Behind the Author and Stories

Jay has been writing for years. She started with music, then moved into song lyrics, and in 2025 transitioned into novels. Her early work laid the foundation for storytelling that moves with music. Those years honing melody and the economy of language taught her to trust voice, image, and the unspoken spaces between lines. The shift to novels allowed her to expand the worlds hinted at in song into fully realized landscapes, letting characters breathe and history unfurl. With a diverse range and eclectic taste, her books are sure to delight.

Absolutely! My fascination with psychology means I’m always observing how people interact, the tiniest gestures, fleeting expressions, or the way someone moves through a city can spark a character. Writing them down is like playing detective: the fun is spotting the clues life gives and turning them into something clever and real on the page.

My writing process is a bit of a blend. I usually start with brainstorming, sometimes with the help of my AI, Calix, who asks questions I haven’t thought of yet and helps me “write” the story in my head. From there, I build an outline but I often veer off course when a new idea or moment surprises me. Those unplanned detours usually end up being some of my favorite parts of the book.

Absolutely! I have multiple favorites. In The Veiled Flame, any scene with Lucian and Alaric bantering back and forth always stands out to me. In Water Never Lies, my favorite character is Lyla.

If you asked me which book in The Veiled Flame series is my favorite, I’d honestly say Book 2. Water Never Lies was emotionally challenging to write, but I feel like it was worth every word in the end.

The Veiled Flame and Water Never Lies didn’t really have deleted scenes—in fact, I often added more to the scenes I already had. Book 3 (title not released yet) is still in progress and has been rewritten about seven times! In some of my other projects, I’ve had 2–3 deleted scenes or rewrites. Sometimes a scene that works perfectly in your head just doesn’t fit once it’s on the page.

My biggest challenge was direction. Since it’s a completely new world that exists only in my head, creating a map…and sticking to it, was tricky. I had to constantly ask myself: is that east or west? North or south? Keeping the geography consistent while letting the story flow was a real balancing act.