Thursday, April 17, 2008

Queen of Sensual Multicultural Romance

Musings from Ahirah:
Lately I've had the great pleasure of conversing with some well known authors of erotic romance as well as newbie authors, who have published their first book.
This week and a good part of next week I'll be talking to them and getting all the details on why they write what they write. I know you'll enjoy hearing what they have to say.
The first author I interviewed is
Samara King. She an author of Sensual Multicultural Romance. Currently she writes for Cobblestone Press, Changeling press and Loose-id.

This is one author that is on the fast track of sucess.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING?
I’ve been writing since 8th grade. I grew up on Silhouette Desire and haven’t stopped loving romance novels since!

WHAT MAKES YOU WRITE?
The need to create characters with vices and quirks is one of the best parts of the creative process to me. I love mixing and meshing and watching the chaos that unfolds as a result of my mechanisms. LOL. Really, I don’t think of myself as an “erotic romance author” more of a sensualist and I like to explore that in my writing with my characters.

WHAT GENRE OF ROMANCE DO YOU WRITE? Multicultural, Interracial and African-American romance.

WHO IS YOUR PUBLISHER AND THE NAME OF YOUR BOOK? My latest release is Wild Impulses, available now through Cobblestone Press. I also write for Changeling Press and Loose-Id.

PLEASE TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR FIRST NOVEL(s)?
Well, actually, Wild Impulses is my first novel. I wrote it in 2 and an half months and it was recently republished by Cobblestone Press. Here is a blurb:
One night of pleasure was all it was suppose to be between Cosmetic heiress, Blu Evans and the mysterious man she’d met in a Paris hotel named “J” She never suspected that she’d slept with the enemy!
Jaden Graeham is a man who knows what he wants and he wants Blu Evans. He loves a challenge and life won’t be complete until he has her back in his bed, but when a troubling piece to his past comes back to take out revenge and unmask a dark secret, will Jaden be able to survive the greatest risk of all: watching the woman he loves walk away?


WHAT ARE YOUR WRITING GOALS? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH? Well, currently I’m working on branching out from the e-book market, which I will never fully leave, it has been a great source of creativity and growth for me and I’m addicted.

HOW MANY REJECTIONS DID YOU GET BEFORE GETTING PUBLISHED? Hundreds. Rejections are daunting, but you quickly learn that they are all part of the writing process.

HOW HARD WAS IT TO MARKET YOUR BOOK ESPECIALLY SINCE NO ONE KNEW ABOUT YOU? It was overwhelming at first, but the more you socialize and network with other authors you gain a whole new insight to what works and what doesn’t.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON CRITIQUE GROUPS? I’m not a fan of critique groups, but they work for other authors. It really depends on the author’s style. For me, I like having more of a one-on-one relationship with my critique partner.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON TAKING ONLINE WORKSHOP CLASSES? Taking workshop classes is an awesome outlet for knowledge for writers. I encourage them.

BESIDES WRITING ROMANCE IS THERE ANOTHER GENRE OF FICTION WRITING YOU WOULD LIKE TO TACKLE ONE DAY? Young-adult and possibly women’s fiction.

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ON HOW SOME AUTHORS CHOOSE TO PUBLISH WITH DIFFERENT E-PUBS? I think variety is the spice of life and again, it is up to the author and their personal goals for their writing career. Each publishing house has something different to offer and sometimes it takes awhile to find the right one.
HOW DOES YOUR FAMILY FEEL ABOUT YOU WRITING EROTIC ROMANCES? LOL. Well, I won’t tell you what my mother says, but they are supportive of my writing as a whole and know that it is a big part of my life. My son’s encouragement is awesome.

LIST 5 OF YOUR FAVORITE EROTIC ROMANCE WRITERS AND THEIR NOVELS. Anything by Lena Matthews, Kimberly Kaye Terry, Deanna Lee, Jamie Denton and Brenda Jackson, I love so many authors

CAN YOU GIVE THREE REASONS WHY READERS SHOULD BUY YOUR BOOK(S)? Variety, since I write Interracial, Multicultural and African-American (some genres that don’t often have enough of a spotlight). Sassy heroines who stand up for what they want. My heroes are HOT! My thought is if I wouldn’t want them a reader wouldn’t either, so I make it my duty to make them as sizzling as possible.

PLEASE LIST THREE THINGS THAT READERS WOULDN’T TYPICALLY KNOW ABOUT YOU.
  • I’m an Aquarius

  • I have a love affair going with chocolate and popcorn (but not together…lol)
  • I love people watching.


WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE NEWBIE WRITERS?

Develop your own unique voice and let it shine, your work will be enriched for it!


Next we'll hear from the newest member of Siren Publishing, Eclectic Romance Author, Bekki Lynn.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey AK, this was a good interview. I can relate to Samara King, " I don’t think of myself as an “erotic romance author” more of a sensualist and I like to explore that in my writing with my characters. I feel the same way.

Also finding your own style is where I had to let go of my favorite author and adopt my own voice in my writing, "Develop your own unique voice and let it shine, your work will be enriched for it! --- Great advice