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Jae, Novelist

Jae took time out of her busy schedule to talk with L-Book. She discussed her approach to writing. "At the core of all my writing are...the characters; [they] are the most important to me. No matter as a reader or a writer, it is their relationship which is most important.... I love growing characters, developing them slowly and carefully, and that's probably why I write such long novels."

Jae has been writing since she was very young, carefully and consistently building character-driven stories. "...I don't get a good grasp of characters when I see them [the main characters] just together. I want to see them at work, with friends.... [Otherwise] they live in a vacuum, and they don't have relationships with other people."

We talked about why she writes in English, though her first language is German. "Several things play an important role here. I simply love the language [English]. I have talked with other authors... German authors.... Somehow, English is more clear and precise than other languages For example, in writing love scenes, in German it made me shudder." There were other driving forces as well. "The lesbian fiction community is almost non-existent in German. ... Though writing in German I had a lot of fans, I had no one with whom I could learn or discuss writing. That network, now that I'm writing in English, I'm growing it."

Her touch is sensitive, realistic, with novels focusing on serious themes. "With Luke, I think hiding her body and her identity, disconnecting from this [her body and true self], is the price she pays for living the life she chooses. It could be a mix of gender-identifying as a man and also choosing that lifestyle, choices that are only available as a man. She wouldn't be a very feminine woman today, but she would have the choice of being exactly how she would want to be without hiding her gender."

We discussed Luke's circumstances and the consequences in her life. "She gets trapped in the trap she put out herself. It only starts to change when she falls in love with Nora, and Nora shows her she will be loved even as a woman. She wasn't in touch with her body, with the female side of herself. In 1851, she just had to be a man or a woman, and there was nothing in between, no options."

In "Conflict of Interest" a central theme is rape and its aftermath. "I think what attracts [some] authors to it [rape] is the hurt and comfort aspect of it. One character is a victim and the other is there to give a strong shoulder. That isn't what I wanted to focus on or how I wanted to represent this. I think in comparison [to Aiden Carlisle, the police detective assigned to Dawn's case], Dawn Kinsley [therapist and rape survivor] is the stronger one. She isn't a victim. She is a survivor. It was important to me to write it in a more balanced way. I wanted to show that love doesn't cure it, or conquer all, but it can help you heal."

Author Spot Light

Shawn Blackhawk, Poet

Shawn Blackhawk, author of Midnight Musings, a collection of poems stepped up to talk about being a poet, her experience with L-Book, what's happening in poetry, and more.

Shawn lives in Hawaii, where everywhere you go the landscape is different and so are the people. "I've always been a traveler and a watcher... unless I see something interesting, and then I'm nosey." Shawn tries to understand situations, how she'd feel in them, incorporate those into her own rich experience.

Shawn started writing poetry when she was young. A high school Advanced Placement English teacher drew her irrevocably to poetry, "and she made it not just fun and educational, but for me, the way she talked about it, it was almost a living, breathing thing, and I wanted to be a part of an art that was dying." With respect to the direction poetry has taken and is taking, she says, "I've always wanted to be a part of that evolution of that type of art, but I will never write rap."

"These kids who are doing it, [Shawn was] watching the Def Poetry Slam on HBO covered everything from racism to being transgendered, being of mixed parentage, and I was so proud to sit here and watch this younger generation use something that's half-between Poetry and Rap, and do it with such grace. It's amazing."

Shawn spoke of Poetry, "It's going to evolve and change and become its own thing. There won't be a Dickenson, or Keats, or Yates ever again. That style of writing changed when the English language changed and became more modern. Poetry doesn't have to die... " Amongst Shawn's modern inspirations is Maya Angelou.

Shawn's poetry focuses on some darker experiences and feelings. Of that, she says, "Though it's my own personal pain, if other women can understand it, learn from it then I've succeeded."

Poetry to Shawn was, "...more to get things out and deal with them." Shawn sees the need for eBooks and L-Books. "Thinking about friends who are blind, or even those who want to read something on an airplane, I was impressed with the layout and the idea it [audio device] could read to you or you could read it [the eBook]."

"My stuff is the dark place that nobody wants to go to, so when Roxanne said, 'Yeah, we'll take it.' I was like 'Alright then,' and then I was like, 'Can I take it back?'"

"We were glad they accepted it [Midnight Musings] despite the subject matter. If it helps one person get through something, or know that someone else has been there, then I know I've accomplished something."

Shawn feels L-Book is definitely going in the right direction, dropping a variety of artificial restrictions including length and number of required sex scenes in favor of allowing authors to publish their work in its purest form. At the same time, L-Book supports and promotes quality literature.

Upcoming projects may include a novella-length poem, a collaborative book of poems with two other poets, and a book of letters. Additionally, Shawn is set to collaborate on a three-part book series. Speaking of her work with her co-author, Shawn said, "I've never tried my hand at fiction, but the way she describes the way I write, no matter what, it's beautiful. She wants that ability to describe things that I guess that I have. So I told her, sure, why not? I'll try it."

Shawn invites her readers to contact her directly. She says, "I want anyone who reads my stuff to know it may take me a day or two to get back to you, but if you want to discuss it, or tell me your story, I want to read that."

Shawn wants to be accountable for her work, what she puts out there artistically. She says, "The truth of yourself is in your art."

You can reach Shawn at poeticdiscord@hotmail.com or stop by her site at ShawnBlackhawk.com.

Jae balances her characters' strengths and weaknesses. One the readers of "Backwards to Oregon" described the relationship this way, "Luke teaches Nora how to love, and Nora teaches Luke how to love herself."

Jae is methodical in her approach to writing. "Research is important for every novel. Even for 'Second Nature,' though it is a fantasy novel, it is important to me." Though she knows cats well, she researched them thoroughly, especially lions and tigers. "It helped me flesh her [Griffin Westmore, the shape-shifter] out and portray her interactions with other characters more realistically, and it helped me with plot ideas."

"I may only put out 10-30% of the details that I researched on the page, but I think the readers can sense what I'm not putting on the page in the background [of the story]." Jae's done some difficult editing at times, discarding scenes that didn't move the story or characters forward. "If you have all the details from your research, the next step is to see the emotional impact on the characters. You have to choose which elements of your research can evoke the most emotional reactions. The other elements you might use in a sequel or you might not use at all."

With regard to "Backwards to Oregon" as part of the "Literature in Motion" production, Jae said, "It's incredible, exciting, and most of all, it's really surreal. It's really an honor. I love the theme... 'Journeys' really fits the novel and my experience as a writer." The script, casting, and other creative responsibilities are firmly in Dee Jae Cox's hands. Jae is very comfortable relinquishing control. "I'm not nervous about it, because I get to lean back and watch another woman write a script."

Jae showed a lot of humility as an author. "I'm too close to it. I think it's easier for someone who's a little more detached. ... I'm curious to see the script she comes up with." For Jae, "Ego has no place in writing."

Other authors have asked her whether they should publish with L-Book. "I really believe in L-Book. One of the things I like most is versatility. They offer all kinds of genres, including poetry." Additionally Jae attributes L-Book's pro-author stance and forward-leaning technology, with its policy "about L-Book not restricting length [requiring a minimum or maximum].... It makes writing less formulaic." L-Book supports shorter novels as well as poetry.

Jae is working right now on new projects. "I'm doing research for a sequel to Backwards to Oregon." Also in store may be a sequel to "Second Nature."

"I have other ideas for stories, but you never know. I'm not keeping it [writing] on a schedule. I'm keeping it flexible. ... The only thing that is sure is that I will continue to write. Beyond that, I cannot give any guarantees of what I will write. It will probably always have some romance in it, beyond that we'll see."

In closing, Jae shared her pen name's origins. "It was about ten years ago when I first discovered lesbian fiction online. One of the first stories I read was by Ciaràn Llachan Leavitt, 'Silent Legacy,' also titled 'Glass Houses.' ... The book I really liked...the director had complex relationships with friends, family. Her name is 'Jae.' When I first began to correspond [about lesbian fiction] I used 'Jae.' It is an homage to a great story, very character-driven and well-told...and a great character."