Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordi Burton.
Jordi, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started writing novels when I was in elementary school and was unable to find exactly the types of stories I wanted to read. As I grew older, I started to focus on writing stories about things that I wished I would see in popular media, such as strong female characters who were comfortable in their bodies. I started my own publishing company when I was a full-time student in college and subsequently self-published three young adult fantasy novels. While in college, I also branched out into screenwriting. I wrote 12 episodes of a TV show centered around the old social media app, Vine, after interviewing ex-Viners and falling in love with their stories.
After graduation, I started workshopping and pitching the show around. I networked with one of the co-creators of Vine, a manager of a young rap star, TikTok stars will millions of followers, and numerous production companies local to Orlando and South Florida. I am currently still writing and working on raising funds to produce the pilot episode of the TV show, as well as working on a novel to be released in 2023. In conjunction with my writing endeavors, I also have a TikTok and Instagram account dedicated to healthy eating, centered around allergen-friendly foods, following a medical diagnosis with an autoimmune disease and multiple food allergies. All of this I have continued to work on while teaching high school English full-time. My passion for writing and creating shines through everything that I do, and I will continue to work towards my goals.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. First and foremost, my health had been a huge struggle. Being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and struggling with numerous food allergies has limited my time I can dedicate to my projects and my writing. Aside from that, however, I have found that self-promotion, marketing, and being an unrepresented writer has proved to be challenging. I chose to go the independent route, knowing it would be harder. However, I can take pride in the pact that my work is 100% mine from start to finish. Proving to people that they should take a chance on me or my work has been difficult because of that. I’m a young writer with only self-published work under my belt, so I have had to work harder to get my foot in the door for the opportunities I have. However, I wouldn’t change a bit of it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am, first and foremost, a writer. I have a passion for creating worlds and building characters. I love to tell fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction stories that are inspired by people, places, and situations I’ve seen in my day-to-day life. I also have written a TV show, which is an amalgamation of interviews I did on the subject, as well as incredible people I had in my life at the time of conception. I make female-driven works, and try to show the various sides of women and their relationships. My hope is to give young women characters to look up to, who showcase strength–whether mental, physical, or emotional–and wisdom. My addition of the real world in my characters, world, or plot set me apart from other writers because my work (no matter if it’s a fantasy story or a sci-fi) is grounded in reality. It adds depth and creates a world that is simultaneously magical and real.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I have learned better time management! I realized that we only have so many hours in a day, and what we do with them matters. I also realized that nowadays people are looking for more of an escape than they may have in the past, so they are turning more to books, TV shows, and movies to whisk them away from reality. It’s more important now to give people incredible pieces of art that they can use to escape or imagine something better.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.JordiBurton.com
- Instagram: @author.jordiburton
- Facebook: facebook.com/authorjordiburton
