Jordan Fitch
Uncovering the Threads of Mystery with Jordan Fitch
Some stories hook you with suspense. Others make you question everything you thought you knew. In The Cardinal Line and Name Town, author Jordan Fitch masterfully does both.
A former U.S. Marine turned thriller writer, Jordan brings sharp precision, emotional depth, and a love for the Pacific Northwest into his novels. In our recent Northwest Book Talk interview, we explored the hidden layers of his books, his journey into fiction, and how his real-life adventures have shaped the worlds he creates on the page.
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Threads of Mystery with Jordan Fitch
After our radio talk, Jordan shared . . .
I wanted to tell a topical story that involves some of what we’re seeing across our culture today, where identities are created and held at the expense of community.
What happens when our factions and tribes are challenged?
But, the story needs to be in my fast-paced, mystery-strewn thriller style.
So, inspired by seeing the vitriol and even violence at local town halls, I thought: What would cause the most turmoil among neighbors?
A vote to change the name of their town, based on sordid history, might do it!
I usually have a theme, boiled down to one word (if possible!) that guides a story.
For The Cardinal Line, that word was Control. Physical, psychological, financial, and other forms.
How do we control others, and let ourselves be controlled.
For Name Town, that word was Identity. How do our identities, at different levels, form, and what do we do when they are threatened?
Character development is a crucial part once I begin writing.
I want to know where the protaganists and antagonists start, and where they will be by the end.
Although, once I begin writing, the characters usually have other ideas!
Spoiler alert, but I’ll keep it vague.
Near the end, Tom Darby, alone, discovers the fate of someone he loved, and still loves.
As a writer, I cannot avoid the visceral emotions he goes through.
A bit convoluted, but I was reading Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter (for the second time) and in it, he uses chapter subtitles to note how many of the critical pills remain, a number that drops quickly as the book nears its end.
That puts a clock on the story, which is an essential part of any thriller.
I wanted to do something similar, and what I landed on was a subtitle showing the days left until the vote.
If I can make that crucial, and foreboding, then I have a similar subtitled clock that presses the story onward.
I’m not the first one to say that history repeats itself.
We travel in cycles, and understanding the past can, if we let it, guide the future.
There’s another quote, attributed to different figures, about being doomed to repeat history if we don’t know it.
I don’t agree.
We have more knowledge and access to history than ever, but are still barrelling into another dark cycle.
Much, if not all, is driven by identity.
In 4th grade, I had to get a permission slip from my parents to check out Stephen King’s It from the school library. (I don’t think that’s shelved in elementary libraries today!)
I read everything SK, him being a local in Maine to my home state of New Hampshire.
I read a lot of fantasy and other genres, too.
I always had a book on me. I still do.
Picking one theme, it’s probably exposure to different peoples and cultures.
Over personal, military, and corporate travel, I’ve spent time in about 20 countries, and all 50 US states.
I try to use outside perspectives to challenge my own identity, and any biases I may bring to my characters.
Prior to joining it, I didn’t think much about the “author community.”
My fellow writers have been overwhelmingly welcoming and supportive, both online and in-person.
But mostly, the positive feedback and support from my readers has been my biggest and most welcome surprise!
I want to write the types of books that I want to read, and the books I most enjoy are real-world thrillers where I learn something, or question something I thought I knew.
Readers looking for characters who learn and grow to overcome high stakes adversity and solve urgent mysteries may enjoy both The Cardinal Line and Name Town.
I call myself a thriller writer, but could see moving into the general fiction area with more character-focused stories over longer time frames.
I love reading sci-fi and fanstasy, but at this point I don’t see myself starting projects in those areas.
I like the grounding and limitations that a real-world story forces on the writer.
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