Jaye Roycraft, wasn't sure what she wanted to be when she grew up. A teacher? Not for long. A salesclerk? Not again! A computer systems analyst? Better! But that career, as good as it was, was a victim of a mid-life crisis. The answer? Start two new careers after the age of forty.
Jaye became a big-city police officer at forty-one, shocking friends and family. But as challenging as that job was, something was missing in her life.
Throughout her various careers, one thing remained a constant - Jaye's love of books. Classics, mysteries, non-fiction- all had their time. Two genres stood out, though, science fiction and romance. When Jaye started her writing career, it seemed natural to combine her two favorites and write a futuristic romance. The result was Rainscape, her debut novel. Her first contemporary vampire romance, Double Image, is due out in July. Jaye is also the author of a romantic suspense, Aces, and has additional works in progress. So far, all Jaye's novels have cops or ex-cops as heroes or heroines. As satisfying as writing has become, she can't forget about her other career.
Jaye belongs to RWA and WisRWA. She lives in Wisconsin with her two dogs and two cats, half of which were rescued on the Job.
Questions and Answers
Your books usually feature vampires. What is it about the vampire that particularly appeals to you as a writer?
Mostly I enjoy writing vampire characters because they're so much fun. They're sexy and bad, of course, but they allow for so much creativity through their versatility that I never tire of inventing fun new angles for a character. I love writing vampires as modern characters with a historical backstory and juxtaposing the two. It's fascinating to explore how a creature who basically doesn't change adapts to the changing morals and technology of a span of centuries. What other character other than an immortal allows for that?
Pleasingly, your vampires seem to be very well rounded characters in their own right. Is this your reaction to many of the 2-dimensional vampire characters in many Hollywood films and earlier vampire stories (most notably in the pulps)?
I tend to bore easily, so, yes, I get tired of the stereotypes. When I see a snarling vampire in the movies with white pancake makeup and bloody fangs, I lose interest. Yes, I purposely try to make my characters more “human” than a lot of vampires for several reasons. First, characters that are 100 percent evil bore me. Secondly, I’m more interested in exploring the relationships between characters than delving into evil. In my past vampire books I’ve basically used vampires as a mirror reflection of the human world--the dark side of human emotion, but still human, good or bad.
With Rainscape about to be released by Black Death Books and Blood Rain due next year, could you let us know a little of these books and whether we can expect any more in the series.
Rainscape is science fiction romance with suspense and mystery thrown in. It’s about Dina, a rookie law enforcement agent who has telepathic powers, but comes from a society that looks upon telepaths with fear and hatred. She’s assigned to work on a homicide case on a small mining colony, and her primary suspect is Rayn, a telepath from a completely different society - one which embraces telepathic skill and ability above all else. It’s basically a culture clash between two people who have a lot of baggage in the way of prejudice to deal with, and yet who are very much alike. The idea came from an in-service class I had while I was a police officer that dealt with values in society. Prejudice and culture clash are things I dealt with a lot as a cop, and they have become frequent themes in my writing. Blood Rain, the sequel to Rainscape, brings a third character into the mix, a space pirate with a mysterious past who abducts Dina while she’s en route to meet Rayn. The theme again is prejudice and the lengths that people will go to for both love and hate. I’m not sure yet if there will be a third book in the series.
You have recently signed a new deal for “Half Past Hell”, the first book in a new vampire series. Can you give a taster of this series?
Half Past Hell is set in the Chicago and Milwaukee (renamed Chicago North) of tomorrow, some twenty years after a vampire-mortal war nicknamed “Hell” has ended in peace. Vampires have now been granted citizen rights, and affirmative action has dictated that vampires be hired to government jobs, including law enforcement. The central character, Wulf Duvall, is a Chi-No cop just trying to survive in a new world not of his making. When sucklings, young vampires dependent on the bottled blood now being manufactured en masse, are mysteriously dying the true death, Wulf is partnered with a human cop and assigned to the case. Human John Kilpatrick, whose life was also turned upside down by the war, hates vampires, but works the case aggressively to get ahead in the Department. The third central character is vampire Che Kincade, a half-breed Indian who is Chicago’s doyen. Wulf and Cade’s relationship goes back two centuries, and has always been love-hate. During the homicide investigation, Wulf has to deal not only with an antagonistic partner, but his former doyen, who may or may not be involved in a plot to restart the war. It’s got a lot of action/violence/mystery, but it’s also something of an allegory. My vampires are a substitute for any number of minorities living in the city that struggle to survive on a day to day basis.
And is there a particular vampire you would like to have created?
I think I’m working on him now! I think for many authors, including myself, our favorite character tends to be the newest one. I am working on Book 2 of the Hell series, tentatively titled Hell’s Warrior, and it’s Che Kincade’s book. I think he’s my most interesting vampire character yet. He’s a half breed, for his mother was an Indian and his father an explorer with the French in Illinois in the 1680s. So with dark skin and long black hair, he doesn’t look like your typical vamp. He also retains some vestiges of his native heritage, which makes him unique. The book isn’t a romance, but he’s very sexy, and he casts a very large shadow in the vampire community, although he’s a loner who finds it hard to trust, and therein lies his flaw as a leader.
Who is your favorite author?
I work full time in addition to my writing, so I don’t have much time for reading anymore, but I would have to say that Laurell K. Hamilton is my favorite vampire author. Her characters are complex, unique, and unforgettable. I also like Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, but I like her earlier works much better than her later books.
What are you currently working on?
I’m working on Hell’s Warrior, Book 2 of the Hell series. As I said, the series takes place in the near future, some twenty years after vampires were “outed” and a vampire-mortal war nicknamed “Hell” resulted in a shaky peace. It’s a society in which vampires have been granted citizen rights, but a society rampant with the same ills that have plagued mankind for eons- hatred, prejudice, and poverty. The series deals with the lengths both mortals and vampires go to just to simply survive in a world turned upside down, and the adaptations they make to persevere. The series is darker and grittier than the Image series, and definitely does not fit into the romance category. The series will have its share of sex, though, as well as tons of action, a goodly amount of violence, and the twists and turns that I hope all my writing has. Hell’s Warrior is Che Kincade’s book and follows his life as a Native American, a vampire in the Illinois wilderness, and a doyen in Chicago, a job that requires him to suppress his killer instincts to rule the city hand in hand with the mortal politicians. When he’s framed for murder, his darker side re-emerges, and once again he’s the warrior he once was.
What gives you nightmares?
My days as a cop still give me nightmares, even though it’s been more than three years since I left that job.
Have you ever used real life horrors for inspiration?
All the time. I’ve used numerous experiences from my years as a cop. It was a stressful job, but it provided great fodder for my writing.
Why do you like SF/F/H?
I like these genres for several reasons, but primarily I like the challenge of world-building and the creativity such world-building allows. Besides, writing about aliens and vampires is just plain fun! On the more serious side, it gives me an opportunity to deal with the kind of dark themes that would probably come off as heavy-handed if I wrote reality-based fiction. Mostly, though, I just enjoy the fun. I wouldn’t be able to get excited about any subject if I didn’t have fun writing.
Plug away - what do you have coming out?
The re-release of Rainscape, my futuristic, is set for September. The long-awaited and never before published sequel, Blood Rain, is scheduled for May, 2005. There is no set date yet for Half Past Hell, but it should be out summer 2005.
Many Thanks, Jaye!
Relevant LinksJaye Roycraft Main Bibliography
Jaye Roycraft's Website