The Spotlight: Interview with Jaylee Fields Author of The Don and His Lieutenant.

One of my greatest joys as a Black queer author is connecting with other queer Black people. And one of my favorite Black queer people I have had the pleasure of knowing is author Jaylee Fields. If you don’t recognize the name, you also know her as “Owl” from the popular booktok account ‘Owl’s Library.’

Jaylee is energetic and bold, and she is unapologetic about who she is and what she stands for. And this is why we immediately connected. After building a platform of over 16,000 followers on TikTok, Jaylee decided to pursue her dreams of being an author.

Now, Jaylee has 10 books published, and she is certainly making a name for herself! For my first Author Spotlight, I was granted the pleasure of sitting down and talking to Jaylee about her author journey, her inspirations, and why she decided to write Black queer romance.

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Tell me a little bit about yourself. Who are you? Where are you from? What do you write?

My name is Jaylee Fields, or Jay, she/her. I am a Black indie romance author based in Chicago, IL. I write Black niche romance with a majority of Black MM romance.

What inspired you to be an author and why?

I wanted to be an author since I was 13. I turned to writing during a dark time in my life, and writing saved me. I believe that I was put on this earth to tell stories.

What was your author journey?

My first publication, HUNTED, wasn’t supposed to be my first. It was supposed to be One Night of Fun, my Black fem dom romance,but then I met Lucille Lillian, who is now my co-author and chaos hype woman. She was working on a Black motorcycle series set during the holidays, and she told me about two characters she didn’t know what to do with: Wendell and Ernest. Those characters changed my life. I wrote their story as a kinda, wouldn’t it be funny, but as soon as more words got on the page and Lucille loved their story, I signed up to officially be the co-author of the series, and I’ve been publishing since 2023. I’m so happy I let her bully me into writing their story.

What are the books that inspired you?

I love reading indie authors across genres, and I take a lot of what I love and don’t like from others and model it into my own. “Figure out what you can borrow from the greats,” is what my writing professor, Gary, always told me.

What is your writing routine?

My writing routine has changed since I started. Currently, I am publishing the full Guardians’ Holiday series, so I am doing more editing and admin work than I prefer. But when I’m not on a publishing clock, I try to write for 6-9 hours a day. I have so many different projects happening at once that I jump around. It takes at least twenty-five minutes on each document, which helps with writer’s block. I usually listen to YouTube essays or audiobooks while I write. I am making more of an effort, once the snow stops, to get back outside and write, which also helps me out of a writing funk.

How do you balance writing and your 9-to-5 job?

When I was working 9-5, more like 5-4 for some periods and 9-6 for others, I wrote at my desk sneakily when I could or during my lunch breaks. I am trying to establish an early-morning writing routine so that, when I return to work, my writing won’t suffer.

Why was it important to write Black romance?

Being a Black indie author, especially writing romance, feels revolutionary. We, as Black authors, weren’t supposed to exist. We weren’t supposed to learn how to read and write, become authors and librarians, or even own library cards. Adding the fact that my work has been primarily Black queer love in a climate where Black voices across the board are being stifled, and to show black men loving each other so tenderly, it is important because it just is. We, as Black readers and audience members, deserve to see all Black love as powerful, joyful, and loving.

What made you want to write M/M romance?

I am from a fanfiction background, so I have always been an MM shipper. It felt natural to me to write MM romance. This year, I am also writing my first Sapphic and polyamorous books, and I am so excited about it.

Are you queer or trans? What are your labels?

I am cis, het, and asexual, but I have always struggled with wanting to label myself. I do not talk much about my

ace label.

 

What is your method of writing? Plotter or Planster?

Some stories require me to do a full outline, down to the smallest detail, while at other times I can just free-write and have a full story. It just depends on what the characters tell me. I am an author who sees my characters as they walk in real life. They sit in front of me and typically start with “this is my story and you’re going to write it,” and I listen to them. They have memories, both good and bad, and they have their own struggles with life. I think it helps me write my characters deal with the complexities of their reality.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors in your genre?

Being a great author means being a great reader. You have to read within the genre you want to write in, so you know what is not just the standard, but what you want to do differently.

What’s one writing rule you believe in and one you think is made to be broken?

The one writing rule I believe in goes back to the advice of a great reader: Be a great author. The one that is made to be broken is that you don’t have to write every day. As indie authors, we are on our own, as admins, social media managers, taking inventory, communicating with others, PR managers, we have so many hats to wear at once that some days that are filled with admin work, getting a few words in seems impossible. So don’t write every day, it’s not the end of the world.

What is your favorite part of being a writer?

My favorite part of being a writer is learning about the characters and the worlds I create. They are already established universes that the characters know very well. As they learn new things, so do I. It’s the best part.

Growing up, did you know you wanted to become a writer, or was it not until you were older that you realized it?

I always knew that I wanted to be an author. I even went to college to get a creative writing degree. I don’t think my teen self would recognize the woman and author I’ve become.

How has your writing evolved since you first began publishing?

I think I have gotten a sharper pen now that I am 9 books deep. I have trusted my instinct more and have experimented with how I tell stories. The jump from HUNTED to my first mafia book, The Don and His Lieutenant Pt 1, is so massive, I can’t wait until the time comes for a HUNTED rewrite.

Why did you decide to become an indie author?  And why?

I became an indie author because I saw so many authors I admire do it. I knew from the moment HUNTED became a serious project that no traditional publisher would take it. Time waits for no one, so why would I?

What is your current book about?

I will use this question to talk about my newest series. I loved the movie Rise of the Guardians, which featured Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, the Easter Bunny, and Jack Frost as the main characters, battling evil. The first two books in my series focus on Santa, Nicolas, and Cupid (Eros) as they take a day off from their duties and reflect on their love done. Santa’s Christmas Break is an MF, while Cupid’s Romantic Getaway is MMF. The remaining books in the series are Easter’s Break, Toothfairy’s Dentist Trip, and Sandman’s Sweet Dream, which will be coming out later this year.

How did you get the idea for your current book?

I’ve always wanted to do a fantastical smutty retelling of these characters, and what better time than the present? I do want to write a bigger epic fantasy, released in 2028-2029, about a big bad who is really just trying his best.

What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

In this series, I just want people to enjoy these beloved characters from my childhood movie and have some smutty fun.

Is there a particular scene or passage you’re incredibly proud of?

In this series, I don’t really have a moment I am proud of. But for my mafia book in chapter nine, in Thomas’ POV, Reece and Thomas are arguing about everything going on, and there’s that moment.

“Even with our fussing back and forth, he still never let my hand go. He stopped petting my knuckles, but he held tight to me.”

Despite Reece and Thomas being so irritated and pissed at each other, they still love each other, and it’s still them against the world. The entire point of what I wanted people to take away from TDAHL Pt 1 is to show Black gay men in love who will go to the ends of the earth for each other. Yeah, they’re both irritated as a mafia don and a lieutenant that they can’t let their relationship affect work, ’cause it could cost someone their life, but that’s still each other’s husband at the end of the day. They’re going home together, so they love each other enough not to hold back verbal punches when it comes to work stuff, but not to let it destroy who they are as a unit. They are pissed at how the situation is making the other feel, not at each other. I loved being able to put that so vividly on the page.

How many drafts did you go through before you finished the book?

Since we’ve shifted gears to now talking specifically bout my mafia piece, it took 3 skeleton rough drafts before I got to the big final first draft, and even at the 3rd skeleton draft that went to my editor for a developmental edit. I’ve never done a mafia piece until the prequel novella, My Lieutenant, so building on a big mystery and so many players was a lot to handle. It needed so many rewrites that it delayed the release, but I think it was worth it.

What’s one thing you know now that you wish you’d known when you started writing?

The one thing I know now is that it’s possible to be a full-time indie author. I would tell myself in 2023 that I would get the chance to be a full-time author for real, and it was the greatest risk I took on, and it ended with me having a beautiful community and 9 books. It is possible, and it is worth it.

Did you have to cut anything important from the final version of your book?

Jumping back to HUNTED, I did have to cut an entire wax play scene in the cabin, and I’m so sorry, readers! You can read it on my website, lol.

After finishing this manuscript, did you immediately start something new or spend three weeks staring at a wall?

After finishing a manuscript, I take up to three weeks to work on something else or take a break entirely. I do my own edits. I’ve made some social media posts about what my typical editing kit looks like, so I will attach them it possible. So, because I go through the manuscript physically and by hand, I need fresh eyes. Three weeks is a good spot: I don’t completely forget everything, but I forget enough to be objective.

What are you working on next?

At this point, all of the books in the Guardians’ Holiday series are now written and awaiting either editing or publishing. I am working on a Black comic book store interconnected standalone series, book 2 of the Don and His Lieutenant, and a few surprise installments of Ernest and Wendell. I’ve missed my boys!

 

Where can we find you? (social media links, website links, landing pages, etc.)

1. https://subscribepage.io/JayleeF
2. https://www.authorjayleefields.com/
3. https://www.instagram.com/owls.library/