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

When I’m not writing, reading, petting animals, watching k-dramas with my husband, 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 literary agent? The Whalen Agency
Who is my headshot photographer? Kathryn Louise
Who is my cover artist for To Carve a Fae Heart/To Wear a Fae Crown/To Spark a Fae War? Me!
Who is my cover artist for the Fair Isle Trilogy Complete Series Collection? Me!
Who is my cover artist for the Entangled with Fae series? Me!
Who is my cover artist for the Entangled with Fae special edition hardcovers? Lauren Richelieu
Who is my cover artist for Married by Scandal? Franziska Stern
Who illustrates my maps, chapter headers, and character illustrations under the dust jackets of my hardcover editions? Me!
Who is my cover artist for the Prophecy of the Forgotten Fae trilogy? Covers by Combs.
Who is my cover illustrator for Shadows of Lela and Veil of Mist (*no longer published)? Merilliza Chan
Who is my cover illustrator for Shades of Prophecy and Princess of Thorns (*no longer published)? NibelArt
Who is my cover artist for Twisting Minds? First two editions by Emily Wittig Designs. 2024 edition by me.
Who is my editor? Kristen Portillo
Who is my 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, Book Depository, as well as my shop.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.