Writing to Reclaim the Self – Jaye Pool’s Brave Journey from Detroit to Losanti

Episode #0028

What happens when faith, identity, and grief collide? For Jaye Pool, the answer took shape not just through introspection, but on the blank pages of a novel that would become Make Me Free. In episode #0028 of Whereabouts Tales, we sit down with the author of the Losanti series and uncover how writing became more than just storytelling—it became healing.

Let’s be honest. Growing up isn’t easy. But growing up as the second Black family in a predominantly white Detroit neighborhood in the 90s, amid industrial decline, white flight, and city disinvestment? That’s a different kind of resilience. Jaye’s early memories aren’t sugar-coated—she speaks of break-ins, a sense of isolation, and the constant unease of not quite fitting in. “I felt really awkward as a child,” she tells Paul, openly. “I didn’t come into my own until college.”

And yet, in those solitary years, something bloomed. She wrote song lyrics (with zero musical talent, as she laughs), then dove headfirst into a hockey-fueled teen romance novel long before "hockey romance" was even a genre. A passion for the Detroit Red Wings sparked her early creativity—and unknowingly planted the name of her future protagonist, Anne.

From Religion to Reconstruction

One of the most gripping parts of this episode is Jaye’s honest and layered take on religion. Raised between Catholic schooling, Baptist traditions, and the intense pull of evangelicalism—including a stint in a televangelist megachurch—her journey of faith wasn’t a straight line.

College brought not just independence, but vulnerability. Feeling lost and alone, she fell into a faith community that offered answers—until the questions started piling up. “I always had questions,” she says. “I’m a curious person.” But curiosity doesn’t always fit neatly into doctrine.

Her deconstruction wasn’t sparked by intellectual doubt alone—it was personal. A family member came out as lesbian. And that, against the backdrop of religious homophobia, was the breaking point. “If this is the fruit that this belief system brings forth,” she said, “then I don’t want any part of it.”

How a Podcast Sparked a Novel

Ironically, Jaye’s leap into authorship began not with a pen—but with a microphone.

Her podcast, Pot Stirrer Podcast, started during a health scare when she feared she might lose her sight. “I needed to do something,” she recalls. So she taught herself to podcast, using her political science background to explore religion, politics, and history. Through it, she found both a voice and a community. But more importantly, she found inspiration.

Interviewing authors—many of whom used fiction to explore personal trauma—made Jaye pause. “I started to feel like there were things I hadn’t processed,” she admits. Enter NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and with it, Make Me Free was born.

A Fictional Town That Hits Close to Home

Losanti, Ohio—the fictional setting for her novels—may not appear on any map, but it’s emotionally rooted in Cincinnati, the city she now calls home. “Losanti is a boomerang town,” Jaye says. “It’s where people leave, but somehow, they end up back.”

Much like Jaye did herself.

The city becomes a metaphor in her book: for returning to roots, confronting unresolved grief, and searching for belonging. Anne, her protagonist, embodies this search. And through Anne’s fictional path—piecing together her mother’s absence after her father’s death—Jaye worked through her own.

Her birth mother had been absent for most of her life. When Jaye finally met her as an adult, their relationship was real, if imperfect. Her mother died just before the pandemic, and grief arrived in silence. It wasn’t until she began writing that the feelings returned—fierce, messy, liberating.

From Silence to Storytelling

Was it cathartic? Absolutely. But it wasn’t always easy. “There were feelings I hadn’t allowed myself to feel,” she says. But as the story unfolded, so did Jaye’s self-awareness. “It wasn’t about blame—it was about knowing. If I know, I can work through it.”

Control over that story mattered. Which is why she self-published. “This is such a personal story. I didn’t want it bought and shelved,” she says. With her own imprint, Tartanium Press—named in homage to her late father’s nonprofit—Jaye bet on herself. And it paid off: her book now sits proudly on the shelves of Cincinnati’s biggest independent bookstore.

The Pressure and the Power

Of course, writing is only half the job. “It’s everything that comes after that’s the real work,” Jaye jokes. Marketing, book fairs, promo materials—turns out, being an author is its own full-time gig. And yet, she’s embracing it.

“Do it before you talk yourself out of it,” she advises anyone with a story inside them.

And she’s not stopping anytime soon. With a new short story collection on the way and ideas bubbling for her next series, Jaye Pool is a voice that’s only getting stronger.

Want to Discover Losanti for Yourself?

Grab your copy of Make Me Free, and follow Jaye’s journey through grief, faith, and self-discovery. Comment on the YouTube episode, subscribe to Whereabouts Tales, and follow Jaye on Instagram @jayepoolauthor to enter the giveaway for a signed copy.

Sometimes, fiction is the only way to tell the truth.

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🎙 Listen to the full episode #0028 of Whereabouts Tales on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
📚 Jaye's Website: jayepool.com
📦 Giveaway: Ends before Episode #34 airs — don’t miss out.