Tag Archives: Jordan Mierek

Author Interview – Jordan Mierek (Treasure Darkly)

Today we have an author interview with Jordan Elizabeth, the author of the upcoming book, Treasure Darkly. 😀

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Beware a Treasure Darkly…

 

(The stunning cover art is thanks to Amalia Chitulescu– find her here)

Treasure Darkly - Book Cover

Seventeen-year-old Clark Treasure assumes the drink he stole off the captain is absinthe… until the chemicals in the liquid give him the ability to awaken the dead. A great invention for creating perfect soldiers, yes, but Clark wants to live as a miner, not a slave to the army—or the deceased. On the run, Clark turns to his estranged tycoon father for help. The Treasures welcome Clark with open arms, so he jumps at the chance to help them protect their ranch against Senator Horan, a man who hates anyone more powerful than he.

And he is not alone. His new found sister, Amethyst, thinks that’s rather dashing, until Horan kidnaps her, and all she gets is a bullet through her heart. When Clark brings her back to life, she realizes he’s more than just street-smart – and he’s not really a Treasure. Amethyst’s boring summer at home has turned into an adventure on the run, chock full of intrigue, danger, love, and a mysterious boy named Clark.

Treasure Darkly Full Cover Preview

TREASURE DARKLY, Book 1 of the Treasure Chronicles

The young adult novel is a dark mix of steampunk, the paranormal and romance in a “Wild West” setting.

Below is an excerpt from TREASURE DARKLY. You can read more on the Curiosity Quills Press website.

“Looks like he did drink it up.” The general client spoke from the right. “Must’ve interacted with all that bloody hertum. Look at ‘im, he’s bleeding already.”

“What’s it gonna do to him?” the guard from the morning asked.

“Lots of stuff.” The general laughed. “When he touches the dead, he’ll be able to bring them back, and exchange that life for another. Perfect soldier, huh? We only have one vial ready and I was going to give it to a lucky fellow. Guess it will be this boy.”

“Whatcha gonna do with him?” The guard snickered.

“Have to be a test subject,” the general said. “Sure thought it was that Judy who stole my bottle. Pity I killed her. She sure knew how to make my pecker sing.”
Judy.

Clark’s mother.

Clark bolted off the ground and ran. He could hide in the hole under the shed behind the brothel. Mable never found him under there. He might be cursed with raising the dead—he’d already done that to the poor mine worker—but it didn’t mean he’d let them take him for tests.

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And now for the interview with Jordan Elizabeth:

Tell us about your latest book:
Right now I’m working on Book 4 in the Treasure Chronicles, for those who want more of Clark and Amethyst!

How did you get your start writing?
I wrote my first novel back in high school. When I looked into how to get published, I saw that I needed credentials for agents to even look at my work. I started submitting short stories anywhere I could.

What publishing credits do you have under your belt?
I was published in numerous online journals before signing with Curiosity Quills Press. I like to embark upon writing exercises by working on short stories; you can find them in anthologies published by Horrified Press and in the anthology 13 HAUNTING TALES.

What is your writing process?
I take an idea and run with it. I only make notes as I write, so I can keep track of names, locations, appearances…

What has been your most rewarding writing experience?
That has to do with my story TABITHA’S DEATH (you can find the first three chapters on WATTPAD). One of my critique partners contacted me a year after reading it to say it still gives her nightmares! Now, I don’t want to give people nightmares (insert malicious laugh), but I was delighted that something I wrote stuck with someone for so long.

What writing projects are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on Book 4 in the Treasure Chronicles, for those who want more of Clark and Amethyst!

What is your favorite thing about writing?
Creating worlds. All day I think about characters, settings, and adventures, so it is a great release to get home from work and be able to write.

What was your favorite thing about writing this book?
One of the main characters, Amethyst. She’s so selfish and flighty – I had a blast writing about her!

Was there anything you found particularly difficult about writing this book?
Pleasing my critique partners. I don’t always have this problem, but for this book, my critique partners each wanted something different. I love my critique partners, and I hope they’re happy with the final product. Their excitement for different characters is what inspired me to create books 2, 3, and now 4 in the series.

What was the process like for writing, editing, then finally publishing the book?
The process for this book was the quickest! I wrote it, and along the way I shared snipets with my critique partners. Curiosity Quills Press accepted it, it was edited, and now it is published. TREASURE DARKLY really flew…like the airship I’m including in book 4.

Who’s your favorite character in the book? Why?
Although I loved writing about Amethyst, Clark is my favorite. He’s a handsome rogue, who knows how to be bada** while still being a gentleman. Plus he’s sexy as all brass glass.

Since every author wonders… how did you find the publisher for your book?
I’m honored to be critique partners with Eliza Tilton, who is published through Curiosity Quills Press. I compiled GEARS OF BRASS and Eliza contributed to it. She showed it to the publisher, they accepted it, and I was able to show them more of my work.

What’s the cover creation process like?
I explained to the cover artist what the characters looked like and an idea of the story. She came up with the rest.

Anything else you want to tell us?
The sequel, BORN OF TREASURE, comes out September 21, 2015. You will get to see more of the Steampunk Wild West world and there will be plenty of ghosts. The romance will be even hotter.

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You can read more about Amethyst Treasure in GEARS OF BRASS, a steampunk anthology from Curiosity Quills Press available now from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Jordan Elizabeth - Author Photo

Jordan Elizabeth, formally Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, is the author of ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW, available from Curiosity Quills Press. Check out Jordan’s website, JordanElizabethMierek.com, for contests and book signing locales. Jordan is represented by Belcastro Agency and she is president of the Utica Writers Club.

Gears of Brass - Book Cover

No blog tour is complete without a giveaway. Enter here for a chance to win a paperback copy of GEARS OF BRASS.

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Thanks so much for the interview, Jordan, and good luck with your book! 😀

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Cover Reveal – Gears of Brass

Today I’m participating in another cover reveal for Jordan Elizabeth. It’s not my cover, but it sure is shiny!

Cover by Andy Garcia at http://www.andyg4rcia.com/

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Gear up for GEARS OF BRASS!

Cover Reveal - Gears of Brass

 

A world like ours, but filled with gears of brass, where the beating heart is fueled by steam and the simplest creation is a complex clockwork device.  

 

Within this tome, you’ll find steampunk fairy tale re-tellings, as well as original stories that will send your gears turning.  

 

Welcome to the steampunk realm, with eleven authors guiding your path. 

 

GEARS OF BRASS is a steampunk anthology published through Curiosity Quills.  It will be available for purchase on November 10, 2014.  Within the pages, you’ll come across clockwork inventions and steampunk-ified fairy tale retellings.  Eleven authors will guide you through worlds filled with airships, top hats, and corsets.

 

Meet the authors:

Jordan Elizabeth writes young adult fantasy for Curiosity Quills, including ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW which was published in October and the upcoming TREASURE DARKLY; she’s represented by the Belcastro Agency.

  1. Million is the author of Last of the Giants and can always be found reading or writing.

Lorna MacDonald Czarnota is a professional storyteller and author of several books including, Medieval Tales That Kids Can Read and Tell, Breadline Blue, Legends Lore and Secrets of Western New York, Wicked Niagara, Native American and Pioneer Sites of Upstate New York, and Dancing at the Crossroads: Stories and Activities for At-Risk Youth Programming.

SA Larsen is represented by Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary and is the author of published short stories, community-interest stories, and magazine articles focused on children.

Grant Eagar is an Engineer who would take the tales he told his children at bed time, and transform them into fantasy stories.

Clare Weze is the author of The House of Ash (forthcoming) and the co-author and editor of Cloudscapes over the Lune.

Eliza Tilton: gamer, writer and lover of dark chocolate; author of the YA Fantasy, BROKEN FOREST, published by Curiosity Quills Press.

Heather Talty’s stories have been featured in Enchanted Conversation, as well as her own fractured fairy tale site, Mythopoetical (www.Beatrixcottonpants.com).

W.K. Pomeroy is a third generation writer who has published more than 70 short stories/articles/poems across many genres and styles, which now includes Steampunk.

Christine Baker is the author of Lana’s End, The Guild of Dagda, and many more.

Natalia Darcy: a bookilicious reader, tea drinker and Zumba aficionado who enjoys playing cards against humanity and washing her hair with ice cold water.

 

Cover Reveal - Gears of Brass Banner

 

You can get your steampunk fix before GEARS OF BRASS is released in November.  To enter for your chance to win a copy of GEARS OF BRASS, you will need to share the cover.  This can be on your blog, Facebook, Twitter… Each time you share the cover image, log it into Rafflecoper (#insert link) to record it.  It will give you more chances to win.  The drawing for the winner will be held on October 27th.

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/dcedff6d3/

 

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Blog Hop Tour

I was recently invited to participate in a blog hop, and though I usually tend to write about book cover related topics, I thought it’d be fun to join in and talk a bit about the writing side of things. I was invited to participate in the blog hop by R.T. Driver on Absolute Write, an author who has recently published a young adult, science fiction novel: Isaac Comett: My Life as a Shard Knight.  You can find his blog here: http://rtdriver90.tumblr.com/ and his book here: Amazon

As part of the blog-hop, each person is asked a series of questions. These are the questions, and these are my answers. 🙂

Q: What am I working on?

A: I’m currently working on the Distant Horizon series and The Messenger of Gaia. Distant Horizon is in the process of being beta read before I start querying agents again, while I’m just now starting the first edit of Messenger. Distant Horizon (which includes several stories, some just plotted, some written and in need of editing) is set in a world where super heroes have been wiped out and super villains rule half the world. The main character, Jenna, learns that she has super powers and sets out to put an end to a government conspiracy that turns those with powers into sub-human monsters for a secret army.

Messenger of Gaia is about a space colonist who wakes up on the wrong moon and finds she’s being worshiped as a goddess. She convinces them she’s not the goddess, and ends up playing the part of their messenger. The story follows her charade while she searches for what happened to the colony ship she was on.

 

Q: How does my work differ from others in its genre?

A: There’s a lot of genre-bending going on. Distant Horizon takes place in the future, but it’s in a world where super heroes used to exist, super villains fly around on airships (which are decorated to look Victorian/steampunk, though more advanced), people with powers are turned into sub-human monsters, and powers range from your typical telepathy/telekinesis, to ones like fourthwalling (later in the series) and the ability to manipulate plant growth.

As for Messenger, the twist revolves around her trying to charade as someone more powerful than she thinks she is.

 

Q:Why do I write what I do?

A: Because I enjoy it. 🙂 Really, I enjoy exploring the worlds and all the nooks and crannies, and seeing how everything ties together. I write what I want to read, and I hope that someday, other readers can join in on the fun and enjoy those worlds the way I do.

 

Q:How does my writing process work?

A: Lately, my stories have been collaborations with my husband, Isaac. We create the story with table-top role-play games. He creates the world and a majority of the characters, as well as the basic plot. I then create my character, and we see what happens. Once the campaign is over, I write what happened– or a variation of it.

It started with Distant Horizon, which, about half-way through the campaign, I decided to write down so I wouldn’t forget the main character’s feelings. It evolved into a series of novels; the first one is in the process of being beta-read. The second one has been through a few rounds of edits, and the third one is a rough draft. I try to write all the books (or have a good chunk written/outlined) before publishing, that way I can iron out any plot holes and add stronger foreshadowing.

The DH series has evolved quite a bit since the original campaign– and spans outwards into what I hope to be a series of short stories/novellas.

For Messenger, we also did a role-play to get the basic story down. Once we had the plot, I started writing the story. (And taking notes, since it may be a while before I write part two). Afterwards I’ll edit and revise as needed, and then it’ll go to beta readers. And then it’ll go back to edits. Right now it’s a bit of a long, winding process.

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Next week there are two more blogs up for questioning, and I look forward to reading what they have to say. 🙂

Carissa Taylor –  who writes YA science fiction [ http://carissa-taylor.blogspot.com/ ]

 Jordan Elizabeth Mierek – who writes YA/MG fantasy [ http://kissedbyliterature.blogspot.com/ ]

 

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