Thank you Authors’ Lounge for the opportunity to talk about my book and share some of my thoughts with your readers.
Ashes, Ashes tells the story of 17-year-old magi Adrienne Young. She kills monsters, protects innocent people, and tries to pass chemistry. When she kills a hellhound that’s been haunting college campuses, she draws the attention of Hecate, a banished goddess seeking to restore her power and return to the mortal world.
When I was first thinking about Ashes, Ashes, I wanted to write a werewolf story. But the market is saturated with werewolf stories, and I needed to come up with a new way to tell an old story. I played around with the elements, swapping pieces out, and eventually settled on hellhounds controlled by a witch. When the witch became the goddess Hecate then the story pretty much wrote itself.
Ashes, Ashes is a Young Adult story, featuring teens as the main characters. And while I do hope that the book appeals to teens, I wrote it to appeal to myself. I can’t write a book that I wouldn’t enjoy reading. There is also a large population of readers just like me: women (and men, I’m sure), in their 20s and 30s that enjoy reading young adult books. Much as YA books like The Hunger Games and Divergent exploded across age ranges, I hope my book appeals to readers across all walks of life.
One of the reasons I love writing teenage characters is that they deal with major life issues in such a pure and raw fashion that anyone can connect with. Take Adrienne. She’s socially awkward, ostracized from her peers by this enormous secret that she’s keeping. She wants to belong and have a “normal” life, but has no idea how to accomplish that. She’s also fiercely dedicated to her family, literally moving earth and heaven to bring them home safely. She’s strong, and smart, and resourceful. These are traits anyone can identify with regardless of their age, gender, or orientation.
Several people have told me that the characters in Ashes, Ashes are relatable. I hope that readers do connect with them, and that I’m able to attract and grow my readership. Ashes, Ashes is my first foray into the publishing world, but it won’t be my last. I published it myself, but I do hope that I someday break into the wider world of traditional publishing.
As for the future, I have several more books planned for the Mortals & Shadows series. I have a sequel in the works, and I’m hoping to be finished with my first draft of it by the end of the year. Like Ashes, Ashes, the book will be a standalone story, complete in itself, but it will incorporate the same world and characters already established. The sequel will focus on the character of Mason Chandler. He has an abrasive personality and has made some questionable decisions, but deep down he has a good heart and I would love to give readers the chance to get to know him better and see him grow.
Though Ashes, Ashes is my first published work, it’s actually the third complete manuscript I’ve written. The first one is complete garbage, I can admit that. The second is decent, but would need a little work to become all it could be. I’ve been chasing this dream for about six years now, having decided that it was finally time to stop wishing to be a writer and actually pursue it.
My family is incredibly supportive. My husband is actually the one who convinced me that I should give writing a book a shot, and though my boys are too young to understand any of this, they give me the strength and the motivation I need to keep going. My extended family has been very excited, and the bulk of my launch day sales went to aunts and cousins. I’m surrounded by so much love and encouragement it’s staggering.
If you’re interested in connecting with me, I can be found in the following places:
My website: https://www.jessicagoeken.com/
Twitter: @JessicaGoeken
Amazon: Ashes, Ashes
