I was able to do another author interview, this time with up and coming Loose Id author Shannon Nydia! Her new and exciting IR romance, His Wolf’s Desire, is coming out on April 12th with Loose Id. Enjoy reading her interview and getting to know Shannon!
Tell us a little about yourself. Perhaps something not many people know?
I am a married mother of two and my life is chaos right now lol! Just trying to get through one day at a time. But it’s good chaos. I feel so blessed and fortunate for all the wonderful things going on right now in my world. I have a teenager and a preteen, both awesome young people and I’m so proud and honored to be their mom. But they each need a personal assistant!!! Ha ha!
And something you may not know about me… I used to be a rock band fanatic! (The video game) It was an unwritten rule in my house that I was always the singer… ALWAYS. Kids would fight over drums and guitar, but mom always had the mic.
What made you want to become a writer?
You know, I didn’t realize I wanted to be a writer until I had close to 15 writing projects going. I honestly just viewed it as a hobby. And I would write solely for myself. As crazy as it sounds it wasn’t until my sister asked me if I ever thought about being an author, that I had an Ah-Ha moment.
Million dollar question, are you working on another book?
Yes lots. Fortunately, and unfortunately for me, my imagination is always going. I always have ideas popping into my head. I just wish they would focus on one story at a time in and in very specific detailed chronological order!
What have you put most of your effort into regarding writing?
Being consistent. I’m just swamped right now. Like I said before between work and my kids’ schedules it’s hard sticking to a routine. I have so many monkey wrenches thrown into my day. So I’m learning to try to control my evenings and letting the other times of day just happen. My new motto during the day is, let it go, let it flow. And my night time motto is, focus on me.
What is your book about?
My interracial romance, His Wolf’s Desire, is an Enemies to Lovers Trope. My hero and heroine Brad and Jayla, are shifters. They’re also bitter business adversaries that have just found out after meeting in person for the first time that they are mates. They’ve both sworn off all thoughts of dating other shifters. There’s only one tiny little problem. They can’t keep their hands off one another and it doesn’t help their sexual chemistry is off the charts. So what happens? Guess, you’ll just have to wait until April 12th when it’s available at Loose-Id Publishing.
What inspired you to write an IR novel? What are your thoughts/views on the need for the need for more diversity in literature these days?
Diversity is a reality, and I’m proud to reflect that reality in my books. I believe there’s a market for diverse/interracial romance. Some of my inspiration comes from being in an interracial relationship myself. I’m a black female and my husband is white. But, not everything I write follows that model.
Without trying to make this too deep, I saw an interview by actress Viola Davis. She was talking about diversity. One of her quotes from that interview was “People of color are part of the human experience, too.” That quote just resonated with me. So with that being said, I don’t think an author should feel pressured to have to include a person of color, but at the same time, why wouldn’t there be some diversity reflected in your writing? I understand that not all stories are going to be diverse, and that’s ok. Sometimes the story is set up with a specific setting. Again, that’s ok. But, when it’s not a pivotal circumstance, I find it hard to understand why diversity is lacking.
I think this also falls on the reader. I hope someone wouldn’t be turned off from my writing solely due to the fact my heroine is black. As a collective whole, we need to embrace people for their character, not just the color of their skin. I connect to behavior, emotion, personality. If I find a quality that I can relate to, the physical attributes are secondary.
If you were running the 100 yard dash with a new writer, what writing or publishing wisdom would you bestow upon him/her before you reached the 100 yards?
My writing advice would be… your audience is out there. You just have to find them! It’s a process, it’s not easy. But you will find them, if you stay true to yourself and stay consistent.
If you could spend time with a character from your book, whom would it be? And what would you do during that day? (PG-13 please 🙂 ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUESTIONS TO ASK.
I know I would have fun with both Brad and Jayla. Each for different reasons. Jayla is so down to earth and down for whatever. Brad would no doubt take it upon himself to ensure we had fun. But, my vote isn’t going to go to either one of them. My pick, is Grandma Mya. She’s a secondary character in my book, but I LOVE her. She is a hoot. I would kick it with her all day long. I imagine her wanting to go to one of those Murder Mystery Dinner Events. She’s a crafty thing. She’d be the one to figure it out, in her Grandma Mya way.
What do you love most about the writing process?
The narcissism of being in complete control… bwahahahaha! (That was supposed to be an evil laugh). Just kidding, I absolutely love the creative process. I find so much joy putting to paper the stories and characters that are living in my head. It’s a form of artistic expression and I’ve fallen in love with the whole process. I’m not sure if the process has fallen in love with me, only time will tell.
Pen or type writer or computer?
Definitely computer. But when inspiration strikes at inopportune times, pull out that paper and pen. That reminds me, I’ve been meaning to buy a tape recorder to keep on me.
Do you have any hidden or uncommon talents?
My kids would probably wouldn’t approve of this answer because I’d be once again BRAGGING, but I play a mean game of The Michael Jackson Experience. (A dancing video game) I got mad skillz! No one in my house can beat me. Hahaha!
Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Yes! I am so excited about my novel, His Wolf’s Desire upcoming release of April 12th. I love my characters, love their story and of course I hope you enjoy it as well. I would love to hear from you and I love answering questions.
You can follow me on twitter- https://twitter.com/shannonnydia001
You can connect with me on at my website- http://www.shannonnydia.com/
Thank you Roxanne!! This was fun!