Resistance by Jena Leigh
(The Variant Series #2)
Publication date: February 11th 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
(The Variant Series #2)
Publication date: February 11th 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Alexandra Parker might be the most powerful Variant the world has ever seen—but even that won’t get her out of finishing her junior year of high school.
The challenge of keeping her abilities under wraps during class is daunting enough, but throw one surly, sandy-haired Jumper into the mix, and things can get downright complicated.
Declan’s new job? Watch over Alex while she’s at school and do everything in his power to keep her from losing control. But as sparks of every kind begin flying between Alex and her new bodyguard, she's left feeling more unstable than ever.
When avoiding her abilities results in a surprise visit from her parents’ killer, Alex’s worlds collide with a bang that nearly levels Bay View High.
With her freedom now squarely in the Agency’s crosshairs, Alex will be faced with the fight of her life... and a decision that could forever alter the course of her destiny.
The challenge of keeping her abilities under wraps during class is daunting enough, but throw one surly, sandy-haired Jumper into the mix, and things can get downright complicated.
Declan’s new job? Watch over Alex while she’s at school and do everything in his power to keep her from losing control. But as sparks of every kind begin flying between Alex and her new bodyguard, she's left feeling more unstable than ever.
When avoiding her abilities results in a surprise visit from her parents’ killer, Alex’s worlds collide with a bang that nearly levels Bay View High.
With her freedom now squarely in the Agency’s crosshairs, Alex will be faced with the fight of her life... and a decision that could forever alter the course of her destiny.
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About the Author:
AUTHOR BIO
Jena Leigh is the author of the Variant Series novels REVIVAL and RESISTANCE. Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, she spent ten years in the mountains of North Carolina before returning home to the lightning capital of North America. A shameless geek, she loves coffee, loud music, bad sci-fi movies, Skittles, and shenanigan-filled road trips to faraway concerts.
Author Links:
On Creating Characters for the Variant Series
When I sat down to write the story of Alexandra Parker and her strange, Variant-filled
world, I realized fairly quickly that the novel would be just as much about Alex, as it would
be about her newfound friends.
At first, Revival (the first novel in the series) had no plot. Not even a rough outline. There
was no destination for the story and there were no real characters to speak of. All I knew
about the book that Revival would eventually become was a single moment, pulled from a
scene that takes place a few chapters into the tale—an image of a young girl running through
a burning bookstore, a wall of flames licking at her back as she fled down the aisle with no
way out.
I didn’t know who Alex was, back then… but I knew a lot about the guy she’d find waiting
for her at the top of that black spiral staircase in the far corner of the store.
Declan O’Connell—the blonde-haired, blue-eyed jumper who was equal parts bad boy and
smartass—was a character I’d been forming in my mind for a long, long time, but had yet
to find a home for. Going into the project, Declan was the only character that I knew inside
and out. Or at least, the only one I thought I knew.
As the story progressed, Declan’s character grew and matured in my mind, pieces of his
backstory falling into place and revealing the source of his bad attitude and surly disposition.
By the time I wrote the last page of Revival, I understood Declan in a way I never could have
imagined during those opening chapters.
The truth is, I don’t create my characters so much as discover them as I work their stories onto
the page.
All of the characters in the Variant series came to me in varying forms of completeness. A
name here, a face there, a quirk or two to distinguish them, an important bit of backstory
that forever changed their life or altered their personality… And often, I didn’t know what
a characters would do or say in a situation until I’d put them in that situation and let the
character speak for herself.
In the case of Declan’s younger sister Kenzie, I had a crystal clear image of her physical
appearance before I even decided on her name. In fact, her name was chosen because it was
the only name I could think of that fit the picture in my head.
But Kenzie’s personality?
Well, I think it’s fair to say that I was not expecting the girl who eventually showed up on the
page. Kenzie was a pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. My early thoughts about
the girl she might turn out to be ended up completely different from the caffeine-addicted teen
that eventually worked her way into the story.
For me, that journey of discovery—of learning to understand my characters better as the
story progresses—is one of my favorite things about writing. By allowing the characters
to develop naturally, I’m just as surprised as the reader is by who and what they eventually
turn out to be. It’s an enjoyable process and something I honestly can’t get enough of. The
further into the Variant series I get, the better I get to know these characters—and the more
I grow to love them.
EXCERPT:
Resistance Excerpt
Kenzie drummed her fingers idly on the top of her desk. Slouched in her
seat, she stared unblinking at the black hands of the clock mounted to the wall
above the whiteboard. All around the room, students waited in small groups for
the bell to release them and their weekend to begin.
Three minutes until the final bell.
Three minutes, and she’d be free.
Three minutes, thought Kenzie, and I’ll be on my way toward my next coffee fix.
That bell really needed to hurry itself up.
Kenzie sighed. The longer she went without a fix, the harder it was to
silence the thoughts emanating from the sea of humanity around her.
Focus meant an easier time of keeping the walls up and the voices out.
She wondered, briefly, what telepaths did before the discovery of caffeinated
beverages. The thought made her shudder. Control without stimulants in the
bloodstream was possible, of course. But it was far from a pleasant way to go.
Kenzie jolted upright, the sudden movement causing her desk to bang into
the back of the seat in front of her.
Something had just slammed into her mental walls with enough force to
send a stab of pain through her temple.
Around the room, the steady flow of conversation dried up.
It wasn’t just Kenzie. That pulse had hit everyone.
Kenzie got slowly to her feet.
A funny thing happens when norms experience Variant abilities firsthand.
Instead of seeing the supernatural for what it is, nine times out of ten, they will
translate their experience into something that better fits the rules of their reality.
The brilliant light of a jumper’s teleport becomes a camera flash, the
telekinetic movement of objects through the air gets blamed on a strong gust of
wind, and mental assaults are automatically translated into something external.
“Did you hear that?” asked a freckle-faced blonde from across the aisle.
“Sounded like a sonic boom, or something.”
“Yeah! I heard it, too!” said another. “Wonder what it was?”
She supposed the better question was not what was it, but who was it?
The wave came again, this time with twice the strength behind it. Kenzie
grabbed for the back of her seat to keep from losing her balance.
The wave wasn’t a thought, it was a distilled emotion. Someone,
somewhere, was absolutely terrified.
Judging from the nervous expressions on the faces of the students around
her, that fear was not only being broadcast to the rest of the school, it was also
creeping its way into their subconscious.
Kenzie sifted through the residue of the psychic onslaught in an attempt to
The second she caught a glimpse of that all too familiar thought signature,
she cursed—loudly, to the surprise of the students standing stock-still beside
her—before sprinting toward the door.
Halfway down the locker-lined hall the ground began to shudder, the floor
practically roiling beneath her feet.
Earthquake? she wondered.
But this was Florida. Florida didn’t have earthquakes.
Declan appeared at the other end of the hall, running in her direction.
“Where is she?” called Kenzie.
Her brother ducked through a swinging door just ahead of her.
Alex was on her knees in a shallow sea of water, dripping wet, her hands
clutching the sides of her head.
Water flooded the room. The porcelain sinks lining the wall lay shattered
and in pieces on the ground. A large, spherical indentation was blasted into the
wall behind Alex and what could only be burn marks scorched onto the ceiling
As Kenzie watched in amazement, strands of water began swirling around
her friend, encasing her in a glittering sphere of liquid before losing form and
crashing back down around her.
A shimmer of light rippled across Alex’s body, distorting her appearance like
“I can’t…” Alex was sobbing. “There are too many, Declan. I can’t make
Declan edged as close to Alex as he dared, his expression grim.
Alex finally lifted her head to look at them.
Kenzie took an involuntary step backward. She had seen the way a
jumper’s eyes changed color, the brilliant violet light causing their eyes to glow
brightly in the moments before and after they teleported, but Alex’s normally gray
eyes were now shifting colors with every beat of her heart.
The rumbling in the floor intensified, sending Declan into action. He sloshed
through the water, reaching down to grip Alex under her arms.
“Get the door,” he called over his shoulder.
Kenzie held the door for Declan as he dragged Alex into the deserted
“Take my arm,” he ordered, maintaining his hold on Alex. “Let’s go, Kenzie.”
Terrified of being this close to Alex during a meltdown, but knowing her
brother would leave her behind if she didn’t act fast, Kenzie lurched forward and
They jumped with the sound of the final bell ringing in their ears.
Q&A:
How did you come up with the idea for the Variant Series?
The inspiration for the Variant Series as a whole came from many different places, but the
original spark for Revival came in the form of my morning coffee. One day at the coffee
shop, the barista had drawn the shape of a phoenix into the foam on my latte. The image
set my mind to wandering and I spent the next half hour writing out a scene where a young
girl was being chased by a wall of flames through a burning bookstore. That piece would
eventually become the opening scene of Chapter Four in Revival.
Can you give us a hint to what we should be expecting in your second book?
In Resistance, book two in the Variant series, the stakes are raised even higher for Alex
and the gang. As Alex struggles to get a grip on her newfound powers, she’s faced with
a far more daunting assignment—survive the last few months of her junior year without
accidentally losing control and leveling Bay View High.
But the risk of outing herself and the Variant population at large would be a lot easier to
handle if the Agency wasn’t still breathing down her neck… and if Declan weren’t quite so
distracting in his newfound role as Alex’s bodyguard. As sparks of all kinds start flying, Alex
is left struggling to keep her head above water and her heart in one piece. And when her
freedom lands itself in the Agency’s crosshairs, Alex will be faced with the fight of her life.
Where do you like to write?
Anywhere and everywhere. I seem to do my best work in unfamiliar places. I’ve written on
planes, at the mall, in doctor’s office waiting rooms… If I have my computer or a journal
with me, I’ll usually try to get a few words on the page. There’s something about traveling
that helps me to tune out distractions and focus, while at the same time inspiring my writing.
Do you decide character traits before you sit down to write the book, or as you go
along?
Character traits are usually decided on as I write. I very rarely have an entire character in
mind when I sit down at the keyboard. I usually start with a few random traits—a name
here, a face there, a quirk or two to distinguish them, an important bit of backstory that
forever changed their life or altered their personality—and then the personalities of my
characters become clearer to me as I make it further into the story.
Who is your favorite character in the series, and why?
Oh, that’s a tough one! It seems to change from day to day. Right now I’d probably have to
say that Declan’s sister Kenzie is my favorite. She’s sassy, sarcastic and I can always count on
her for a witty rejoinder. Kenzie’s scenes are always enjoyable to write.
Tell us about the biggest challenges you face in your writing process.
I think the biggest challenge I have is in plotting out a story. When it comes to my writing,
I’m a total pantser and I despise outlining. Writing only feels natural to me when my
characters are the ones telling the story. I love being just as surprised as my readers are when
something unexpected happens in the narrative. When you’re working on a series, however,
that doesn’t always work. You need to have some idea of where the story is headed before
you begin, otherwise it’s very easy to write yourself into a corner.
If you could give a young writer any tip, what would it be?
Write constantly and read everything you can get your hands on. It seems like such an
obvious piece of advice, but it’s quite possibly the most important things you can do to
improve your writing.
If you weren't writing, what would you want to be doing for a living? What are some
of your other passions in life?
Rock star! I mean, really. Who hasn’t wanted to be one at some point? Aside from writing,
I’m incredibly passionate about music. I love it, but I haven’t got a lick of talent (although that
doesn’t stop me from singing at the top of my lungs in the shower every morning). If there’s
not a song playing in the background somewhere, I usually don’t know what to do with
myself.
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