~ Author of the Month - Vickie Andrews ~

Current Release: A LIGHTER SHADE OF BROWN

PREVIOUS AUTHORS Gail McFarland (August) Margie Walker (September) Lynn Emery (October) Bettye Griffin (November)

This month, AUTHOR OF THE MONTH is GENESIS PRESS's Vickie Andrews.

by LaShaunda Hoffman

1.  What inspired you to write A LIGHTER SHADE OF BROWN?

I was having a conversation one day with some girlfriends and the subject of how people look came up.  Inevitably the descriptions included how light or dark someone was.  I heard phrases like “ooh girl, he is too dark for me!” or “I loves ‘em deep, dark chocolate,” etc.  Guilty of saying some of these same things myself, I had to stop and think about how much color impacts our lives, our decisions on who we will or won’t date and who we do or don’t find attractive.  Unfortunately, the content of a person’s character was not our first thought.  A LIGHTER SHADE OF BROWN came to life exploring this travesty, a heinous leftover from the days of slavery.

2.  What were your goals for A LIGHTER SHADE OF BROWN ?

First it was enlightenment.  I wanted people to analyze their own individual ideas about color and depth of pigmentation and how our feelings about color can adversely impact our lives.  Then my goal became creating a romantic suspense around this subject.

3.  What do you think sets your novel apart from other authors?

The fact that it is a controversial subject and even though it explores such an explosive issue, the book is intriguing and suspenseful and through it all a romance manages to blossom.

4.  Why did you choose the city the book is set in?

I lived in Denver, Colorado for 23 years and I loved it.  I wanted readers to feel like they were in Denver, or, if they have never been there, after reading the book, they’d like to go and explore not only the majestic Colorado Rocky Mountains, but all Denver has to offer.

5.  Do you have a full-time career outside your writing?

Yes.  I am a legal administrative assistant at a prestigious law firm in La Jolla, California.  I help manage the practice of a busy female litigator.

6.  How did you get started writing?

After working 7 years at a law firm referred to as a “sweat shop,” I resigned realizing that my health and sanity were more important than the money I was making (though the money was real good).  I took a position at a firm that was pretty easygoing.  Before boredom completely set in, I began to write down my thoughts, creating a story loosely based upon someone I had just met. Thus, MIDNIGHT PERIL was born.

7.  What was your publication journey like?

It was relatively easy.  However, I believe it wasn’t extremely difficult because of two things:  One, the time had finally come for the publishing world to know and realize that there is money to be made and economic power with the Black reader.  Thus, the timing was right for me to be selected for publication.

MIDNIGHT PERIL was my first attempt at writing anything so with incredible good luck and decent writing skills, I became published.  The other thing that happened was I did lots of research before I was blessed to find Genesis Press.

8.  How do you format your books, synopsis first? Or do you just sit down and start writing?

I’ve done it both ways.  But I find my stories flow better if I just sit down and let the action happen.  I have an idea of who my characters are before I begin to write but I seem to get to know them better as I go along.  Their true personalities develop in my mind as I write about them and their experiences.

9.  Are there any particular themes you’d like to explore in future books?

More books that explore the male viewpoint about love and romance and what makes a man want, with all his heart, only one woman in his life and what things he does to fight the temptations that come his way.

10.  What type of research do you do to prepare for your books?

Typically, I’ve done research during the writing of the book when relevant subjects come up that need a special touch and keen insight.  Otherwise, I do as I’ve read over and over again:  “Write what you know!”   What I don’t know I research using the Internet, books, colleagues and people who work in a particular field I’m writing about.

11.  Where would you like to see the romance field go?

I’d like to see it respected far more than it is now.  People seem to believe that a “romance writer” isn’t a true writer.  That is far from the truth.  It takes just as much insight, writing ability and such to create a compelling romantic drama as it would anything else.  The greatest stories are ones that catch your attention and hold it until you get to a satisfying conclusion.  Romance novels do that and much more.  A romance writer is an important writer.  I say this because romance writers delve into the mystic of love, attempting to capture it in all its nuances, explain its unexplainable behavior and make a reader want to believe in love again.

12.  How do you feel about those who don’t think romance is serious fiction?

My thoughts are that they are mistaken if that is their viewpoint.  My definition of “serious fiction” is writing a story that makes a statement in such a way that you are convinced of its truths and its possibilities.  Good romance novels do just that.  The fact of the matter is almost all stories and movies have an element of romance in them.  We’ve just labeled it a “romance” and unfortunately along with that word comes a certain stigma that isn’t always positive.  Most men and women want love and a little romance in their life, our novels help them find that. Through our words and imagination we help people escape to a world they might not live in.

13.  How do you feel about e-publishing as a new avenue for writers?

I don’t have enough information about e-publishing to form an intelligent response to this question.  However, I do know that the Internet has become one of the widest and well-known mediums in the last few years.  If it continues in this same vein, e-publishing will be as natural and lucrative as anything else and the fact that there is a real possibility of establishing a world-wide audience, that’s incredibly positive and something I’d like to be apart of.

14.  What is the best part about being a romance writer?

The best part for me is living out my fantasies, exploring all the ideas that I have, even the unrealistic parts of falling in love.  I get to explore past heartache and pain maybe even change its course or resolve a conflict in the way I’d like to solve it (not the way it really happened).

15.  Are there any particular writers that you consider major influences on your writing.

Donna Hill is fantastic, so is Gwynne Forster.  They are a major influence for me.  I like their style and the fact that they are fast becoming household names in the romance world, both for Black, as well as, White readers of the romance genre.

16.  What are some good books you’ve read lately.

I recently had an opportunity to read CHEATERS by Eric Jerome Dickey.  It was great.  I also read BLESSINGS by Sheneska Jackson, it was excellent.

17.  What are your Favorite sites to visit?

I often visit Black Voices; Black Images; Romance in Color; Genesis Press (of course) and Romantic Times.

18.  How can readers get in touch with you?

They can e-mail me at poetryinmotion@blackvoices.com.  Soon I’ll have a post office box for letters, etc.

19.  Any advice for those who are aspiring to write romances?

Minimize your rejection letters by doing your homework.  Research who is accepting what and what the guidelines for submission are before you send anything out.  Create a fantastic query letter, knock their socks off with the first impression of yourself.  And never let a “no” stop you from grabbing your dream of being a writer.

20.  Can you give us a peek at what we can expect from the next Vicki Andrews romance?

I am currently working on two novels:  MALIK'S BEST FRIEND is a novel which epitomizes the 21st century’s version of love.  My protagonist, Chantal Murray, finds solace and comfort with her newfound Internet friends. Her predictable life as a school teacher in Iowa drastically changes as she finds herself involved in seductive, stimulating, provocative conversations on-line with someone she’s never met.  The woman she used to be ceases to exist and a new sensual being emerges.  With an intensity that surprises everyone, she uses the Internet to track down her cyber lover and once she finds him in the most unlikely of places, her mind is already set and her heart is lost.

SECRETS AMONG FRIENDS is a novel about three women who are best friends. Their lives would be perfect except for one thing -- they are all in abusive relationships.  They talk to each other, console one another and listen intently to the latest infraction that caused an explosion in their respective households until something tragic happens and changes everyone’s lives.  This will not be a “burning bed” type-tragedy and the changes that take place will happen for all the players in this unforgettable tale of love and matrimony.