About - Tessonja Odette

I’m Tessonja Odette, a young mother living in Seattle. And by young, I mean 30-something. It’s the new 20, right? I have been writing fiction since I was a child. My wild imagination, my love for magical things, and my fascination with the great unknown led my writing into the realm of fantasy.

My debut novel, Shadows of Lela, is book one in The Lela Trilogy. This YA epic fantasy features strong female characters, swooth-worthy romance, metaphysical magic, and UNICORNS. See all books I’ve written here.

In addition to writing, I am a multi-passionate creative with a ton of artistic hobbies. I believe in the importance of following your joy, and hope to inspire others to live their dreams.

My Writing Story

I wanted to be a published writer ever since I wrote my VERY first draft of my very first novel at age 18. However, like 99.9% of ALL first drafts, it was NOT ready for publication back then. Not realizing this was perfectly normal, I felt discouraged and shrank away from my dreams as I went on to navigate the minefield of my twenties. Even though I did continue to write and work on revising and improving that first manuscript, I also continued to take on layers of self-doubt.

But like many a hero’s journey, I reached a breaking point in mine when I realized it was time to make a choice. Did I want to be a writer, or not? YES! Was I going to let self doubt and fear hold me back for one more day, one more year, or one more minute? NO! To be honest, the answer was more like a…no?…at first, but I eventually got to a HELL NO.

While that sounds like a heroic moment, in reality it felt more like a slow dance of one step forward, one step back. But now I understand that’s the journey. Even after several published books, I still go through cycles of self doubt, fear, anxiety, elation, joy, and all the proud and not-so-proud moments in between.

It really comes down to following my joy, my life’s passion, and my heart.

Life

When I’m not writing, working, reading, petting animals, or having dance parties with my daughter, I enjoy my other hobbies as an artist and musician. I love to play the ukulele and guitar, sing, meow at my cat, create character art and maps, and numerous other creative projects I pick up along the way.

FAQ

Who is my photographer? Kathryn Louise
Who is my cover illustrator for Shadows of Lela and Veils of Mist? Merilliza Chan
Who is my cover illustrator for Shades of Prophecy? NibelArt
Who is my cover designer for Twisting Minds? Emily Wittig Designs
Who is my cover designer for the Fair Isle Trilogy? Parker Book Design.
Who is my editor? Kristen Portillo