Jade Marshall

Born and raised in South Africa, I now live in the Northern Cape in a small mining community by the name of Kathu. At 35 years old I have been with my husband for 15 years, although we have only been married for 8. Together we have a beautiful 15-year-old daughter.

For years I wanted to follow my passion for writing but always doubted myself. After finding my publisher and releasing my first novel I was able to build up my confidence and move forward with my fledgling career.

JA d E MARSHALL

Stay Connected

jademarshallauthor.com

Uncaged welcomes Jade Marshall

Welcome to Uncaged! Your latest release, The Dog, is part of a MC Series. Can you tell us more about the series and this book?

Thank you for having me. The Gypsy Bastards MC is a series of stand-alone, but interconnected novels. The series revolves around several club members and how the navigate life, love, and living the outlaw lifestyle.

The Dog is the story of Bodhi and Kaiya. Bodhi is a single father to three adopted sons. He is a war vet with a strong moral compass. Even though he may be part of an outlaw club, he still has a firm sense of wrong and right. Bodhi saved Kaiya many years ago from a bad situation and has since then formed a strong bond with her.

Kaiya is a broken and damaged soul. She has survived situations that would kill most people and has slowly started to put the pieces of her life back together. It is a long and arduous journey with many opportunities to fall apart right in front of her eyes. The Dog is a story of hardship, faith, trust, love, and fear. Both Kaiya and Bodhi must learn to trust and love again.

The Dog contains many dark themes that are not suited to younger readers and may trigger sensitive readers.

You also have a wolf shifter series out called The Katu Wolves. Is this a complete series or are you planning

Currently I have two novels available in this series and I am editing the third. The Wrong mate will be the third installment in the Katu Wolves series. It will follow Max and Raine along their journey to find love and happiness.

At the moment I don’t have any other novels planned for this series, but anything could happen in the future.

What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?

For me, the easiest scenes to write are usually the conflict scenes and the physically affectionate scenes. These types of scenes tend to flow from me and require little to no planning.

The hardest scenes to write are usually closer toward the end of the novel. I often struggle to find the right way to end my novels that leave me feeling content. Sometimes I rewrite the endings up to five times before I am even near satisfied and there is still a chance I might change it during editing.

Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Has there been a character that’s been hard to write about?

My favorite character to write would have to be Strom (The Pope GBMC#2). Her character was already fully developed in my heart and mind when I started writing the Pope which also made her the easiest character to write. She is sassy and strongwilled but has a soft side to those that she considers family. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind or go after what she really wants in life.

The hardest character I have ever written has been Kaiya. She has had so much trauma that I was terrified of playing it down. I want to be able to show that its okay to be a little broken, because most of us are, but also that you don’t have to be alone for the rest of your life because of your scars.

Kaiya carries many scars, not just on her person but in her heart and mind as well, and paying justice to that was a very emotion write for me.

What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?

People always think I am joking when I say this out loud, but English isn’t my first language. I was born in South Africa to an Afrikaans mother and an English father. My parents raised me to speak Afrikaans at home but sent me to an English school.

Which comes first, the plot or the characters in the planning stages?

I don’t plan. At all. To some this might sound crazy, but I can’t do it. Every time that I have tried in the past the story has never been near what I planned when I started.

I tend to sit down with my laptop and just start writing. Sometimes it’s just a scene or two and I will save them and use them later when they suit the story, I am busy with. Other times it will be twenty thousand words into a novel, and everything will just be flowing.

I will say that I do write down my characters descriptions and such as I think them. It saves time later when I can’t remember what color someone’s eyes were.

What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working?

There isn’t really much time for that but when I do have free time I love to read or cook. I also spend hours playing Xbox with my husband or daughter. When there is enough time for a road trip, maybe a long weekend, we will drive through the province and meet some new people.

If you could have one all-year season, which would it be and why?

My husband calls me a between season person. I favor spring and autumn. I would much rather wear jeans and a t-shirt than three layers of clothing. And I don’t like my legs, so shorts aren’t really my favorite either. Plus, those seasons have all the prettiest colors!

How many hours a day do you write? On average, how long does it take to write a full novel?

This is a difficult question because I don’t write every day. Two weeks might go by without me writing a single word. But if I do have the time and the inspiration I could write between three and five thousand words. For a short story, about fifteen thousand words, it usually takes two to three good writing sessions before I am completely satisfied. My longer works, about forty thousand words, could take anywhere from ten to fifteen sessions.

books? Are you reading anything now?

I prefer physical books and have quite a selection but tend to read more eBooks than anything else. At the moment I am busy reading Blood and Bone by Paula Dombrowiak

What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you?

Thank you. Without my fans and readers none of this would have been possible. I am grateful for every reader, reviewer, and blogger.

My social media presence isn’t what I would like but I try to keep everything updated on a regular basis. All my social media links can be found here https://linktr. ee/jmarshall.author

Enjoy an excerpt from The Dog

The Dog Jade Marshall Crime Thriller

The Gypsy Bastards MC is a family, and they continue to expand...

Bodhi “Mad Dog” Black falls for Kaiya Walsh the moment he sees her. Bruised, beaten, and broken, she’s still the most beautiful woman he’s ever

Kaiya comes from a violent past, and getting over it may not be possible. Moving forward is hard, and no matter how much her mind, body, and soul have healed, she simply doesn’t feel worthy.

When she starts to spread her wings, Mad Dog takes a chance and tries to get close to her, but he doesn’t think she’s ready for everything he wants. And he wants it all.

Navigating Kaiya’s harrowing past is one thing, but more obstacles pop up as well. Will they survive to get a happily ever after when the dust settles?

Excerpt

My entire first week, I didn’t see any of the guys. I missed Sparrow because he only works mornings. But the other guys, I have no idea how I was able to avoid them. But that all just changed a moment ago, when the entire club walked in. Thank God for small miracles, because they aren’t seated in my section. Continuing with my duties, I purposefully avoid the area they are seated and act like I didn’t see them enter. It’s hard to keep my gaze off them, but I’m able to do “D**n, those are some fine-a** men.” Charlie sighs dreamily when I approach the bar.

“Yup,” I reply distractedly.

“And that Mad Dogs is staring a hole right through you.” She gestures with her head.

“S**t,” I mutter, still not looking their way.

“I’m assuming as your new BFF there are some details you haven’t shared with me yet.”

I lift my gaze swiftly, only to find Charlie smiling down at me. “Don’t worry. We will get to that part someday soon, but now, you might want to brace yourself.”

She grabs my order ticket and heads down the bar to fill my order. I know Bohdi is behind me before he speaks. His presence is something I can physically feel wash over me. His smell hits me next. His natural musk, some cologne that he wears, and the underlying smell of engine oil. A smell they all carry no matter what.

“Kaiya,” he growls in my ear before standing beside me. “You’re looking beautiful as always.” My gaze travels up the length of his body. Black boots, thick, jean-covered thighs, and a plain black t-shirt. His chin is covered in scruff, his eyes bright as he watches me with a smirk on his face.

“Bohdi,” I breathe. His presence has my stomach fluttering, my pulse spiking, and arousal coursing through me. I haven’t felt any form of arousal toward a man since I can remember. But Bohdi makes me feel all kinds of things I never thought were possible.

“I didn’t know you started here,” he says.

Bohdi raises his hand to cup my cheek, staring into my eyes. His lips are a hairsbreadth away from mine when he speaks. “Normal is for people who conform. You will never be a typical woman because you will always be extraordinary.”

His words rake over my skin and cause me to shiver.

“Damn, girl.” Charlie interrupts the moment. “If you don’t kiss him after that, I will.”

My gaze cuts to her as I glare. Bohdi chuckles before heading back to the guys at their table. Charlie raises her hands in the air, showing she meant no harm before continuing to get drinks for the other waitresses. Jealousy isn’t an emotion that I’m used to. Fear. Anger. So many other emotions, but never jealousy. The thought of Bohdi touching anyone else has rage swimming through my veins and my vision going hazy.

Breathing deep, I take my drink order and make sure all my tables are happy before taking a fiveminute break. Standing outside Dusk, I wish I smoked. I don’t have a reason to be standing here in the alley, but I just needed to breathe.

I hear the door behind me open as I continue to breathe in and out. Hands land on my hips and pull me into a hard, muscled chest. We stand there as I relax into his hold, neither speaking a word. After a while, the door opens again, and this time, I do look back. In the doorway is Preacher, staring at us with a stony gaze.

“Break’s over,” he barks before heading back. Bohdi doesn’t even acknowledge that we were interrupted, but does turn me in his arms. His hands flex on my hips where they are still keeping a hold of me, and I don’t know how I don’t beg him to keep holding me. “I want to see you. I don’t care if it’s after work or tomorrow morning, but I can’t keep on going like you aren’t an important part of my life. We don’t have to go to my house, and nothing has to happen, but I want to see you.”

He doesn’t wait for a reply, and he knows I won’t say no.

Don’t miss these titles:

Judy Warrenton

View Through the Speculum

View Through the Speculum - A Nurse’s Thirty-Seven Year OBGYN Career

Author shares the story of how she evolved in the 1960s from being a homemaker into becoming a licensed practical nurse who worked for five years in labor and delivery and another thirty-two in a busy ob-gyn practice. There are some sad stories and some hilarious stories. It offers a window into the humanity of both doctors and nurses, and their contribution to a better life for mothers and babies. Witness another side of the ob-gyn practice, through the eyes of someone who helps the doctors, supports fellow nurses, and calms the parents from all colors and walks of life.

Excerpt

Occasionally a pregnant patient would be admitted to Postpartum due to premature labor, and medications were given to try to prevent delivery for as long as possible to increase fetal birth weight. A big problem with premature birth weight is Hyaline Membrane Disease where a baby is so premature that the lungs are incapable of fully inflating and become stuck together causing death. The most well-know of these was the last baby born to President and Mrs. Kennedy who was born prematurely and died shortly afterward. These patients are on strict bedrest that require the use of bedpans, as standing puts downward pressure on the cervix. Depending on how many weeks they are from normal delivery date, they could be in the hospital for quite a while. One slow night in L&D, Rikki was called out to Postpartum. A patient had been brought in who had had a seizure. Convulsions among the pregnant are almost always caused by un-treated pre-eclampsia, commonly called “Toxemia”. This is a syndrome that can start around thirty-four weeks gestation or later. (A normal pregnancy is counted as forty weeks from first day of last menstrual cycle to due date). Usually the patient experiences warning signs; head-aches, weight gain, swelling in the hands, feet and face, high blood pressure and protein in the urine. Sometimes the patient is unaware of the problem and a lot just complain of feeling “not sick, but not well”, but are unable to explain exactly what feels wrong. Rikki’s patient had bit-ten her tongue so badly it filled up her mouth. Her blood pressure was sky high. She had severe eclampsia. Her chart said her religion did not condone medical treatment, you were supposed to just use prayer. That meant no prenatal care, which would have caught the onset of the prob-lem, and she would have been treated and never have advanced to this level. Upon admittance, she had been given antiseizure meds and was knocked out cold. In cases like this, when a pa-tient had no outside attending doc, the resident became her primary caregiver. Rikki got a tongue depressor which had one end wrapped in a gauze square with tape over it. She pulled up a chair and spent the rest of the night holding the tongue depressor at the ready to stick in the patient’s mouth should she start to seize again. As she kept her eyes glued on the patient, she wondered what kind of true faith would have prompted her family to call for medical help after the crisis and yet never do anything in the way of preventative care. These were not poor people without resources. They were just imprisoned by their beliefs. To say she was angry at this circumstance was putting it mildly.

The general public thinks medical personnel are trained to set aside their feelings and just tackle the problems at hand. This does happen because if it did not, the normal emotions of anxiety and even sometimes horror would not allow the staff to function. However, no doc or nurse ever, ever wants a patient to die while on their watch. Now because of her religious beliefs she not only affected the people who loved her but also those whose job it was to care for her. Why didn’t she follow through

and stay home when things became critical if she has no belief in medical intervention? Rikki tended to view religion as black and white; either you believe and obey, or you do not.

Another night, there was a patient in labor whose religion prohibited blood transfusions. She had small children at home, and this pregnancy had a low-lying placenta which had started to separate before delivery and caused a lot of bleeding. She was white as a sheet and had been given IVs and oxygen. The usual practice in this situation would be immediate multiple blood transfusions until her blood count was reasonable, and then do an emergency C-section to save the baby and remove the placenta. The patient would not consent to a transfusion. Her blood count was too low to risk surgery without transfusions. Her husband was begging her to get the blood, and her religious advisor was telling her to stick to her religious beliefs. Surprisingly, a full night later when Rikki came to work, this patient was still in the labor area. Things were getting really dire now. Apparently a lot of phone calls had been made, and finally a judge de-creed that transfusions could be given without the patient’s consent to save the baby. Once de-livered, she could not be compelled to receive any more. She was pumped full of blood and taken to delivery for the C-Section. The baby did not survive, mostly due to very low blood oxygen when in utero, but the mother did. Rikki wondered if the mother suffered permanent brain damage with such a low oxygen level in her blood for so long. If so, then her children would have a damaged mother to grow up with.

There is nothing more frustrating to a doctor than to know what to do for a problem, and not be allowed to do it. Doctors are not robots. Losing a patient for any reason is a trauma that takes them a while to get past. It is a lot more than some of the public thinks is just a fear of lawsuits. Some docs once in private practice refuse to take on patients who will refuse blood transfusions. Who can blame them? One of the Postpartum Nurses was really funny. She had a big sign taped to the window in front of the nurse’s station that said: “ B.F.A.” When a baby is born and is to be placed for adoption, instead of a sign on the crib with surname of parents, a sign on the crib just says: “B.F.A.” meaning baby for adoption. She had a teenager who was driving her nuts.

throughthespeculumbook.com