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Interview with Jas Phoenix
Tell me about your book
Berkano is a supernatural thriller about a young woman, George, whose ordinary, if frustrating, life is turned upside down when a family secret unlocks an ancient, terrifying power in her blood. Suddenly, she’s being hunted by the undead and chased across time to a sanctuary in the past just to catch her breath. But that’s not even the most stressful bit because she’s also basically a walking neon billboard for ancient evil entities that want to feed on those very same spirits.
At its heart, the novel is a fantasy adventure rooted in ancient powers, family secrets, and relentless peril. Yet, it is equally a character-driven story about fierce loyalties, profound friendship, and finding the inner strength to confront trials you desperately want to run from.
When and how did you start writing?
I started writing at a ridiculously young age, mostly out of sheer self-preservation. As a kid, I lived in a world where I couldn’t properly express myself to the people around me, so the page became my voice. This started with some truly horrific, cringe-worthy poetry. From there, I moved on to jotting down whatever random, chaotic ideas popped into my head. Over time, those messy fragments morphed into stories, and before I knew it, I was tackling full-length novels. Writing went from being a private escape hatch to the only way I knew how to process the universe.
What inspired you to write this series?
Berkano basically ambushed me out of nowhere. I love that chaotic part of the writing process where ideas just start hurtling at you. I remember madly scribbling things down as fast as they popped into my head, and it just snowballed from there. Basically, the series came together because of the things I naturally gravitate towards. I’ve always had a fascination with ghosts and time travel, and I deeply love character-driven stories where the focus stays on the people. Once those elements fell into place, the world of George and her trials just grew from there.
Is the series all planned out or are you taking it one book at a time?
It was actually all planned out before I even started the editing process for Book 1 with Tepris Press. Right now, Book 2 is safely out of my hands and with them for editing, which is thrilling. But I’m not sitting around twiddling my thumbs while I wait for it to come back to me; I’m deep into doing my own editing on Book 3. So, while the grand master plan is fully locked in, the day-to-day reality is a lovely blur of passing manuscripts back and forth and hoping I don’t mix up my timelines!
What writing advice have you been given that really helped you?
To be honest, the best writing advice I’ve picked up came from the collaborative editing process for Berkano with Tepris Press. Writing a novel is an incredible solo journey, but working with editors showed me a whole new level of polishing. I learned to spot those sneaky filler words and repetitive crutch phrases we all accidentally lean on at times, and how to weave exposition into the narrative smoothly so the pacing never drags. It really helped me to sharpen the tools I already have in order to elevate the manuscript and turn it into the tightest, best version of the story it could possibly be.
Did you learn anything from writing this book?
I think the biggest discovery was writing for a wider canvas. Because Berkano was part of a series planned from the start, I learned how to deliberately plant seeds in Book 1 that I wouldn’t even need to water until Books 2 and 3. I also discovered how to balance a massive, complex plot with deeply personal character moments without ever losing the heart of the story. It really showed me how to weave a multi-layered world while keeping the focus right where it belongs: on the characters.
Which part of the writing/publishing process do you enjoy most?
Honestly, I kind of love it all in different ways, right from the start. I love the initial brainstorming phase where I am just bouncing ideas around with myself, and I love the magic of actually shaping a cohesive story out of those chaotic first thoughts. Surprisingly - given how many writers loathe it - I actually really enjoy the editing process. I love the puzzle of making everything sound better, moving pieces around, and figuring out how to elevate the prose. In fact, some of my best ideas happen while I am editing, when a new spark hits and I can weave in extra layers to make the whole thing even stronger. The only part I don’t enjoy? Well, I could happily skip the marketing side of things and just stay in my cave writing books!
What’s your favourite part of being an author?
I think my absolute favourite part is the pure escapism of it. I love that you can start with an absolute blank slate and, out of nowhere, build an entire world with people who feel so real they practically start bossing you around. Getting to step out of my own head for a while and dive into a completely different reality is the best perk of the job. There is something genuinely magical about the fact that a universe only existed in your imagination one day, and the next, it’s a living thing on the page.
I know you love books. Has a book really touched you? Made you rethink your views on life? If so, what was it?
That is a tough one, but only because my reading tastes are so eclectic. One minute I am losing myself in the epic scale of The Lord of the Rings, the next I am reading Stephen King, diving into historical fiction, or discovering amazing books by authors I’ve met through writing communities on social media. Every genre and every story touches me in a different way and broadens my perspective, but if we’re talking about fundamentally rethinking my views on life, I’d have to point to The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. I was very ill for a few years, and his work on emotional healing and letting go completely changed how I navigated life. It gave me a framework to view my own mind and body in a very different way while I was healing, both physically and emotionally. It was less about a plot twist changing my worldview, and more about finding practical wisdom that helped me put my life back together.
What advice would you give other writers?
I’m always reticent to do this, because there’s so much conflicting advice out there that it can make your head spin. So I say, go with what feels right to you and what makes you happy, not what others tell you is right. Write a story you would actually want to read. And if there’s one other thing I’ve learned, it’s to not wait for perfection on page one. I used to think every sentence had to be gleaming gold before I could move on, but all it did was interrupt my flow. Now I let my drafts be wonderfully messy and use the editing process to shape it into something I am genuinely happy with. Embrace the editing! Lol.
What would you do if you didn’t write?
Honestly? I don’t even like to think about it! When I was ill for a few years I couldn’t write, and I can tell you that it was completely soul-destroying. Writing isn’t just a hobby for me; it’s how I process the world and get out of my own head. So if I genuinely couldn’t write ever again - well, I suppose I’d try to live out my childhood dream of becoming an archaeologist. Given how much I love history, it feels like a fitting fallback plan. Failing that, I would just have to become a professional reader, because getting lost in books is my other great love in life. I’d probably just set up camp in a bookshop or a library, read everything in sight, and critique fictional characters from the sidelines.
What is your ultimate dream as a writer?
Well, aside from the obvious joke about wanting to be mega-successful, my ultimate dream is actually pretty simple. I would hate to be famous - that sounds exhausting - but I would love to know that lots of people out there are genuinely enjoying the books and connecting with the characters I’ve poured so much of myself into. And if my writing could eventually bring in enough to let me pack up and move somewhere completely secluded where everyday life can’t interrupt and I can just write in absolute peace, I would consider that the ultimate definition of success.
Bio
Jas Phoenix is a UK-based Urban Fantasy author who traded the rigid world of secretarial work for the rewarding life of a carer to her partner and the boundless freedom of storytelling. For Jas, writing is a vital part of her ongoing journey towards physical and emotional healing—a way to find balance, maintain perspective, and explore realities beyond our own. She finds her inspiration in the quiet beauty of nature, the joy of laughter, and a perfectly poured glass of wine.
Proudly embracing the "weird" side of life, she writes because she loves the challenge of building new worlds and the sanity that comes from a well spent creative hour … wherever she can get one. She is currently working on the second instalment of The Ultimate Power of Three series.
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Twitter at https://x.com/JasPhoenix_Rise
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