An Interview with J.J. Cade
I write under four pen names depending on the relevant genres. J.J. Cade is the name for Moving the Force and Jubilee Ki. I also have a brand, ‘Bland on the Run Books.’ My writing includes ghostwriting non-fiction and editing.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
After a late-night exchange with a visiting friend, I retrieved an old project and revamped it. Our discussion covered humanity’s current crises with exchanges based on what action we’d take. By three in the morning, I knew there was a novel brewing. I didn’t plan for a sequel, but this was merited as the plot line morphed well beyond my intentions.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
I kept the initial title, Moving the Force,which worked well for the new content.
Content with life as a small-time hacker and an occasional foray into sex play with a willing female partner, Megan Crafter’s comfort zone is shattered by her father’s theft of a mobile phone. A predictable lifestyle becomes chaotic, well beyond her control. A case of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo meets Ocean’s 11 with a few shades of grey.
Additional complications arise when she meets an eccentric corporate CEO with a fascination for ancient texts. Her association with her own Robin Hood corporate criminals is replaced by a mission to solve humanity’s multiple crises.
But in her new reluctant quest, she faces the greatest paradox—must she die to fulfil her goal?
Intended as a single novel, the plot develops into the sequel, Jubilee Ki.
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
An eclectic range including: feminism, ecology, erotica, esoterica, mythology/mysticism, quantum physics and politics/economics.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
Journalism & Further and Higher Education.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
As a precocious reader from the age of three, I possess few skills/talents other than the written word. The library was my home from home at a very early age. My reading was eclectic, motivated by a wish to employ the question mark against all ‘taken for granted’ knowledge. This feeds my writing across so many different genres.
Where is your favorite place to write?
In my den, the hub of my world. During COVID I wrote 500,000 words, both for myself (3 novels) and two non-fiction books ghostwritten for a friend.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
If you’re not prepared to expand a marketing network, realise that writing books, especially as an indie author, can be hugely frustrating when it comes to selling them. I’m now engaged in developing TV/film connections.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
That our cultural bubble-wrapping can prevent our greatest adventure in life—the absolute wonder of a reality we still barely comprehend.
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