2018 Nominee of the African American Literary Award for Romance for my novel, Do Over (book 2 of the Brooks Family series).
I’m the USA Today Bestselling Author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Atlanta, GA is now my home. I read romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of nonfiction.
I wrote my first romance novel at the age of 14 and received rave reviews from my friends. I tapped out 89 pages on a typewriter and called it Captured Heart. Eighty-nine pages on a typewriter with no revisions. I couldn’t do that today. Thank goodness for Microsoft Word. In 2010, I gave fiction writing a try again, which resulted in my debut novel, The Arrangement.
I’m a diehard foodie, and when my head’s not buried in a book, I’m in the kitchen trying out new recipes, dining at one of my favorite restaurants, or traveling to an interesting locale. Stick around a bit and browse my website. Sample my writing by reading the free reads. To get sneak peeks, notices of sale prices, and find out about new releases, join my mailing list.
- Delaney Diamond Presents: An Author Chat – a podcast chatting about my books and interviewing other authors
- The Economics of Everyday Things – a podcast interview discussing how romance became the highest-grossing fiction genre in the world
- Longandshortreviews.com – a blog interview
- LoveinPanels.com – Book Baes, Boss Moves, and Bad Movies
- WFIX radio – an Author of the Week interview
- BlackFictionAddiction.com – an interview with the authors of the Family First box set
- RelationshipsAreComplicated.com – characters and relationships in my stories
Where would you like to live if there were no barriers to consider?
It’s difficult to narrow it down to just one place because there are so many beautiful places in the world, and many I haven’t yet seen. I would love to have a home on a beach. I like being near the water. It’s peaceful and relaxing.
Fill in the blank favorites.
Favorite dessert: Choose ONE favorite dessert? That’s almost impossible. Dessert is my favorite food group! Give me any kind of dessert with chocolate; love pound cake; love tiramisu; love carrot cake; love pecan pie. I could go on and on. One thing I’m never without is ice cream. There’s always ice cream in my freezer. My favorite flavors are Haagen-Dazs’s pineapple-coconut and rum raisin; Breyer’s rocky road; Blue Bell’s pistachio almond.
Favorite color: yellow
Favorite city: Paris, France!
Favorite season: spring
Favorite type of hero: Alpha male, of course!
Favorite type of heroine: independent and loving
Favorite car: Jaguar; my dream is to own one in slate gray.
Do you like to travel? Tell me about the best trip you have ever taken.
I love to travel. Domestically as well as internationally. I enjoy learning about other cultures. I’m a foodie, too, so experiencing the local cuisines of other cultures is one of my favorite parts of traveling. The best trip I ever took was the summer I spent in Paris. I stayed with a friend of a friend, and he and I are still close. My French language skills improved dramatically. I did plenty of sightseeing and made lots of friends. I visited Dunkerque in northern France, and I had fun at the beach in Marseille. I would love to take another extended trip overseas somewhere.
Why did you decide to become a romance author?
I’m a hopeless romantic. I love romance and reading about couples overcoming odds to be together and live happily ever after. I suffer through the emotional turmoil with them—anger, pain, sadness, and joy. I wanted to write those same types of stories and give readers the same experience. I have so many stories in my head. I had to get them out. My sincere desire is to have readers enjoy the books as much as I enjoy writing them.
Have you experienced writer’s block? If so, how did you work through it?
I do experience writer’s block. When I do, I stop writing. I don’t like to force it. I’ve tried that before, but it doesn’t work for me. Usually, if I take a break for a day or so, eventually I’ll get past the block by revising the story, taking out sections—whatever is needed to get my creative juices flowing again.
What are the pros and cons of being a published author?
Pros: Having people read your work and enjoy it. It’s gratifying when someone sends you an email or makes a nice comment about your work.
Cons: Having people read your work and not enjoy it. LOL. I know not everyone will enjoy my writing, but I cringe when I read bad reviews. Then I remind myself it’s one person’s opinion. Another con is having people look down their nose at the romance genre. It’s the best-selling fiction genre, so consumers obviously enjoy the writing and the escapism it offers.
Do you mold your characters strictly from imagination or from those you cross paths with in everyday life?
Mostly imagination, but I do incorporate a little bit of what I experience in the world around me. Not just people I cross paths with, but characters I read in books, movies I’ve watched, and television shows.
What advice do you have for other writers?
Learn all you can about writing and the publishing industry. Learn how to write prose that’s grammatically correct and as error-free as possible. Get a critique partner–not someone who’s related to you–or join a critique group to help you catch plot inconsistencies and mistakes (We all know it’s nearly impossible to edit yourself.). Once your manuscript is polished, send it out, but don’t get discouraged when you receive rejection letters. Even bestselling authors get rejection letters. Don’t give up. You’ll eventually find a home for your manuscript.
It’s always nice to be recognized by peers and readers, so allow me to toot my own horn and let you know about some of my writing accomplishments.
2017 Winner 2nd place in the Contemporary Novel category of the International Digital Awards for my novel Good Behavior (book 5 of the Johnson Family series)
2017 Winner of BRAB (Building Relationships Around Books) Bookclub’s Best Book Husband Award, for Xavier in Good Behavior (book 5 of the Johnson Family series)
2017 Winner of BRAB (Building Relationships Around Books) Bookclub’s Best Interracial Romance Award for my novel, More Than a Mistress (book 6 of the Latin Men series)
2016 Winner of BRAB (Building Relationships Around Books) Bookclub’s Best Series Award for the Johnson Family series.
2015 Winner of Romance in Color’s Reviewer’s Award for Just Friends (book 3 of the Johnson Family series) and The Rules (book 4 of the Johnson Family series).
2015 Winner of BRAB (Building Relationships Around Books) Bookclub’s Best Interracial Romance Award for my novel, An Unexpected Attraction (book 3 of the Love Unexpected series).
2015 Recipient of the AMB Ovation Visionary Award. The award recognizes an AA/IR/Multicultural romance author who, through foresight and unlimited effort, has helped add value to the profession by encouraging development, promotion, and networking of authors in their genre.
2015 Nominee of the AMB Ovation Award for Outstanding Author in Multicultural Romance for my novel, Unforgettable (book 1 of the Johnson Family series).
2014 Nominee of BRAB (Building Relationships Around Books) Bookclub’s Best Interracial Author Award for my novel, The Blind Date (book 1 of the Love Unexpected series).
2014 Winner of the AMB Ovation Award for Outstanding Author in Multicultural Romance for my novel, For Better or Worse (book 4 of the Hawthorne Family series).
2013 Winner of BRAB (Building Relationships Around Books) Bookclub’s Best Interracial Author Award for my novel, Second Chances (book 5 of the Latin Men series).
2012 Best Contemporary Finalist in The Swirl Awards for my novel, Fight for Love (book 2 of the Latin Men series).
2012 Nominee of The Swirl Award for Best Series for my series, Hot Latin Men.