We've met with talented author DL Jordan, who has written a great fantasy series. Read below to find out more about him and his writing.
Where are you from
and what's your background?
I am from a small town called Swainsboro, Georgia.
However, I currently live in Atlanta.
I am a graduate of East Georgia State College and Georgia Southern University.
My entire life has been filled with a love for writing and reading. I’ve been
enthralled with books ever since I can remember, and that is why I chose to
pursue degrees in both English/Language Arts and Communications. I have worked
in public education as well and I currently work as an analyst for the state of
Georgia.
That’s great.
Although you already said your entire life has been filled with a love for
writing and reading, when did you realize you wanted to write and when did you
start writing?
I first started writing when I was just seven years-old when
my parents gave me a journal as a gift. I had always loved to read books, so
the sight of one that was completely filled with empty pages confused me. I was
so perplexed about what to do with this small, empty book in my hands that I
didn’t know what to do with it. That’s when they told me that I should just
write down everything I saw and everything that happened. So, that’s just what
I did. I wrote down everything that happened around me in my neighborhood —
kids playing in the street, our neighbor’s dog running and barking after every
car that passed by, and even the smell of the freshly cut grass under the
marvelous blue sky. Everything around me was a source of inspiration.
But eventually, like most kids who get something new, I
eventually lost interest in writing and didn’t really regain that interest
until I was 14.
At the age of 14, I was in high school and my English class
was given an assignment to write a story about a boy who finds a pebble. That
evening, as I pondered on what to write about, my mind instantly became flooded
with ideas about the boy and the pebble. I began thinking, “Could it be a
magical pebble? What if someone had lost it and was desperately trying to
retrieve it? Maybe it leads to a wondrous underwater metropolis completely unseen
by humans?” I eventually finished my assignment, going along with the latter
idea and turning it in to my teacher the next day. But I couldn’t get the idea
of the boy and this unrevealed metropolis out of my head. I then began to
scribble ideas about the boy’s background and certain things he liked to do. I
would also write about the history of the civilization he would visit. Within a
few months, these ideas became my first completed manuscript. I was so proud of
myself and I wanted others to share in my joy. That was the defining moment for
me. I knew then that I wanted to be a writer.
I love this – what a great defining moment indeed. What genre do you write and what's your target audience?
So far, I’ve published a children’s book and I’ve even written a few screenplays. However, I’ve mostly published books in the Fantasy genre. That’s the genre I like the most. My The Erlonan Tales series is a Fantasy series and it’s the series that’s been the most fun to write. My target audiences are young people, but I like the fact that even some adults have come to me and said that they like my writing. That’s always delightful to hear and it brings me immense joy. So, to be honest, I would have to say that my target audiences are readers Middle Grade and up.
Fantastic! What do you expect to accomplish with your writing?
Through my writing, I hope my words can take the reader to a
place they’ve never seen before. I want them to escape to a place that’s so
extraordinary, so unprecedented, that they never want to leave. I grew up
reading great writers like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, and
Patrick Carmen. Their books transported me to worlds that really challenged my
imagination. That’s the feeling I want to bring to the reader. Matsuo Basho
said, “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they
sought.” In other words, you must follow your own path and create an experience
that will benefit you on your journey, whatever that journey may be. Through my
writings, I hope the reader attains a sense of pride that they are reading
something they enjoy - like I did when I was young.
Great answer, I’m
sure your readers will appreciate discovering your worlds. What is your
favorite quote and who wrote it?
My favorite quote is by Terence, who was born in northern
Africa and brought to Rome
as a slave around 170–160 BC. He was eventually freed and, because he had a
passion for words and writing, later became one of the most well-known and
celebrated playwrights at that time. He’s been celebrated throughout the years
by great writers like William Shakespeare, Phillis Wheatley, Langston Hughes, and
even Maya Angelou, yet hardly anyone outside of academia even knows his name.
These writers were greatly influenced by his works and it can be seen in their
writings. Terence said many things in his plays throughout his life, but one
quote of his has stood out above the rest. This quote is at the center of my
creative process and I try to keep it in mind every time I write. It’s from his
play Heauton Timorumenos (The Self-Tormentor). The most famous quote from the
play is, “I am human, I consider nothing human alien to me.” I consider this
quote to be a great line because it lets me know that life is about helping and
accepting others, no matter who they are or where they come from. At the end of
the day, we are all each other’s people. Nothing that is human should be
strange to us. Other people have felt the same emotions we have felt because we
are all human beings. This helps when it comes to storytelling because, as
writers, we can convey an emotion on the page and make it relatable to the
reader – no matter their age, gender, ethnicity, etc. In our hearts, we are all
the same.
What a meaningful
quote. Thanks for sharing! You already mentioned about some authors you grew up
reading, but do you have a favorite? Who? Has this author or their book(s)
influenced your writing in any way?
My favorite author is J.K. Rowling. Her world-building and character
construction are superb. She’s greatly influenced my writing in many ways and
she never stops creating.
She’s truly an amazing writer. If you could be a character from any book who would you like to be, and why?
She’s truly an amazing writer. If you could be a character from any book who would you like to be, and why?
This may sound silly, but if I could be any character from
any book it would have to be one of my all-time favorite characters from
childhood – Winnie-the-Pooh. He’s so generous and lives such a simple life
thinking about honey all day. For just one day, I would like to be, as A.A.
Milne himself described, “a bear of very little brain”.
That’s a cute answer! What
are you working on now?
Currently, I’m working on the fourth book in my Erlonan
Tales series called The Erlonan Tales: The Golden Trinket.
And where can we
find out more about you and your writing?
People can check out my website at www.DLJordanBooks.com
I’m also on Twitter: @DLJordan90
Is there anything
else you'd like to share with our readers?
Never give up on yourself or your writing! I’d like to leave
a piece of advice to, not just writers, but to anyone who is pursuing their
dream. My advice would be to not procrastinate and to have a sense of
discipline when it comes to your work. No one else can bring your ideas to the
world like you can. So, never bury your talent!
That’s great advice.
Thank you so much for your time sharing your talent with our readers. Wishing
you much success in your writing career!
To check DL Jordan’s
books, click on the link below:
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