Jade May is a contemporary romance author. She writes angst-filled romances that are hot and heavy (with a hint of kink). We enjoyed having this conversation with Jade May for our blog. Check out this fantastic author and follow them for more amazing stories.
Jade May grew up beachside in Australia with her nose buried in books, getting swept up in fearless adventures and lost in the fantasy of the supernatural. As an adult, her preferences shifted towards epic romances, adoring the pure escapism of the genre.
Jade is a marketer by day and writes in her spare time at night, mostly angst-filled romances that are hot and heavy (with a hint of kink) but always culminate in a happy ending. To write and provide escapism for others is a dream come true for Jade.
Jade May currently resides in sunny Sydney, Australia, along with her two favorite humans; her husband and son.
When did you start writing?
My author journey has been a very unique experience. My love affair with novels and my passion for reading started when I was a teenager. During my younger years, I unfortunately spent a lot of time in hospital due to a chronic illness. Amidst the long days in the hospital, there was one saving grace that helped pass the time: reading.
I was obsessed with fantasy novels, getting lost in fearless adventures of dragons, elves, vampires, and werewolves. It was pure escapism for me. All forms of entertainment, including film, music, and television, provided escapism to varying degrees, but it was reading that piqued my interest, drawing me into seductive new worlds. It allowed me to use my imagination to put myself in the protagonist’s shoes and experience life through their eyes when I physically wasn’t able to.
As I grew older, my preferences shifted towards more mature themes – epic romances with lots of spice. Pouring over the pages of erotic romances helped me realize the power of my femininity and provided me with a sense of escape of a different kind. This is what inspired me to become an author. To provide escapism for others. It wasn’t until one of the many lockdowns of COVID I had the realization that I wanted to attempt writing a novel.
I didn’t have any formal education or training in creative writing. I never took an online class or attended a seminar, or read any eBooks on how to write. I just sat down one day and started writing a story. When I eventually got to ten thousand words, I showed it to my husband. I wanted to know if it was decent and worth continuing. My husband loved it and encouraged me to continue writing. Unfortunately, my husband had never read a romance novel before, so I couldn’t trust his judgment alone.
I ended up googling ‘romance publishers’ and clicked on the first one that popped up. I submitted the first ten thousand words, and I received a response within six weeks, stating they loved it and to send back the full manuscript when it was finished. They also mentioned there was a typo in my email address in the submission, and they had to make an educated guess on the correct version. In my eyes, it was kismet! It took nearly two years to finish writing the manuscript as I only wrote at night when I had spare time. I worked full-time running my own business and had a two-year-old who had my full attention. When I did eventually finish it, I sent it back and received a contract.
Tell us about your newest release.
Tempted by Eden is a contemporary enemy to lovers, erotic romance with a hint of kink, a touch of angst and includes a happily ever after. It’s centered around a woman named Cora who finds herself living a double life as she works at a kinky gentlemen’s club by night and as a PR specialist by day.
Tropes: Enemies to lovers Boss/employee Kink HEA Billionaire Boss Alpha Hero Angsty Blurb: Two strangers on vacation. One intense attraction. No expectations other than a night of mind-blowing passion.
Five years later, broke and desperate, Cora finds herself living a double life as she works at a kinky gentlemen’s club by night and as a PR specialist by day. A chance encounter at the club throws Cora into her mystery vacation man’s path once again. But the only problem is… he doesn’t remember her. And her mystery man is none other than the CEO of Hayes & Meyer Media, James Hayes. Arrogant. Dominant. Mega rich, and her new boss.
But Cora isn’t a quitter. And she will do anything to keep her job. She has to. She has people depending on her. All she has to do is stay away from James. If only she could ignore the tempting world of submission James has opened her eyes to…
Which book of yours would you call your favorite child?
So far, Tempted by Eden! I hope to write many more in the future.
What are you usually found doing when you’re not writing?
Working full time and running around after my little one, who’s just turned five years old!
What does your writing space look like?
My bedroom is my writing space, it has small white desk in the corner, it’s warm with lots of natural sunlight.
If you wrote your autobiography, what would you name it?
Let’s escape to somewhere we only know
Favorite reads?
I absolutely love anything from T. L Swan, her writing style is very similar to my own. I could get lost in the stories and worlds she creates for hours. Do yourself a favor and check out The Italian, Ferrara, and Mr. Masters series. L.J. Shen is also one of my favorite authors. I still think about Vicious from the Sinners of Saint series. If only I could go back and read it for the first time again.
What’s your next big project?
I’m currently working on the next book in the Eden series, called Seduced by Eden and it follows Amber and Aaron’s story. It’s a spicy, friends-to-lovers contemporary romance with forced proximity and fake/transactional relationship tropes. I’m halfway through the first draft and can’t wait to share their unique story with readers.
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Everyone’s author journey is different, there is no ‘right’ path. After speaking to fellow romance authors, every single one of their experiences has been unique to them. Some have written eight manuscripts before feeling ready to submit and pitch to a publisher. Others have received many rejection letters before landing a contract. And others have seen huge success in self-publishing and have bypassed the traditional publishing route. I’m a firm believer that everything will happen when it’s supposed to. It’s easy to get down on yourself and compare yourself to other authors. But the key for me is to keep persisting and keep writing!
Follow Jade May:
https://www.authorjademay.com/
https://www.instagram.com/authorjademay/
https://linktr.ee/authorjademay
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