trio of vampires have moved to Forks, Washington, taking over the local mortuary and keep a low profile. The handsome, teenage-looking vampire is intrigued by Sarah, a girl who’s desperate to leave this place. But when he helps clean her wound, she falls ill with a disease that doctors thought was long gone. As the town races to find the source of the disease, the vampires are increasingly pushed into a corner. Will their secret finally be revealed?
Alphabet Soup
In a dystopian world, the government controls writing and citizens need to buy letters. One day, children playing with sticks accidentally form letters and learn more about writing. Soon, government agents come to town and start arresting people. The children are discovered and arrested for treason. But the townspeople help spread the knowledge.
Acknowledging that citizens should be able to write, the government is confronted by extremists -- and ask the help of those they recently arrested. It's hard to choose a side.
About the Author
Jess graduated from Brown University with a double major in French and Semiotics. Jess and family live near San Diego, California. Jess is fluent in French, Spanish, Italian and German and has worked in technology, translation, and non-profits in addition to being a writer.
Jess Harper can be reached by email at jess [at] jessharperauthor.com, @JessHarperAuthr on Twitter, or on Facebook. Please like the page!