Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Talladega, Alabama. Talladega is about 50 miles east of Birmingham. The community where I grew up was very rural and we would have to drive to town.
Did you always want to be an author?
Reading has always been my passion and I have an extremely imaginative mind. While I wrote stories as part of class assignments in elementary school, never in a million years did I think I’d be an author.
Were you an avid reader as a child? Do you still read books?
Reading was a huge part of my childhood. I always had my nose in a book, as my relatives liked to say. I hardly ever read books that were meant for my age group. At the ages of nine and ten, I was reading Bram Stoker, Frank Yerby, and other authors.
How did your friends and family react to your first book?
There were various reactions. Certain members of my family and friends were thrilled for me and continue to support my writing endeavors. Others were not so impressed. Sadly, they will remain doubtful and unimpressed until I achieve something significant in their eyes.
How did you come up with the idea for the book, Rise of the Ravenisha?
My niece used to love the TV show, “That’s So Raven”. She announced to her mom and me one day that if she had a daughter, she would call her Ravenisha. Of course, we said oh no, you’re not. I didn’t think about the name for over twelve years. When I was trying to come up with a title for my book, Ravenisha just popped into my head.
Who designed the cover of your book, Rise of the Ravenisha?
I found Xavier Comas on Reedsy. I was so pleased with the design of my first book’s cover, that Xavier also created the cover for my second book, Rogue Ravenisha.
Which was your favorite story to read during childhood?
Dracula by Bram Stoker.
Walk us through your creative process. How do you convert an idea into a story?
Well, Rise of the Ravenisha is my debut novel. While recovering from a fall, I asked myself two questions. What if there were these women warriors and what if they shapeshifted into werepanthers and ate humans? I drew a very basic story outline; beginning, middle and end, and I proceeded to write the story in 3 months. Of course, I did massive edits for almost seven months afterwards.
Why do you write? What motivates you to see a book to its end?
I have many tales to recount, and writing comes relatively easy to me. I’m a Capricorn, which probably explains why I usually finish whatever I start.
What challenges do you face while writing horror books?
I don’t think horror is more difficult to write than other genres. Horror novels have always been something I have cherished, the grislier the better. My difficulty is usually having an excess of concepts and characters in a single story. Many people say my stories contain multiple books’ worth of material.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers and authors?
Follow your heart and never lose sight of your dream. Writing according to the trends might be something that some people do, but in my opinion, if you want to do your best work, you should stick to one genre instead of changing it just to follow the current fads. It’s my belief that trends are cyclical. If you keep producing content in your chosen genre, it’ll be the in thing again.
Have you ever read a book that you liked so much, you wished you had written it?
Yes, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.
How has being an author changed your perspective on life?
This has made me cognizant that the universe will point you in the right direction. It took me years toiling away at jobs I disliked. It wasn’t until I was 55 that I finally paid attention. Now, I’m privileged to put my fertile imagination to good use. In my past jobs, I felt like I was constantly looking at the clock, just waiting for the end of the day. Now, I write all day without noticing that time has flown by.
What book ideas are you currently working on?
I’m in the process of refining Rogue Ravenisha and plotting Revenge of the Ravenisha. I am also working on a memoir that tells the story of an Indo-Fijian’s progress from being an offspring of indentured servants who came to Fiji from India to toil in the cane fields to becoming a prominent educator.
How has your experience working with AllAuthor been?
I’ve had a wonderful experience. I’m not into social media so it’s a great help when I can depend on someone else to make posts for me.
