Author Interview and book release with author, J.D. Horn!

J.D. has graciously offered a print OR digital ebook copy of Jilo for one lucky winner! To enter to win, place a comment below and include your email address.

(must have a US or CAN address to win the print book. ALL are eligible to win the ebook copy)

JILO

A Witching Savannah Novel

By J.D. Horn

1950s Georgia: King Cotton has fallen. Savannah is known as the “beautiful woman with a dirty face,” its stately elegance faded by neglect, its soul withering from racial injustice and political corruption.

The dark secrets of Savannah are intertwined with the story of the young Jilo Wills who rises to become a legendary part of the most powerful family of witches in the South. The origins of the famed Taylor witch family finds its roots with Jilo’s great-grandmother, Tuesday Jackson, and her grandmother, May Wills, both who used their sorcery to influence the city’s powerbrokers.  The two matriarchs, however, die before they can provide Jilo with a solid education in the magical arts. In desperation to make a quick buck, Jilo takes advantage of the family’s reputation and her scant magical knowledge to create a “Mother Jilo” persona. But soon, Jilo is forced to accept the full weight of her legacy when it becomes clear she is the one that the mystical witch world has been waiting for. Jilo becomes the unbreakable link between the past and future witches of Savannah.

In this standalone introduction to one of the Witching Savannah series’ most vivid and beloved characters, readers are swept away by the resourceful and determined Jilo as she comes of age, strives to master formidable magical skills in the face of overwhelming adversity, and forges her strange destiny against the turbulent backdrop of the civil rights struggle in the American South.

Get a Sneak Peek of Jilo HERE!!

Past Praise for The Line (Witching Savannah Book 1) by J.D. Horn

“In this debut contemporary urban mystery, J.D. Horn weaves an intricate, gripping tale of magic and mysticism with the assured grace and lyricism of a seasoned novelist.”

—Kathryn Leigh Scott, author of Dark Passages and star of the classic TV series, "Dark Shadows"

“The witch is dead and Mercy Taylor needs to find out who killed her in Horn's intriguing debut…This tightly paced, entertaining series opener shows great potential.”

 —Publishers Weekly

Now Available:

Amazon

Author Interview with J.D. Horn

How did your writing career begin?

Goodness. I could say it started in high school with a novel I ended up giving up on in college. Or I could say it began with my first completed novel I wrote back in the 1990s. Back then I went through a soul crushing period of about a year and a half querying agents -- many of you know what that's like -- but the work failed to grab anyone's attention. The only bright spot was when I received an encouraging voicemail about the world of publishing from Anne Lamott, who, as it turned out, was a friend of a friend. Still, for a long period, I gave up on ever becoming a published author. About a decade later my spouse read the manuscript and encouraged me to revise and add to it. An agent kind of, sort of, took that version on, not offering me a contract for representation, but sending it to a few editors to see if anyone would bite. No one did, but luckily for me, a couple editors took the time to write and tell me what they liked about the book, but why, in the end, they were rejecting it.  I found myself faced with the choice of once again letting myself be crushed by rejection, or taking the notes the editors gave me and writing the book they said they wanted to see. I decided to give my dreams another shot and wrote The Line. Thanks to that book, I found myself an official nominee in the category of Best Debut Author in the 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards, and my books have now been/are being translated into eight languages (Russian, Polish, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Turkish, Romanian). So now, I can say that I was an overnight success that was 30 years in the making. 

If becoming a published author is your dream, don't give up.

Is there a favorite spot you like to go to write?

When it's warm and sunny, I like to grab the dogs and work on our back deck. I put the little dog on my lap and the big dog by my feet, and start typing.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

From myth and folklore, pseudoscience and conspiracy theories, poetry and snatches of conversation overheard on the street. 

Who are your favorite authors?

Quite a mix, among them: Mikhail Bulgakov, John Steinbeck, Charlaine Harris, Armistead Maupin, Anne Rice, Mark Twain, Douglas Adams, Alice Walker, Flannery O'Connor, Shirley Jackson, Marguerite Duras, F. Scott Fitzgerald, etc. I always feel a bit guilty when I answer this question, as I know there are so many great writers, especially contemporary ones, whom I've not even gotten to. 

Tell us about your book.

Jilo is the fourth book in the Witching Savannah series, but since it's as a prequel, a reader doesn’t need to read the other three books in the series to enjoy Jilo.  Not too many spoilers, and the one bit that is spoiled might actually make the other three books a bit more enjoyable, since the reader will be able to see it coming, even though none of the characters do.  The other books in the series (The Line, The Source, and The Void) are contemporary, but the plot of Jilo takes place between 1932 and 1960, and shows how the series’ breakout character started on the path to becoming the cantankerous but lovable octogenarian magic worker who saves the world a time or three.

Would you like to add anything else?

Yeah, I still haven't given up on seeing that first book published. Watch this space.

About the Author:

J.D. Horn was raised in rural Tennessee and has carried a bit of its red clay with him while traveling the world, from Hollywood to Paris to Tokyo. He studied comparative literature as an undergrad, focusing on French and Russian in particular. J.D. also holds an MBA in international business and worked as a financial analyst before becoming a novelist. He is author of the bestselling occult fiction series, Witching Savannah. The first three titles in the series are The Line, The Void and The Source. The latest addition is the standalone prequel Jilo. Along with his spouse, Rich, and his furry coauthors, Duke and Sugar, J.D. divides his time between Black Butte Ranch, Oregon, and San Francisco, California.

Connect with J.D. Horn:

amzn.com/ 1503953734

www.witchingsavannah.com

Facebook: /jackdouglashorn

Twitter: @authorjdhorn