Witches, ghosts, and hobgoblins... Halloween is a perfect time of year to enjoy yourself. Chills, thrills, and spills (of candy!) are the order of the day. And while I’ve given up dressing in costume for this special day, I do have fun giving out plenty of the sugary stuff when spooky visitors knock on my door.
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1. Let’s begin at the beginning! Tell us about yourself. Is there a colorful Australian phrase that describes you? I know you mentioned you’re a two pot screamer--very vivid!
There’s a few phrases that would probably suit but how do I chose just one? Well, I don’t.......I ask my friends to do it. Phrases such as “bright eyed and bushy tailed” and “an always stoked bonza sheila” were tossed around but my favourite is a plain and simple “she’s a bonza sheila.” I’ll gladly accept that compliment.
(If curiosity gets the better of you and you wanna know what that means - contact me or google it.....Lol). As for who I am.....
I’m a middle aged Croatian born, Australian raised woman who has basically been forced into retirement due to health issues and who discovered she could write through sheer divine guidance. And I call it divine because in hindsight when I look back at the health difficulties that forced me to close down my business and pushed me out of the work force, I may not have ever begun writing at all had that not happened.
I was a very busy self employed single Mum and I never had time for much outside of work or mothering. Having gotten divorced before my son turned 5 years old (he’s now 24) I was focused on keeping a roof over our heads and raising him right and something like writing was in the very dark recesses of my mind, pushed there by circumstance and necessity, a childhood dream seemingly to never come true.
As much as it was awfully stressful when I had to quit work, I’m now so grateful for it because it allowed me the time I needed to take my life into a new direction, albeit unintentionally. Writing during this time was purely a cathartic distraction to keep me occupied mentally and to correct what I thought was a terrible storyline in a television show I was watching at the time. So, to me, it’s a divinely timed blessing, in many ways.
2. Why did you become interested in writing for publication? What was the process? Are your family and friends supportive of your writing?
My family and friends are
supportive and quite proud. Many of them were completely shocked when I
announced I was about to publish my first book as most hadn’t known that I had
been writing at all - it was simply something I was doing to keep me sane. My
online friends were well aware, however, as were the followers I had started to
accumulate. I had originally put my writing on a fanfiction website and I’ll
always remember how it felt when I’d posted my first few chapters and had
really positive feedback from different corners of the world. I was so buzzed.
I didn’t actually become interested in publication until the day I was asked about it. Before then, it was purely for my own entertainment and I didn’t even briefly consider publishing - it was nowhere in my mind. But one day, out of the blue, I had a phone call from a publishing company who had somehow gotten my number and called, asking about publishing my work. This was early April 2016 and I remember it clearly because I told them that yes, I’d love to be published but my mother had just unexpectedly passed away a couple weeks before and could they call me in six months. There was a heavy period of mourning and healing to go through at the time and I didn’t think anything more about it.
But they did call back months later and so began the process of publishing. I had lots to do - finish writing the book, build a following, build a website and blog and I had to learn how to do it all as I didn’t have a smidgeon of a clue. Ooooh, the techno-knowledge-hell I had to immerse myself in! I was so lacking in this field that I didn’t even know the meaning of “blog”......no joke.
But thankfully I had lots of help from
friends who held my hand through it and I’m so grateful to each and every one
of them.
3. Now published are Book 1 and Book 2 of The Unbreakable Trilogy. What inspired you to write this series? What kinds of research did you do? How did you get to know your characters?
The inspiration for this series was a television show whose storyline I was really unhappy with. I felt that the show was spoiling the whole premise and basic traits of its characters. I was adamant that they were taking the show into directions it shouldn’t go and felt sure I could write it better. How snarky of me, lol.
The characters started off in their fanfic form as being true to the show but when I was approached to publish, EVERYTHING changed, naturally. I let my characters evolve and develop in their own time and let them run rampant through my mind in any way they chose, most often late at night when I was trying to sleep. And good Lord, did they!! Some nights they spoke so loudly to me, I’d be awake till 4or5 am, the cheeky buggers.
As for research, that’s all been done online....as an Aussie writing a story set in New York and having never been there in my life, it’s been interesting learning all I can about the town. Its time consuming, for sure but so much fun. I remember how much time it once took to research what kind of street food a person can get in NY if they were walking a particular borough - just in that borough, nowhere else - LOL. However, I really enjoy that aspect of it as I’m a naturally inquisitive person and love finding out stuff. To be honest, I sweated bullets over getting the feel of the city right and hope I at least came somewhat close.
4. How do you
promote your books? Do you have any favorite promotional sites? Any success
stories? Horror stories?
I have used Facebook and Twitter and my own website most consistently. In the beginning I went on a couple of book tours and used paid promotional services sites that would blast out ongoing tweets etc. But these things I only do when I have the spare cash because honestly, on a singular basis, they aren’t so costly but when you do them over and over and over, it sure adds up! (particularly with the exchange rate to Aussie dollars). These types of services have been really good all along but I’m in an actual horror story right now - fighting to get my money back from a Twitter author service which has done such a horrible, fraudulent job of their promo and are dodging their refund policy. It’s infuriating but I’ll keep fighting.
I had been offered huge promotional deals from a couple publishers but didn’t take them up, mainly because of their ridiculously exorbitant prices but maybe one day, when I become as famous as Stephen King, I’ll change my mind about that cost.
Overall, these methods have been good but I’ve found that getting involved with a writing community has been of the best benefit, not just in terms of promotion but of finding support, both emotional and book-worldish. The best part is the friendships you form with other writers......they inspire me constantly and I love that.
5. What’s a typical writing day like for you?
Typical? What’s “typical”?
Honestly I used to be more consistent and predictable in my writing routine but I’ve found that the pandemic and the extremely long and harsh lockdown that my town, (Melbourne) has just gone through, completely stuffed that up. Utterly smashed it to smithereens. However, I do still find that my most productive writing time is in the evening, as it was before. I tend to dedicate part of the day to promotional activities, including tweets, Facebook posts etc etc, usually during the daytime. And another thing that is still consistent is that there will always be a coffee by my side...not just coffee but cappuccino as I’m a coffee snob. (I’m allowed to be however as Melbourne has some of the best coffee in the world.)
Oh and I don’t write in the mornings. Ever. Because I’m generally not functioning as a human till I’m on my second cuppa.
6. How do you define your writing?
I don’t define it as
anything but my own. I tend to write in the same style as I speak, particularly
in my blog and I think I sound like just me, an ordinary person unlike anyone
else in the writer’s world. My characters all have a trace of me and my
personality in them and and a lot of what I’ve written is in first-person. But
not all. In fact, It’s really amazing to me when I switch to writing in a different
character’s POV, how the voice in my head changes. Literally, the sound of
their voice is different. It’s so fascinating and fun. I don’t know if other
writers experience that or not, but boy, it’s a kick. So far, all my published
work has been in my main male character’s viewpoint but I have written in
others and will do so again.
I also don’t define my genre as being just romance because my stories are far more than that alone........they’re action, adventure and thriller as well. I describe them as sexy-smexy with loads of suspense and intrigue and a twist of paranormal. But be warned that I don’t do “ fade to black”.
7. What’s your
latest Work-In-Progress and future projects in the works?
Right now, I’m writing the third instalment of The Unbreakable Series and debating a fourth one. I’m hoping to release my first book Fractured in other languages sometime soon plus I’m working on some fanfic stuff I promised to do for a few friends. Other than writing projects, I’m crafting - doing things such as painting house decor items and repurposing them in various ways. I find painting quite soothing.
8. What are your five favorite novels and why?
Five!? Geez, I don’t think I have just five because there’s so many. I can say that I loved the first few books in J.D.Robb’s In Death Series. And I’ll always have a soft spot for Gone With The Wind as it was the first really long long book I remember reading as a very young teenager and it made an impression on me for how complex it was. I was probably way too young to be reading that at age 14 but I enjoyed its grandness. Of course, now as an adult I see it in a completely different light but it’s still a magnificent story. From that book I went onto historical romances and this brought on my love of romance in general. (always on the saucy side if possible.)
9. What are you passionate about outside of writing?
Justice and the desperate need to see the USA reverse itself from the road it’s currently on. Ice cream. My Angel and Tarot cards. Coffee. My footy team. My crystals.
10. What’s a guilty pleasure of yours? *wicked grin!*
Didn’t you see the word ice cream in the question above? I am passionate about ice cream and hell yeah, it’s a guilty pleasure of mine. I could eat that stuff, in any flavour, all day long till I was either sick or in a diabetic coma.
But I can’t sadly. And bread
- that’s a guilty pleasure too. Oh, and cheese! Definitely
cheese.
(Why are mine all food stuff? That’s boring. I need better guilty pleasures)
11. Tell us five things most people don’t know about Zelly Jordan!
Geez, that’s a tricky one because it depends on who’s asking - my family and friends in real life OR my friends and followers online. However, since the majority reading this probably aren’t familiar with me, I can tell you that....1: I have way, way more insecurities than I let on; 2: ditto that with pet peeves, lol; 3: I live in 24/7 pain; 4: I’ve had many otherworldly incidents happen to me that prove without a doubt that there is life after death and 5: if I love, I love wholeheartedly and if you’re my friend, you have my fiercest loyalty - full stop. There’s a ton more but you said 5......
12. Where can we find more information about you and your books?
My website is full of information - lots of previous interviews and pictures of inspiration as well as book links and of course, my blog. I’m also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon and Goodreads. I’m even on LinkedIn but I barely use that. I love meeting and interacting with my readers so don’t hesitate to come say hello.
Website. http://www.zellyjordan.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/zelly309
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@zelly309
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ZellyJordan
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/zellyjordan
Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/zelly309
Email: zellyjordan@gmail.com
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Okay, I’m back! I HAD to look up bonza Sheila. Google says: A wonderful girl. That’s Zelly, Author Extraordinaire and Queen of her Domain, for sure. She’s an excellent writer and a wonderful friend.
Here’s a special treat for her that she can indulge in all day long!
Mega thanks again to Ms. Zelly for chatting with us.
Hope you all enjoyed this no calorie Halloween treat. But be sure to have real candy on hand on Halloween night for Trick-or-Treaters just in case you hear the patter of tiny, spooky feet on the other side of your door!
BOO! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Susanne Marie Knight
Read outside the box: award-winning Romance Writing With A Twist!
