Q&A with Ashley Jordan
You mentioned that Once Upon a Time in Dollywood originally began as a piece of fan fiction. Tell us more about your inspiration! How did you evolve the story into your own original universe?
Yes! I wrote fanfiction for The Walking Dead, believe it or not. And one of the best and worst things I ever did was take Beyoncé’s Lemonade and turn it into a long-form story for my favorite fictional couple. It went well (for the most part), and it led me to writing more original stories in alternate non-zombie universes, basically just using the names and faces of those characters. So Dollywood did originate as a 225,000-word epic about motherhood and grief and loss, and there was a whole side plot that ended a friendship. (It was far too long and pissed off my readers regularly.) But! I knew it had the bones of something beautiful and something necessary, especially where it delved into therapy and processing pain. So I kept that part of it, as well as the locale, and crafted this tale of a playwright bumbling her way through her depression. The character arcs are changed, the HEA looks very different, but I do think the message is the same.
Eve navigates heavy themes throughout the story, including imposter syndrome, panic attacks, and complex family dynamics. How did you approach building Eve’s backstory, and what do you hope readers take away from her journey?
Eve’s backstory came to me pretty easily, because she’s shaped by a lot of the same things I’ve struggled with: anxiety, imposter syndrome, the weight of familial expectations. I wanted her to feel real – guarded, messy, and all. She’s not always sure of herself, but she’s still worthy of love, and that felt important to show – especially for a Black woman. At its core, this is a story about healing, and the winding, often uncomfortable path toward it. And so the main thing I hope readers take away from her journey is that we’re still lovable, even at our worst. We still deserve hope and happiness, even when we can’t fathom it for ourselves.
You dedicate this book to the “Black girls and women mistaken for difficult when they just needed to be seen.” What books or authors have helped you feel seen? How did they inspire you to write your book?
Oh, so many. I could start and end this list with Toni Morrison, who helped me see the depth and the breadth of Black literature. I did not know what we were capable of before I read her work. But I could also say the same about Sister Souljah and The Coldest Winter Ever, which is maybe the first novel I read (perhaps a little too early) centering a Black girl. Tayari Jones’s work feels so familiar to the part of me that was raised in Atlanta. Alice Walker’s The Color Purple is my grandmother and it’s my mother and it’s myself. Authors like James Baldwin, Jacqueline Woodson, bell hooks, Beverly Jenkins, Eric Jerome Dickey, Samantha Irby, Kennedy Ryan, Bolu Babalola, I could go on and on—they’ve made me feel seen in ways I didn’t even know I was searching for. They’ve inspired me to want to do the same for others.
How have your mentors, including your mentor in the Lit Up program, shaped your writing?
Most of all, they gave me confidence! Jasmine was especially instrumental in helping me understand that my book was already everything it needed to be. I was so worried that it was too quiet, but she assured me that was a good thing – it didn’t need bigger stakes or a higher concept or any of the things that come with ‘hookier’ books. All of my mentors were so kind and so generous with their guidance, and it really took all of their affirmations for me to believe my book had a place in the world. I can’t thank them enough.
In the book, Eve escapes to the Great Smoky Mountains to finish writing her next play. What does YOUR perfect writing retreat look like?
I’m a pretty simple girl, so I’m good anywhere that’s quiet, cool, and clean. But I will say, I’ve always wanted to go to Victoria Falls, and there’s this gorgeous resort in the Matetsi area that I’ve definitely got my eye on for whenever I get around to writing my next book!
