THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Voclain Academy Series
Get a behind-the-scenes all-access pass to Jordan Grant's Voclain Academy Series!
SYNOPSIS:
Beautifully
Wicked: The Complete Boxset follows Ian, the reigning bad boy, and Harlow, the
spitfire new girl, as they navigate life at an elite boarding school, Voclain
Academy, in upstate New York.
She’s a smartass girl, broken by the death of her
brother. He’s the beautiful king known for ruling the Academy with an iron
fist.
What is the sub-genre and trope? Did your characters lead you to this genre or
was that decided before the story began?
The
Beautifully Wicked series is bully
romance with tropes of instalove (for a moment, anyway), tortured antihero, enemies
to lovers, and bad boy/good girl. I live-and-breathe for antihero,
enemies-to-lovers romance, and I knew when I sat down to write Beautifully
Wicked, that it was going to be just that.
Are you more character or plot driven?
Character driven, for sure. I want to know what makes
them cry, scream, laugh, and lose their minds.
With many main and secondary characters, how do you keep
them separated in your mind? Do you have
a story/vision board above your workspace?
I used
to create a separate document, sort of like a family tree, but I’ve switched to
a vision board going forward. It hangs above my desk.
I know from previous interviews that characters take on a
life of their own. Were any of the
characters in this series determined to take their own direction instead of
where you initially wanted them to go?
Yes!
Initially, Molly was supposed to be a side character, just Harlow’s roommate,
but then Atticus, Molly’s son, came along and it grew and grew.
Now, her story
with Everett, Vicious Love, will release this fall.
Are any of the male POVs based on anyone you know?
Yes, sort of. My husband has a quick wit, and the fiery banter
you see between Harlow and Ian is based on the same banter we have at home.
Are any of the female POVs based on anyone you know?
Me, partially. I too struggle with anxiety, and Harlow’s
panic attacks—which she calls the darkness—come directly from my personal
experience.
Was there any one character/scene
that was harder to write about than the other?
Oliver
Beckett, Ian’s father, was particularly difficult to pin down. He’s such a disgusting
character—a wife-beater, a womanizer, and a narcissist—it was hard for me to
put him on the page.
What is your favorite book in the series?
Beautifully Wicked (Voclain Academy Book One),
probably—especially when Ian and Harlow first meet—though I also adore
Beautifully Mine (Voclain Academy Book Four), which completes Ian’s redemption
arc.
I know that we aren’t supposed to have “favorites” as far
as our children, but seriously, who’s your favorite character and why?
Oh no, I can’t. I just…I can’t do that them. *laughs
nervously* I love them all equally.
Series question - Who is your favorite couple and why did
you decide on their dynamics?
Ian and Harlow are
the center of the Voclain Academy series, but they are definitely my favorite
couple too.
I don’t know if their dynamics were a conscious decision. I knew
from the beginning that Harlow was a smartass and Ian was the bad boy, but it
was important to me that both characters be flawed.
Both struggle with mental
illness in various forms—Harlow’s anxiety and Ian’s addiction—and I wanted them
to feed the best parts of each other and save them from their worst.
How do you get inside these character’s heads to find
their perfect HEA?
This is going to sound a little strange,
but I hear them. I see them. I even smell them, occasionally.
Of course, not in
front of me, but it’s as though they are real inside of my brain. They lead me
in the direction I need to go.
What scene in this book/series sticks out the most for
you? Why?
There’s a scene near the beginning of book
one where Ian renames Harlow, calling her “Stormy.” I carried that scene with
me for the entire series.
In that scene, he describes her eyes as the color of the sky
before the hurricane hits and her hair as white as lightening. There’s an
intense arrogance in his actions and an incendiary reaction from her, leading
to a back-and-forth that continues through the series.
Series - Were any of the books harder to write than
others?
Yes, book four was definitely the hardest
for me. While writing it, I had pregnancy complications and then my son spent
time in the NICU and then in the PICU as well. He’s a happy, healthy baby now,
but there was a time when he wasn’t, and I found it incredibly hard to write
during that dark time.
This question is if you write in MULTIPLE POVs not just
the hero and heroine - I love the multiple POVs in a book. It’s not just the hero and heroine, but we
get inside the heads of multiple characters throughout this series. I feel that it gives the story further
depth. Do you think you will write
another book or series following this multiple POV outline?
Definitely! I love getting inside the heads of the bad
boys, the misunderstood, and the downright despicable.
How long did it take you to write this book/series?
A little over 2 years, though I was working full-time for
the majority of it. That combined with my son’s health problems significantly
delayed releases.
How did you come up with the title for your book and series?
Harlow came to me first. I
could picture her looking at Ian and calling him beautiful and wicked, and the
rest is history.
If you met these characters in real life would you get
along?
Definitely, especially now that Harlow has
tamed Ian a bit.
Series question – Did you know in advance that you were
going to write this as a series or did one of the characters in book one demand
their own story?
I knew in advance it would be a
series, though Chase, Archie, and Everett’s books were a surprise.
If your book/series were made into a movie, which actors
do you see as playing your characters?
We had a discussion
about this in my Facebook group a while back! I vote for Felix Mallard from
Ginny and Georgia and Britt Robertson from the Space Between Us.
Can you give us a hint as to what we can expect
next? Whether a new book and series or a
sequel to an existing series? Can you
share a small tease?
In the Voclain Academy series,
the reader meets the rest of Ian’s crew including Everett (the best friend),
Chase (the rockstar), and Archie (the playboy). All three are getting their own
standalones this year with Everett’s to release first.
For a teaser
(and from Everett’s book, Vicious Love):
Our first kiss was a harbinger of death.
What does that mean for us, little mouse, when our lips are
painted red with blood?
- Everett
Check out all my interviews/reviews for Jordan Grant!
Bio:
Jordan Grant is a lost soul, who changed majors three times in college before deciding on English. Because she has about as much patience as her beautiful, wonderful (did she mention ah-mazing!) younglings, she graduated a year early and then went to law school because...
Well, she mentioned she’s a lost soul, right?
A special place in her heart is devoted to edgy alpha males and bad boys with naughty mouths. She loves to get lost in the blur between love and hate and is especially fond of prince charmings with dents in their crowns and strife in their souls.
She is an avid fan of all things sweet including red wine and cupcakes (red velvet, please!). When she’s not daydreaming about the characters in her head, she enjoys (attempting to) garden, petting furry animals, and wrangling her family into day-trip adventures.
Connect with Jordan:
Email:
Website:
Facebook:
Facebook Group: Jordan’s Daring Darlings
Amazon:
GoodReads:
BookBub:
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BEAUTIFULLY WICKED
Get your copy today!
Available in Kindle Unlimited!
BLURB:
A tortured antihero bound to a brutal contract.
A broken heroine with a sharp tongue.
A relationship that could save them both if she’ll allow it.
Ian Beckett, according to Harlow:
1. Voclain Academy’s drop-dead gorgeous, all-star quarterback.
P.S. Dear Ian: See number one and take the drop-dead part literally.
2. Sole heir to a massive family fortune that dates back centuries.
3. Wicked bane of my freakin’ existence with a PhD in dirty talk.
P.P.S. Dear Ian: Think of your mouth like a plane door. I’m gonna need you to keep it shut for the duration of our flight.
Harlow Weathersby, according to Ian:
1. Stunning creature with a smartass mouth I want to devour.
P.S. Harlow: Can we stop this already, sweetness? We both know you want me.
2. Blonde angel delivered from heaven straight into my lap.
3. Beautiful girl caught in a game she never wanted to be a part of and doesn’t understand.
P.P.S. Harlow: Stick around. I’ll teach you the Rules, sweetness.
From Jordan Grant comes an enemies-to-lovers, 94,000-word romance that takes the reader on a wild ride of epic clap-backs, Grade-A dirty talk, addiction, and loss.
This book contains bullying, foul language, high heat content, and drug and alcohol use, which some readers may find triggering. Due to the above, it is intended for a mature audience.
BEAUTIFULLY WICKED
Get your copy today!
Available in Kindle Unlimited!
BLURB:
Ian Beckett, according to Harlow:
He was the mean guy of Voclain Academy, the all-American quarterback and captain of the baseball team who ruled Voclain with a bloodied, iron fist. He was my gorgeous enemy turned my salvation. Then he was mine.
But I worry I’ve unleashed the monster from the closet, and no way am I locking him back inside.
Harlow Weathersby, according to Ian:
She was the only thing unattainable I’d ever wanted, beautiful but with an bite like a snowstorm come to life. Now, she and her smart mouth are mine. She is perfectly imperfect devastation, breathing life into my black heart. Your move, sweetness. We’ve only just begun.
Note to Readers: This book contains bullying, foul language, high heat content, and drug and alcohol use, which some readers may find triggering. Due to the above, it is intended for a mature audience.
Reading Beautifully Wicked (the first installment in Ian and Harlow’s story), though recommended, is NOT required. This book, along with all others written and to be written in the Wicked Empire universe, may be read as a standalone, if the reader so chooses.
BEAUTIFULLY WICKED
Get your copy today!
Available in Kindle Unlimited!
BLURB:
When I broke my arm in fifth grade, the doctor told my parents and me that it would grow a callous, a protective shield, which would make it stronger than ever before. I’m like that bone. I won’t break. I’ve already been broken, and I’m stronger for it. I’ve grieved for my brother. I’ve hated myself.
I have healed.
Bring it on, Voclain Academy. — Harlow
I’ve ruled these grounds for three long years. I should have been expelled on at least six separate occasions, and those are just the ones I remember between the booze and the blackouts. I was a king known for a quick fuse and an even quicker right hook.
But I promised Harlow I would holster my fists senior year. Some of my classmates bring out the worst in me though and keeping that promise is going to be harder than I thought. She’s the only tether on my wrath. Pull that tether too tight, and it will snap. Then Hell will unleash on all of us.
Watch your back, Voclain. — Ian
Note to Readers: This book contains bullying, foul language, high heat content, and drug and alcohol use, which some readers may find triggering. Due to the above, it is intended for a mature audience.
Reading Beautifully Wicked and Beautifully Wanted (the first two installments in Ian and Harlow’s story), though recommended, is NOT required. This book, along with all others written and to be written in the Wicked Empire universe, may be read as a standalone, if the reader so chooses.
BEAUTIFULLY WICKED
BLURB:
Ian:
What do you do when your hand is forced? You fight back. You kick and scream and claw your way out of it. And when you can’t kick and scream and claw any longer, your knees buckle, and you give in to the weight of the world.
I never wanted this for us. I never wanted to make her my enemy, not ever, not again, but we are both trapped, and only one of us ever had a chance.
Maybe when I’m free, I’ll reach down and pull her up too. Maybe then she’ll forgive me for the hell I’m about to put us both through.
It’s no longer a game, sweetness. It’s my life.
Note from the Author: This book contains bullying, foul language, high heat content, and drug and alcohol use, which some readers may find triggering. Due to the above, it is intended for a mature audience.
Reading Voclain Academy Books 1 through 3 (the first three books in Ian and Harlow’s story), though recommended, is NOT required. This book, along with all others written and to be written in the Wicked Empire universe, may be read as a standalone, if the reader so chooses.
BEAUTIFULLY WICKED
The Complete Voclain Academy Series
Get your copy today!
Available in Kindle Unlimited!
BLURB:
A tortured antihero bound to a brutal contract.
A broken heroine with a sharp tongue.
A relationship that could save them both if she’ll allow it.
Ian Beckett, according to Harlow:
1. Voclain Academy’s drop-dead gorgeous, all-star quarterback.
P.S. Dear Ian: See number one and take the drop-dead part literally.
2. Sole heir to a massive family fortune that dates back centuries.
3. Wicked bane of my freakin’ existence with a PhD in dirty talk.
P.P.S. Dear Ian: Think of your mouth like a plane door. I’m gonna need you to keep it shut for the duration of our flight.
Harlow Weathersby, according to Ian:
1. Stunning creature with a smartass mouth I want to devour.
P.S. Harlow: Can we stop this already, sweetness? We both know you want me.
2. Blonde angel delivered from heaven straight into my lap.
3. Beautiful girl caught in a game she never wanted to be a part of and doesn’t understand.
P.P.S. Harlow: Stick around. I’ll teach you the Rules, sweetness.
From Jordan Grant comes an enemies-to-lovers, 334,000-word series that takes the reader on a wild ride of epic clap-backs, Grade-A dirty talk, addiction, and loss.
This series contains bullying, foul language, high heat content, and drug and alcohol use, which some readers may find triggering. Due to the above, it is intended for a mature audience.
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