Meet J.E. Storm
My hearts, I’m excited to introduce you to J.E. Storm. Born and raised in the beautiful BC, Canada, J.E. has spent her childhood scribbling stories and pursuing her passion for language. She received her BA of English Literature in 2017 and went on to spend her days crunching numbers in accounting while dreaming of dragons, sword fights, and soulmates. When she is not hammering out stories of the unrelenting characters consuming her every thought, you will find her reading novels about fantasy and romance, cuddling with her wonderful husband and two chihuahuas, or grinding through a Soulsborne game on PlayStation. I found her in an indie author roll call on Instagram.
Jen: Thanks so much for doing this, Jenn. It’s so nice to meet you. An accountant by day, dragon-dreamer by night. We love range. Who are some of your favorite authors or influences?
J.E.: Fav author: I can’t pick! I really love Carissa Broadbent and Penn Cole!
Jen: Great taste recognizes great taste. I’m a Penn Cole stan—her characters live in my head. And what creators have had your back along the way?
J.E.: Charli Nile, Alina Kramer, Obsidian Corvus, Dan Thornton have all been pillars in my journey, supporting me through the launch of my debut and just being all around amazing human beings!
Jen: I love a supportive indie squad.
What kind of music fuels your writing vibes?
J.E.: I lean toward scream alternative music. My favorite bands are Bad Omens, Sleep Token, but I also love a lot of 2000-2010 alternative metal. I write best with music—usually on repeat for my lizard brain to sink into my characters.
NOTE: I would normally make us a Spotify playlist, but I’m boycotting.
Jen: Snack and beverage of choice while creating?
J.E.: I’m a huge carbonated water drinker and I’m not too picky on the flavor but love mango or anything citrus. For snacks, 100% popcorn!
Jen: Fizzy water is one of my top three drink choices! I’m also not flavor-picky. Where do you call home, and how does it shape your writing?
J.E.: I’m from BC, Canada and have lived here my entire life! I find that the lush nature helps me dive into landscapes in my fantasy novels.
Jen: Nothing like real-life forests to help you build fictional ones. Actually, there’s nothing like real-life forests to help, full-stop. Morning bird or night owl?
J.E.: Definitely night owl. I’m useless in the morning though my day job starts at 7 a.m.
Jen: A tragedy in two sentences. (And fully relatable!) What do you do for fun when you're not creating?
J.E.: Video games, reading, walking, or just generally being a homebody with my husband and dogs.
Jen: Peak cozy vibes. Are you trad, indie, hybrid? What’s your publishing path?
J.E.: Self-published. I wanted control over my work and didn’t want to comprise my artistic vision or characters in any way.
Jen: As you should. Artistic control is a huge part of my own indie story. What made you want to start creating? What’s your origin story?
J.E.: I have always been a storyteller and wrote stories when I was only a child. I’ve also always been a lover of books and fantasy. When I was a child, I wanted to pursue an author career but as you know, life gets in the way and life is expensive while selling novels isn’t profitable. But I decided a few years ago I was going to sit down and write a novel. It wasn’t until about nine months ago I decided to share my work with the world but I’m so glad I did.
Jen: Every indie creator has that “life is expensive, but the stories won’t shut up” moment. What themes do you write about?
J.E.: I like exploring themes of fate and choice as well as different types of love/relationships. The Shattered Soul series also explores themes of bodily autonomy in a variety of ways left open to interpretation for the reader.
Jen: Truly fascinating. I can’t wait to dive in. Tell us about your published work!
J.E.: The Spark that Ignites came out September 29 and has been such a beautiful journey. I’m so grateful to have worked with a wonderful editor from Becker Jones Editing and Miblart for my cover and chapter art. All else I have done myself. Every word in that novel is from yours truly.
Jen: We love a hands-on indie queen. What's coming next?
J.E.: I have a lot planned. Book two will be released in spring 2026 and I have five books planned for the series. Then I have a prequel planned and a duology I have started work on but dropped to focus on my debut. Needless to say, I have my work ahead of me.
Jen: Ambition level: Dragon Queen. What does your day-to-day creative routine look like?
J.E.: I work full time as a credit manager, so I write in the evenings and whenever I have time on weekends. It’s embarrassing how much time I spent at my computer desk but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
Jen: Preach. What energizes you — and what exhausts you?
J.E.: Obviously writer’s block is a real thing so when it hits, it hits HARD. But for the most part, writing sparks joy in my heart. I’m very passionate about my characters and story and find myself daydreaming when I’m not actually writing.
Jen: Daydreaming is the writer’s cardio. Where do your ideas come from?
J.E.: Mostly just disassociating from reality [both laugh] but to answer seriously, I get inspiration from music a lot of the time. I’ll hear a lyric from a song or a particular beat and then the character sort of morphs from it.
Jen: As someone who also disassociates professionally: respect. How does your education or day job influence your writing?
J.E.: I use a bit of my BA for general knowledge on story structure and writing but I am self-taught through countless hours researching. My day job in accounting is a whole other beast.
Jen: Truly opposite ends of the career spectrum and yet… it works. What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?
J.E.: The biggest compliment I have received is my novel made multiple readers cry. And while it sounds a bit morbid, that’s such a huge accomplishment. To have someone feel strongly about my world and characters is a privilege I never thought I would have.
Jen: We honor the tears you harvest. What’s your advice for aspiring creators? Or for younger you?
J.E.: Start your social media earlier! While writing and creating a good product is important, no one will read it if you don’t market and market well. And yes, most of the time it will feel like screaming into the void but KEEP GOING!
Jen: Tattoo this on all of our foreheads. How does your family support you?
J.E.: In every way! They’re my number one fans!
Jen: As they should be. For anyone wanting to follow your journey, where can we find you?
J.E.: I have Facebook, Instagram @jestormauthor TikTok @j.e.stormauthor and my website is www.jestorm.com
Jen: Go follow her. Go support her. (Especially since tomorrow is Small Business Saturday. Supporting indie authors is a great way to celebrate small businesses!) Go fall into her worlds.
Are you a human author? A human who narrates audiobooks? A human who designs book covers? Or a human who does PR and promotion for other authors? I'd love to interview you, too. Let me know when you’re ready!
