Interview With Team Nerds

***Here's part of my AMAZING interview with Team Nerd's Annabell.

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Annabell: Tell us a bit about yourself.

Raphyel Jordan: I'm just a guy who likes to let his inner dorkism show through the story he writes. :P

Annabell: What are some attributes that would qualify you as a nerd?

Raphyel Jordan: Hmm, lemme see. Video games? Check. Comics? Check. Anime? Check. Why, I even played old school RPGs here and there! You know, the one where you have a notebook and a dice? Yep. That serious. :P

Annabell: Describe the plot behind Prossia.

Raphyel Jordan: Prossia is the tale of a young alien girl named Aly. There's a danger lurking among the friends she's sworn to protect when she gets drafted into a galactic war with them. This danger is worse than any enemy weaponry, any being known in the galaxy, and it has the potential of crumbling both hostile and allied forces. The worst part is this: That danger is Aly, herself, and she doesn't even know it. I'd like to think of Prossia as being that classic coming-of-age story we can all relate to since many of us had our perspective of the world turned completely upside down when we left the "bird's nest."

Annabell: You essentially went to school for your first passion, Graphic Design then jumped into the world of writing. How did Graphic Design inspire you into writing your debut novel, Prossia?

Raphyel Jordan: Actually, I wanted to be an animator for the majority of my life, but that never came to fruition. I've been drawing since I was three years old, if not younger. Since the animation thing didn't work out, I figured graphic design was the next best thing since I could implement my life-long passion of drawing with it. When I was a kid, I used to do "graphic novels." So, in a sense, what I did with Prossia really wasn't anything new to me. It just involved a lot more words and thought! :P

Annabell: Prossia is centered around aliens without any human characters. Why did you decide to create a story absent of humans?

Raphyel Jordan: For starters, I knew the things I wanted these characters be capable of doing was going to be impossible by human standards unless I went the way of the genetically enhanced super human soldier, or something like that. Those stories have been done countless of times, and done so well that I needed to do something different. I also thought it would be cool to see how advanced sentient life would conduct itself. Oddly enough, the way they govern one another is very human-like in my story, but a lot of their customs are different due to their natural habitats and biochemistry. On top of that, it was just a blast being able to do all of this world building from scratch.

 

Annabell: The cover to Prossiais pretty cool! How did you approach creating it?

Raphyel Jordan: Uh oh. You just asked me a good art question! LOL! Thank you so much for the compliment, btw! The cover is actually inspired by an older illustration I did of Aly, called "A Soldier's Burden." In the original pic, I wanted to show Aly being weighed down by putting on the heavy toil of war. Soldiers give up so much of their, well, humanity, so the rest of us can keep ours.

So, with the cover, I wanted to convey a similar message, but put more emphasis on what Aly's protecting. . . and absolutely how terrified she is. She's only a seventeen-year old whose only main concern was making it pass high school. She didn't volunteer for the war, but was drafted! Who wouldn't be scared?! In the image, she almost has a "What am I doing here?" expression on her face. I also "cheated" with her armor a little bit for the same purpose, making it seem slightly bulkier than her form can manage. And, I hate to break it to ya, but I have plans on the cover's getting revised in the future. Sorry. :P But I promise, it's gonna be for the better.

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***Thanks so much, Annabell. To read the rest of the interview, just click on over to Team Nerd Reviews

Blog Interview With "Prossia's Catty

I had the pleasure of doing an author interview with Mia Darien a few days ago, but that was just the beginning. As some of you know, “Prossia” has a spunky supporting character named Cattalice aka Catty who has a lot to say whenever she’s given the chance. Turns out Darien is a pretty big hit with her character interviews, so I just knew that my Catty would be a perfect hit! Since it's a bit lengthy, and I don't wanna take up the entire front page, you can read the other half of the interview at Mia's site . 

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Mia: What is the name of the book where we’ll find you? Can you tell us a little about it?
Catty: Helloooo! I’m in Raphyel M. Jordan’s sci-fi novel, “Prossia.” Hmm, okay, what it’s about. . .

“Prossia’s” a– what do you Earthlings call it– oh yeah! It’s a ‘coming-of-age’ story. Did I say that right? Sorry. Your various Planet Earth dialects are weird! And I think this is where I’m supposed to insert LOL

Anyway, “Prossia” follows the story of my best friend, Aly. Our tribe got drafted into a galactic war to fight off this ancient enemy called the Cyogen. That’s pronounced “Sy-o-jen,” in case you people can’t say it right. Wait, that didn’t come out as offensive, did it? Sorry. I’m not too familiar with Earthling culture.

Oh. But “Prossia” is more of a character-driven story than situational-driven. It’s a lesson about the unknown strength and potential that young people can have if they’re just given a chance.

Mia: Tell us a little about yourself. Where do you fit into the story? What should we know about you?
Catty: My name is Cattalice the Younger of the Kutenbriun Tribe. Thus the reason why I just go by Catty. I’m a– how do you say– supporting character in “Prossia.” I’m a ten-and-seven . . . oops. I mean, I’m a seventeen-year-old Goolian from Planet Gooliun. I live in a southern tribe called Kutenbrya, only a couple of days away from our planetary capital.

My pappai–I mean father– is the field lord of my tribe, so I can’t deny the fact that I’ve had a more fortunate upbringing than most. I know I’m spoiled, and I’ve had it a little easier than most of my friends, like Aly. So, I try extra hard to help my tribe in any way I can. We Goolians believe in the bettering of the collective whole, not the individual.

I like to gossip, listen to music, and I LOVE to dance. Love it love it love it! I hate homework, but what teenager doesn’t? I’m sure that’s a universal thing with all sentient beings. 

Oh. . . and I hate secrecy, especially the type I have to keep from the ones I love. :/ It’s a horrible feeling to have, especially when you think a person has a right to know that they. . . maybe I said too much on that subject. Um, next question?

Mia: Sure. What do you think of the author? Be honest. We won’t tell.
Catty: Promise? Okay. For an Earthling. . . I think he’s pretty cute. LOL! I know, I’m so weird for thinking that about an alien! Then again, I guess I’m the alien to you folks, right?

Besides, I was told by one of your kind that I’m kinda like a. . . darn it, what’s that word again? A humanoid? I take it that meant my species has similar physical-looking attributes to Earthlings.

Anyways, coming back to topic: Raphyel can be so serious at times, but so bubbly the next! He’s very passionate about making sure the Prossial experience is written correctly. He likes to draw too, and I think that’s pretty cool. He even did a drawing of me one time, and it looked so much like me that it was scary!

And I just love his hair! It’s so unique! Locks are so fancy looking. And he has such a cute laugh. . . Whenever you hear it, you know he’s nearby. Please make sure he doesn’t read this. LOL!

Read the interview in its entirety HERE 

My 2nd Blog Interview

Here's a big thanks to Mia Darien from MiaDarien.com for interviewing me about my writing! Darien is an author from New England, the apparent land of "fast talkers," according to her. She writes multiple genres, including free short stories on her site, so definitely check her out! Ah, and expect to read the interview she did with Prossia's Catty in the next couple of days as well!

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About the Writer

1. What five words describe you?
Hmm. Passionate. Hopeful. Impatient. Shy & Talkative at the same time. I know. Don’t ask me how the last two work. 

2. What was the first story you ever wrote? I mean the really bad one we all have that you’re trying to hide in the back of closet now that you’re published?
Uhhh, I have no idea what you’re talking about (laughs nervously) >_>

3. What inspires you?
Life. There’s plenty of things to write about thanks to just living.

4. What distracts you?
That would be the fear of failing. I guess that might show my age, or maybe the lack thereof. :/ Sometimes I worry myself about not being successful so much to the point that I paralyze my creative juices. I’m getting a little better at ignoring such worries, though.

5. What’s your favorite story?
Oi, that’s a hard one. LOL! There’s so many great stories out there, it’s hard to pick a preference. Lemme see . . . I think I tend to lean more towards the redemption story. A hero’s fall from grace and making a dynamic comeback? Stories like that tend to peak my interest because they’re more real to me. Just like any human being, this sort of hero shows his/her imperfection by making some huge bumps in the road. However, circumstances lead them back to the side of right. I guess I’m just a romantic, in that sense. 

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About the Writing

1. Tell us about your currently available titles.
The only title I currently have out is called “Prossia,” but I’m currently working on changing that as we speak. I intend on making “Prossia” a sci-fi coming of age series that shows the potential and responsibility that youth have due to their strengths while learning to overcome their weaknesses.

2. What’s your favorite part about writing these stories?
Creating the universe, as a whole, by far! I love being able to take people into worlds never seen before, to travel with creatures never envisioned, to cheer for individuals that are surprisingly relatable to them.

3. What would your characters say about you? Be honest!
LOL! Ho boy, I think I’ll pick some of the more popular ones:

Aly would probably say that I need to stop complaining about life so much and resist the inner doubts

Catty would say I’m cute because I tend to get energetic and lively when I’m with my buddies

Hmm, Cy and I probably wouldn’t get along too well because he would say that I’m too nice to people

Gruago and I would probably get along just fine because we could have hours-long conversations about astronomy, technology, different governments and cultures, and most importantly, the must-have video game to get this holiday season. 

4. Who would play your favorite character if they made a movie of their story?
I did base one of my characters off an actor, but I don’t think he’d necessarily be my favorite character all-in-all. Beyond that, I’m not trying to think of movie stuff. I just wanna share my book with readers.

5. Do you have any projects currently in the works you want to talk about?
Ooooooh, spoiler time. I’m working on two Prossia-related projects. It took me longer than it should have in giving “Prossia” readers the next installment (and for that, I sincerely apologize to everyone), which is why I’m working on two stories at the same time. One will be free when it comes out, actually.

The first one is going to be a prequel to “Prossia” and the next one will be the direct sequel to the original book. I’m really hoping to have the prequel out by next year. The prequel is already getting prepped up for an editor.

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Raphyel, thank you for joining us today, and good luck with your writing!

Book Blog Check: There's "Magick" In the Book Blog World

Update: A HUGE thank you to Austine for reviewing my novel, "Prossia." Oh Cool! She actually liked it! Be sure to see what she had to say about it on her Magick Pen Blog.

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Book bloggers are getting very popular out there nowadays due to digital books. However, it can still be a little bit of a drag finding some that have a keen interest in what you're offering. However, I lucked out in finding the Magick Pen on blogspot.com to match my particular criteria.

The Magick Pen is ran by Austine Decker, an aspiring author who loves reading YA novels. Her particular interest are sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance in physical form (no e-books). So, this blog caught my interest for several reasons. First and foremost, Magick Pen is very active, so you won't have to worry about getting some news one week and not getting any sort of update for months. You can expect on average 3-4 postings a week with some insightful articles from reviews, author interviews, or guest posts.

The other item is the most important thing I look for in a book blogger: Honesty. Now, now. I know we don't want to have our pride and joys belittled and posted for the whole world to see, but that's a fair risk that writers should be willing to take when looking for bloggers. The Magick Pen  has no problem telling that you are either insane for not reading a book, or if you should let one slip on by. However, if you look at the reviews that she didn't really fancy, you'll notice that it's not all doom and gloom. Oh, so there's the other thing: Austine is nice. ^_^

The final point is that Austine looks for all the key elements that makes a good story in her reviews. Pacing, character development, an interesting conflict, she'll point out how a story utilizes those pieces  and offer examples.

The Magick Pen is one the few blogs that's willing to go off on a hunch for something new, whether you're an indie or traditional. Be sure to check out what this page is doing in the future. If you think you have something that might be up Magick Pen's alley, you better make sure you drop a line! But be sure to give the blog the respect it deserves by checking out some of the reviews, author interviews, and be sure you fit her review policies before going off the limb. Still, the blog is currently taking in review requests, so you better hurry!

 Magick Pen