Author's Books

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Who is Jena' Galifany?
I write sweet romance and romantic suspense. I plan to branch out into the inspirational and paranormal genres (once the band allows me to work on something else). I work full time at night, am married to a wonder man, and have three children and one granddaughter. I live in Los Angeles County, in California, where I moved when I was nine. Before that, we moved every three months.

How did I begin to write?
I've written stories since I was in junior high. My eighth grade English teacher liked a short mystery that I wrote and encouraged me to take creative writing. I only dabbled with writing after that, burning most of the things that I wrote. I had some really great bon fires. Some years later, I took a "writing for children" correspondence course, but still did not pursue publication. I wrote a few stories and tucked them away, afraid to let anyone see them. In a fit of anger, I wrote a flash fiction that I did share with a few people and they encouraged me to work on the complete story. That one took a total of sixteen years to complete and is as yet unreleased to the public at large.
On June 29th of 2002, I fell in my garden and tore up everything in my left arm from my shoulder to my wrist. I was unable to work for most of July, so I used the time to write a story that had been forming in my head. I called it Three Times a Hero. It began when I heard my favorite British bass player say the words, "I wrote it." It went quickly from three words to over fifty-three thousand. I allowed two people where I work read the story and they encouraged me to seek publication. I still put it off for another year but the series kept growing and was an office soap opera with a new installment about once a week and a circulation of nine people.

Publication? Me?
After much encouragement, I submitted my story to Whiskey Creek Press. I write book reviews for an online review site and I liked the quality of books that Whiskey Creek Press released. Two months later, by the time WCP accepted my manuscript, I had written and polished ShadowsForge 2: Trials on Tour and ShadowsForge 3: Retaking America, though not in that order. I originally started out to write one book about my bass player. Once I finished Three Times a Hero, the readers at work wanted to know what happened next. So, I added ShadowsForge 1 to the title, and the series was born. I wrote ShadowsForge 3: Retaking America but needed a bridge and introduction to the additional characters, so I had to write ShadowsForge 2: Trials on Tour to fill in the holes. I seem to write backwards all the time but at least I know where I'm going.

When do I write?
Since I work a night job, on Saturday and Sunday nights I spend from about eleven p.m. when my family goes to bed until six-thirty a.m. typing out all of the scenes I have written in my head at work during the week. My job is redundant, so I use the time to form scenes in my mind and I jot down a few notes in a notebook lying open on my desk to help me remember. Once I get to my computer at home, I can usually turn out several pages a night, or a couple of chapters in a weekend. I don't get time to write during the week, as I am also senior editor for the online review site on top of being wife and mom.

Why ShadowsForge?
I love the 80s British bands. I still listen to their music and so does my son. I send him to concerts and he brings me tour shirts. This love of classic rock and roll bands, and the fact that my father worked for MGM and Paramount, seem to be the force behind most of my stories and works in progress involving the entertainment industry.

ShadowsForge – The Name:
The original name of the band was Ravenwood. It turned out to be an overused name on the Internet so I began the search for something unique. I like the sound of a three-syllable name. It carries a strength that a one- or two-syllable name does not. I wanted something dark (raven) so I turned to the ethereal terms (shade, shadow, specter). I gave my explanation for the name through ShadowsForge's lead vocalist Geoff Richards. This is a clip from SF2: Trials on Tour. He was asked the question during an interview:
"We wanted something that would represent our coming from nothing and becoming something. A Shadow, a ghost, shade, they don't exist on this plane. They are ethereal, delicate, untouchable, non-existent. A forge is where metal is heated up in a blacksmith shop for forming. Solid, hard, metal. It kind of describes where we came from and where we are going. From nothing to an impenetrable force. ShadowsForge!"
ShadowsForge was originally a metal band but I didn't want to have all the tattoos, piercing, and bad language that seem to go with that. I backed them down to a classic rock and roll band, complete with sex, drugs and breaking up hotel rooms and each other now and then. At the time I came up with ShadowsForge, no one else used it. Now I believe there is a ranch with that name. I have the capital in the middle of the word as an irritant to my older sister who should have been an English teacher. It's a joke between us. It makes her cringe.
Along the same vain, the six fictional albums the band have released are Spirits Rising, Specters of Light and Dark, No Promises No Pain, Shades of Fire, Shadows Past, and Ethereal Edge.

The History and Future of ShadowsForge?
SF1: Three Times a Hero, Ty Synclair wants to find one woman who will love the man that he is, not the package sold to the public. He hopes that Alexis Rivers is that one special woman. (WCP June 2006, August #1 Readers Choice Best Seller)
SF2: Trials on Tour, an unknown assailant is out to exterminate the band over his woman that someone slept with while Geoff Richards, lead vocalist, tries to cope with Valerie Leonard, the journalist who doesn't fall all over him the way he's used to. (WCP Oct 2006)
SF3: Retaking America finds the band re-arranging their women to find the best fit. With four women and five men, it adds up to trouble in a multitude of shapes, sizes, and hair color. (WCP April 2007)
SF4: The Long Way Home follows Brian Cummings, percussionist, and his woman troubles, both past and present. (WCP Nov 2007)
SF5: Jon's Way will have some interesting situations for second guitarist Jon Wiles, not the least of which is waking up with a brand new wife. (Work in Progress)
SF6: Sharon 's Song finds Jordan Cantrell, lead guitarist, dealing with marital problems. (Work in Progress)
All of these take place on tour through Great Britain and North America.
From the three words, "I wrote it" to six novel length books, the ShadowsForge series has taken on a life of its own and I wouldn't have missed the journey for the world. For those who miss the 80s rock and roll scene, and those who missed it the first time, here is the chance to travel with the band.

Believe in Dreams!
Jena' Galifany
http://jenagalifany.bravehost.com