Katy author's fantasy series headed to big screen

After spending several years teaching high school English, she resigned to pursue a career as an author.

"I've always been a reader, and I have a background in English so, really, it was just about giving myself permission to say, 'I'm going to be a writer' because it feels like one of those elusive dreams. It's like someone saying, 'I want to be an actor…'" Everyone sort of looks at you and says, 'That's nice, but what are you really going to do?'"

Jordan silenced naysayers in 2006 when Avon published her debut novel, a romance titled, "Once Upon a Wedding Night." The book was nominated for a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice award in the Best First Historical Romance category. She kept up the momentum, publishing several successful romance novels before branching out to the young adult fiction genre.

Her first young adult fiction effort, a paranormal fantasy and the first installment of a trilogy, titled "Firelight," was published by HarperCollins in 2011. The trilogy has been optioned for film and is set to go into production with the Mandalay Entertainment Group in 2013. Jordan has been to Los Angeles twice to meet with producers and already has had a chance to read the screenplay and give her input.

"They're not contractually obligated (to involve me)," she said. "I think in my contract it says that I'm allowed two or four tickets to the premiere of the event, but that's all it really says, so it's been really cool that they have wanted to keep me in the loop so much."

Jordan is currently working on the first novel in a "darker, grittier" young adult fantasy series that deals with genetic profiling in the year 2022. Titled "Uninvited," the book is set to hit shelves sometime in 2014 and already has been optioned for film.

When she's not writing, Jordan says she likes to cook and describes herself as an amateur chef.

"I like to experiment in the kitchen," she said. "I think it's all part of being related to the creative process."

For more information on Sophie Jordan's current and upcoming projects, visit www.sophiejordan.net or www.harpercollins.com/authors/30883/Sophie_Jordan/index.aspx. You can also connect with Jordan on Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT Sophie Jordan
BIRTHDAY: Oct. 1
OCCUPATION: Best-selling romance and fiction author
COMMUNITY CONNECTION: Katy resident
FAST FACT: Jordan loves to shop and lists Ann Taylor as her favorite store

Megan Mattingly-Arthur is a freelance writer. She can be reached at neighborhoods@chron.com.