Jess Mastorakos- An Author & Military Spouse
In continuing my “Military Spouse Series” let me introduce you to an Amazing author Jess Mastorakos. I stumbled across her and her books at the end of last year! Quickly, I fell in love the San Diego Marines Series and look forward to reading more of her books. I was lucky enough to get this interview with Jess, her is her story…
Jess Mastorakos Interview
Tell me a little bit about yourself?
โI am a proud Marine wife, mom of four kids 8 & under, and weโre currently stationed in Hawaii. Iโm a full-time author, with about 21 books published in the sweet military romance genre. Iโm also starting a cozy mystery pen name.
As for hobbies, Iโm bad at that, because I basically have no chill when it comes to writing. When Iโm not writing, Iโm thinking about writing, planning the next thing Iโll write, or marketing the things Iโve already written. But I do love binge-watching crime/medical dramas and hanging out at the beach with my family. Weโre loving Hawaii life and are so grateful to be stationed here!โ
I’ve enjoyed all the books I have read by Jess Mastorakos. I’m usually one who likes smutty romance but these sweet military romance novels have been a breath of fresh air. Check them out here!
Military Love
How did you meet your spouse?
โWe met through mutual friends when I was seventeen and he was eighteen. It was pretty much insta-love if weโre talking romance tropes. We went from zero to I love you in a couple of weeks, and itโs been a crazy ride ever since! Weโve been married for eleven years this year, have four beautiful kids and have lived in a lot of really cool places thanks to his time in the Marines.โ
I love how you compare your love story to the insta-love romance trope! My husband and I also met through mutual friends and fell in love quickly. ๐
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More About Jessย Mastorakos
What is your favorite and least favorite thing about being a military spouse?
โMy favorite thing is getting to experience new places and cultures. I actually really enjoy moving somewhere new each time and I look forward to the experiences weโll have in our next home-for-now. My least favorite thing is probably deployments. Theyโre never fun. We havenโt had one in a while since he was on recruiting duty before we came to Hawaii, but Iโm not looking forward to the next one after getting spoiled. That said, recruiting duty was a beast, so I wouldnโt want to go back to that either!โ
Growing up a Military Brat and now bing a Military spouse, experiencing new places has always been my favorite too. I couldnโt agree more about deployments, I donโt look forward to our next one.
How did you get started as an author?
โI found myself wishing for relatable and realistic military romance when my husband first became a Marine. So, I started writing my own! I didnโt really know how to market the books I self-published back then, but then I got some training in sales from another career and it led me to wonder if I could apply those same marketing principles to my books. From there, in 2019, I re-wrote those old books and started writing new ones. I havenโt looked back since! Itโs been a blast.โ
ย Wow that is amazing, I am so glad that you started writing and publishing your books! It is nice to have something relatable to read.
Best Part of being an Author
What is your favorite part of being an author?
โAs far as the practical side, I love the flexibility for sure. I love being able to take my career wherever the military sends my spouse. On a day-to-day level, itโs great that I can keep my own schedule since Iโve got four kids running in all different directions. On a more sentimental note, I also really enjoy the creative aspect of it. I love love, and I love writing about love.
(Though, Iโm also writing murder mysteries now too, so donโt worry, the draw with that is the puzzle of a good mystery, not because I love the concept of murder itself.)โ ๐
Advice for becoming an Author
What advice would you give a new military spouse? A new spouse wanting to become an author?
โFor a new military spouse, I would say to expect the unexpected. Have a backup plan for all of your plans, especially if theyโre dependent on your spouse and his/her schedule. Having a go-with-the-flow mindset really helps cut down on the anxiety and the frustration when things change, and as silly as it sounds, the only constant in the military is that things change all the time. You just have to be willing to be flexible and make every day count.โ
โFor someone wanting to become an author, my best advice is to get connected with a community of other authors. There are a lot of great groups on Facebook, channels on YouTube, Podcasts, etc. for writers, and I learned everything I know now in this way. Having a writing buddy or accountability partner is great too, since you can learn things together about the craft as a writer as well as the business side of being an author. But most of all, take the leap and have fun! Itโs a great career.โ
Finishing up with Jess
Thank you for letting me interview you, is there anything else you would like to share?
โIf you want to read some Hallmark-style military romances, I have three complete series with a fourth in progress. Theyโre each set at a different Marine base, but the characters all exist in the same world. Thereโs some fun crossover between them! They can all be read out of order, but if you want to start at the beginning, snag the free novella I give away on my website. Itโs called Forever with You and itโs about a Marine recruiter finding love with the woman who runs the bookstore next door. Because, honestly, if a recruiter didnโt find love with someone who literally worked right next to his office, when would he ever see her? ๐ Grab your free ebook copy at here and then youโll be at the start of the entire world of books.โ
It was so much fun interviewing and getting to know Jess Mastorakos. I enjoy her books and have even ordered some from her new mystery series!
Check out other wonderful women affiliated with the Military and what they do here!
Hillary- A Woodworker
Haley- A Military Women, Cheerleader & Entrepreneur
All my book posts can be found by clicking here!
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