By: Sarah Summer
Janae has been writing long enough to know that stories don’t arrive fully formed. They grow, they shift, and sometimes they wait. What has remained constant is her commitment to the page, and her belief that imagination can be both refuge and revelation.
Born on July 8 at Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Janae grew up alongside her brother and sister, shaped by family storytelling and Louisiana heritage. Those early influences would later surface in her fiction, particularly in Perrish, a fictional town inspired by New Orleans, which she has described as paying homage to “the magical essence of the Big Easy.” Place, memory, and emotional texture matter deeply in her work, grounding even her most fantastical worlds in something familiar.
One of her earliest literary memories is simple and formative. “I remember my dear brother reading to me from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,” she has written. “Little did he know that those innocent stories would ignite a passion within me to craft heartfelt tales of love and longing.” That moment planted a seed that followed her into adolescence, where she began writing stories for her high school friends, testing her voice and learning how words could move people.
Today, Janae lives in Savannah, Georgia, where she balances writing with life as a mother of two. Her home also includes Persephone, a cat she affectionately refers to as “a feline queen,” a detail that speaks to the humor and warmth that surface throughout her personal writing.
Writing as Craft, Commitment, and Care
Janae’s fiction lives in the realm of fantasy and paranormal romance, but her approach to writing is firmly rooted in discipline and honesty. She writes several books a year and has built a growing catalog that includes vampire romance, academy fantasy, and supernatural thrillers. Her recent novel, Blood and Wealth: Beginning, introduces readers to a hidden supernatural underworld beneath New York City, where vampires, Lycans, and ancient alliances operate in the shadows.
The novel follows Elena Castillo, a journalist driven by curiosity and truth, whose investigation leads her into the orbit of Luca Lemaire and the secretive Solstice Alliance. As Janae writes, “This isn’t just another crime to solve,” but an entry point into a world Elena was never meant to see. The story blends romance, power struggles, and prophecy, culminating in the line that anchors the series’ emotional stakes: “Some fates are chosen. Theirs was written in blood.”
Her Shadows and Temptations series explores similar themes through the lens of academy fantasy, following a young woman whose latent magic pulls her into a world of political intrigue, forbidden desire, and identity-shaping choices. Across her work, Janae returns to questions of power, agency, and transformation, particularly how characters navigate desire and responsibility in worlds that demand both.
Speaking Openly About Mental Health
What distinguishes Janae beyond her genre output is her openness. She speaks candidly about her personal experiences with mental illness and how managing it intersects with creativity, productivity, and sustaining a writing life. That transparency is not positioned as a brand, but as part of how she understands herself and her work.
“Writing isn’t just something I do; it’s who I am,” she has said. That identity comes with challenges as well as purpose. In her blog post Where I’ve Been: Writing, Recharging, and Overcoming Obstacles, she addresses periods of burnout, disrupted routines, and the necessity of stepping back to protect her mental health. “I never stopped writing,” she explains, even during quieter periods. Instead, she focused on replenishing her creative energy and maintaining perspective.
Her belief in resilience is summed up in a line she has shared publicly: “Determination is the unwavering flame that ignites the spirit, fuels the journey, and propels us beyond the limits of what we once believed possible.”
Creating Space for Other Writers
Janae extends that philosophy beyond her own work through The Scribe Vibe with Janae, a podcast dedicated to the realities of writing and publishing. The show covers topics ranging from rejection and imposter syndrome to marketing strategies, productivity, and the differences between traditional and self-publishing paths.
Episodes include discussions on managing criticism, maintaining mental health through mindfulness and self-care, and building sustainable habits as a creative. Janae also interviews other authors, giving space to conversations about research, representation, and navigating sensitive themes with care.
In her YouTube channel introduction, she explains her motivation clearly: “I created this channel to track my progress and create a visual journal to motivate me and others.” She doesn’t present writing as effortless or romanticized. “Writing is hard,” she acknowledges, “but if you have the willpower and drive you can achieve greatness.”
That balance of realism and encouragement resonates with writers who are often navigating creativity alongside work, family, and emotional labor.
Looking Outward, Moving Forward
Janae’s imagination is not confined to the page. She has spoken about her desire to travel, particularly to England, drawn to its history and culture. She has written about “the thought of embracing their rich heritage and savoring the melodic tones of the British accent,” describing it as something that fills her with “an indescribable longing.”
For readers encountering her work for the first time, Janae offers an invitation that reflects both confidence and curiosity. “Stay awhile,” she writes. “Explore the depths of my digital realm, and let my stories transport you to extraordinary realms.”
It’s an invitation shaped by years of steady writing, self-reflection, and a refusal to separate creativity from the realities of life. Janae continues to write, publish, and build her worlds on her own terms, blending fantasy and romance with honesty, resilience, and care.
More about Janae and her work can be found at https://janaewritesbooks.com/
