Danie Jaye Author Interview

The Taming of Lions is a heartfelt and compelling tale of determined love, fate, the quest for purpose. What were some sources of inspiration that influenced this novels development?

Honestly, I have always found the human emotion and experience to be a powerful, inspirational tool. My goal with this book was to weave in situations and feelings that readers of all ages could relate to on some level. When I started penning the story, I went in with the intention of just creating a centralized theme around the characters being true to themselves and their passions in life. However, as the story progressed, it became much more than that. My characters were more complex with their individual journeys than I originally anticipated. Therefore, if I had just focused on my original theme, it wouldn’t have felt as authentic.

I loved the varied and carefully developed characters in this novel. What character do you find you most identify with?

It’s a mix between Charlie and Edward. They were very ‘yin and yang’— so to speak. I created these characters out of my own personal struggle between the idea of who I once was and who I have yet to become.

This novel confronts contemporary concerns in thought-provoking ways. What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

Following your dream in life and staying true to yourself were very important themes for me. It wasn’t until later in the story when Edward’s focus changed to his romantic life that I quickly realized that he needed to find love with himself first before he is able to find love with someone else. To me, that it was one of life’s greatest lessons and a lesson he still has yet to learn.

What is the next novel that you are working on and when will it be available?

I’m currently penning the sequel The Pride of Lions with the intention of releasing it by the end of this year.

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What if the key to your future was to unlock the secrets of someone else’s past? “I was once a lion tamer…Or was it that I herded sheep?” Is the burning question etched in Charlie Gates’s mind. For a man who forgets things so easily, he seems to have an easier time recalling memories of a life that wasn’t exactly his. Or was it? Struggling to piece together his forgotten past, he ends up befriending Edward Barrett, a young man who needs a little help of his own —but with his future. Through the bonds of an unexpected friendship, crossing several generations of past and present time, the two men learn that sometimes fiction, although not always real, has the power to expose the most truth. Readers of Water for Elephants and The Notebook are calling The Taming of Lions ‘an inspirational and thought-provoking read!’