by Andy Lee
Jordi and Mitzi curtesy of Jordi Burton
As part of our mission, Pub518 is committed to helping emerging writers. Jordi Burton has recently committed herself to a full time writing career, so we thought we'd ask her questions about how she's doing, what she's doing differently, and what her life experience thus far bring to her writing.
A: Now that you’ve committed to a writing career, how have your daily writing habits changed?
J: ...my writing habits have changed drastically. Before, I would spend six to eight hours a day just writing the various books I’ve been working on. Now, however, I’m lucky if I get six hours in a week. Most of my time is spent on the behind-the-scenes work, such as formatting, editing, building my website, reading books for work, and doing little tech things like building advertisements. I’m working to find my groove, ‘cause I really miss it!
A: Your love of history (as well as magic and the fantastic) shines through in your novels, what are your go-to research tools?
J: My go-to research tools really depend on the type of work I’m working on. The novel I’m currently writing is very history-driven, so I’ve used some textbooks I have left over from my college days. Other times, I use the books I have on my shelves, or I’ll just go to Google. I read through a number of different websites to find commonalities, to make sure the information I’m using is correct. Google images also provides a great deal of inspiration! Sometimes, I’ll just scroll through pictures and get inspired to create something imaginative. Mostly, I rely on historic and government websites that detail clothing and ways of life for a certain period of time.
A: What do you think your travel experience brings to your writing style?
J: I think my travel experience really brings a sense of reality. While I’m writing fantasy and science fiction, the settings are all based on real places. The castles I describe, the worlds my characters live in, are all inspired by real places I’ve visited while traveling. Last summer, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Scotland with my best friend. The castles we toured while there are featured heavily in my latest novel, From Anastasia. I also like to share a bit of culture in my books. Many fantasy races that I’ve created are grounded in historical backgrounds, which have been inspired by the places I’ve visited over the years.
A: Do you bring Florida or Boston Terriers into your stories, as they are a big part of yourself!
J: I’m working on incorporating Florida and its history into future novels, but as of yet, I haven’t had a chance to do so. As far as Boston Terriers, I’ve got one in a novel series I’m working on. It’s quite fun to write a fictional version of my own Boston, Mitzi, as she has such a big personality!
A: Do you use a publishing house, tiny press, boutique publisher, or do you self-publish? How did you make your choice?
J: I created my own publishing company when I was twenty-one-years-old. It was my dream to become a small press, and help new authors achieve their dreams of being published. I still hope to have the means to do that someday, but right now, my company is just for me. In that regard, I consider myself an indie author, as I self-publish my work through the use of Amazon’s platform. I made the choice to do so back when I was pursuing my AA degree. I had an English professor who was mentoring me with the first draft of my very first novel. He explained that the major difference between self-publishing and traditional (and everything in between) was the marketing team. Bigger companies have bigger teams. However, you could have the best marketing team in the world, but if your book comes out the same time as a Stephen King novel, it’ll be pushed to the back shelf, regardless. Plus, I like having creative control over my work. It’s quite exhilarating to hold my book in my hands, knowing that I created it from start to finish.
Thank you Jordi! We wish you the very best of luck in your writing and your publishing! Readers can see more about her work, buy books (via links), and join The Ranks of Jordi on her website: http://jordiburton.com/