About - Tessonja Odette

I’m Tessonja Odette, author of fantasy romance, fairytale retellings, and epic romantasy. I especially like to write books about brooding fae royals and the feisty women who hate-to-love them. I’m also obsessed with elemental magic, unique fantasy worlds, and a multitude of magical creatures. See all books I’ve written here.

In addition to writing, I am a multi-passionate creative with a ton of artistic hobbies (sometimes too many). 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 heroine’s journey, I reached a point 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 two steps forward, three steps 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.

Writing is a dream come true and I love sharing my stories with my readers.

Life

I live in the Seattle area with my husband and daughter and all of our pets. When I’m not writing, you can find me strolling the bookstore, drinking tea, and reading my favorite genres: romantasy, thrillers, and romcoms. I especially love reading manga. I’m also a big fan of anime and k-dramas (so I also read a lot of subtitles too lol). In my past life (aka my 20’s) I was a musician and played in bands, as well as did some songwriting and singing. Now I mostly sing songs to my pets (every pet deserves their own theme song) or meow at my cats. My main creative outlet is art. I’ve actually designed some of my covers and illustrated some of my character art!

FAQ

Who is your literary agent? Kimberly Whalen at The Whalen Agency
Are you an indie author or traditionally published? Both! I started out fully indie but my first traditionally published title, The Lies That Summon the Night, releases in 2026 via Delacorte US / Zaffre UK. In addition to the new series, my three Faerwyvae series (The Fair Isle Trilogy, Entangled with Fae, and Fae Flings and Corset Strings) have been picked up by my UK publisher for traditional publication in the UK/international as well. My FAQ about the UK publication of my fae series can be found here.
Who is your headshot photographer (2025 updated photos)? Melissa Stone at Brazen House Studios
Who is your headshot photographer (2017 pink hair photos)? Kathryn Louise
Who is the cover artist for To Carve a Fae Heart/To Wear a Fae Crown/To Spark a Fae War? Me!
Who is the cover artist for the Fair Isle Trilogy Complete Series Collection? Me!
Who is the cover artist for the Entangled with Fae standard editions? Me!
Who is the cover artist for the Entangled with Fae special editions? Lauren Richelieu
Who is the cover artist for Fae Flings and Corset Strings? The dust jackets/ebook/paperback covers are by me and the hardcovers are by Meowlayn Art
Who is the cover artist for Married by Scandal? Franziska Stern
Who is the cover artist for the Prophecy of the Forgotten Fae trilogy (individual books)? Covers by Combs.
Who is the cover artist for the Prophecy of the Forgotten Fae OMNIBUS? Averil the Artist.
Who is the cover illustrator for Shadows of Lela and Veil of Mist (*no longer published)? Merilliza Chan
Who is the cover illustrator for Shades of Prophecy and Princess of Thorns (*no longer published)? NibelArt
Who is the cover artist for Twisting Minds? First two editions by Emily Wittig Designs. 2024 edition by me.
Who is your editor for your indie books? Kristen Portillo (rest in peace my friend)
Who is your indie proofreader? Claire Olivia Golden
Where can I get signed copies? My shop!
Where can I find your hardcover editions with the pretty character art under the dust jacket? My hardcover books are available on most online retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, as well as my shop. For my US indie books, all editions will be the same no matter where you get them (the only difference between regular retailers and shop is that my shop ones come signed)
Where can I find your Entangled with Fae special editions? See my FAQ page dedicated to my special editions here.

Q&A SESSIONS / OTHER FAQ / INTERVIEWS / ARTICLES

CONTACT

For general inquiries, questions, and comments, please contact me via email at tessonja@tessonjaodette.com
For translation rights or publishing inquiries, please contact my agent Kimberly Whalen at kwhalen@thewhalenagency.com