RESHONDA'S FAVORITES THINGS

 

· Favorite Food: A really well seasoned piece of salmon… but I’ll never turn down soul food done right.

· Favorite Movie: 'Imitation Of Life' (the original—always).

· Favorite TV Show: 'Ozark' (and all Spanish drug movies. Don’t judge me. (We won't).

· Favorite Author: Eric Jerome Dickey.

· Favorite Song: 'A Change Is Gonna Come' by Sam Cooke.

· Favorite Book: YELLOW WIFE by Sadeqa Johnson.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

• Describe a typical day for ReShonda.
  There really is no “typical” day. My mornings usually start with coffee and emails—juggling deadlines as Managing Editor of The Defender while squeezing in writing time wherever I can. Some days I’m editing, interviewing, or mentoring writers; other days I’m deep in a fictional world, chasing a scene that won’t let me rest. Most nights end the same way—writing just one more paragraph before calling it a day by falling asleep while watching Mexican drug movies.

 

• What do you enjoy most about being a writer?
  Telling the stories that might otherwise be forgotten. I love giving voice to people whose brilliance, complexity, and humanity deserve to be centered and remembered. Extra points for being able to weave in some fiction.

 

• What, to you, is the most difficult part of the writing process?
  Knowing when to stop revising. There’s always one more sentence I want to polish, one more detail I want to get just right.

 

• How have you changed professionally since your first book, MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, in 2001?
  I’ve grown more confident and more intentional. Early on, I was just grateful to be published. Now, I’m purposeful about the stories I choose to tell, the history I want to preserve, and the legacy I want my work to leave.

 

• What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
  Spending time with my family, traveling, supporting local creatives, and yes, watching Mexican drug movies (my family and friends think something is wrong with me….).

 

• What is the best book you have read in 2025?
  A toss-up between a historical fiction novel HAPPY LAND by Dolen Perkins Valdez and the historical thriller CASUALTIES OF TRUTH by Lauren Francis-Sharma that made me question why there was so much I did not know about apartheid and reminded me why truth-telling matters.

 

ABOUT THE BOOKS

 

• Tell us a bit about WITH LOVE FROM HARLEM.
  WITH LOVE FROM HARLEM follows jazz virtuoso Hazel Scott as she rises to stardom and into a high-profile, complicated love with Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Set against the glamour and turmoil of Harlem, the novel explores fame, politics, marriage, and the painful choices women are forced to make between their gifts and their hearts.

 

• What motivated/inspired you to write a story about Harlem jazz performer Hazel Scott?
  Everyone knows the men of the era. Fewer people know Hazel. Once I learned how fearless she was—onstage and off—I knew her story deserved to be reclaimed and reintroduced to the world.

 

• What quality or characteristic do you believe makes your books special?
  Heart. Whether I’m writing fiction or journalism, I lead with empathy, history, and emotional truth. I want readers to feel the story long after they’ve closed the book.

 

• What is next for ReShonda?
  More storytelling across platforms—books, journalism, movies and projects that continue to spotlight erased histories and amplify marginalized voices. Right now, I’m working on a book on the women who were the foundation of the bootlegging industry. I was fascinated to learn of the thriving financial network led by women during Prohibition. It was successful because everyone underestimated women. That’s my kind of story.

 

ABOUT THE READERS

 

• If there was one thing you could tell your readers about ReShonda, what would it be?

 

I don’t take your support lightly. Every reader matters to me, and every story I write is done with care, intention, and gratitude. Whether I’m doing a book event with ten people or 10,000, I’m giving my all.

 

• What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
  Write the story only you can tell. Learn the craft, be patient with the process (good books aren’t written, they’re REWRITTEN), and don’t let rejection convince you that your voice doesn’t matter—it does. And above all else, stop talking about writing and write!

 

• How can readers reach you?

Email: Reshonda@reshondatate.com

Website: www.ReShondaTate.com

Facebook: @ /ReshondaTateWrites

Instagram: @ReShonda_Tate

 

 

RIC would like to thank Ms. Tate for taking time out of her busy to do this interview.