Chatting with new author Sherelle Green
Green is a Chicago native with a
dynamic imagination and a passion for reading and writing. As a young girl, she
channeled her creativity and turned her thoughts into short stories and poems.
Although she loves to read all genres, romance holds a special place in her
heart. Her love for romance developed in high school after stumbling across a
hot and steamy Harlequin novel. She instantly became an avid romance reader and
decided to pursue an education in English and Journalism. Nothing satisfies her
more than writing stories filled with compelling love affairs, multifaceted
characters, and intriguing relationships. A true romantic, she believes in
predestined romances, love at first sight, and fairytale endings.
Green spoke with me about her exciting journey and her soon to be released Kimani Romance novel, A Tempting Proposal, coming May 21. What better day than Valentine's Day to talk to a romance author?
1.
How
long have you been writing?
I’ve
been writing since I was a young girl, but I’ve been reading and telling
stories ever since I was two years old. Before I learned to write, I would have
my parents and little sister listen to me tell elaborate stories about purple
elephants flying past my window and anything else I could think of. When I
finally learned to write, I couldn’t stop.
2.
What
was it like when you pitched your book at the Romantic Times Conference?
I
was so excited when I found out that the 2012 RT Booklovers Convention was
going to be held in my Chicago hometown, but I had no idea how many doors this
event would open for me. Over the course of three days, the RT Convention had
time slots for authors to pitch their ideas to editors and agents. Each
scheduled slot was no longer than ten minutes and could take place in one of
four rooms. With my proposal kits in hand, I pitched my book several times and received
great feedback. I continued to pitch my book at RT’s Pitch-A-Palooza session
that was held in a large conference room with editors and agents seated against
the walls. Every three minutes, authors sat in front of a different editor or
agent and pitched their book. When the buzzer went off, we switched seats and
pitched to another agent or editor.
I
enjoyed the entire process of pitching my book and a few editors and agents were
interested in reading my complete manuscript. During the convention, I’d
learned that Harlequin was not listed to accept scheduled pitches. Despite the
leads I received, none of the publishers had specialized in African American
series category romance and I had specifically followed Harlequin Kimani
Romance writing guidelines. On the second day of the convention, a few
Harlequin editors were gathered in the hotel lobby with other authors, agents
and editors. I went over to say hi to a few authors I knew, including Naleighna
Kai who introduced me to Harlequin Kimani’s Executive Editor. As I spoke to the
executive editor, I informed her that I had followed the Kimani Romance
guidelines when writing my book and began telling her about my series. She was
so friendly and it was really easy to talk to her. The next day, I attended
Harlequin’s Publisher Spotlight and after their session, I was able to continue
speaking with the executive editor. At the end of our conversation, she requested
to see my complete manuscript. I promptly sent my manuscript and received an
email from Kimani’s Assistant Editor to confirm that my manuscript was under
review. A month after the convention, I received the call I’d been waiting for
and was offered a contract with Harlequin Kimani Romance.
3.
Tell
the readers what your book is about.
In
A Tempting Proposal Chicago event
planner Imani Rayne decides to fulfill her beloved grandmother’s last wish and
purchase a stunning lake-view estate. The rules for her to get the estate
are simple: Partner with another buyer vying for the same estate and plan one
of the biggest business galas of the year. Completing the request would be easy
if Imani wasn’t so attracted to sexy businessman Daman Barker. Although Daman
knows he should resist temptation, Imani is awakening desires he thought he’d
buried deep inside. But when a family revelation threatens all he cherishes
most, Daman must
decide if the ultimate business proposal will lead to the merger of a lifetime.
4.
Have
you always wanted to write romance?
I
stumbled across my first Harlequin book in high school and quickly developed a
love for the genre. I would always tell people that I was going to be a
Harlequin author one day. But at the time, I’d noticed that Harlequin didn’t
have an African American series category line so despite my desire to write in
for Harlequin, I put that dream on hold and chose to pursue news journalism
instead. I became Junior Editor of my high school newspaper and I continued in
this field by becoming a reporter for my college newspaper and a writer for an organizational
campus magazine. During my second year in college, I was overjoyed when I
learned that Harlequin was launching Kimani Romance, the first and only African
American series category romance line. After doing some freelance writing in my
adulthood and settling on a career in sales, I finally decided to pursue my
true passion and write my first romance book.
5.
What
is it about the romance genre that you enjoy the most?
The
romance genre offers readers an escape into an idealistic world of
possibilities in which fate plays a hand in bringing together a great man and
woman who may not be perfect, but are perfect for each other. I love happily-ever-after’s
and although characters have their heartaches, tragedies and face life
obstacles, at the end of a romance book, love conquers all. I connect with a romance
story when I can relate to the characters beyond what’s written on the paper.
6.
How
can readers follow you online (Twitter, Facebook, website)?
I’d
love to hear from you! Please visit me at any of the following addresses:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sherellegreen
Amazon Fan Page: amazon.com/author/sherellegreen
Website: www.sherellegreen.com
Email: sherellegreen@yahoo.com
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