Jasmine Carolina invites us into her world, where personal resilience meets creative passion. Through her journey as a self-published author, she intertwines her experiences, cultural heritage, and deep sisterhood bonds into captivating narratives that resonate with readers on a profound level. In this interview, Jasmine shares insights into her latest project, “When It’s Over,” and how her life’s twists and turns shape her storytelling and aspirations.
Can you share a bit about your personal journey and how it has influenced your creative work?
Absolutely. My personal journey has been a roller coaster of sorts.
I began self publishing in April of 2014, when I was only twenty years old. I published my debut novel, Losing Me, which explored a teenager’s journey to finding herself again after being sexually assaulted by her best friend. For the next three years, I worked painstakingly while attending college and then working full-time to write five more novels, four of which I published. In 2018, I experienced a tumultuous year, starting with losing my mother, culminating with me getting married to my high school sweetheart, and ending with a chronic illness diagnosis. That year prompted me to take a break from writing, which I did with a heavy heart, and I only returned to publishing last year.
My personal journey has influenced my creative process in every way possible. I have fictionalized some of my experiences in my novels. I use my struggles to propel me forward. And what’s more, is that my struggles have led me to learn how to navigate a bit of the self-publishing journey on my own.
What specific challenges or struggles did you face while working on “When It’s Over,” and how did you overcome them?
While working on When It’s Over, I was on a leave of absence from work after a serious case of burnout, and the flares from my chronic illness were at an all-time high. I struggled to continue to produce words while my body was screaming at me to rest and while my mental health was being put through the wringer.
I overcame and continue to try to overcome these struggles by leaning on the people around me, returning to therapy on a weekly basis, and accepting that I may always be on some sort of medication for my mental health from this point forward. Doing all those things have helped me to come back to a baseline of sorts so that I may continue working on projects that move me.
How did your cultural background and experiences shape the themes and characters in your project?
I am Black and Latina. I say this because while some people consider themselves to be mixed race or biracial, I don’t. I consider myself to be equal parts of both of my identities. I was raised with both sides of my family, and both sides influenced the woman I am today. I am unapologetically Black, and unapologetically Latina.
My background and experiences have shaped the themes and characters in my project immensely. For starters, Lex is the middle child in a loud, loving Mexican-American family. My culture lives on through her in carne asadas for no good reason, and her bond with her tias, and the role of a godmother in Latinidad, and so much more. My love of my heritage is evident on every page.
What lessons have you learned from your creative process and the journey of bringing your project to life?
So far the lessons I’ve learned have been about myself. I’ve learned that no one is going to take my project as seriously as I will, so I have to be the one to put my creativity first. I’ve learned that I have the capacity to write dark things, and I have the capacity to heal myself through my writing.
Can you talk about the role of sisterhood and support in your life and how it translates into your story?
This might be my favorite question. My oldest sister, Lanita, is my best friend. In every sense of the word, she is the person I can turn to in the most tumultuous times in my life, and she’s the person I want to call when I have good news. When I need to cry, I call her. When I just want to talk about nothing and laugh, I call her. She’s my other half, and her influence on my life is what propelled me forward in every way. She encouraged me to quit school and just write when things weren’t working, encouraged me to share my feelings with my best guy friend who is now my husband of six years, and she is my sounding board for all decisions, big or small.
Aside from her, I consider my three best friends to be my chosen sisters. Chelsea, Brooke, and Jamie are the three people I reach out to with any piece of news, right after my husband and Lanita. I like to say when I am in need of advice, I assemble the Avengers. That’s them.
Lanita translates in my current story as the steady, stable oldest sister, Cassandra, who has three kids of her own, but her role as an older sister is never finished. All the traits I so love in my sister have been lovingly poured into Cassandra. And Chelsea, Brooke, and Jamie, are poured into the chaotic youngest sister, Julianna, and the two best friends/chosen sisters, Samantha and Paige. When describing my story, I say that the relationship between Lex and her sisters is the real love story, and I can’t wait for my sisters to see themselves on the page.
What advice would you give to aspiring creatives who are just starting on their own projects or artistic journeys?
The biggest piece of advice I’d give is to never give up. Truly. My measure of success is to have just one reader resonate with what I’ve written. If I just have one, that’s more than enough for me. There will always be someone out there with a wound that only your words can heal. Or whose life can be touched by something you create. Persevere until you find that person, because that’s what makes it all worth it to me.
How do you stay inspired and motivated during times of doubt or creative blocks?
I stay inspired by continuing to read. I read both within my genre and in other genres, whenever I take a step away from my writing.
My favorite way to get unblocked, though, is to go on a drive with my husband. We’ll grab Dutch Brothers coffee, turn off the music, and I’ll talk him through whatever I’m stuck on. Then, he’ll help me get unstuck by just asking me questions that make me think. I’m always most productive right after one of those drives.
In what ways do you hope your work will impact and resonate with your audience, especially those who share similar cultural backgrounds or experiences?
Truthfully, all I can hope for is that someone sees themselves in my work. I grew up struggling to relate to the white characters that were on the shelves of Barnes and Noble and Borders. When I started writing, I knew I wanted to create a different experience for those like me. The little Black or Latina girls who desperately want to see their culture reflected in the pages of a book, or the little fat girl who has to always read about the skinny and petite female characters. I write for them, and I hope whoever picks up my work sees themselves and smiles a little. And by the end, it would be my greatest success if they walk away from reading my story feeling like they just got a warm hug from their best friend.
Can you share any future projects or goals you have in mind, and how they build upon your current work and experiences?
My next project after when it’s over is still untitled, but it will focus on Lex’s older sister, Cassandra. Cassandra is a happily married mother of three, who desires more from her life. She feels like she may have gotten started having her family too early, and sacrificed her goals and dreams in the process.
Outside of writing, another project I have in the works is with an up-and-coming company I’ve started with a fellow writer friend of mine, Madison Diaz, called Head Writers In Charge. What started as a small Discord community for writers to communicate with each other, slowly branched out into Madison and I creating a workshop to help writers with plotting, outlining, deep characterization, and writing diversely responsibly. Our workshops are readily available for people to sign up, and we offer payment plans, and our Discord server is open to applications.
Head Writers In Charge builds on my publishing experience and expertise, which I’ve been doing on my own for ten years now. And it brings all that I’ve learned over the last decade to writers who wish to take their writing career into their own hands.
