Living Double

Declare Your Dreams and Turn Them into Reality


TV writers and twin sisters JaNeika and JaSheika James' inspiring memoir recounts their life from their early years as military brats living overseas with their mother to their successful television careers including writing for the hit TV series Empire.


With humor, and an in-your-face “you can make your dreams a reality” approach, JaNeika and JaSheika discuss their love for television which grew out of viewing movies and TV shows on video while living in Germany and later watching soap operas with their grandmother. Their obsession with television continued through college, when they recorded and watched their favorite soap operas with their dormmates. But it was a trip to the set of Dawson's Creek in Wilmington, N.C. during their freshman year of college that crystallized their dream of working in television production.


The sisters take various entry-level jobs in order to learn everything they can about television production, all the while focused on their desire to write stories about African-American women. Their career path isn't always smooth; they have to go on unemployment, take steps backward to assistant roles and work on programs that aren't picked up by the networks up but they always focus on their dream — to write for TV about what they know and have experienced firsthand. After working for a number of years, they're accepted in to the FOX Writing Intensive Program which ultimately led to writing for the ground-breaking show, Empire.


Living Doubleis a behind-the-scenes look at the competitive world of television programming as well an inspiring account of two sisters determined to make their dream careers a reality --— and to share their life lessons with anyone who has a big dream. JaNeika and JaSheika offer their advice and tips on how to achieve the seemingly impossible.