Hey, beautiful ones. I am excited to introduce the author, Ann Raina. Ann lives and works in Germany with cats and a horse. Riding and writing are her favorite hobbies. Her latest series, starting with Twisted Mind, turns around an FBI-agent, his demanding lover, and a bad case getting worse.
In all of her books, she combines romance, suspense, and humorous elements, for no thrilling story can stand without comic relief.
I am a huge proponent of using fiction as social commentary. Novels can reflect and influence society, and many readers seek to connect to realistic characters with problems and issues reflecting the human condition. I wrote Sweet Love, Bitter Fruit to highlight how strong love is not invincible. There are times and situations that will test the strongest bond. Toni and Marcus have it all—fabulous careers, awesome Harlem apartment and the respect of their family and community—but they have to endure the trials of infertility. They are usually simpatico, but when Toni wants to go through more in vitro treatments after agreeing to give up, it threatens their love.
What is your favorite genre to read?
Romance, romance, and more romance. The genre offers the chance for authors to show the ways characters navigate and negotiate a foundational human emotion. Romance can be diverse, influenced by readers and the broader culture. It is truly a misunderstood genre that deserves more respect than it gets in the literary world. Love elements exist across genres, so romance is a foundational part of literature.
I have known about Umm Juwayriyah’s (Maryam Sulivan) work for a while but became a fan after reading her amazing Muslim urban fiction novel, Tried and Tested. Check out the blurb.
A teenage Iman Johnson left home over a decade ago to follow behind a sweet, loving hustler who promised her the world. When that world became too much for her to endure, mentally and physically, she found herself back in Pittsburgh, PA at her Muslim mother’s doorstep, seeking refuge.
Will the Muslim family and community that she’d turned her back on years ago be ready to finally accept her, or is there too much time, emotions, hurt, and secrets built up between them to overcome? Iman will have to find the strength to face her past and relearn the basics if she ever hopes to find the sweetness of faith Allah promises.
She is a prolific author, whose works include poetry and prose. She has penned five books for children, young adults, and adults. I will never forget when she walked on stage at an event—for what everyone thought would be an author’s reading—and started dropping bars like it was nothing.
She is an educator and organizer of wonderful initiatives like the #MuslimGirlsRead literacy campaign. Every year, she raises funds to provide Muslim authored and centered books to urban youth. Yeah, she’s pretty dope.
Being an author requires a lot of consideration, and many authors set writing goals for the coming year. I asked some fabulous romance authors what they have planned for 2019.
Bonus: The last slide is an exclusive cover reveal for author Tiya Rayne’s upcoming novel Where Love is Found. Don’t miss it.
Hello, fellow book dragons! It’s time for my last Interview with the Author for 2018. Today I want you to meet Lyndell Williams, a superb author. She rocks the alphabet, y’all. I met Lyndell through K. Williams as part of the #OpenBook blog I participate in on Mondays. I really enjoy her comments on the topics, and when she offered an ARC of her new book, My Way To You, I tried very hard not to jump up and down and squeal when I got one. Just kidding. I totes celebrated. I mean, look at it! It’s gorgeous, and I already knew she was a solid writer.
My Way to You is a strong, sexy book. Lyndell already does an excellent job of telling you about it below, so I won’t hit you with it twice. (I have reviewed it on Goodreads and Amazon, so you’ll see my review when you go to review it!) My favorite parts of the book (other than when I was reading this book in the dentist office waiting for my kids and I was having a hard time keeping my face from turning into fire) is the honesty of interracial relationships, a gorgeous, curvy MC, and the play between the strong personalities.
I’ve gotten to know Lyndell a little more online. I enjoy her sense of humor and honesty, and she’s talented with the gifs.
Ready to get to know Lyndell Williams better? Let’s get right down to it!
Lyndell Williams, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m KayelleAllen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here!
Why did you write this book?
I had a few reasons for writing My Way to You, the primary one being that I wanted to write a romance centering what I gleaned as the increasing lines of solidarity between Blacks and Asians in the country. I also wanted to highlight the growing Black Woman-Asian Man (BWAM) subculture, where members of two social groups deemed less desirable are learning to appreciate each other as love matches.
Black women and Asian men have to tackle with a contrived lack of appeal stemming from stereotypes masculinizing one and feminizing the other. My Way to You and other romances centering BWAM love interests pushes back against that and offers representation for couples in similar relationships as well as interracial couples in general.
Christmas is coming, and there are holiday parties to attend or shopping to do. But if you want to get away from it all and curl up with a good book, I’ve got an author you’ll want to meet. I had a chance to interview Lyndell Williams. She is a cultural critic with a background in literary criticism specializing in romance. She is the managing editor of the NbA Muslims blog on Patheos and a cultural contributor for Radio Islam USA. Her novel, My Way To You, is an interracial romance that takes on controversial topics head-on. I had a chance to talk with her about her writing routine, what future subjects and projects she will tackle, and what writing romance means to her.
Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.
Lyndell Williams: I have two must-haves when I’m writing. I make myself a huge…
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I recently published my first novel, but I have numerous short stories published in a couple of collections.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is My Way to You. I wrote it to show some of the struggles interracial couples face when beginning a relationship and trying to keep it strong.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
One writing habit people may find strange is that when I’m deep in my creative zone, I like to pull my hair into a big hug afro puff. Not one of those cool Angela Davis ones, a mess of coils and coconut oil. I feel like it allows creative energy to flow into my head. It is also a good signal to the husband and kids that mom is deep in her writing and disturbing her would be a hazardous venture. Continue reading “Awesome Gang Interview with Lyndell Williams (Layla Abdullah-Poulos) —”→
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Lyndell Williams 