Interview: 5 Questions with Victoria Landis, Author of 'Jordan'

Victoria Landis is a professional writer, editor, and artist. A 16-yr member, and former board member, of Mystery Writers of America, she Co-Chaired the SleuthFest Writers Conference from 2015-2018.

She's taught at SleuthFest, the Authors Academy at Murder on the Beach, and the Alvin Sherman Library at Nova Southeastern University.

Her newest novel, JORDAN, is a thriller with a magical realism/paranormal element and a cautionary tale of human nature and how it hasn’t changed in thousands of years.

Q: What’s inside the mind of a thriller/magical realism author?

A: A million story plots I’ll never get to. I keep a list of titles and ideas in a little notebook and sigh every time I add another. I’m always imagining what if? Even standing in line at the grocery store, I’ll observe what people are wearing, their body language, how they speak to each other, and make up stories about them on the spot. Sometimes, they’re amazing and talented people we want to be friends with, and, other times, they’re murderers.

Q: Tell us why readers should buy JORDAN.

A: It’s so relevant to our world today. Imagine. Really imagine for a minute—what would happen if someone appeared who could heal people just by touching them? How long before videos go viral and the world comes stampeding in? How long before absolute chaos erupts? People mean well, but they can’t help themselves.

Q: What makes a good thriller?

A: Well, JORDAN is kind of a mash-up, genre-wise. It’s part thriller, part magical realism, and probably, the best way to describe it is as general fiction. But the thriller element can speak to this question. A classic thriller is fast-paced. It has great consequences at stake. So, the world demanding to see Jordan and stampeding into South Florida creates both of those.

Q: Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

A: My website, www.VictoriaLandis.com, is chock full of information about my books and design work. I also have ‘character interviews’ for Blinke It Away and Alias: Mitzi & Mack—but be sure you’ve read those books before reading the interviews. There are some spoilers otherwise.

Q: What has writing taught you?

A: So very much, but patience is the most important one. Writing novels is a slow process to begin with. Rewriting and editing them happens at least once, but with most of the really good ones, they get rewritten/tweaked multiple times. The second most valuable thing I’ve learned is to get my ego out of the way and listen to those who know writing and the business of writing.

Thank you so much for having me here!