Gang-Banging with Jill Sorenson (A Guest Post)

Hey everyone! Please welcome the wonderful Jill Sorenson who is guesting today – she’s got a new book coming out next Tuesday, so she’s here to tell us a bit about it. And it’s really a perfect tie in – you’ll see!

Gang-Banging

No, not that kind of gang-banging! I’m talking about gangs on the streets, and gang member characters in romance novels.

A few weeks ago Brandy W. wrote a guest post here about Gangland, a documentary-style show on the History Channel. She asked “Why aren’t there any gang member heroes in romance?” and I answered with a couple of recs.

The first was Simone Elkeles’ YA romance Perfect Chemistry. This book has a dreamy bad boy hero who runs with a tough Chicago gang. The heroine is a cheerleader princess whose life isn’t as perfect as you might think. I’m a sucker for characters from different worlds and cultural backgrounds. I love the cover and the story.

I picked up Perfect Chemistry after writing an outline for The Edge of Night. I’d never read a gang member hero before, and I wanted to make sure my idea wasn’t too similar to hers. Thankfully I had nothing to worry about. Perfect Chemistry is YA, and high school dynamics play a big role. Although my characters are fairly young, my book is romantic suspense and the plot is very different.

The Edge of Night is about a gang unit police officer on the trail of a killer. Office Noah Young discovers the body of a cocktail waitress in a gang hangout. He interviews the victim’s coworkers and feels an instant connection to April Ortiz, a struggling single mom.

Eric Hernandez, my gang member hero, is the uncle of April’s daughter. He gives April money to help his niece and makes ends meet any way he can. Having been raised by the gang, and grown up on the streets, he’s involved in a lot of criminal activities. But underneath his hard exterior, he’s a good person. When he meets Meghan Young, Noah’s little sister, he realizes that he wants to change his life.

I decided to write about gangs for a couple of reasons. My family moved from a quiet neighborhood in Kansas to a rough, urban area in Oceanside, California when I was twelve. That experience made a huge impression on me. As an adult, I went back to that neighborhood to work with at-risk kids at a community resource center. I learned more Spanish there than I did in college, and I minored in the subject.

When I watch shows like Gangland, or read books with gang member villains, I don’t see the kids I knew reflected in the pages or on the screen. What I notice more often is a caricature, or a picture taken from the outside, looking in. I think Simone Elkeles did a really nice job of getting inside the hero’s head and portraying him (if not all of his choices) in a positive light. I hope I’ve done the same with Eric Hernandez.

I’d love to answer any questions in the comments! Please let me know if you’d like to win a copy of The Edge of Night.

You hear that? A giveaway! Also PW said this book is hot hot hot (actually, they said something else hilarious that might’ve referenced Penthouse? Jill – help me out here?) I’ve already got this book pre-ordered in kindle form, and can’t wait to read it! 😀

0 thoughts on “Gang-Banging with Jill Sorenson (A Guest Post)

  1. Judi Legacy

    I just got my pre-release notice for this book today. I have liked all of your books and this one looks like another really good book. Can’t wait to get it and read it next week! My question is: How long do you set aside to write each day?

    Reply
  2. Lori

    Oh, I can’t wait for this one! And how yummy is that cover? Fabulous!

    Question: I adore your teenage characters – I haven’t really seen anyone else write them so realistically. How are you staying so connected? Your girls are still far too young to be that surly, confused, angsty and everything in between.

    Reply
  3. Kim in Hawaii

    Aloha! I am curious what you think is the solution to address gang violence that seems to be growing everywhere (including Hawaii).

    Looking forward to meeting you at RT!

    Reply
  4. Jill Sorenson

    Thanks so much for having me, Lime! Publishers Weekly said The Edge of Night has “carnal scenes that wouldn’t be out of place in Penthouse Forum”!! Which is a hilarious overstatement but I love it. Put it on my bookmarks. I hope you enjoy it.

    Such good questions already!

    Judi, thanks for the kind words. It’s nice to hear from satisfied readers. 🙂 I try to set aside at least four hours to write every day. I get up at 4 or 5 am, when the house is quiet, and work for a few hours. Then I write for a few more after the kids go to school. My youngest just started preschool, which is nice.

    Hi Lori! I’m glad you like the teen characters. I really enjoy writing them. I was a high school teacher for a short time and this age group has always fascinated me. So much angst! Although I don’t model characters after myself, I was very rebellious as a teen and got into a lot of trouble. So I try to channel those memories. I’ve always been interested in writing about struggles. Personal, physical, emotional.

    Kim, that is a great question. The afterschool program I worked for was government funded. Unfortunately, some kids don’t have safe places to hang out. Gang members are often from dysfunctional families, and have parents who are criminals or drug addicts themselves. So I don’t see any easy solution and I feel really bad for kids who don’t have good role models. I support safe alternatives, better education, mentoring. And social programs like rehab over jail. But the issue is so huge and I’d say drugs are at the heart of it.

    Reply
  5. Jennifer D.

    Hi Jill,

    I’m really looking forward to this book – I’m happy that its out next week. I have to say that I read a few of the blogs that you’ve written about the secondary romantic subplot in the book. The Eric Hernandez character sounds so interesting – I really do enjoy complicated heroes especially redemption arcs.

    I thought you did a great job of of writing realistic teenagers in Set the Dark on Fire. Do you plan on writing a book with the teenager / young adult characters as the main characters?

    Reply
  6. Jill Sorenson

    Hi Jennifer,

    I always fall in love with my secondary characters as I write their stories and I plan future books for all of them! I would especially like to write a book with Eric and Meghan as main characters, but in it they would be older (mid 20s).

    One of the NY publishers, St Martin’s?, is launching a new line called New Adult or something like that. It’s sort of in-between YA and adult. I think I could do that! The idea really appeals to me.

    Hopefully my readership will grow and I’ll get the opportunity to write books for some of my secondary characters. It’s not my decision to make alone–I have to get approval from my editor/publisher.

    Reply
  7. Jennifer D.

    Hi Jill,

    Thanks for the response. Does this mean that Eric & Meghan’s story is left unresolved (for the future) or is their some type of closure?

    Thanks!!

    Reply
    1. Jill Sorenson

      That’s tough to answer. Carly & James from Crash Into Me have what I would call a HFN ending. The Edge of Night is more like Set the Dark on Fire. There is a resolution for the teens but it’s not an HEA.

      Reply
  8. StacieDM

    Hello Jill!
    I have read a few of the excerpts for The Edge of Night and it really made me want to read it. I haven’t read a story about gangs before. I would agree that what is usually portrayed on TV or movies really are caricatures.

    Are Noah, April, Eric or Meghan based on anyone you met while at the after school program?

    I would love to win The Edge of Night. Thanks for the great giveaway! BTW I will be at RT. Hope to see you there!

    Reply
    1. Jill Sorenson

      Hi Stacie,

      My characters aren’t based on any specific people, but I do pick up things like language and mannerisms from real life observations. There’s a mild insult in Spanish (“guey”) that my male students used to say all the time. It seemed natural for me to have Eric use it with his friends.

      I would love to meet you at RT! I’ll be signing at the BookFair and at Club RT. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Kaylea Cross

    Hi Jill! I’m up here in Vancouver, and most of the gangs here are of Asian and south Asian descent. Most of the violence is very targeted, but of course innocent people do get caught in the crossfire.

    I love hearing about programs that target youths at risk for gang involvement, helping them occupy their time with safe activites and helping them steer clear of that violent lifestyle.

    I’d love a shot at winning a copy of your book, so please enter me.

    (Hi Kim in Hawaii! *waves and blows kisses*)

    Reply
    1. Jill Sorenson

      Hi Kaylea,

      I’ve heard great things about your books! Thanks for the comment. I really enjoyed Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino, which has Asian gang member characters. I think they are Hmong? Very interesting.

      Reply
  10. Diana

    Hi, Jill. You mentioned that you’re a sucker for characters from different worlds and cultural backgrounds. Why is that? I also enjoy reading about characters who, on the surface, seem so different, but have more in common than they realize.

    I would love to win a copy of The Edge of Night!

    Reply
    1. Jill Sorenson

      Hi Diana,

      Part of the reason I enjoy writing characters of different cultures and backgrounds is that we don’t see them enough in romance. The genre tends to be Eurocentric and wealth-oriented.

      I once asked Lori Foster why she writes blue-collar men, and she said, “Well, I don’t know any billionaires.”

      So that is the same for me. I live in a diverse community and I want my characters to reflect that. I also just love the border as a symbol of two cultures coming together. My husband is bicultural and bilingual and it’s a huge advantage in this area. So I like to portray multiculturalism in a positive light because that’s the way I see it. One love, people! 🙂

      Reply
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