We chat with debut author Jackie Johnson about Bladestay, which is a YA Western that features an enemies-to-lovers romance and seventeen-year-old Theo Creed who disguises herself as a boy to infiltrate the gang and take them down from the inside, but her efforts to sabotage their plan go awry when she begins to fall for an outlaw and sympathise with their cause.
Hi, Jackie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m a multi-genre author from Southern California with a passion for discovering new worlds and meeting their heroes, their villains, and most of all, dissecting the ambiguity in between. I’ve been riding horses for nearly twenty-five years and somewhere along the way, fell in love with and married a horse trainer. My husband and I spend most days on our rural farm with our two kids, ten horses, five cats, a feisty goat named Meredith, and Heath Ledger the Doberman.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Reading has been my favorite thing for as long as I can remember, but I’ll never forget the way Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes, and The Chronicles of Narnia captured my attention and imagination. I snuck Stephen King whenever my parents weren’t around, so it’s no surprise that the first story I wrote was a really dark murder mystery. I was about ten at the time and of course it was horrible, but I’d tasted the magic of creating and the power of words and I’ve been addicted ever since.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Charlotte’s Web
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Hunger Games
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Station Eleven
Your debut novel, Bladestay, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
A love story donning revenge.
What can readers expect?
Get ready for a cast of complex characters who blur the lines for their own gain. The protagonist, Theo Creed, is as cutthroat, egotistical, and cunning as the man she goes up against. The story begins in the eponymous town, where the antagonist terrorizes the residents in an attempt to flush out his enemy, and winds up with a cat-and-mouse pursuit in the surrounding mountains where nobody’s motives can be trusted. Cliffhangers, twists, and knife-to-throat yearning abounds.
Where did the inspiration for Bladestay come from?
I wrote Bladestay during the pandemic while living off the grid. In some ways, I lived like one might during the Wild West, in the middle of nowhere with no electricity, no running water, and a slightly constant danger from dangerous animals. Thankfully, my life didn’t include shootouts, horseback chases, or the violence of two men on a rampage for revenge, but I’ve brought a lot of my experience as a horsewoman and homesteader to the page. I also admire how writers such as Quentin Tarantino and Cormac McCarthy abandon the classic Western tropes of clear-cut good and evil for post-modern themes and questionable characters.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
August Gaines, the antagonist, was my favorite character to write. He was fun to explore because while he’s the villain in Theo’s story, Theo could easily be seen as the villain in his. He’s the ultimate bandit: complex and sympathetic, magnetic but ruthless, philosophical and manipulative, charming and powerful. I loved creating the moments between these two characters where their chemistry is palpable and it feels like they could rule the world if they wanted to.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Long! I’d been writing with the intention as a career for over a decade, and Bladestay was the eighth book I’d written, the third book I’d queried. Prior, I had written mainly in the SFF sphere, and when I finally honed my craft to a sharpened level, I landed in a genre that remains traditionally niche. I had a lot of industry feedback who said Westerns aren’t marketable for the masses. I disagreed, so did my publisher, and hopefully readers will too when they see how many things remain to be done to make this genre feel fresh and relevant.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on an adult sci-fi about two memory-traveling detectives who must delve into their own nightmarish memories to solve a string of murders and prove their own innocence.
Lastly, are there any 2024 book releases that you’re looking forward to?
So many! But at the top of my list is Whiskey Tender by Deborah Jackson Taffa, You Like it Darker by Stephen King, and The Mechanics of Memory by Audrey Lee.
