Today I welcome to the blog, author S. R. Severn, for an interview about her new book, Pirate’s Vengeance. I interviewed her on this latest book in The Jackson J Tales series.

Q01 How did you come up with your book’s title?

I already know that each book in the Jackson J Tales series will begin with ‘Pirate’s’, so what follows will be relevant to the theme of the book.

As book one focused around my male main character, Kennedy, and his vow of vengeance, I knew book two would have to be the focus on vengeance’s inevitable arrival.

Q02 This is the sequel to your first book, can you tell us a little about that first book?

Pirate’s Vow is a dark fantasy romance about two slaves, Kennedy and Viera, who meet and fall in love under unfavourable circumstances – Kennedy is only in Viera’s city to earn his and his family’s freedom.

He can’t afford to fall in love, neither can Viera. When they make a pact to runaway together, Ken backs out and the consequences are disastrous.

A decade later, they reunite under very different circumstances, and still unfavourable. She’s an officer of the law, and he’s a pirate, making any chance of rekindling a romance dangerous as well as forbidden..

Q03 What has been your favourite part of writing/creating this book/series?

That’s a hard question because I’ve been enjoying every aspect! I love deep diving into core memories of my characters, snaring their trauma and insecurities and seeing how they cope in a world devout to multiple gods, dependant on science and suppressed by hierarchies.

I love pushing two wounded characters together, exposing their hearts and watching them fall in love (I haven’t done forced proximity yet and I certainly won’t rule it out!).

World building has given me the freedom to create a unique mythological world where the gods pick and choose whether to either bless or curse a mortal.

Q04 What inspired you to write this series?

In school I studied Classical Civilisation and was enamoured with Greek Mythology, one of my very first PC games was ironically a Greek mythology game and soon after I fell in love with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

I’ve always read romance books, from the age of eleven I couldn’t go a day without reading a Mills & Boon book. I also loved Steampunk. No one really knew about it or shared the same fixation at the time so I really felt like I was a small percentage in the world interested in it. I’d dabbled in writing romance since I was a teenager but was lacking in skill.

I think it was only in University while studying Creative Writing and creating different forms of writing where I finally felt the desire to create a romance story that was just mine…something never written before, just an amalgamation of all the things I was passionate about.

Why I chose to create a romance story in a dark world? A lot of it came from my own experiences of injustice and anger and needing to find hope somewhere.

Ken and Viera aren’t the same characters I created all those years ago, they’ve gone through my journey of heartbreak, rage, grief and happiness. They’ve grown and matured with me.

I get immense satisfaction from broken characters, breaking them a bit more, then watching how they transform under love’s spell, not necessarily fixing them (as I don’t believe people can be fixed), but definitely healing the worst of their wounds..

Q05 How long did it take you to write Pirate’s Vengeance?

Pirate’s Vengeance was originally combined with Pirate’s Vow as one book which was initially published as ‘Origin’.

It was only through rewriting/revision stage did I make the decision to split the books into two giving them different titles because it was so big! If I had to count how long it took me to actually get both books in order, it would be nine years.

In those nine years, I took a two-year break from writing, having only returning at the helm two years ago. In fact, I’d be trying to write a whole different series but couldn’t get into it.

I realised that it was because The Jackson J Tales were calling to me, so I bravely split Origin into two, re-wrote part one as Pirate’s Vow which took me about 9 months then published it last year November.

Pirate’s Vengeance has taken me another 9 months to re-write and publish!.

Q06 Who is your favourite character in this book and why? (no spoilers though!)

Definitely Kennedy. He’s just crazy, imperfect, morally grey and funny. He absolutely adores the ground Viera walks on, is a huge romantic and loves grand gestures (in intimate settings).

He wouldn’t hesitate to eradicate any threat towards his loved ones. He loves taking in strays, human or inhuman. He’s impulsive and reckless at times, which stresses me and other characters out, but I love him nonetheless.

His creativity, deviousness and ability to think on his feet is what often gets him out of trouble. Loyal to a fault and a force to be reckoned with…

Q07 What is your writing process for this series?

If you asked me a few years ago, I’d come out with book binders and notebooks. Now, however, I’m somewhat different in my approach to planning.

I’ve been creating a visual timeline and family tree for my characters in the series to guide me on their journey, highlighting core events.

I still have a notebook with as much information as possible but I need to re-vamp it as some of the plot ideas are outdated (can you tell I love re-writing?).

For book three, I’ll be deep diving into parts of the world readers haven’t experienced in book one and two, so I’ll be utilising Pinterest again for inspiration! In terms of planning the events of one book, I make a lot of mind maps and timelines.

Q08 Are there more books coming in this series? (incl. more books, novellas and/or spin-offs etc)

Yes, I have plans for more books. In fact, I have book three and four written but it’s all in one book. So again, just like with book one and two, I have the fun task of splitting it apart and fully re-writing them.

This rewrite will definitely take me more than a year as so much has changed in Pirate’s Vow and Vengeance, I have to ensure that the events in book three and four align with those changes. So, I actually won’t be writing from a blank page until the time comes for book five.

I can’t say how many books I have planned in the future (I have other characters in the series raising their hand, wanting to be chosen for main books or novellas) but for now, you can definitely expect another three out of me.

Q09 What has been the hardest part of writing this series?

Considering that originally I didn’t write the series in order, I’d say the re-writes are the bane of my existence and quite daunting whenever I think about it.

However, I’ve learnt to pace myself and trust in my ability to solve the plot issues (no matter how many days or weeks or months it takes).

Imposter syndrome likes to make unwelcome visits during my writing days which I’m sure many creatives can relate to. Given that the world I’ve created is dark with sensitive elements, it can be challenging trying to navigate triggering subjects in a careful manner.

I do find writing these difficult, emotionally powerful scenes hard, but rewarding, especially if it resonates with a reader or helps spread awareness.

Q10 What can people expect from your book in terms of themes etc?

Readers can expect to be exposed to the different types of justice. There’s the good, the bad and the ugly. Differing and conflicting loyalties. Power corruption and idealistic views of freedom.

I recently heard a quote that resonated so much with me and The Jackson J Tales in its entirety (not just Pirate’s Vengeance): There are three sides to every story, your side, the other person’s side, and the truth.

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About S. R. Severn

S. R. Severn is a British author who writes dark fantasy romance and loves devising different ways she can make her characters suffer, both in and out of love.

The vital ingredients found in her books are steampunk, mythology, and morally grey characters with happily-ever-afters.

She grew up with a fascination for the supernatural/paranormal, Greek mythology, steampunk and developed an unhealthy obsession for fantasy. Since then, she’s collected enough books to build a spacious book fort.

The inspiration to become an author came during her years studying Creative Writing at the University of Greenwich in London. After being unsuccessful in finding a book combining all the things she loved, she decided to create it herself.

She currently lives in London surrounded by her hoard of steampunk and pirate trinkets. When not writing, she can be found gaming, reading under cosy lighting or cocooned in a comfort blanket watching movies.

Website | Instagram

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Pirate’s Vengeance

Book 2 of The Jackson J Tales Series

Pirates seek freedom. Highborns crave power. The gods demand worship. The Sacred desire peace.

How could there possibly be room for love in a world full of peril, definite adventure, mythic creatures, annoying deities, unbreakable prophecies & twisted curses?

A vengeful hour approaches. A choice must be made.

One scale offers Viera the chance to finally find freedom with the pirate she loves. The other scale offers her the chance to answer for her crimes.

A war wages in Kennedy’s mind…make an enemy of a Pirate Sovereign by keeping the love of his life or stand with his comrades and lose Viera forever.

When tragedy strikes, they are thrown onto a dark path neither of them planned for.

An ultimate betrayal reveals true natures, forges dark ones, awakens old ones and soon the fight for survival becomes a race against the clock as vengeance draws ever closer.

With forces working to keep them apart, will a pirate and a Highborn accept the destiny society has made for them or triumph over the universe to make a new one…no matter how perilous it may be?

Buy The Book

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Big thank you to S.R. Severn, for joining me today on the blog.  Wish her all the best with her new release and please take the time to check out her links above.

Happy reading