JQM Literary Chat Welcomes Dominique Langston Jordan

Tell us about yourself:

Hi! My name is Dominique Langston Jordan, but I write under the name D. L. Jordan. I am a self-published author. I love writing and I’m always championing for authors who decide to write, publish, and distribute their work independently on their own.

Tell us about your book:

My book is called The Erlonan Tales: The Genesis of Destiny. It is the first book in my The Erlonan Tales series, which is about a young man named Dean Richardson who discovers that he is the heir to the throne of a mythical land. The series basically chronicles his adventures as he battles the highs and lows of running a kingdom, tries to defeat a relentless villain who attempts to destroy his kingdom, and gain knowledge from a diverse group of fellow rulers who are there to guide him on his journey. Dean endures all this while also dealing with the some rather crucial events from his past. So far, three books in the series have been completed and are available online. I am currently working on the fourth book in the series, which is called The Erlonan Tales: The Golden Trinket.

Jordan

What influenced you to write your current genre?

Since I mostly write in the Fantasy genre, some of my greatest inspirations have been J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, and Octavia Butler. Octavia Butler’s novel Kindred is one of the best books I’ve ever read. She really added a great deal to the genre.

Who are your favorite authors?

Some of my favorite authors are Langston Hughes, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Arthur Golden, Laura Fitzgerald, and Octavia Butler.

What are your favorite books?

I like an array of different books in different genres. My favorite genre is, of course, Fantasy, but I like autobiographies, fiction, or even self-help books. Growing up I loved to read the Chicken Soup for the Soul books and I learned a lot from the stories that were presented from those. The series of books that really got me excited about reading was the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. When the books were first released, everyone read them, and I loved them. As soon as the first movie was released, you could forget about it. I was a fan for life!

Who are your favorite literary characters?

Characters in books like The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, and To Kill A Mockingbird have always been admirable to me. The will to live in an unforgiving society shown by Hester Prynne, the devotion and longing for the love of Daisy Buchanan displayed by Jay Gatsby, and the unmoving determination to stand up against injustice shown by Atticus Finch are all traits that I really admire in those characters. When you write a book, you want to write a protagonist that your reader can relate to. You want your reader to care for the character and what happens to them. If you don’t do that, then you’ve lost your reader. All the characters I mentioned above display an attribute that the reader finds admirable. That’s what I try to do with my protagonist. I try to make him deeply flawed, but admirable as well.

Is there anything you want to share with potential readers?

Always believe in yourself and never give up on your writing. The ability to write and create different scenes and worlds with your words is something to be cherished. Don’t be afraid to display your talent. I would also advise him/her to stay persistent with their writing. Whether you’re writing a paragraph a day, a page a day, or even ten pages a month it really doesn’t matter. You just have to train yourself to stay dedicated to your craft and create. If you stick with it, you’ll eventually have a completed short story, poem, or novel before you know it.

Where can we go to learn more about you and your literary works?

I’m also on Twitter: @DLJordan90

By James Quinlan Meservy