Heart-to-Heart with J.D. Groom, author of Sorceress of Truth

Posted on 27/12/2023 09:15:50

author : Groom J.D.

As part of #TheMagicBookCornersWednesdayatWIW, I bring you today the lovely J.D. Groom, author of Sorceress Of Truth and Envy.

Here is our little Heart-to-Heart:

1. Hi Jodie and welcome to The Magic Book Corner. To begin could you please tell our readers here a little bit about yourself?

Hi! Thank you so much for having me! Besides writing, I’m a mid 30’s mum of one with an ever supportive, possibly long suffering, husband. We live in Yorkshire in the UK close to several historic locations, including where the Brönte’s lived, and I really feel like it’s adopted me as I originally came from the Midlands.

Anyone who knows me will tell you just how much I love Formula 1. I’ve been a fan for years and I ended up binge watching around 5 seasons of past races during lockdown as I was missing it so much. Besides that, I love reading, watching ghost hunting shows and crafting in general. I pick up most things, even just for a short time, but in true Sagittarian fashion, I can’t stick with one thing for long and have to keep moving.

2. Your debut novel, Sorceress of Truth, is a wonderful tale full of magic, mystery, and treacherous evils. Could you tell our readers here a little bit about it?

Sure. So, Sorceress of Truth is the tale of a young woman coming of age while at the same time growing into powers that she knows nothing about. The world around her is a lie and she falls into the truth almost by accident. At the same time as her life turning upside down, she learns that there is the threat of a demon rising, looking for revenge and out to destroy the world as we know it. She quickly has to come to terms with the fact nothing is as it seems, that trust and betrayal go hand in hand.

3. What was the inspiration behind Sorceress of Truth? How did it come to be?

I’ve always been a big reader of YA fantasy, and I guess a lot of inspiration came from a mixture of my favourite books at the time. It all started back in around 2006. My now husband and I went to visit a gorgeous part of the country, Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. There are huge cliff faces cutting through the earth, plus the story of the Wookey Hole Witch, that made me think ‘what if’.

4. Your novel seamlessly intertwines pretty cool magic with vampires, fae, elves, angels and demons, as well as a promise of much more to come. And despite the fact all these themes have been already used countless times, you still manage to make them original and unique. What’s your secret?

If I’m honest, I have no idea. I spent at least a year researching and coming up with the back stories for the different races, so it wasn’t an overnight thing. Part of the vampires transition was going to be completely different when I first started, but I quickly realised it was a little confusing and didn’t really add to the story, so that had to go.

I wanted all of the races to be visible, to come across as any other person you may pass in the street, and not have a clue that they were different. We all know the stereotypes, how vampires can only drink blood and can’t stand sunlight, but I think there is something scarier about them if they don’t have those identifiers

5. Tell me more about how you came to create those fabulous races. the vampires who don't sparkle; the fae, who have a different kind of magic and the elves who are … I DID NOT see that coming?

One of the first things I researched was which Demon would feature in the story. Possibly thanks to my love of ghost hunting, I’ve always had an interest in the spiritual side of things, and that includes angels, rituals, meditation etc, so the history of the vampires came along quite quickly after that.

The fae, well, I wanted them to be quite natural, and there’s a big clue as to who is fae by their name. I knew wings and wands wouldn’t really fit in the world I created, which got me thinking about how they would wield their magic and where they originated from. I quickly decided that the magic should be something personal to the individual, so you get fae of different strengths and usefulness, which helped create a hierarchy of sorts. The elves were a bit of a surprise, even for me, and were a late addition into my list of races.

6. Tory is a witch. A pretty special one that too, even though she can’t really believe that herself. Why a witch?

It’s funny, I never really see Tory as a witch. I think that’s because, in my mind, there is a slight difference. A witch is born a witch, they learn their craft and can create spells for good or evil.

Tory, whilst she was born a sorceress, is also divinely created for a specific purpose. She has to come of age in order to gain her powers, and even then, there are no guarantees. What if she isn’t the sorceress from the prophecy?

That’s probably why Tory can’t believe it either. Being a fantasy reader herself, she’s always enjoyed the idea of vampires and magic and everything else that goes along with it, but to be told that she is part of that world without any evidence completely throws her.

7. And why a prophecy and a circle of witches? What is the inspiration behind these?

The prophecy was the whole reason why The Guard was created. Without The Guard, the sorceresses could fall into the wrong hands, and we couldn’t have that happen. We’ll get to learn more about this soon.

As for the circle, would it help if I told you The Craft was my favourite film as a young teen? With my limited ritual knowledge, a circle is such a powerful thing. Initially there were only going to be enough women to represent the elements, but then I realised that I wanted to show the power of women too. I didn’t want the fight to just be about brute force.

8. Is there any sequel coming? Because I sure am eager to read it, especially after that end.

There is absolutely a sequel in the works. I always find writing book two the hardest, so it’s pretty tough going at the moment, especially considering everything we have been going through in recent months. With homeschooling, hubby working from home, and generally having everyone under my feet 24/7, writing has been slow. I had intended to release book 2, Sorceress of Flame, in November but it’s looking more likely to be 2021 now.

9. You also wrote a short story that I absolutely loved – Envy. Can you tell our readers a little bit about it?

Envy is certainly on the darker side. It focuses on Kate and the life she leads. She’s found herself in a situation that she should never have been in, but that many people find themselves in. I wanted to show how easy it can be to lose yourself little by little until you are just a shell of who you were, that abuse isn’t just physical.

10. Envy excellently highlights the kind of abusive and controlling relationship no one should be in. What was the inspiration behind it?

It was actually something really random. I’d just attended a write-in at Cafe Nero in Leeds with a group I had found during NaNoWriMo. It wasn’t late, but being winter it had become dark and all the city was lit up as I made my way to the train station. Typically, my train was late, so as I hung around on the platform I looked at the buildings around me.

Leeds is a perfect mixture of old stone and modern glass and I spotted one of those newer buildings and recognised it from an earlier visit. The top floors are lit up against the dark skyline and it’s floors hold a whole host of different businesses, one of them being a swanky cocktail lounge where I’d attended a cocktail making workshop. I knew that inside it was decorated to impress, the type of place to take business clients. I think everyone is guilty at some point of envying the life of a friend/colleague/celebrity, but we never truly know what goes on behind closed doors. What if, as we looked up at those living the high life, they are staring down with the same longing looks?

11. It is marked as A Deadly Sin Short Story Book 1. Are there any sequels planned?

There will be, at some point. Kate may feature, but she may be seen from a different point of view. I’ve not decided yet, but I do know what happened in her life going forward. My aim is to have short stories for all of the deadly sins. I might then release them as a collection in print but, for now, I have way too many other ideas and projects in the pipeline.

12. Do you have any publishing date in mind for any of the sequels?

Unfortunately not. I think that future stories will come to me like Envy did, a moment of inspiration when I least expect it.

13. Are you working on any other WIP right now? If yes, can you give us a few details?

So many, you would not believe! I have several novels, either started or in the research stage, as well as others that are just ideas jotted in a notepad. I can tell you about my next series though. It’s a dark mafia romance that is definitely not for the YA audience. It’s set in Leeds and, can you remember that tower I was telling you about? That features pretty heavily as one of the locations. We follow the life of Avery, a young woman who hasn’t had the best start in life, as she is run off the road in the middle of the night. It’s a case of mistaken identity, or is it?

Rafael is the head of the Bianchi family, one of the most successful organised crime gangs in the UK, but it’s never easy being at the top. It makes you an object of desire for some, and a target to others. This will be a 3 book series, with a possible novella to boot. The first draft of the first book is already written, and I can’t wait to get stuck in with edits.

14. Is there any publishing date planned for this one?

I was hoping for October 2021, but I really want to finish up the Divine Prophecy Series first.

15. And speaking of planning, are you a plotter or a pantser?

I like to say that I’m a happy mix of both. I like to have background research with all of the things I might need. For each project I have a ‘story bible’ where I question my characters, print and stick in pictures of the characters and locations, draw out floor plans, family trees, timelines and, in the case of my mafia series, Italian phrases.

I normally have a good idea of how the story is going to end, with perhaps a few key scenes, but the rest just kind of comes together as I write. I think this is why I struggle with the second book in a series as you can’t just wing it. There’s got to be an element of planning, for continuity reasons if nothing else.

16. On a little more personal note, have you encountered any obstacles and difficulties in your writing career? And how did you overcome them?

Initially I wanted to go down the traditional route but after many months of researching publishers, sorting out the submission requirement for each one, then waiting even more months for a response (Word to the wise, very few respond.), which was always a no, I decided I couldn’t do it.

Needing a confidence boost, and some validation, I entered the UK Novel Writing Competition with an early version of Sorceress of Truth. It reached the top 250 out of 3112 entries. After that, I decided to have an editor look over my work and eventually plucked up the courage to publish myself.

From my initial idea to publication, it took 13 years. I know part of that was because, for a long time, writing wasn’t my priority, I just picked it up every now and again. But, I also think a large part was having the confidence and know how to do it myself.

I still have days, and weeks, where I can’t touch my writing due to self doubt. There are so many great authors and books out there, why would someone pick up mine? And reading doesn’t help. You can get to the end of a great book, then sit in front of the computer and read the last words you wrote, and all you can think is how rubbish and ameature your own words sound. You just have to remind yourself that the great book you were reading didn’t get to where it was without a few rounds of edits. It also helps to have a great support network of writer friends to help you through it too. (Yes, I’m looking at you Cassidy and Kara.)

17. And lastly, is there any advice you would give to other Indie authors out there? Or perhaps a message to the readers?

If you are a writer and you are thinking of publishing, the wealth of information on the internet can feel daunting. It’s great to know the pro’s and con’s but I can’t help feeling that a lot of it is put out there to confuse us and dissuade us from self publishing. There is such a stigma attached to being an indie author but, in reality, this is largely created by the publishing industry itself which, in its design, is only out to line the pockets of the corporate pen pushers.

To get a true opinion of which is the best route for you, you need to talk to other writers. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Most writers, even the well known one’s, will quite happily answer questions about how they got started and the road they took to get published.

There are also loads of writing and Indie specific groups out there. It would be remiss of me not to mention World Indie Warriors. This group has been a lifeline to me, and it is full of creatives from all over the world happy to chip in with advice and information on all kinds of topics. Take a peek on the World Indie Warriors Instagram page to see how we support each other and join our Facebook group where all the magic happens.

As a final message I just want to say, if you read Sorceress of Truth or Envy, please feel free to leave a review and get involved on my Instagram page. I love to hear all the theories people come up with and, more importantly, whether you are team Kylan or team Lucas.

About the Author: J.D. Groom:

Jodie spent her early life living near to the cathedral city of Lichfield in the UK. After moving home several times, she came to settle in the valleys of West Yorkshire with her husband and daughter.

As well as writing, Jodie enjoys trying her hand at all kinds of crafts, loves to read (especially YA) and is a big fan of Formula 1.