Author Spotlight: Jill Gaudio
Interested in hearing more about one of our current club reads, The Fleet Admiral's Daughter by Jill Gaudio? Read on for a guest post about authentic representation and how to get a sneak peak before the book releases on February 4th, 2025!
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to guest blog!
I want to talk about authentic representation in literature - it’s something close to my heart and can be tricky to get right!
Funny enough, when I started writing my first book, I didn’t plan on including a love story. I had one in mind for the sequel, but it was for a totally different character. Annie, my main character Sarah’s love interest, was originally supposed to be her rival—someone to clash with. But as I kept writing Annie, I couldn’t help but fall in love with her character. So, I pivoted, and their romance ended up becoming a key focal point of the story.
When I started developing their relationship, I knew I didn’t want to rely on some of the usual tropes like “will they, won’t they,” “enemies to lovers,” or even a “slow burn.” I know, I know—those tropes are popular for a reason, but I wanted to explore something different. I’ve always been drawn to stories where the romance doesn’t end with the two characters getting together, but instead shows what happens after. Like, what does their love look like in the day-to-day? The growing pains, the quiet intimacy, the sweet moments—it’s the stuff we experience (or hope to) in real life, and I wanted to capture that. I always find myself wanting to know more (looking at you, Saff and Maddy).
And I know I’m not the only one! Most fan art and fan fiction depicts the ongoing relationship and how they wish for it/imagine it to be after the story has ended.
But wait—doesn’t that get boring? Where’s the drama?
Here’s the thing: I don’t love drama for drama’s sake. It feels forced, and honestly, it pulls me out of the story. For example, I was so excited about the sapphic relationship in the tv show Station 19. I even skipped ahead to the season where it starts because I couldn’t wait to see how Maya and Carina’s romance would unfold. I loved how Carina’s character helped Maya grow as a person. But then…(spoiler alert) they had Maya cheat. For no good reason! It soured the whole thing for me. I couldn’t keep watching, even though I knew they eventually got back together.
Forced drama like that doesn’t feel authentic. Fiction is fantasy, something we like to get lost in, and when authors/writers throw something in simply to get an emotional reaction, it pulls us out of the world instead of reeling us in deeper.
“Good writing doesn’t need to kill the dog to make the reader feel something.”
- Me, who will die on this sword.
Instead, it should make us feel deeply because it’s honest and relatable. Authentic writing makes your heart pound, your stomach swoop, your eyes well up, your pulse race, your temper flare, your fist pump into the air. That’s what I hope readers experience when they see Sarah and Annie’s relationship unfold in The Fleet Admiral’s Daughter.
Take a situation like this: What would you do if the person you love decided to move somewhere you didn’t want to go? Maybe not outer space (like Sarah and Annie), but it’s a real question. Do you follow them? Do you stay behind? Is your love strong enough to take the leap? These are real-world questions that I think a lot of readers can relate to, even if the story is set in a futuristic, sci-fi world.
I saw a meme recently that was humorous, but it got me thinking about how some people still have these wildly skewed ideas about what same-sex relationships are like.
To me, showing a sapphic couple as just a couple—full of ups, downs, twists, turns, and, most importantly, love—feels like a step in the right direction.
At the end of the day, I want The Fleet Admiral’s Daughter to show readers that love is love. It’s universal, whether it’s between two women or anyone else. And it’s not just about representation—it’s about crafting stories that feel authentic and human, even if they’re set in space.
My hope is that Sarah and Annie’s love story will resonate with readers as both extraordinary and relatable—an example of how love, in all its forms, can transcend the stars.
Hope to see you all in the Space Legion soon!
Jill (@jagauthor)
If you’d like to see how Sarah and Annie’s story unfolds—and experience a sapphic love story that’s grounded in authenticity and full of heart—you can check out my upcoming book, The Fleet Admiral’s Daughter, releasing on February 4, 2025.
But if you can’t wait until then and want a little taste, you can download Duty’s Edge, a free novella that introduces Sarah’s journey and her first meeting with Annie. It’s the perfect way to dive into their world before the adventure truly begins!
Duty's Edge - Sapphic Sci-Fi Novella Prequel to The Fleet Admiral's Daughter
