Paperback:
308 pages
Publisher:
4D Publishing (December 2, 2014)
Language:
English
ISBN-10:
0970414161
ISBN-13:
978-0970414168
Carla Curtis: What keeps you motivated to continue on your writing journey? My love of writing keeps me motivated. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do for a living than write books. Writing is my passion, and I am living my dream. Mashawn Mickels: Are there times when you start out writing as Marissa Monteilh and it ends up as PYNK (your erotica alias), or vice-versa? Not really, as the boundaries for erotica are so broad that I know going into a Marissa Monteilh story that I don’t have that broad of a license. It’s like driving a vehicle differently from a motorcycle. They are two different types of rides, and I don’t want my readers to expect a motorcycle ride with Marissa Monteilh and find themselves in the backseat of a car with PYNK, so to speak.
Sheryl Lister: What are you favorite and least favorite parts of publishing? My favorite part of publishing is receiving feedback from readers after my book has been released. My least favorite part of publishing is figuring out how to access the elusive recipe for word of mouth. Spreading the word is not an easy task at all.
Kim Denmark Lewis: How did you know you were meant to be a writer? When did you know? When I was in junior high school, my English teacher called me up in front of the class and praised me for a play that I had written, telling me that I should become a writer. It wasn’t until I turned 40 (umpteen years later) and sat down to complete my first book, loving the process, that I recalled her compliment. That was a defining moment in my life. It was then that I knew I had found my calling. It just felt right.
Jennifer Copeland: How do you come up with your story lines? Certain things will get my attention, like I might I hear a news topic, or see a situation on a talk show, or maybe even something on social media, but also, an idea will pop into my head from out of the blue, like with Turnabout Is Fair Play – two best friends, one dates her friend’s son, and the other secretly dates her friend’s father. If I get a burning feeling that I want to expound on it, I’ll come up with a short outline. If I get excited about it, I write it.
Shabrika Mitchell: Do you have a favorite author? I wouldn’t say that I have one favorite, but I do enjoy Eric Jerome Dickey, mainly because of his dedication to the craft. When I read his books, I learn so much. You can tell that Eric works very hard. I call him the craft-master.
Vulyncia Poindexter: What are your thoughts in the literary world now, versus when you started? In your opinion, is it oversaturated? When I started in 1998, there were fewer authors and fewer publishing avenues. It’s very good that today there are so many publishing options, and that also means that readers have many more options when it comes to authors, formats, prices, etc. Oversaturated, not so sure, though they say there are enough readers to go around. I think the jury is out on that one.
Linda Smith: Do you write your first drafts by hand or on your computer? I write 95% of my drafts on the computer, and I don’t mean iPad. I have to write on a laptop of desktop. The only time I write longhand is when I’m on an airplane and I don’t feel like pulling out my laptop.
Bert Monteilh Roche: Did you first set out to find an agent, or did you first write a book and an agent found you? I sent so many queries of my printed manuscript to agents in 1998 and 1999, that it was ridiculous. It wasn’t until I self-pubbed my first book in 2000 and then sent the actual printed version to agents, that one contacted me and promised that we could get a book deal in 30 days, and we did.
Jawanna Cook: Have you ever started writing and stumbled on another author’s work and it was so close to your work that you felt compelled to start over, but were torn in doing so? For this very reason, I don’t read while I’m writing. I don’t want an angle to be similar or to discover that a scene is too close for comfort. I know a lot of authors read while writing, but I don’t. Also, I haven’t felt compelled to start a storyline over, but I did change a title due to a fellow author having an upcoming book of the same title.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Years ago, I was in a long term, break up-to-make up relationship that I was only able to end after attending relationship seminars in Los Angeles conducted by Dr. Pat Allen, a relationship psychotherapist. What Dr. Allen taught me, and others, was that we must learn to de-bond after a breakup. I realized that I was addicted to being with this person, hormonally and emotionally. Once we were unplugged after a breakup, I went into a tough, intense zone of mourning. I missed the way we were, and even though there were times after one of our breakups that I was strong and ready to move on, he would always come back before long, and I would always take him back, which was on me, not him. It wasn’t until I understood the need to totally forbid myself from seeing, touching, tasting, smelling or hearing him that I was able to fully detox.
Years later, I wrote my first novel, May December Souls, which is semi-autobiographical, and many women reached out to me because of the relationship seminar scenes that mentioned the eight-week rule of breakups. They wanted to know how they too could move on and detox.
And so with this, my latest title, I decided to show what it looks like and what it feels like for my fictional character, Mahogany Black Cooper, who is a wife and mother, to experience the pain of trying to get over losing her husband to another woman. The struggle is real! And so, I present to you, Never Breathe Again, my twenty-first title. Enjoy!
CONTEST TIME: Visit Marissa’s Facebook Author Page for all the details.
https://www.facebook.com/marissamonteilhauthorpage
