Episode description

EPISODE 414 - Jack Ori - Fiction With A Purpose - transgender author who writes LGBTQ+ mysteries starring trauma survivors

I’ve been writing stories ever since my grandmother gifted me a typewriter when I was six. My first story was a two-page Nancy Drew fanfiction—to my young mind, it made sense for her to find the bad guy hiding under the bed!

As a kid, I loved mysteries. My favorite series was The Three Investigators, which is sadly out of print today. I was especially fascinated by all the secret codes the protagonists used and how Jupiter Jones (what a name!) would use his acting skills to pretend he was stupid when he needed to get information. And of course, there would always be a scene near the end where the bad guys kidnapped one or more of the boys to try to keep their secrets hidden.

Although I read and write stories for teens and adults now, I still love a good kidnapping scene. I also love writing powerful villains who will do anything to keep their secrets hidden, falsely accused people (sometimes framed by their enemies!) who must race against time to clear their names before they end up in jail, and underdog heroes who are determined to find and expose horrifying truths despite the potential consequences.

Many of my darkest stories come from my devastating personal experiences with trauma, drug addiction and abuse. I had a fairly normal childhood. But when I grew up I lived and loved a drug addict and was lucky to escape with my life. He was not—he died of an overdose two days after I moved across the country. It was another five years before I learned I was both autistic and transgender, which shattered my worldview in some ways even though it made everything that came before make sense.

I had many careers while I was trying to figure it all out, most recently as a licensed master social worker. I’ve worked with traumatized people, drug or alcohol addicts, and people impacted by the criminal justice system.

One summer I worked at an alternative court system in New York City. It opened my eyes to the ways racism and homo/transphobia, trauma, and drug use often intersect to create a “justice” system that is stacked against certain groups of people.

For all these reasons, I write mystery/thrillers that not only keep people guessing but also inspire and empower trauma survivors. All of my characters have experienced traumatic violence but don’t let that stop them from fighting for justice.

I love it when readers tell me that my books helped them heal. I also tell the stories I do to advocate for real-world change to the criminal justice system.

https://authorjackori.com/

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