I would love for y’all to actually get to know Janae. I have featured a few of her books here on the blog and am going to be featuring a freaking cover reveal in about an hour of hers that also has a trailer for her upcoming book Dirty Little Secret, book two in her Champagne Bubbles and Lipstick Stains series. Anyway, I am leaving you to read the interview below. Have any Questions for Janae? Her links are below as well! Or drop them in the comments!
Janae was born and raised in the California Bay Area. She grew up a very creative only child and has been writing for as long as she can remember.
Janae accidentally met her now husband online, and a whirlwind romance began because of their mutual love of Harry Potter. After dating long distance, Janae picked up her life in California and moved halfway around the world to Belgium to be with him, all in the life of a hopeless romantic.
When Janae isn’t chasing around her active toddler, she is working on new ideas and working to improve her craft. Janae is currently living in a suburb of Brussels, Belgium with her husband and daughter.
Now onto our intriguing line of questioning!
Del: Besides You-know-who (I won’t spoil your celebrity crush here), who else would you do NAUGHTY things to?
Janae: Well, besides my husband and the always delicious Jamie Dornan. I’d do naughty things with Swedish pop star Måns Zelmerlöw, he’s pretty yummy looking. Plus, he like my husband, speaks multiple languages.
Del: Why did you pick romance? IR (inter-racial romance, in case you don’t know) is huge right now in a lot of Genres, so why specifically romance?
Janae: I adore romance. I’ve been a hopeless romantic for as long as I can remember. I was 8 years old and my favorite song was “If I Never Knew You” from the Pocahontas soundtrack. Something about love, you know that fuzzy feeling, I want to feel that all the time.
Most people who know me, know that I’ve always dated IR and I am a black woman married to a white European man. When I was writing, I always wrote IR couples. I never knew it was a thing, I always read white mainstream romance. When I wrote my first book, I was looking for my market and I stumbled upon BWWM (Black Woman/White Man) romance and was floored that it had an entire following when that is what I wrote. I wanted to write couples that looked like my relationship and it turns out, people like that.
Del: Who is your biggest inspiration in writing?
Janae: Besides the always talented and amazing JK Rowling, indie authors in general. It is hard to put yourself out there and be your own publisher, advertiser, and brand. You do absolutely everything and it is so hard, but in the end so rewarding. I look up to anyone who is willing to put in the hard work, day and night. Many of us have other jobs, families, and lives and when we come home and can get the time, we put in the work. It is 24/7 and people who have the heart, soul, and ethic to put into it, they are all my inspiration.
Del: What’s your opinion of True Love?
Janae: True love is real. It is putting in the hard work, day in and day out with the other person. It is loving someone when they are up as well as when they are down. It is always chasing them and letting yourself be chased. It’s powerful and something to hold onto even when things get rough.
Del: Worst Book you have ever read?
Janae: Besides Fifty Shades of Grey, by the way, I only read chapter one. I cannot get into that book for anything. I’ve tried and tried. I spent $6.99 on the Kindle version and when I try, it doesn’t happen. Ana’s character is annoying to read. She is constantly putting herself down every other paragraph and she isn’t the most appealing person to read from the POV of.
Del: How do you become a better writer?
Janae: For me, I find myself reading as much as I can, soaking in different styles. I go back and read my work constantly. My first book is a disaster, but I’ve improved so much since then. I go back and see what I could have done differently and go from there with future projects. I have a style, I think, and I try and expand on it while staying true to myself.
Del: Are any of your characters based on real people?
Janae: Yes and no. In Sleepless Fate, April is a blend of two of my friends. Both friends are outspoken and blonde bombshells. One of them is the mother of two girls and has had multiple miscarriages. I thought of her a lot with April and how she fought through the heartbreak of losing those pregnancies, she’s a strong woman and so is April.
Kayla’s mom in Broken Politics, that is my mom. I was raised in the Bay Area like most of my female leads and my mom was a kickass single mom. So many things Kayla’s mom said and did, that’s my mom.
Del: How do you pump out books so fast? When do you get the time to write?
Janae: I write whenever I can. If I can write, I’m doing it. I have a toddler that is very demanding. When I get off work. I have two hours before I have to get her, I’m writing. When she goes to bed. I’m writing. While she climbing all over me and in my face, I’m writing.
Del: Let’s talk sex, what inspires you when writing sex scenes? What gets those creative juices (no pun intended, or maybe there is *wiggles eyebrows*) flowing?
Janae: Writing sex is exhausting, but exciting. My mind is always turning with how to change things up. That’s been the fun with Champagne Bubbles, changing it up. I’ve had to research and discover the kinky world of BDSM. There is a lot going on there. I’ve had to go to sex shops and try stuff out, I’ve chatted with Doms and Subs.
For the most part, if my character will do it, I’ll try it. I write from feeling and knowing what a flogger or a riding crop feels like, that just enhances what I write. There are a few things I haven’t tried, there is a Spreader Bar scene in Dirty Little Secret (spoiler alert!), I have not tried that. Normally, I’m game. Sorry mom.
Del: Do you read reviews?
Janae: Every single one of them. I’m a super emotional person who deals with high anxiety and has a history of depression, not the wisest thing to do, reading reviews. I’ve been torn to shreds and I’ve been made out to be someone’s favorite author, it is a roller coaster. I get really nervous about a book release and the reviews. I’m constantly on high anxiety around a release and awaiting reviews. I hate when another person decides to tear down someone’s work. I put everything into my books, I sacrifice a lot and to have someone tell me my story was crap, that cuts deep and really sends me wanting to quit sometimes. On the opposite end. I love getting positive reviews, they brighten my day and make me feel like what I’m doing is worthwhile.
Thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to talk with me today! I know life is busy getting ready to travel for the holidays and doing so many takeovers this week!
Want to reach Janae? Contact her below!
FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/JanaeKeyesAuthor/
TWITTER – https://twitter.com/JanaeKeyesWrite
AMAZON – http://www.amazon.com/author/janaekeyes
GOODREADS – https://www.goodreads.com/JanaeKeyes
INSTAGRAM – https://www.instagram.com/JanaeKeyesAuthor/
WEBSITE – http://www.JanaeKeyes.net
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