Sci-Fi Superhero Trilogy Author
Jordan S. Keller
Ashes Over Avalon
Hello Readers,
I've been wanting to get another YA author on Teazurs for some time. I write both YA and MG and sometimes dabble in PBs, too. I love all KidLit books and promote them to my audience. But since I've been revising a middle-grade this past year, I've been focusing my reading and interviews there.
Well, I'm glad to change it up and cheerlead this YA Sci-Fi writer onto more success!
She's got 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Check this superhero trilogy out—you won't be disappointed! I can't wait to read mine.
Hello, Jodan,
Thank you for being on Teazurs blog.
What initially sparked your interest in storytelling and writing?
I’ve always loved stories. As a kid, my parents and grandparents would tell me stories from their lives, and I loved listening to them. It’s what sent me on a journalism path in college—to hear more stories from more people. It was third grade when I started writing my own fictional stories, and I remember I had a notebook on me at all times to continue my “novels.”
How did your background in print and radio journalism influence your approach to writing fiction?
Writing for a newspaper is so different than writing fiction. You are only concerned with the facts of the event and there is no room for flowery prose, character insights, or the drama that makes fiction so much fun. Journalism taught me to know what was most important to include in my fiction works, the who, what, when, where, and why, while also giving me appreciation for the more flowery prose. When I couldn’t write the fun things for work, I really made sure to include them in my books.
Can you share a bit about your writing process? Do you have any rituals or routines? Or anything you keep on your writing desk?
Music is a huge factor in my writing process. I can write just about anywhere as long as I have music playing.
Each project has its own playlist
that acts as a soundtrack for the book
and helps keep the mood
and character voice consistent.
I love it when I find a song that perfectly matches a moment or feeling in the book.
If you'd like to hear the music used to create these books click here: Widlfire & Burnout
What inspired the creation of Abigail Turner and the superhero trilogy?
Abigail Turner is based on a Dungeons and Dragons character I played for almost two years after college. When we finished the game, I wasn’t ready to let her go, so I started writing scenes from the game and that turned into placing the character into different genres and worlds, and the superhero world stuck with me. Before I knew it, I had written over 30-thousand words and had a decent story structure. I never set out to write a novel with her or the world, but after seeing I could write that much, I decided to give it an actual try.
How do you balance the elements of action, romance, and introspection in your storytelling?
At first, there was no balance. The first drafts of Wildfire were all action. I read a lot of comics and I mirrored the novel off of their fast pace and quick scene changes. Balancing the romance was easy once I started paying attention to how romance was done in some of my favorite books, and the introspection took the longest to work out.
There was a point
where I was going line by line
and jotting in the margins what Abigail
was feeling and thinking.
I only incorporated the notes that moved the story or character forward.
Originally, Wildfire was a standalone book and it wasn’t until I met my agent that we decided to turn it into a trilogy. The biggest challenge I faced was coming up with the next parts. I was so happy to write a happy ending for Abigail that knowing I had to jeopardize it for the next books was a mental hurdle for sure. I kept telling myself that she’d still have a happy ending… In book three.
Another challenge I faced was keeping my motivation. There were a lot of times when I felt I wasn’t a skilled enough writer to capture what was in my head. Thankfully, I have a very supportive writing group that kept pushing me forward.
Are you a plotter or pantser? Please explain how you organize your novels.
I’m a pantser through and through. I try to have a to-do list before I get started that includes a few important scenes that I shouldn’t forget, but I usually lose it halfway through the first draft. I like seeing where the story wants to go on its own. I know in draft 2 I can organize it and add in the proper foreshadowing so I try not to worry too much in the beginning.
If I gave you a megaphone and the whole world would listen, what one sentence would you shout?
“Write your book!”
In this journey, I’ve met many writers who felt they couldn’t find success and stopped writing their books. If you have a story in your mind, you should write it down.
Can you tell us about the significance of the setting, San Arbor, in the series?
The setting in the Ashes Over Avalon trilogy is based on my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. There are a lot of downtown fixtures that make an appearance in book 2, Burnout, and I always think of the Great American Tower when I’m writing about the Hero Relief Center headquarters. I changed all the names though so that San Arbor could be any midwestern city. The name San Arbor was a spin on the name of a band I was listening to while writing the early drafts.
What themes or messages do you hope readers take away from your books?
A major theme in Ashes Over Avalon that I hope readers will embrace is not giving up on a dream. Abigail’s dream was to become a hero, and even when it feels impossible, she doesn’t give up fighting for it.
What role does the blog play in your writing journey, and do you plan to revive it in the future?
My blog is a fun place for me to play with ideas that might not make it into a long-form like a novel. As a writer, I don’t want to limit myself to just one form of writing, so having a place to share shorter forms of fiction is freeing. I also love being able to share writing advice that I’ve picked up through my writing group. If it can help just one person then I’m doing my job.
After querying Wildfire to agents for about two months without any success, I gave myself a deadline. If I hadn’t signed with an agent within the 12 months, I would self-publish. It was month 11 of my deadline when I met my agent, and after 83 rejections and several manuscript rewrites.
For authors considering both routes,
my advice is to figure out why you’re writing
and what is most important to you.
Self-publishing gives the author a lot more freedom with their finished product but without the guiding hand of an agent/publisher. Traditional publishing, on the other hand, offers more support in the release, but you may be asked to change parts of your book to make it more marketable. This is, of course, just what I’ve experienced in my own life.
What kind of research did you undertake to ensure authenticity in portraying superhero dynamics and society? Did you come up with your own superhero rules or follow those already in place in society?
Thankfully, I’d done a ton of research before simply with how much superhero media I was naturally consuming. I’m an avid comic reader, and the employees at my local comic shop were always recommending new stories to me. I’ve always been interested in corporate-owned superheroes because I believe it’s how America would handle superheroes so I knew a lot of how I wanted the world to look before going in. It was difficult to make sure the superheroes didn’t overpower the police force and become the only law of the city, so knowing what rules the heroes had to follow was important.
Abigail Turner faces moral dilemmas throughout the trilogy. How do you approach writing morally complex characters and situations?
I took a lot of what I’ve experienced personally and from experiences that people have shared with me. When writing characters, I find that keeping them truthful to an actual moment in my life keeps them grounded and helps their motivations feel real.
Can you share any anecdotes or experiences from your time co-running The Central Cincinnati Fiction Writers Group? Do you recommend to new writers to find a writing group, and why or why not?
(We’ve updated our name to The Queen City Fiction Writers—thank you for reminding me I need to update that on my website!)
If I could give new writers one piece of advice, it would be to join a writing group. Writing can be lonely, but being a writer shouldn’t be, and having a support system of people on the same journey is so helpful.
We all write in different styles and genres,
and exposing yourself to that is great
because you learn stuff
you didn’t know you didn’t know.
It’s also good to be able to share the early stages of a project and find out what’s not working before you get too far into it. The most important thing about the writing group is that we trust each other. If someone gives me “negative” feedback I know it’s not coming from an ill-place. They want to make sure my book is as good as it can be and we always state why we felt there was a problem and a solution to fix it.
How do you incorporate feedback and critiques into your writing process? What would you tell newbie writers about getting critiques and altering their manuscripts?
I follow the rule that if one person says something, then it’s their personal preference. But if two or more people say something, then it should be something to address.
Ultimately, it’s the author’s book and their choice but sometimes it can be hard to remove yourself from the words without a few people pointing it out. To all writers getting critique, especially if it’s your first time, you need to have thick skin. If someone says they don’t like something about your work, it doesn’t mean they don’t like you. And your work will not be for everyone, so some people’s critique will sound harsh or not make much sense because your book wasn’t for them to begin with.
The trilogy explores the relationship between Abigail and Cinder. What inspired their dynamic, and how did it evolve as you wrote?
I knew I wanted to write a fun, enemies-to-lovers story, so I needed the love interest to be the opposite of Abigail. Plus, what romance would be complete without a bad boy? Everything that Abigail stood for, Cinder was against. The dynamic was interesting because I needed to make sure that they could still fall in love (and not just lust) despite their differences. When you start peeling back the layers of Cinder and why he believes what he believes, you can see his side of things and how he isn’t totally incorrect.
How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life, such as family and pets? How do you unwind? What helps you stay strong and mentally fit for writing?
I never give myself an unrealistic writing goal. I’ve been doing a 500 word a weekday sort of thin when I’m drafting something new, and it’s amazing how quickly those 500 words can add up. I usually do this on my lunch break or at home after dinner when I’ve already blocked out a little time for me. Thankfully after a walk, my pets are pretty content to lay by my feet while I work. To stay fit while writing, I’ll always have a book with me. I try to read a chapter after a long writing sprint to refill my creative well.
What's next for you after completing the superhero trilogy? Any new projects on the horizon?
I am so excited to announce that I’ve been working on a standalone science fiction young adult novel about kindness and forgiveness in a world that knows neither. We’re still a while before it’s published, but I love it and hope my readers do too.
There are three main authors that inspire me and my work. Maggie Stiefvater, her Raven Cycle books taught me about voice, Mindee Arnett, I learned so much about sentence structure and how to describe things in the moment without it feeling like an information dump, and Kristen Simmons, who is so inspiring to listen to at author talks.
How do you stay motivated and creative during the writing process, especially when facing challenges or writer's block?
It sounds counterproductive, but I always have two projects going on at once, so if I feel like I’m burning out on one, I have the second one to fall back on. It helps avoid writers block because usually I can figure out what was blocking me in project A while writing in project B. Plus, there’s nothing a dog walk can’t fix. I think I’ve solved all my plot holes while walking my dog and recording voice memos on my phone, so I don’t forget.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers who are just starting their own writing journeys?
Find yourself a writing group, or someone you trust to give you honest feedback, and finish your novel. No matter how far away that end goal is, you will get there and you will be so glad you did.
There are no book signings set at the moment, but when book 3 of the Ashes Over Avalon trilogy releases later this year you can find all of the event information on my Instagram or facebook, both under Jordan S. Keller Author. Following on Instagram is the best way to stay connected with me and my journey. I try to post updates on my current projects, publishing news, writing advice, and of course all sorts of puppy pictures.
Awesome, Jordan! Thank you so much for this amazing interview. You shared some great advice for new writers and, actually, all writers. I can't wait to get your books. Female superhero - check. Opposites attract - check. Corporate America - check. You had me at female superhero - and then you just kept getting me excited to read your work!
And if you'd like to support Jordan on her writing journey - follow her on Instagram, where she shares more news and writing tips.
Write~on
Angie
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