Hello and welcome to the blog where I share writing tips and other cool things in the authoring world!

Today I’m featuring Starr Davies, author of the ORDINARY series.

I asked her to share a bit about herself, her inspirations and what got her into writing the ORDINARY Duology. Please enjoy her response below!

Writing is in my bones

I wrote my first short story when I was in fourth grade.

In middle school, I spent a lot of time honing my creative skills by building unusual scenarios in my head and sharing them with others.

By high school, I was really into screenwriting—because I love movies—and I carried at least two or three notebooks around with me at all times. Each notebook was a different screenplay.

The stories were all garbage, but it spurred me on. In my “new adult” years, I wrote a couple of really dumb romance books. I’m not sure why. I don’t even like reading romance. The books were completely unsatisfying, and I quickly scrapped them.

When Lord of the Rings came to the big screen, I fell in love with fantasy.

I knew I wanted to write something unique, but I wasn’t sure which direction to go.

Then I watched Lord of the Rings and read Dragonlance and it was like turning on a light. Now, if I read a book, it needs to have some sort of fantastic element. When I write, it has to bend or break the rules of reality in some way.

Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series opened my eyes to stories that were about more than just characters and plot, but worlds so richly intricate that they almost felt real.

The series was an epic about lives and politics and purpose and so much more, and it had a profound effect on me. Saying that Robert Jordan changed my life would be an understatement.

Fantasy was not the only genre to catch my attention either.

I had a love for dystopian fiction as well.

Stories like 1984, The Hunger Games, and Divergent played off the concepts of oppression, social power, and capitalistic greed that I found relatable.

I also grew up loving superheroes like Batman and Spiderman. Michael Keaton’s Batman had a strong impact on me. It broke me out of the fairytale, everything is happy mode and showed me how strong characters can be.

My love for superheroes also drove me to ask, “What if the hero didn’t have a superpower but everyone else in the world did?”

The concept for Ordinary took hold.

Early readers loved the reversal of the hero being someone without special powers instead of someone with them.

So I wrote the first draft—and it was terrible.

A total mess.

But I was determined to finish it, so I joined a writer’s group who helped me identify the problems and sort them out. Then I rewrote the book—twice—before I was satisfied.

I’ve read a lot of young adult and fantasy books, and in almost every one of them, the hero of the story has some greater power than the other characters.

Sometimes it’s based on magic or some sort of alteration to their DNA. Sometimes it just happens because of who their parents are. The characters are thrown into a situation outside of their comfort zone and have to find a way to survive.

While Ordinary isn’t so different from those stories, it also isn’t the same.

Ugene doesn’t throw himself out of his comfort zone. Instead, he uses his brain, finds the logic in various situations, and solves the puzzle to get out of those situations.

Early readers compared him to a post-apocalyptic teen Sherlock Holmes.

I also loved the idea that Ugene isn’t super powerful like most of the heroes in these sorts of stories tend to be.

He has no real power at all, yet he still has to find a way to escape his situation against all odds. After all, how does someone with no power stand up to those with powers?

I’m the sort of reader that loves great characters; they can make or break a book.

As I wrote Ordinary, I fell in love with the characters.

Ugene often made me laugh, bringing his clever wit to the table even in grim situations. He evolved and found his footing along the way. I enjoyed giving him the freedom to take the right path.

Miller is the snarky, distant guy who insists he wants to be left alone while simultaneously throwing himself into situations right alongside Ugene.

The cast in Ordinary and Unique is pretty big, and all of the characters within that cast have their own unique qualities to bring to the table. While most of them have nothing in common, they all trust in Ugene, even when he doesn’t trust himself.

I can’t imagine not writing anymore.

Writing a book is like taking a really long journey with a new group of people, only to discover you’re great friends at the end. But sadly, it’s the end.

I enjoyed a lot about writing this book: delving into this strange and different world; challenging myself to come up with unusual solutions to ordinary problems; forming a connection with the characters.

Ordinary changed my life.

Not just because I loved the characters and story so much, but because it rekindled my passion for writing when I was floundering.

Those who don’t write may not understand the pure joy and pain that comes from the process.

Writers establish a relationship with their stories that is often visceral.

• We don’t just bond with characters; we help them grow and accept change.
• We don’t just watch characters die; we feel the agony deep within our souls.
• We don’t just follow the twists and turns of the story; we shape and mold them into a beautiful ending.

The joy of writing, for me, is imagining the places that my mind and character can go, taking them there, and feeling all of their emotions with them.

The sky is the limit.

-Starr Davies

Thank you Starr for sharing you’re journey. I absolutely relate with the rewriting process! I’ve done that a number of times to my own books.

For those of you wanting to get a copy of Starr’s amazing story here link’s to buy them!

ORDINARY: https://starrzdavies.com/books/ordinary/

UNIQUE: https://starrzdavies.com/books/unique/

Starr also has a FREE book available on her site called SUPERIOR, which is a prequel to the duology. You can get a copy => here <=!

About the books:

Divinic. Somatic. Psionic. Naturalist. Who will you be?

Having a superpower is ordinary. Your power determines your job, social class, and future success.

But Ugene doesn’t have a Power. The only thing special about him is that he isn’t special at all. Ugene is Powerless.

Despite desperate self-inflicted research, he can find no traces of the Powers in him. Ugene’s prospects dwindle, and he learns that his father is suffering a degenerative disease that will soon kill him.

So when the most prominent biomedical research company in the city offers Ugene a solution, he jumps at the possibility to be ordinary. All he has to do is agree to allow them to use him in their research. But the longer he stays at the research facility, the more he realizes something isn’t right.

Friendships are forged. Trust is broken built and broken. And everything Ugene thought he understood and believed is called into question.

Who can Ugene trust in his search for answers? What is he willing to sacrifice for Powers?

He lost everything. His dad, his best friend, and the woman he loves.

Ugene and the other test subjects escaped Paragon. They thought they were finally safe. But the battle for freedom is far from over.

When a rouge group calling themselves the Protectorate offers to help Ugene, he worries that his friends are falling into another dangerous trap. The struggle for freedom becomes a desperate fight for survival. Ugene is determined to stand up for what’s right and save the oppressed citizens of Elpis from persecution by Paragon and the Directorate.

The deeper Ugene digs, the more he uncovers about the Directorate’s sinister secrets, the Protectorate’s true goals . . . and the dangerous game he is about to play.

It’s time for the deception to end. It’s time for the truth to finally come to the surface…

And it’s time for everyone to finally learn that being Powerless isn’t weakness.