JORDAN RIVET ON READING LIKE A FANTASY WRITER

On this day, I am excited to host one of my favourite authors on the blog! The Watermight Thief has been one of my best reads so much so that I reached out to the author to host the cover reveal for the sequel, The Thunderbird Queen! I’ve had so much fun reading Jordan Rivet’s works that I invited her for a guest post on Camillea Reads. Today, Jordan is giving us some writing tips for our bookworms!

🌺 Check out my review for The Watermight Thief by Jordan Rivet

You can’t be a writer without adoring reading.

Fantasy was my first love. As a kid, I followed the well-tread fantasy reading path from C.S. Lewis’s Narnia to the worlds of Lloyd Alexander and J.K. Rowling and then Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Every page introduced me to magical creatures and daring heroes and drew me further into vivid worlds full of unrestrained magic. By my teens, I was six books into Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series with no hope of escape.

I’m now an author with fifteen books under my belt (ten in the fantasy genre). I learn something from everything I read, but a few books have influenced my writing in especially strong and lasting ways. To celebrate the publication of my latest YA fantasy, The Thunderbird Queen, I’d like to share the books that’ve had the biggest impact on my writing journey. 

Wheel of Time – Immersive Worldbuilding

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First, of course, is the Wheel of Time series. Robert Jordan’s fifteen-book epic includes a prequel and the three books Brandon Sanderson wrote after Robert Jordan’s death. It’s among the most complete and immersive fantasy worlds ever constructed, demonstrating just how far world building can go. My books aren’t doorstoppers like the WoT books, but I strive to create an immersive experience so my world feels real beyond the boundaries of the story. 

Rebel of the Sands – Perfect Pacing

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The next series that has influenced my writing is Alwyn Hamilton’s Rebel of the Sands trilogy. I had already published a few YA fantasy books when I first read this series, and it stuck out as an excellent example of pacing in a YA novel. I was hooked from the first action-packed chapter, and I’ve tried to learn from Hamilton’s pacing to improve my work ever since.

Emperor’s Edge – Sharp Dialogue, Clean Prose

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I’m a Lindsay Buroker fangirl, especially for her Emperor’s Edge steampunk fantasy series. These books are pure fun, with snappy dialogue and characters I still think about all the time. The writing itself flows exceptionally well, and the clean, accomplished prose inspires me to make every word count. 

Six of Crows – Fully Developed Characters 

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Leigh Bardugo’s popular Six of Crows novel influenced my writing at an important time. I tend to write fast-paced fantasy, and I was in danger of skimming over important character development moments in an effort to keep readers turning pages. Then I read Six of Crows. Leigh Bardugo takes the time to slow down and fully develop each character without sacrificing momentum. This book prompted me to develop characters worth rooting for and reminded me that quiet moments can be just as affecting as the big action scenes.

The Night Circus – Flawed Magic

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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is one of my very favorite books. The plot loses steam a bit at the end, but I don’t care. The circus is enchanting and magical, and I want to return to it again and again. It satisfies my deepest needs as a fantasy fan and reminds me that a story doesn’t have to be perfect for readers to love it. All it needs is the right kind of magic.

Writing Like a Reader

As a writer, I’m always trying to improve. I pay attention to what works for me as a reader and study how to recreate the same experience in my books. But the clearest sign of a good book is if it pulls me so far into the world that I stop paying to attention to the writing. If I can get lost in another author’s world, even with my critical writer brain on, that’s when I’ve found something great. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jordan Rivet is an American author of swashbuckling YA fantasy and post-apocalyptic adventures. Her series include Steel and Fire, Empire of Talents, and The Fire Queen’s Apprentice. Originally from Arizona, she lives in Hong Kong with her husband. When she’s not writing, Jordan likes to read, travel, binge-watch TV shows, and eat other people’s cooking. 

Follow the author on her website

Twitter: @Jordan_Rivet

Instagram: @Jordan_Rivet_Books

THE WATERMIGHT THIEF BY JORDAN RIVET

BOOK ONE OF THE FIRE QUEEN’S APPRENTICE 

Welcome to Pendark, a city of murky canals, brutal gladiator fights, and sorcerers who feud over access to the silvery magical substance known as Watermight. 

Tamri is a scrappy magic thief who’s trying to get her grandmother out of this festering swamp of a city. But when a quick score involving a dragon goes wrong, she’s shipped off to a distant mountaintop kingdom where the legendary Fire Queen is starting a school for magic wielders. 

The King of Pendark suspects the Fire Queen is up to something more dangerous than training young wielders, and he orders Tamri to find out the truth. If she fails, neither she nor her grandmother will survive the school year. 

THE BOOK IS ON SALE FOR 0.99USD FROM SEPTEMBER 23 UNTIL SEPTEMBER 29!

BUY THE BOOK HERE!

 

Which book has helped your writing skills? Would you read The Watermight Thief?

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