Meet the Author: JL Hoyt

JL Hoyt writes Young Adult sci-fi. You can find her on her website www.artificialbloodlines.com
and most social media outlets. Her first book is Codeborn.

Tell us about your book.
Izzy Falman is part human, part code and all teenage girl! She doesn't know she's more science project than real girl. AI is on the rise, it's taking over almost every creative field. It's changing the landscape faster than we understand the ramifications. Are there lines that shouldn't be crossed? What makes us human? What happens when the lines between humanity and technology blur?
 
What’s a favorite line from Codeborn?
“She had learned well from her parents to live in the land of denial, but in replaying his voice, she registered the focus of his demand. I’m the reason. He wanted me.” and “… the rather science fiction-sounding tidbit that the girl was genetically changed by an AI and might have some interesting powers.”
 
Share a core memory that made you want to be a writer.
Former film and television producer. I enjoy telling stories! Hopefully those stories resonate beyond the pages...
 
What was your favorite books as a child?
The Chronicles of Narnia. They were my first entrance into a new world and C.S. Lewis will forever be my hero. I especially love the spiritual significance of his books.
 
What was your last five-star read?
Gosh, I could go with something in keeping with my genre, but let's be a bit wild and go with Abraham Vergese' A Covenant of Water. It was an absolutely beautiful rendering of life, love and the Indian culture. But ... if you'd prefer, I also just finished Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. Fantastic hooks, compelling questions, plot twists and captivating story telling. 
 
What made you decide to write a novel?
Age. 😂 I think I finally realized that chasing my dreams, the things I thought would bring me success - didn't satisfy me the way I'd imagined. 
 
What is the most challenging aspect of being an author for you?
Marketing—amiright? Who's with me here...
 
What is something you've learned along the way that might have changed how you wrote your first book?
Gosh, I'm learning daily. Better descriptions, less bulky sentences - being a student of human nature... I don't know that it's any one thing, bc being the best will still require an aptitude for learning. I'm a repeat offender with certain grammatical errors too *hangs head in shame...
 
What piece of advice do you have for a new author?
Let go of outcomes. Show up and do the job. Keep the pen moving and/or the keyboard clacking. 
 
What do you need to set the mood for writing?
Music typically.
 
What is something you'd like readers to know about you as a person?
No idea. I pick up my socks and put them in my laundry basket, which is more than I can say for my husband...
 
How do you get past writer's block or being "stuck"?
Also music. Also following my above advice about showing up to do the job and letting go of outcomes. When we expect things to go a certain way and create pressure for ourselves ... i.e., who will read this? is it good? We are focused on the wrong thing. Get to know your character. Daydream. Invent scenes. In the film industry we have a brutal saying "killing babies"--it's those cherished things that we loved about a scene, but for whatever reason don't make it on the cutting room floor and into the final production. Sometimes no matter how it's reworked, it doesn't fit. So let it go. Show up and do the work regardless of how it *feels. Feelings are a big thing these days, but they don't always serve. 
 
What are you working on right now?
Second book in the Artificial Bloodlines series. Hopefully out this fall 2025—not sure on title yet—30,000 words in, in not sure I have the perfect pitch yet.