FAQ
What’s the story of your writing journey?
Storytelling has always been in my blood, and I've had a knack for doing things with words for as long as I can remember. However, it wasn’t until I was out of college and a few years past Hell's Boot Camp---AKA the first three years of teaching--- that I had the thought to combine those two things. The first time my brain said “What does it take to be an author?” happened when I tapped into the reading energy of my teenagehood (reading 700 pages of Breaking Dawn in a single night), and at 24 years old (with a job to go to in the early morning) plowed through Marissa Meyer's 800-page Winter. Despite the post-binge reading crash (full disclosure I never did that again, not because books aren't good but I really, really need my sleep), the experience awakened something in me. I wanted to make people feel like this —engaged and compelled by a story!
So, what did I do?
Nothing for a while. A girl had bills and a wedding to plan shortly thereafter.
But then came the year 2020—the year when our Lord watched his creations fumble all of the common sense he bestowed upon them. Well, luckily my common sense stayed common and while I was sitting at home teaching virtually, I thought “Hmmm, remember that author dream? Now, would be a good time to write a book”.
So, I did.
Long story short, I figured out what you needed to do to get traditionally published. It was not a fun time. It was very much not fun and unnecessarily hard more often than not. And everything takes FOREVER (more so because it wants to not so much because it has to) But, after some tumbles and time wasters, I found my way again and am currently repped by the wonderful Katelyn Detweiler at Jill Grinberg Lit.
Where can you get my books?
To be continued…
But you can read one of my short stories in the meantime (see Works page).
Who are your author influences?
I’m going to piss off the English Lit girlies by saying this but it’s NOT Jane Austen. I was bored to tears reading her books in high school English and still find her books boring with my adult comprehension of enemies to lovers slowburn romance.
But enough of the Jane Austen Hater Parade, here are the authors whose works and words have inspired my writerly soul…
Toni Morrison, Tiffany D. Jackson, Britt Bennett, Angie Thomas, Sarah Dessen, Malorie Blackman, Ellen Hopkins, Yaa Gyasi, Gillian Flynn, Sharon G. Flake, Sharon Draper, Dana Davidson, Marissa Meyer, Stephanie Meyer, E.R. Frank, Anne Rice, and Kennedy Ryan
Favorite books?
I have enjoyed many books, but if I had to whittle it down to ones that are my ALL TIME FAVS/TOUCHED MY SOUL those would be:
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison; Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn; Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson; The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds-Reed; My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite; A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini; Dime by E.R. Frankl Life is Funny by E.R. Frank; I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter Erika L. Sanchez; Intercepted by Alexa Martin; The Mothers by Britt Bennett; The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett; Daughters of Jubilation by Kara Lee Corthron; Cinder series by Marissa Meyer; Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi; Naughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman; Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany Jackson; Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas; My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
What inspires you?
My stories and writing are inspired by everyday life and the universality of human emotion. Other inspirations come from observations and experiences in my career, my family, my relationships, and storytelling media (movies/TV/podcasts) that has resonated with me. Where I live—-the Deep South (southern Louisiana)--- also inspires me and will probably always serve as the setting of my stories and inform the voice and background of my characters. All of these things work together to inspire me to write emotional, human stories that leave readers FEELING feelings when they read my work—and telling their friends and local library about it. Word of mouth works, y’all!
Who do you write for?
I think the correct answer for this is yourself but that’s honestly not my only answer. I do write stories I want to tell, but I write for my readers. I write because Baby Jesus in a hay-filled manger instilled me with a talent, and he enjoys it when you use those talents (in a good way, obviously). I write because I have something to say, and I want other people to hear it.
But more specifically...
For YA, I write for Black teens. Southern Black teens. Black girls. Black boys. They will always be the center of my stories. In a wider scope, I write for teens of today. While I can tap into my past to remember the evergreen teen emotions, their experiences and world are not the same as mine were. Luckily, my occupation keeps me abreast of this and also aware that this needs to be reflected more in their reading. I also think writing from the teenage perspective truly offers a close, authentic look at our world but does so with more care and less jadedness than adult.
For Adult, I write for adults. Millenial adults. Black millennial adults. Black women/femme millennial adults who feel caught between the conservatism of our mothers and the freedom of our younger cousins and little sisters. Black women who don’t want to do it all. Elder daughters had to keep it all together so it wouldn’t fall apart. But in comparison to how I write YA, my adult stories are more 'the thing' than 'getting through the thing'. The adult audience has enough life experience to see past it. The kiddos need to know there’s a light at the end.