I had the pleasure of being introduced to bestselling author Jessica Cage via a Facebook support group for African-American fans of Sci-fi and Fantasy. This immensely talented author is a prime example of what a write can achieve with enough drive, discipline, and the proper resources. You can view her Amazon author page here for more information about her.
What inspires your writing?
Randomness. There isn’t one thing. I find inspiration in life, dreams, nature, colors, sounds, energy. I like to keep myself open to any form of inspiration. I was recently talking to another creator who said his idea for an entire world came from looking at the moon and seeing it as an eye. This sparked something great for him. That’s how it works for me. I once saw a broken lamp on a train platform and that inspired the story for Last Stop. I had a dream about a mermaid and that inspired Siren’s Call. I loved the willow tree since I was a young girl and that inspired The High Arc Vampires. There is inspiration in every part of life. You just have to stay open to receiving it.
What is your process of developing characters?
I typically let my characters come to me in the raw. I will observe the idea of them inside my head for a while before I start to flesh out anything about them. Its weird when I’m asked this question because I don’t necessarily feel like I develop them. I watch them develop as the story unfolds. It feels more natural that way. But this is typically just my main characters. Supporting characters tend to take a little more work and often times I have to write full profiles on each before I can really implement them into the story or they will go off the rails.
Did you start with a story outline or did you make it up as you went along?
I typically do not start with an outline. If it is the first book of a series especially. I will write the first few chapters before beginning any structural work. I feel it helps me get into the world of the characters a lot better if I don’t have any preset limitations.
Did you draw on personal experience?
Not intentionally but I believe that as a creator, bits and pieces of myself tend to land in the pages. I’ve seen an evolution of my stories as I evolve as a person so its hard not to see myself in the stories.
How did you publish?
I self-publish all of my works.
Why did you do it that way?
I like having control over my message right now. My brand is Characters of Color in Fantasy. The few times I attempted to work with another company for my books, they attempted to change that brand. I won’t allow that to happen.
How long did it take to land representation?
I currently represent myself. I haven’t looked into any as of yet but soon.
Who did your cover and marketing?
I have an awesome list of designers that I work with. For The Sphinx, I worked with Christian Bentulan. Currently, I handle my marketing.
Did you use beta readers? How did you secure them?
I did use Betas for this book. I have had a list of readers that I’ve worked with over the years. I find that it is a lot more rewarding to have Betas who have already been invested in my work. I cultivate that list from those readers, the ones who come to me with a pure interest in my work and I offer them the opportunity to join the team.
How many revisions did it take to get a publishable book?
Countless. The initial book took a bit longer than average to write because of the research and developmental side of it, but I stop and revise along the way maybe three or four times typically. Then after the book is complete there are multiple revisions before beta and then editing. After it comes back from the editor I do another read through.
How much research into Greek Mythology did you put into writing your Scorned By the Gods Series?
There was a lot. I spent about a week just trying to get the timeline correct for Asa’s (the main character’s) back story. Because I was essentially blending two characters into one, I had to make sure I didn’t mess up anything about the timeline. I also had to be sure that the character didn’t do anything that would create a negative impact on another character’s storyline outside of this book. Also, the characters that I created had to intertwine easily into the story and feel as though they were always there.
What were your research methods?
I did the typical online research, I also checked out a few books on certain characters, but the best part of this was the human interaction. I spoke to several people who are well versed in Greek mythology and have studied the works. My idea was that if they accepted my concepts, then everything I did was solid. It wasn’t until I got those thumbs up that I moved forward with writing the book.
What are you writing now?
Currently, I am working on the seventh installment of my Djinn Rebellion Series. After this is complete, I will begin work on the third book for the Scorned by the Gods series. Getting my 2020 releases ready for the readers!
What is your advice to other writers?
There are so many amazing resources out in the world. Use them. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. That was something it took me far too long to realize for myself. Your work will not suffer for it.
Check out Jessica’s book “Daughter of Medusa” Here!
