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| Give Me Everything |
Angela Kay Austin, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk
about your book Give Me Everything.
Genre: Romantic Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Vanilla Heart Publishing
Length: 180 pages
Blurb:
He’d sat on top of the world… the perfect woman, a daughter,
and a job that made his father proud. Now, Kendis was divorced, and his daughter
wasn’t really his. At least, he has a good job…at Brady and Associates, the firm
that sends him to Maryland
for their client, Eastover. Eastover, one of Maryland’s largest commercial real estate developers,
is on a mission to take over older, outdated malls.
She’d been through the wringer in her personal life, and now
LaKia thinks the only thing she can control is her career as Marketing Director
for a small commercial real estate company. She’d always wanted marriage and children
like her best friend has… but she’s given up on ever finding her own Mr. Right.
Until Kendis.
Buy links:
What are your main characters’
names, ages, and occupations?
Lakia Jackson (almost thirty) and Kendis Washington (early thirties.)
Interview
Tell us about your story’s
world. What is it like in this period or place?
I set this story in Maryland,
right outside of D.C. This is significant because it is an area where business and
politics collide, everyday. This is important to the story because the story revolves
around local politics and economic development.
What inspired you to write
this book?
Conversation with friends over dinner and wine. I like writing
stories about women who have followed the path of career. What happens when they
take a look back, and think to themselves – what about marriage and children? And
what happens if choosing one affects the other, and you feel you can’t really trust
what you’re doing because of that simple fact.
Which character in your
current book do you think readers will like the most? Why?
It’s hard for me to judge that one. I hope I’ve written the characters
in such a way that readers connect to both. Kendis has been lied to, and deceived
in such a way that I think it will connect with women. He has the chance to do something
he thinks is important and, from his point of view, it will give back a lot to the
local community. But, LaKia feels the same way about what she wants. She can protect
a small company in a great community, and help preserve a little bit of history.
And, just like Kendis, she’s experienced her own loss, and has been deceived in
her own way by someone she loved.
Why do you write?
Honestly, I think if I didn’t my head would explode. I’ve always
enjoyed playing out different scenarios in my head. I’ll rewrite scenes to movies.
Often, I visualize whole scenes to music. It’s always been a part of me; it just
took me a while to figure out what to do with it.
Who has helped you the
most in your career as an author?
One of my friends, another author, LaVerne Thompson. I met LaVerne
through the Washington
D.C. chapter
of RWA, and through her I discovered Red Rose Publishing. That introduced me to
digital first print publishers, and online conferences and workshops. That changed
my life because until that time I only thought about one path to publishing – traditional
mainstream publishers. I discovered a world of camaraderie, developed my craft,
and gained confidence in myself as a writer.
When you write, what things
do you want close at hand? (Coffee, water, chocolate… pictures of gorgeous hunks
for inspiration…?)
Depends on what I’m writing and when. Sometimes, I like to do
what my characters are doing. Sometimes, I need to remove myself from the picture
because I’m thinking too hard, and forcing the story verses letting it flow naturally.
Sometimes, I need to push the story so that it’s not too predictable. Chocolate,
especially if it’s chocolate covered something paired with a glass of wine, can
help me slip into a more sensual frame of mind. Eating ice cream can make me think
of more fun things: childhood, time with my young nephews or niece. Pictures, well,
hey, pictures are pictures!
When you’re not writing,
what would we find you doing?
People watching. I love to sit and drink a cup of coffee in local
shops or on an outdoor patio somewhere and watch people do what they do. I keep
a notebook with me, and I scribble, relentlessly. Conversations. What they are wearing.
How lovers interact. Whatever I can see or hear. Or, you might just find me doing
something that one of my characters will be doing. I went white water rafting, and
in this book – “Give Me Everything” – it opens with the characters doing
just that.
Are you a plotter, or
do you prefer to make it up on the spur of the moment?
I like to know what the story is about, but other than that,
I let it flow. I like discovering the story in the same way the readers do. If I
let the characters speak loudly enough I feel like the story will be better, more
true.
Looking back at your first
book, what do you wish you had done differently?
Dug deeper into my emotions. I set the story in Pennsylvania. I experienced a lot of what the character
experiences with regards to isolation. There was also a lot of racial tension that
I didn’t delve into as deeply as I should’ve. I think it would have allowed readers
to have a better connection with the story. If I have the chance to rewrite it,
I will definitely peel back the layers.
What aspect of your life
do you write into your books?
Career. I write about women who are career minded, and how that
affects their lives. Regrets. Successes. Having it all. Can women have it all? According
to so many, we can’t. I guess I like to fantasize about the possibilities of it
being obtainable. We can at least try.
When an idea hits you,
what do you do to capture it?
I write it down. I keep a notebook with me at all times, and
I jot down everything for the idea. I don’t want to forget it. It’s the little nuances
that I want to capture. I don’t always see both my hero and my heroine. Sometimes,
just one of them. So, I like to capture as much as I can when it comes to me. It
helps me see the other characters more clearly.
Which of your books was
the hardest to write and why?
I don’t know. Because my books cover issues important to women:
abortion, miscarriage, date rape, homelessness, etc. There are parts of many of
them that have been difficult. I tackle each piece of each story through deliberate
research, and sometimes that means reading blogs or watching videos that can be
heartbreaking. It can be hard to shake the memories.
Do you believe in luck?
Not sure. I believe in fate. There are things, I believe, that
are just meant to be, and regardless of anything, they’ll just be.
What kind of music do
you listen to while driving? Same question when writing?
It depends. My music, whether driving or writing, has to fit
my mood (or the scene I’m writing.) If the sun is shining, and I’m driving with
no purpose, I listen to one thing. If I’m on my way to meet with a client for work,
I might listen to something upbeat. If I’m writing a love scene, of course, I want
to listen to something appropriate.
Do you play any musical
instruments?
Clarinet and saxophone. I even played in the band in high school
and college.
Please complete the sentences
I love pizza with alfredo sauce, grilled chicken, spinach
and onion. And don’t forget a glass of red wine.
I’m always ready for travel.
When I’m alone, I veg out on the SyFy channel.
You’d never be able to tell, but I was born and raised in
TN.
If I had a halo it would be shiny sparkly. (fingers crossed)
If I could live in another country I’d move to Rome, Italy.
I can never stop writing
because the voices in my head would find another way out.
Previous Books
Love All Over Me
Sweet Victory
Christmas’ Journey
Love’s Chance
Scarlet’s Tears
My Son
Derailed
Books Coming Soon
I’m subbing away. When the ink has dried, I’ll let you know.
Find Me Here
