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JW: First, let me tell you that I read DISTANT VISIONS first, from cover to cover, and enjoyed it very much.
JADE: Hey! Thanks!
JW: I find it interesting that you once upon a time rode with an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. This book is about people involved in an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. How much of your own life has played into the story line of your books?
JADE: Yeah, my first husband and I rode with a club for many years. I think a lot of my life is in there, although the fact that I’m a big-time dreamer means that a lot of my life is lived in a fantasy world. It’s not autobiographical, although...
JW: The depth of your characters is great! How do you connect with them?
JADE: I'm not quite sure what you mean, but if you mean how do I get into their heads, well, I’d have to say that they sort of open up to me, the same as real people do in real life. Although some of my characters are well-to-do, and it seems incongruous for them to even be entertaining the idea of being an outlaw, there are reasons behind everyone’s decision. No one is without flaws, no life is without conflict, and there are heroes everywhere, including in the world of outlaws. I've known some beautiful people behind some very ugly facades, and some ugly people behind some very pretty faces. We all usually tend to be tougher than we think we are and softer than we want other people to know. I’m no different. I can connect because I’m one of them. I’m human.
JW: What effect has writing this story had on your life?
JADE: Believe it or not, it's had a big effect! I'm not sure this happens to all writers, but these characters have taken on a life of their own inside my head and have invited me along for the ride. It's almost as if I had two lives - one real and one fantastical and surreal!
JW: These three books comprise a trilogy. How did you come to write this particular set of books?
JADE: Long story and it involves some personal stuff, but basically, once upon a time I knew some awesome biker characters in real life. One of my ex-husbands was one. My second (ex)husband and I tried to jointly write about it. We broke up, I shelved the book for twenty-plus years, but when I got to North Carolina, and one day I decided to drag out all the old notes and scraps of paper I had kept. However, as I was perusing the old book, a whole entirely new one came to me, with totally different characters, so I wrote Distant Visions. When I was done with that book, I went back to the old notes again and scrapped most, but kept some ideas and added some more to write what became CONVERSATIONS WITH BILL. Then I realized that there was more to the story, so I’m writing STEEL COWBOYS to finish the trilogy.
JW: What inspires you?
JADE: Hmm... people's personalities. Their personal insights into life. Their stories.
JW: Storm and Rae seem to have a spiritual connection, can you tell me more about it? What's that about? Is it typical of bikers?
JADE: No, not typical, but then not unheard of either. Their spiritual connection comes from their ancestral ties to Native American beliefs. They are both visionaries. As far as that being a biker trait, it's not. It's not even a common Native American thing, but I’m a visionary of sorts and I’m acquainted with quite a few other people who are, so I decided to put some of that into the story.
JW: Very interesting. Some people don't have any idea about the outlaw biker culture. How much of this was based on truth?
JADE: Well, a lot of it was based on truth, but not all of it, obviously. I mean, I take artistic license and I also invent a lot of stuff. I'm a fiction writer, after all. Did I know characters like the ones in my books? Yes and no... they’re based on combined personalities of people I've known, but no fictional character is directly descended from a person I've known, living or dead. The lifestyle is a lot more gritty than I described. There are times when a clean change of clothes and a shower is days away, and when you’re so tired and hung-over that you can barely think, but there are also some great, fun times. Outlaw bikers are very passionate people. They lead a more intense existence than most and have strong feelings about things. There are built-in tests every step of the way, games within games. You’re always questioning reality, trying to find your balance. It’s a tough life, but I think you feel more alive living on the edge. That’s the hook. Not to glorify the life - far from it - but the real-life characters I’ve met were extremely interesting and their relationships spanned the spectrum. Looking back, I can see that because they were all so very disconnected from so-called “normal” society (the guys I knew included Vietnam Vets and college grads and hippie biker types who had become detached from that Vietnam-era-my-country-right-or-wrong thinking), that they went searching for another, society to join, one with more freedom, and that’s what’s so weird - all they did was join up with another type of army. I guess there’s a lot of truth in the books, although the stories take place very post-Vietnam.. Then again, there always seem to be wars, and always seem to be veterans and people looking for a different way...
JW: What is the message that you want to get across to your readers?
JADE: That nothing is ever really what it seems, and that all things are relative to one’s position in the universe.
JW: Like reality?
JADE: Yeah, reality... and abstract concepts like God. Why do most people tend to limit their concept of God? They tend to make God revolve around their own lives. They don’t question how God can watch over them and all the creatures on Earth and yet cover all the other planets in the universe. That’s a pretty big job for one god. Why do people need a prophet like Jesus to represent the image of god, to make God look like a human being? Why are they so possessive of God, as though God belongs to them and that their vision of God is the only true vision of God?
JW: Good question. I guess it’s so they can feel safe and know the parameters of existence. I think if people saw God as an endless, open-ended entity, they might be scared to death.
JADE: So they build myths and legends to explain and define their concept of God. Some things don’t fit into that concept, like precognition and vision, but almost all indigenous religions in the world allow for visions. The indigenous religions are closer to the source. The more “advanced” man gets, the further away from the source material he gets, and he loses the ability to see the obvious and to connect with past, present and future all at once. Instead, most people stand firmly in the present to deny the past it’s importance and to avoid the future’s impact. The here and now is all they see, so they are limited to the here and now.
JW: Interesting concepts to imbed into what is basically a biker romance novel!
JADE: Yeah, I think so.
JW: Storm and Rae, your main characters... how you explain Rae and Storm's connection? It’s very intense.
JADE: It’s just that - very intense. These two characters wrote the story. I was just the person who put it on paper. It’s weird...
JW: Theirs is a spiritual attraction as well as being a very sexual thing. The sweatlodge. The visions. I mean, there’s some pretty hot stuff going on, but in a way it’s also very...
JADE: Deep?
JW: Exactly! A lot of spiritual love stuff you read about in most novels is about a clash of morality... but you don’t go there.
JADE: Good versus evil. I like to blur the lines between good and evil. I like people to always be questioning the line between reality and unreality - and surreality. Sub-reality. (laughs) Most people live somewhere between the boundaries of absolute good and absolute evil. Rae and Storm have backstories that are very different, yet on an emotional and spiritual level they are very much the same. They both question existence, they both need spiritual fulfillment. That they need each other to find it becomes obvious. It’s as though their relationship was preordained, but it’s not without some giant leaps of faith. They don’t realize how needy they are until they meet each other and the natural reaction is for them to try to deny that need, yet there are forces at work...
JW: Love is very spiritual.
JADE: When you go into it with your mind and heart open. It requires a whole lot of faith and trust in human nature and God to walk willingly into the belly of the beast, love being the beast. Love can maim as well as heal, remember, and both Storm and Rae have been severely injured by that beast. Being who they are, having been through what they’ve been through, it’s tough to accept love again. Both have lost faith in God, but when they meet, suddenly there is a need to reconnect with a higher power, to get back to their spiritual roots.
JW: About Rae and her first husband Kelly... was there ever really any fire there between them? If anybody seems disconnected, it’s them.
JADE: Sure, in the beginning there was love, but not necessarily romance. They’ve been together for a long time now and they know each other well. Neither one is perfect. Neither one there is innocent. Their marriage is more of a long-term partnership, but neither one is having their needs met by the other. Yet, Rae usually defers to Kelly and considers herself his wife, and Kelly is very protective and possessive of Rae, despite the fact that he’s been unfaithful to her since day one and has a strong suspicion that she is having an affair with one of his club buddies, Greasy.
JW: Why do you think she was not enough for Kelly? He cheats on her all the time.
JADE: Maybe she’s TOO MUCH for him! Think about it. Maybe he can’t control her and it embarrasses him. Rae can be pretty intimidating. She’s a tough cookie. But then again, maybe he simply wasn’t monogamous. Maybe he gets energized by having more than one woman. I leave that to the reader’s imagination.
JW: So is that why he let it go so easily... when he thought there was something going on between Rae and Greasy? Because he cheated, too?
JADE: Maybe. Why draw attention to yourself, if as a result your own lifestyle will then be open to judgment and when that kind of exposure can get you into trouble?
JW: So, you’re saying that maybe Kelly was afraid to confront them?
JADE: (laughs) Could be....
JW: Tell me about the loyalty and love between the male members of the club. Nightmare and Ramroc and Storm, for instance.
JADE: In the truest sense, the club is a brotherhood. Like an army. In the Army, the soldiers have to depend on each other, and trust builds commeraderie. Of course, there are always going to be rivalries and hostilities between certain people, but generally the grudge-holders manage to tolerate each other, like in any large group of people. It’s all politics, in a way. Generally the problems between club members begin when a member’s trustworthiness comes into question. In the outlaw world a lack of trust can turn deadly. Face it... just being a member makes you a criminal, so the cops are always watching and waiting. Rival gangs want to eliminate you.. Bad drivers don’t see you and pull out in front of your bike on the highway. There are inter-club jealousies. You’re a target whether you’re the Boy Scout-type or a killer, so you have to be able to trust the guys you ride with in the club. It’s common sense, whether you are a member of the Blue Knights (a police-only motorcycle club) or the Hell’s Angels. Or even a political party. (laughs) You watch each other’s backs, you learn who you can trust and respect... and who you can safely love. You become good friends with a few, acquaintances with many, and enemies with others. Human nature.
JW: Ok, so now, to the potential reader, explain how the male club members in the book generally see the ladies in their lives.
JADE: Ha! It’s all over the spectrum, again, like in any large group, don’t you think?. Some treat them like goddesses and others treat them like shit. Pretty damn normal, huh?
JW: Yeah! I guess it is! (laughs) Okay... well, back to the interview. Greasy and Rae’s relationship interests me, can you explain their bond? It feels very special.
JADE: Bond? Their bond is Love. They love each other... and there’s also the fact that they share the secret of their forbidden relationship - and they also trust each other enough to confide in and share their innermost feelings.
JW: Yeah. I felt there was a lot of love there. What about the wall that exists between them? What’s that all about in your mind?
JADE: Fear.
JW: Fear of commitment?
JADE: On Greasy's part, don’t you think?
JW: Of being hurt...
JADE: Yeah... in his heart he always knew she wasn’t his and could never be.
JW: Even though he knew that, he did still fall...
JADE: Yeah. He couldn’t help it, but their timing was out of sync.
JW: Not meant to be?
JADE: Who can tell? Their story may not end there. I like Greasy.
JW: Yeah, I do, too... every woman wishes she had someone like him. A safe haven.
JADE: And a cute one at that.
JW: Oh, yeah! So anyway, back to Storm. Is it unusual for a biker like Storm to have such a tight connection with a woman, like the one he has with Rae?
JADE: No. It’s not all that unusual. They’re too macho to admit it, though. Tell me what you think about Storm... what’s your opinion of him?
JW: Well, he seems pretty human because he’s fallible, and he has all these deep qualities that make him attractive to me. He’s tough but he has deep feelings, and he can be touched once you get inside his safety perimeter. I like that he is a spiritual being. He has a soul.
JADE: What about Rae? What do you think about her?
JW: I like her human-ness. She’s open to new experiences. I like that she is so ballsy. I’m into her because she has a lot of spirit. She likes to challenge the men. She can kick ass if she needs to, but does it reluctantly. She’s tough but she’s also insecure. I think that’s pretty real.
JADE: And Greasy? Why do you like him so much? He seems to be a favorite of most readers.
JW: He was a true friend and always there. He was loyal. Not that he was a saint, but he was trustworthy and honest. He respected Rae. He knew her secrets and kept them. Besides, I like underdogs.
JADE: Funny that you should see him as an underdog. I see him totally in charge of the relationship. He made all the decisions in that relationship. He set all the limits.
JW: Hmm... now that you mention it, I can see it. You’re right! Okay. Now... Lets get to the sex. Not all the sex in the book is beautiful and fun. Where does that darkness come from?
JADE: Not everyone’s life is beautiful and fun, Jane. There’s a lot of dark stuff out there in the universe, and all you have to do to see it is open your eyes.
JW: Was there much darkness in your life?
JADE: (laughs) You think? I won’t go there! As a matter of fact, I want to know what you thought of the sex in the book?
JW: (laughs) Well, Suzi, I found it pretty damn sexy at times, but also sometimes very sad.
JADE: Sad? Howso?
JW: The rape, for one thing, and the way some of the guys treated the gals they passed around. Like chattel. Explain why a woman would do that stuff willingly.
JADE: Some people are into being dominated and made to feel like slaves. It’s weirdness to me, but who am I to judge? There are times I’ve been sexually submissive, but not in such demeaning ways. Once in awhile for kinky fun, but not as a habit or lifestyle or anything, but hey, whatever turns you on! Most women who allow themselves to be passed around like those women in the book are just stupid... and stupid people don’t survive long in that type of macho environment because packs of men are like packs of wolves. They’re group opportunists, always ready to pounce on the weak, and stupid is weak. Stupid, as in having no clue, before or after. It’s pure bimboism.
JW You think?
JADE No, I know!
JW: The first book, CONVERSATIONS WITH BILL, is a prequel, a backstory. You conceived of it first but wrote it after DISTANT VISIONS. I admit I haven’t read it yet but I’m looking forward to it. It takes place before DISTANT VISIONS in time. You say you originally wanted it to be the second book. Why did you change your mind?
JADE: Because one of my trusted copyreaders suggested it.
JW: Are the characters the same as in the other book?
JADE: Some of them are mentioned, but most of them play minor roles in CONVERSATIONS.
JW: What’s CONVERSTIONS about? The moral of the story?
JADE: It’s about the nature of truth. It’s about changes that happen inside people when they get sucked into certain situations. It’s also about prejudice and preconceptions and how some things in life seem inevitable and others seem like happenstance. It’s about relationships between people and the roles they play.
JW: Your main character in CONVERSATIONS is named Jesus. Why Jesus?
JADE: He’s different than most, a philosopher. Not soft by any means, but not a killer. He’s rational and thoughtful. He’s a thinker. More controlled and careful than Storm Morrison, although just as emotional, but he hides it well. He’s a negotiator first, and a warrior second. People look up to him, and they respect him as a person and as a friend. They naturally defer to him. They gave him the name because of who he is. They saw the irony and the metaphor. It tells a lot about him that he would consider a woman to be his best friend.
JW: Is it metaphoric? Like Jesus and Mary Magdeline?
JADE: Of course. In many ways it is metaphoric, but the book’s not just about Jesus. There are a lot of interesting characters and they all have their own little stories and interactions. Jesus is just the center of the wheel.
JW: You have great characters. I can’t wait to meet Jesus.
JADE: Thanks. My books are definitely character-driven. I think the plot is secondary to the characters themselves, but I hope the reader gets a feel for the situations that pop up. The sub-plots and sub-texts. I’m not concerned so much with how all the characters arrive at a certain place in time, but what got each of them there, individually. By the time you’ve finished CONVERSATIONS WITH BILL you’ve gotten a sense of the climate surrounding the characters, so when you get to DISTANT VISIONS, you understand how things work inside the club. You meet Jesus and you understand him. A character should become familiar, like someone you might know, yet they should still excite some curiosity. What really makes this guy tick? What must it have been like to have that happen? How can he do that? I like to leave the readers questioning and thinking and dreaming up scenarios of their own. The creative process can cross the membrane between writer and reader if you allow it to happen.
JW: I’m looking forward to reading CONVERSATIONS WITH BILL. Who is Bill?
JADE: (laughs) Read the book!
JW: And does the third book, STEEL COWBOYS, share characters with the other two books?
JADE: Yes, a lot of them are there. Things come together, in unforeseen ways. That’s all I’m gonna say.
JW: Darn. Well, okay... Why don’t you tell our readers about your concept for the eBook that includes music in the form of a soundtrack CD of original music?
JADE: Well, I write music, too, and so does my husband. One day I walked into my husband's studio and said, "Tom, I have this idea for a whole new concept... I want to write a soundtrack to my book!" So we took a month off from other musical projects and wrote and recorded CONVERSATIONS. Tom is an awesome musician, as you can tell from listening. So anyway, we did CONVERSATIONS as an instrumental, but then we wrote two other CDs worth of music, STEEL COWBOYS, and another one as yet without a name, to go along with the whole Storm Morrison/Jesus saga. As an experiment we sang the songs ourselves, and then we got some friends to sing some of the songs with us, and to help write lyrics, and the whole thing turned out to be great fun and has met with great reviews and comments from the press and our fan base, so we went with it. The music cds are available, by the way. They're an option, sort of.
JW: Where can people purchase these eNovels and the music cds?
JADE: Online only. (Note: look elsewhere on this site)
JW: I have to tell you that for a first effort, DISTANT VISIONS is a very good story. It kept me interested all the way through, and I also love the music CDs! Good luck with both! Thank you so much for taking time to speak with me.
JADE: No problem. Anytime, Jane.
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