Tenaya Jayne

Color Your Therapy had the amazing opportunity to interview best-selling author Tenaya Jayne. We talked about her newest book Forsaken, what destiny means, and escaping abuse. Read all about it! 

Color: We are all excited to see Forsaken; the third book of The Shadows of Regia which just came out. A fight against Destiny really is an uphill battle, but your characters are always empowered and dare I say, stubborn enough to face all odds. This begs the question, how much power do you think a person has in changing their own destiny?

Tenaya: Ah, this is why fantasy has so much appeal to me. I always felt I could change anything I wanted about my life, and where I certainly don’t lack the will, I’ve learned some things are impossible in reality. The human will is an amazing thing, though, and some mountains, while intimidating, can be conquered through sheer grit. Anyone can push at the walls in their way, use sledgehammers, and dynamite. If the wall is still in your way, find a path around it, or head in another direction. 

C: Many of your books have powerfully disturbing scenes that evoke strong emotional responses. How do you cope with writing these scenes and recovering from the purge of emotions onto the page?

T: Awesome question. Anytime I can tap into my own experiences, I do. This is emotionally draining to be sure, but when I’ve finished the scene, I have a strong satisfaction knowing the feelings and thoughts are authentic. If a certain part of a book wrings me out, I’ll take a day or two before I go back to writing.

C: What is the oddest thing a character had revealed to you while writing that you were not aware of when the character first came to your mind?

T: I’ve been surprised a number of times by my characters, but I think my character, X, is the best answer to this question. He was originally a character I came up with for a short story for a writing contest. I never wrote the story, but I fleshed out his character, and he never left me. A few years later, when I was getting ready to plot out Lightning Flower, I had a shocking revelation. He was for Tesla.

This really surprised me because he was never meant to be in Regia. But as soon as the thought came to me, I knew it was right.

C: Do you have a favorite type of music to listen to while writing, or does it change depending on what kind of scene you are writing?

T: It changes from book to book, character to character, and scene to scene. I have LONG playlists for everything I write and it crosses many music genres.

C: As an advocate for women trapped in abusive relationships, do you have any words of advice for your readers who are being abused and feel trapped?

T: It’s not your fault. You are strong. Abusers don’t waste their time on weak people. You’re special and they picked you for that reason. If you can get out…get out and don’t look back. If you can’t get out right now, it’s not hopeless. Don’t give up. It’s terrifying to tell someone the truth if you’ve been hiding it. Find the courage to speak. You’re worth it. You deserve better.