Her first is called The Proposal: Book One (The Beautiful People), and the second is The Hook Up: Book Two (The Beautiful People). Both are under $1.50 on Kindle.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
1. Tell me about yourself, how you became to be a writer, and why you are a writer.
I am a writer because it is the one true gift that has been given to me. I wrote my first short story in 2nd grade and have never looked back. I finished my first novel when I was fifteen and decided to write a novel in the spirit of Jackie Collins at the age of 19. I finished it several years later and it has been on various desktops and laptops for many years. I finally decided to publish it myself after all the rejection letters I received (all very nice by the way; the book wasn't what the agents were looking for and I can understand that and appreciate that). Perhaps they are correct and this isn't the right time for my novellas but I adore writing and this was my slice of mindless summer reading. I love literature as well and consider this my true calling but I also adore I was able to come up with something fun and airy for anyone to enjoy who likes books about the entertainment industry.
2. Tell me about your book – what inspired it?
The book was inspired by my love of everything from Jackie Collins. She is the original feminist; women can do everything! I realize that sentiment is a bit blase now but I love her ballsy way of writing and her sheer guts for pushing the limits. The Beautiful People series is a take on her vision of Hollywood with a twist. Most of the characters are multicultural and come from all walks of life. Some are straight, some are bisexual and some are gay. I think I have pretty much summed up America in the 21st century. It was very important for this not to be a run of the mill book about Hollywood. You still have the "ladies who lunch" types and there is plenty of gossip and fun to be had for anyone who reads the book. I just hope I have added a more modern twist to a stale genre. I am the first to admit that Jackie Collins, Joan Collins and Danielle Steel paved the way for this type of literature but I can only hope I have "kicked it up a knotch" as Emeril Lagasse would say, and added a bit of extra spice!
3. What’s your favorite chapter in your book, and why?
Now, you are asking me to play favorites and that, I try not to do. Without a doubt, in the first novella: The Proposal: Book One, "Chapter Eleven: Christina (Nina)". I love this character. Perhaps it is because she is blonde and beautiful; she is a ball-breaker, she pulls no punches. She is real and fake at the same time but more than that, she shows heart and you can see a los tand lonely young woman who has experienced real heartache but has a knack for not showing it. I suppose she is a lot like me (without me being blonde and blue eyed). I think she is one of the best characters I have ever created.
In The Hook Up: Book Two, one of my favorite chapters is "Chapter Twenty-Four: Hooking Up & Breaking Up". I suppose that is because there is so much excessive energy and there is so much going on. Many of the characters are in turmoil and again, it features Christina, one of my favorite characters. She has broken off a relationship with one man and is hooking up with a rock star in a band. Everyone thinks she has gone insane but there is a plan in her madness and she sets herself on a path that no one can predict. I like to weave excessively complicated plots because sometimes, people don't understand where they are leading but I always find a way to explain them and wrap them up in the end. This is one of my favorites about being a writer.
4. How did you choose the title of the book?
Choosing a title for your work of fiction is never an easy task but it has to be done for us all. My working title was Film Star (a famous song put out by the British group Suede) but that got changed to The Beautiful People (a notorious song by Marilyn Manson) once I realized I was going to release this behemoth in novella form. Then it was as simple as coming up with titles for each novella. The Proposal: Book One was easy as there are all sorts of proposals (sexual and otherwise) in the novella. The Hook Up: Book Two, was also easy as there are many of those in the second novella. Heartbreaks & Lust Aches: Book Three took a bit more time. I have managed to name all eight novellas though they are all under the series title of The Beautiful People. I wrote them down on a napkin one day in between picking up my daughter from school and taking her to an after-school function!
5. How long does it take you to write a book, and what’s your daily writing schedule?
It all depends. The Beautiful People took almost three years to write as I had written it on this really old word processor that was on its last leg. I had then had to transfer it to my desktop. My ex-husband fried that so I was only left with a rudimentary copy of the novel in Microsoft Works form. I then had to rewrite it into Word form and it has been officially finished for the past year. My current series, Murder, Inc.: The Pop Stars series has been in the making for over seven years. DeGeneration, my literary masterpiece, has been in the works for almost a year, give or take. I am almost 1/3rd of the way done but have not been able to write for the past 6 weeks. The Beautiful People series monopolizes all my free time!
In an ideal world, I would like to set aside at least 2 hours of writing time per day but lately, that has not happened!
6. What made you choose your particular genre?
I don't know--fate? I love literary novels and that is what I feel I am particularly good at as it takes a lot of research and planning. I have always been fascinated by German and French history. My literary novel written at thirteen was about a complex family living in Nazi Germany during World War II. In the late 90s, I came up with a sequel to that novel which focuses on the later generations. The very wealthy family has now acquired tremendous political power and are on the verge of winning some major races in the German elections. A bloodless Fourth Reich, if you like. DeGeneration is also a very literary piece of work. It is convoluted and very complicated novel to write and to read.
As for The Beautiful People series and Murder, Inc.: The Pop Stars series, these were supposed to be my "money-makers". Light reading when you must endure long hours on a flight or mindless reading on the beach. They were never about me flexing my real might as an author. I suppose I wanted to see if I could write something easy and fun. It proved I could and I was quite proud of myself for these entertaining reads.
7. Are you working on another book now – if so, what would you like to tell the readers about it?
Oh, where to begin with the masterpiece that is DeGeneration? It is a play up of the title of our generation (Generation X, the generation I am proudly a part of, even if I am on the tail end) and the word, degeneration, which means to go back as opposed to going forward. In many ways, we are the first generation since the Baby Boomers who will do much worse than our parents. Most of us aren't looking forward to any kind of pension. We are listless, lost and I feel a sense of apprehension in the air. The title is just the beginning.
My book revolves around two best friends: one American and one French. The American has shed her cozy life in the States and moved to France. She comes from a well-to-do family, extremely educated and knows French fluently. She falls in love with her best friend's brother who is quite the player. Like many Europeans of his time, he lives for himself, has a successful job, doesn't really ponder the meaning of life and kind of just goes through the motions. This is the first time either one of them has ever been in love. Their love is obsessive and all-consuming. They make their partnership permenant but something happens to change the course of their life forever. They part and once again come together again at the wedding of the American's best friend and her partner's sister. They must work through their issues if they are to survive as a couple.
It is at best described as a deconstruction of a relationship. Yes, we, as humans (whether hetero, homosexual, bisexual, transgender) get together but what happens to tear us apart? Why do we find ourselves separating from those we love? It is above all, a human story because we all want to be loved as human beings and it seems it is harder to connect to one another in a world where machines control more and more of our lives (or shall I say technology).
It is a novel I am truly proud of and can't wait to finish if I am being completely honest. I think it is some of the best work I have ever done.
8. Where can you be found on the internet?
Many, places but I will only list a few:
BLOG
ABOUT ME
I am not all that successful yet so I am still very gracious to hear from anyone who has purchased my book and wants to give me a shout out. My novels are located on all the usual suspects (Amazon Kindle, CreateSpace in paperback, Smashwords and Barnes&Noble.com). Thank you all for reading! And thank you, Cheryl.