The QuickSilver Series: An Author Interview with Josie Jaffrey
- Swords & Sapphics team
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
Today, we're lucky enough to chat with one of our favourite indie authors, Josie Jaffrey, whose work we discovered a few years back with vampire murder mystery, May Day. Read on to discover brand new sapphic vampire-pirate-zombie series, QuickSilver, plus gain insight into the exciting development of her podcast series!
Thank you for joining us, Josie! Could you start by introducing yourself?
Thank you for having me! I’m a fantasy and paranormal romance author who writes books that are mostly set in the Silverse, a world where vampires exist. They start out hiding amongst humans in the Seekers series and the QuickSilver series, then come out into the open during the zombie apocalypse of the Solis Invicti series, and finally we zip forward in time five hundred years to the Sovereign series, where we find them ruling over the last few humans on Earth.
We would love to know more about your new series, QuickSilver, and what inspired you to write it!
The QuickSilver series is a trilogy of short novels set in Charleston, SC, USA. It follows Kulika Yadav, a centuries-old former pirate and current vampire, who’s in Charleston on a mission to get information from her former captain, Bartholomew. Unfortunately, he’s not cooperating. Meanwhile, an unsuspecting human named Patience Quick rocks up at Bartholomew’s mansion searching for her missing best friend, and instead finds herself in trouble. When the two women’s paths cross, blood will fly.
The series is packed full of pirate history, morally-grey characters, and zombie-related peril, and it was so much fun to write!
The inspiration is a weird one, because I really backed myself into a corner when I wrote (in my very first book, A Bargain in Silver): “It started in America.” That was the origin of the zombie apocalypse as I imagined it, and although I’d always had a vague idea of how it happened, I never got into the details. QuickSilver is designed to plug that gap and explain how the apocalypse really started.
The first book in the series, Kill Me Quick, was just recently released! Tell us what readers can expect from the first instalment.
There’s sapphic romance, pirate history, a vampire cult, zombies, a lot of action, and a villain who is so manipulative and seductive that you might find yourself wondering – as Kulika does – whether you love him or hate him. There’s also some dark shit in there. Check out content warnings here: https://www.josiejaffrey.com/content-warnings
What drew you to the dark fantasy genre?
I’d love to give you a satisfying answer to this question, but the truth is that when I write, dark fantasy is just what comes out. I’ve tried to write cosy, because I love reading it, but inevitably I get drawn quickly into horror and moral ambiguity. Although I wouldn’t describe the romance I write as “dark romance”, I like writing about power imbalances and coercion, so those themes turn up throughout the worlds I create.
The series is set in South Carolina - why did you choose this setting, and did any research go into either the place or the world of pirates?
I love Charleston. I used to have family living out there, so we’d go over to visit fairly regularly, and I just fell in love with the city and the food. God, the food! There’s so much fascinating history there, too, and particularly pirate history. I’ve visited most of the city museums, but to write the QuickSilver series I did need to read a lot of books. Probably too many books, but I got sucked into the pirate history and found it hard to stop.
As well as vampires and pirates, we can expect zombies in this series! Was it a challenge to juggle all three aspects?
It was easier than I expected. I think a lot of that is due to the fact that I’ve already written so many books in this world that feature vampires and zombies, so their lore was already established. The only brand new element was the pirates, and that actually slotted beautifully into the cultish feeling that I think already exists in vampire lore.
Are there any paranormal creatures or character archetypes you’d like to explore in future books?
More vampires. Always more vampires! I have two new series already planned with different kinds of vampires, and I’m looking forward to exploring them in different ways outside the rules I set for them in the Silverse.
With sapphic romance a big part of the story, we want to know: do you have any favourite tropes, and do any make an appearance in QuickSilver?
I love enemies-to-lovers, fake dating and only one bed, to name my top three. None of them are in QuickSilver, actually – I threw them all into the Seekers series already! QuickSilver has scent marks and fated mates though, like the rest of the Silverse books, which are two of my other faves. Also a very weird love triangle that I hesitate to call that because one corner is horribly abusive and only pseudo-romantic.
Did you come across any challenges while creating this series? How have you overcome them?
The biggest challenge was my own impatience. I decided, for entirely emotional reasons, that I needed to get all three books written within 4 months so I could do a quick release this summer and get them all out. That meant writing a lot, and fast, and frankly that wouldn’t have been possible without the sprints channel in the Swords & Sapphics Discord. Whenever I was lacking in motivation – most days, actually – I’d log on first thing and write together with whoever else was around for the rest of the day. It really does make it easier to have company when I’m under immense self-created time pressure. Huge love to the sprints channel and S&S!
Thank you, Josie! We loved having you for writing company! Are you a plotter or pantser, and what was the process behind building this series?
I’m a bit of both. I used to plan nothing and just write chronologically until I felt like I’d hit the end, then I tried fully plotting before I started writing, but neither of those methods worked perfectly for me. These days, I have a skeletal plot before I start writing, so I know where I’m starting and finishing, and a few key scenes I want to hit on the way. Then I start fleshing the story out in a totally chaotic and mostly unchronological way, using the key scenes as anchors, and editing as I go, until it all plumps up into a complete novel. I do a couple of full self-edit runs before the manuscript goes off to my editor, but I usually don’t change too much, because I’ve been editing throughout the process. I wouldn’t recommend this method at all because it requires me to hold so much in my head at once, but it’s the way that works best for me.
You’ve also been hard at work creating a podcast for your other vampire series, Seekers! What made you decide to try this new format, and have you learned anything along the way?
I’m fortunate enough to have a very dear and supportive friend who kept telling me ‘You should turn May Day into a podcast.’ Eventually, she said it enough times that I thought I’d give it a try. That friend is Jen Sugden, who is not only a Sunday Times Bestselling fantasy author, but is also (along with her husband Chris) the writer and creator of the highly-acclaimed indie podcast Victoriocity on which their first novel is based. She very kindly offered to direct my podcast, Jack Valentine, Vampire Detective, and has held my hand through the entire process. It literally wouldn’t have been possible without her.
The thing the podcast has made evident to me is how much the journey and the process of creation is where I find fulfillment. When I’m sitting on my own with my computer for the umpteenth time, trying to get up some enthusiasm for writing another book that probably won’t sell, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that creation is the point. But sitting in the studio, listening to absolutely incredible actors bringing my characters to life, under Jen’s expert and insightful direction, with the Battle Birds recording and sound design team who know exactly what they’re doing and are kind enough to open their home studio to us all, it’s just magical. The experience has been the most positive one of my entire writing career, with such kind and talented people supporting me at every step, in ways I never expected. I get a bit emotional about it, honestly. I’m so incredibly grateful to them all, and I want to do it all over again.
You can buy Jen and Chris’s Sunday Times bestselling book High Vaultage and listen to their award-winning podcast Victoriocity here: https://www.victoriocity.com
And listen to the Battle Birds’ award-winning podcast We Fix Space Junk here: https://battlebird.productions
With so many books under your belt, what advice would you give to indie authors who are just starting out?
I actually don’t think I self-publish very well, so I don’t feel like I’m in a position to offer advice on the practicalities! It’s a hard road in the same way that traditional publishing is a hard road, although the specific challenges are different, so I think emotional resilience is really important. The best way to cultivate that, I have found, is through community. Writers are not competing against each other; we’re colleagues, so I think the best advice I can give is to find your people so you can bitch and moan with them when you need to, and celebrate your successes together.
And which of your books would you recommend for readers who have devoured QuickSilver and need more?
I always recommend starting with the Seekers series, the first book being May Day. It’s the first book in the Silverse chronologically, so feels like the logical place to start. It’s also maybe my favourite series, and May Day won the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award 2021, so other people seem to like it too!
We LOVED it! Our podcast focuses on media we’re currently loving. Are there any books, shows, movies, or games you’re enjoying at the moment? Any recommendations for our audience? Bonus points if it includes sapphics!
I just finished reading Blood on the Wind, the second book in UK author Dawn Kurtagich’s Conjures series. It’s sapphic romantic horror, with vampires and vibes of Dr Faustus and Carmilla. A must-read for anyone who’s into classic sapphic horror!
I also read indie author Cat Rector’s incredible Coal Gets in Your Veins earlier this year – a dark diamond of a romantic vampire horror that I cannot recommend strongly enough – which has a bi MC. I just can’t stop thinking about that one. It was beautiful.
About the Author
Josie is a dark fantasy, paranormal romance and historical fiction author who writes about lost worlds, dystopian societies and morally-ambiguous monsters (vampires are her favourite). She has published multiple novels and short stories. Most of those are set in the Silverse, an apocalyptic world filled with vampires and zombies.
Josie is the founding editor of indie fantasy magazine Indie Bites (www.silversunbooks.com) and the writer of the urban fantasy podcast Jack Valentine, Vampire Detective (www.jackvalentinepod.com).
She’s currently working on vampire murder mysteries (the Seekers series) and a YA series centred around Atlantis and the lost civilisations of the Mediterranean (the Deluge series). Researching the latter is the first time she’s used her Classics degree since university.
Josie lives in Oxford with her husband and two cats (Sparky and Gussie), who graciously permit human cohabitation in return for regular feeding and cuddles. The resulting cat fluff makes it difficult for Josie to wear black, which is largely why she gave up being a goth. Although the cats are definitely worth it, she still misses her old wardrobe.
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