Jade and Wilnona
authors of And I Thought series
Jade is the 2019 IALA Poet of the year. Wilnona is an advocate awarded poet of the year. Jade and Wilnona are founders of the Inspirational Women in Literature Media and Journalism awards, 25 Hottest Authors magazine, And I Thought Literary magazine, and thoughtful book awards. The pair have written two poetry series together and multiple stand-alone books.
Me: Tell us about the And I Thought series.
Wilnona: The And I Thought series are inspirational literary lie guides. They capture bits and pieces of wisdom gathered throughout our travels and conversations with people into one book. The books are our way of helping to deal with everyday anxieties.
Jade: For me, the And I Thought Series is a creative outlet and a way to help others to see they aren’t alone. We aim to write about the human experience as we see it.
Me: What inspired you to write it?
Wilnona: I’ve been writing since 7 years old. A teacher told me I had one of the best books she read–it just needed a plot. Well, she was right, and I started learning about the craft of writing.
Jade: I started writing because Winona bought me into this kicking and screaming. I asked her to write a book of poetry and she agreed only if I would write also. I’ve been writing for 5 years now.
Me: Describe your writing life?
Wilnona: My writing life is often a continuous state of being tired. We squeeze time to write out of a hectic tour schedule. You will find us scribbling in a notebook at an airport, hotel bar, or hotel pool. We put the whole book together on the weeks we’re home.
Jade: I write whenever there is inspiration. Before I would keep scraps of paper around for Wilnona to jot down her musings. Now I do the same for myself. It is amazing how creative we can get before a deadline.
Me: What is it like to write collaboratively?
Wilnona: I absolutely love writing with Jade. Three other women have written with us before one book at a time. These collaborations are easier for me because I’m not in the same house as them, so we can write around what they send in to fit the book. We get a lot of inspiration by looking at one writer’s piece and figuring out how to add complementary poetry into the section. It is a fun challenge.
Jade: I have a blast writing with my best friend. She inspires me to write when I would rather be watching television, and I do the same for her. It is also fun to do the editing together. Having a peer reviewer at your side is helpful. I think Wilnona feels the same way.
Me: You are serious entrepreneurs. Board games, fashion lines, podcasts, and I’m sure more. Can you tell us a little about your wider platform initiatives?
Wilnona: We like to expand beyond what people associate with books because we as authors have a hard road to go the set us apart from other writers. For us, we had to overcome the “I don’t like to read poetry” mindset. It is why they say poetry doesn’t sell. My answer was to engage with our audience in the way they feel most comfortable. We spread to multiple mediums to find our eventual readers.
Jade: Wilnona is the one that decided to expand from books. I did set up our first store on Cafe Press. I found I enjoyed designing merchandise, so I started doing the book covers and the rest of our merchandise. Wilnona is the one that pushes us to find new avenues.
