Interview with Author Amarie Avant on May 8, 2016

 Hello Amarie  ..would you please tell us about yourself..what  would you like for your readers can to know about you?...

When describing myself, I always thing eccentric. I have worked with a diverse population which can attest to some of my edgy writing style. If dealing with various psychotic disorders at work, I am prone to kill off a character via Victor who has no qualms murdering anyone J Most of my books are borderline erotic, yet I prefer each individual work to be vastly different from the last. My husband will tell me as much as my first reader if I’ve gone too left field. Things that I like to do when not writing, are movies. You give me a name of an actress, and I will tell you exactly how I perceive them and their creativity. Yeah, I’m opinionated there. I am also a big ‘foodie,’ I’ve almost met my main crush Chef Bobby Flay, and also dined at other celebrity chef restaurants such as Emril and Ramsey to name a few. Cary Grant was charming, and his former estate in Palm Spring’s has a very appealing ambience.

     What are you most thankful for in the world we live in?

Most thankful? Wow, everyday that changes. When my clients veer from the population of less likely to make it, suicidal, self destructive… the list can go on, I am thankful. Providing resources and advice for this population is exhausting, but their success is everything to me.  I am also thankful for my husband and children, they are my biggest blessing from God.

     Where are you from? Where are you living now?  Where would     you like to visit in the near future and  why?

I was born in Fontana, California and currently live in Long Beach, Ca. The places I would like to visit are: Spain, Scotland, Paris, and the Galápagos Islands, among other places. I’ve gotten around, as far as USA goes, Mexico and The Bahamas but I want to see more places, and go all over…

 How do you come up with your hero/heroine that you write about in  your novels? 

With each of my stories, the hero and heroine come from my current emotional state. Since I work in a highly-stressful environment, I like to “off” people on my downtime, hence my FEAR series with the quasi sociopath Victor D’Ross. Everything about him is calculating and controlled, which doesn’t occur during my day-to-day career. On the other end of the spectrum there are character’s such as Melody McIsaac from the bitter-sweet romance novel “His Melody.” Melody is such a powerful figure, and the damages in her life almost cling to you as you read her story. Coming up with her storyline took a lot of work, because I had to fully connect with, and understand how it is to be misused as a child.

What do you think about Standalone Reads as compared to Series of your novels?

I write them both. I prefer to save my series stories for characters that won’t allow me to leave them alone too soon. Victor is one of those forceful characters who prefers to stay alive longer than a full-length standalone novel. My old favorites are Raven and Jon, those two still compel me to conjure up an idea of how they’re doing. They were born to love each other. So, I suppose I love my series stories better than standalones because I can fall for each character. The only “sucky” part of writing a series, is when readers get mad about cliffhangers. I suppose this disclaimer is a new trend, I hope it will pass soon, even as a reader, if the cliffhanger is done correctly, I. Am. Hooked.

  Which do you prefer? I notice that you generally have 1-3      books to complete your series..Is this your preference?

I have no preference for book numbers in a series. In actuality, its much easier to keep spinning a web, closing some plot-points and continuing one LOL. Going for shock value is very easy, so I could keep a story going forever. However, I attempt to follow the status quo (on occasions) thus finishing a book in 3 parts. I am writing a FEAR IV since I’ve been coerced by the characters and fans, but I’m secretly enjoying it. The only other book which carried on to a book 4 was penned under my real name. The Shaw Family Saga. I will re-release that entire series this summer 2016 under the Delacroix Family Saga subtitle.

  Can readers pick-up any book in the series and just get started or should they start with book 1?

 I always write my series books as standalone novels. This not only helps to attract new readers who jump in. But, it also helps jog previous readers memories. For the newbies, I’ve had reviews were the reader enjoyed the book and went back to see how the series began.

Is this your pen name if so, do you use this one for a special genre" What other pens have you written under?

Amarie Avant is a gorgeous name, and I like it J It was either Amarie Avant which is the compilation of two R&B singers I liked as a teen or Emeli (as taken from the songstress Emeli Sandé) I have used my real name, Nicole, before but when I write, I prefer to be a silent character.  Perhaps I’m as crazy as some of my characters. I have used one more pen name, to write under another genre. Alrene, you know exactly who I was. This pen name has been murdered off. I’ve become accustom to being Amarie, and will probably cross genres with it. I’ve used Amarie primarily for interracial romance. The genres I love and will consider using are: psychological thriller, family sagas, Christian romance. But I wonder who will read my Christian romance series once they’ve read The Good Mistress and my erotic titles so the verdict is still out.

 When did you know that you wanted to become a writer/author?  

I love being a writer, and wrote my first novel when I was in middle school. Being an author is another subject entirely. I’m an introvert at heart, so every other day I want to quit being an author and just write.

What motivated you to become a writer, what is your inspiration and what is your resource process?

Well, my motivation came from being two years out of a job after obtaining a masters degree. I got bored while waiting for work. Currently, I work with a diverse crowd of people. Human beings can be a very big resource, sometimes I write down the corky or evil things people say.

 When preparing to write a novel?  How long does it generally  take you to write your novels?

It took me less than a month to write the first book of the Fear series, about a month and a half to write The Good Mistress and over a year and a half to write His Melody. I write suspense stories and psychological thrillers much quicker than I write romance. Making people fall in love is hard as hell. On the other hand, determining the exact manner a character is to be stabbed, shot or mutilated is a scenario that flows from my fingertips to my laptop keys. And I write all my sex scenes usually in one day. So that was like a novella’s worth of pages for each of the FEAR series books. J

       Do you do your own book covers or do you have help with them?  They all are simply all beautiful!  I noticed you have changed a few lately...why?

Thanks for the complement, though I don’t create my covers, I always have a hand in how they’re done. My cover artist at Cover Couture is amazing and I love her, LOL. I probably search for material at the same rate I write the book. It can take me a month of sifting through models to determine which one would be perfect (even if I already had one in mind from day one, and actually use that one.) I have had the FEAR series redone because the entire series is now in my possession. With my publishing line Blue Savant Press, I wanted to start fresh. I hope to bring back old titles such as Kill Mary Jane Doe, and I’ve previously mentioned The Shaw Family Saga will be giving mini-heart attacks this summer in the form of the Delacroix Family Saga, and I’m already searching for gorgeous models to drool over.

Now, could I get you to list all of your books you are author of .... in order that you wrote them and the year that each one was published and may I  also have the genres? Are they on Kindle format or paperbacks?   

                             

Fear  I  Falling in Love with an Alpha Billionaire # 1 February 2015 Interracial            Romance, Erotica, Suspense, Kindle, Paperback 

2.   Fear  II Falling in Love with an Alpha Billionaire # 2 April 2015 Interracial   Romance, Erotica, Suspense, Kindle, Paperback

3.   Fear III  Falling in Love with an Alpha Billionaire # 3  July 2015 Interracial Romance, Erotica, Suspense, Kindle, Paperback

4.     

The Good Mistress A BWWM Billionaire Romance February 2016 Interracial Romance, Erotica, Suspense, Kindle, Paperback

   Heavy Love A BBW BWWM Destination Romance March 2016 Interracial Romance, Inspirational, Kindle, Paperback

.     Women: Withstanding All Anthology   March 2016,  Anthology/Women’s Fiction, Kindle, Paperback

 Your Newest novel....

                                       Book Description.... 

"Before I laid eyes on him, I fell, which says a lot since my heart wasn’t built to fall in love..

 Five years ago, Melody Bradford fell in love with and married songwriter, Kiel McIssac. He transformed her sorrows into love songs and became everything her heart craves. Kiel was the only one that has ever been able to break down her walls enough to see the girl underneath the shell.
  But Melody is damaged deeper than Kiel knows, with a pain that runs far back into her past and creeps out in her present. Deciding that Kiel deserves better, Melody makes the hard choice to rip her own heart out and let him go. Yet Kiel won’t go quietly… not when his own heart is living inside every breath his wife takes. He loves her completely, for all her flaws, imperfections and resistance – she is everything he needs, and the only one he sings about.
  Yet Melody has secrets buried dark and deep in her soul, secrets that could finally push him away and destroy everything they have built."  

                        THIS COMING SUMMER, 2016.................

Fear IV  Falling in Love with an Alpha Billionaire # 4- Summer 2016, Interracial Romance, Erotica, Suspense, (will be on Kindle, Paperback)

 Delacroix Family Saga: Covet Book 1, Crave Book 2, Envy Book 3, and Mayhem Book 4. All books will   be released Summer 2016, (re-release of the Shaw Family Saga) Romantic Suspense, Interracial Romance, Family Saga, Inspirational, Mystery

      Do you have a favorite romance author[beside you]smile?

Yes, I have an all time favorite romance author, who I’ve been reading for years. Her name is Beverly Lewis and she writes Amish inspirational romance, usually with a twist. And on the other hand, I’ve been reading Jude Devereux books since I was younger, (Arlene, I’m sure you know the connection of her last name to one of my previous books)

   

 NOW, which novel above would you consider your favorite and why?

My favorite novel I’ve ever written has to be a toss up between Kill Mary Jane Doe and Fear. I love a sociopath, so Victor will always be my first love. Yet, Mary Jane is badass, and the mind games in that story are surreal. My fingers are crossed that I get a good publisher for KMJD, I already see Dwayne Johnson with Zoe Saldana/Kiera Knightly, or Blake Lively in the lineup.

Have you ever tried writing Poetry and if so could you give us a sample?

I suppose my endeavors are within the pages of my love stories. Okay…. Not a good poet, but I do try while writing books to make certain scenes poetic. Reviewers say so sometimes, so I’ll take it.

       Do you have a Blog page if so what will we find on it?

I am noncommittal, it’s a wonder I’m married LOL. My closest attempt at a blog is amarieavant.com 

       Are you a self publisher?  Is so,  what is that process like?

The process of being self published is dreadful. You know me from way back when as just plain ol’ Nicole. I went from self-published to having a publisher. It was nice to have a publisher, I didn’t have to do everything, since again, my only desire is to be a writer and not an author. However, I returned to my roots, and have started my own publishing company Blu Savant Press.

       What would you like the readers to take from your novels?

I pray they take different tidbits from different novels. If you peel through all the sex and deceit, The Good Mistress is about a Somali woman who is grieving the death of her fiancé. It was her first taste of true love after denying herself, due to a traumatizing upbringing. I realize, different people got different messages from that controversial read, but I enjoyed writing it. The Fear series comes with quotes from Oprah to The Good Book, so, hopefully, the takeaway is there. Heavy Love and His Melody deal with the deep-set feelings of being in love, and or not receiving that love back. And Delacroix Family Saga, my favorite characters Raven and Jon return. I will always love their relationship since it started in innocence. This entire family saga will be riddled with messages.

      

   What message would you have for an aspiring new author?

Gain a thick skin, if you so chose to read reviews. It’s a must for me, since I have a psychological background, I have to know what is going on in people’s heads. Sometimes, readers will love your work, sometimes they wont.

       

       What was the most difficult aspect of writing your novels?

Transitioning from writer to author. Uploading a book to kindle, and release day. For the first 24 hours I just want to delete everything and run and hide.  

After reading your reviews from your  novels how has your reviews helped you after reading them?

 I’ve had some very good reviews. I love the critical reviews which hold weight. Sometimes I will read them and laugh, “Like, damn, I really made the character do this or that.”

How much if any of what you write is based on your personal/real life experiences?

 There are bits and pieces from many of the novels based on my personal life and real experiences. I have a note at the end of His Melody since it will be the hardest work to swallow. I am a very vague person, so answering this question is making me hesitant LOL. My house burned down as Raven’s did in House of Delacroix. I find myself over analytical such as Angelique in Heavy Love.

   Please share with us of your writing process...

My writing process depends on the scene. Usually I write to a U2 or Coldplay CD since the music is mellow and allows me to think. At times, I prefer to put on a sexy soundtrack while writing sex scenes. I can’t write sex scenes at the drop of a dime, I actually might spend an entire day writing a hundred different sex scenes for my erotica books. I always research a book before writing. With FEAR, I asked one of my British friends about the outs and ends of living in the UK. I learned about their version of Tylenol when Luxury had a headache (yup, the mundane stuff even needed to be accurate.)

I hate coming up with book titles and those dreadful book blurbs are the hardest part of writing a book.

   

I’ve got more half finished books than I have published. I even have the first two books of a series completed. It’s not that I’ve walked away from them. I’m a multi-genre author. Certain storylines go out of style for a while, such as vampires. I’ve got a really good vampire book I need to release.

What genres do you love to read and what books would I find stacked on your book shelf or your Kindle?

You will find a bunch of free books on my Kindle. Shamefully, I am a fan of free reads, but I do review the books I read. There are erotic titles from authors like Lucia Jordan to Christian books, and I mean Amish to New Adult inspirational.

      What authors do you admire and why?

I admire a long list of authors, but have a one-track brain. Right now, one of my favorites is Theodora Taylor, she is a very busy woman and an awesome writer. My best friends are Janice Ross and Dormaine G. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for these two women. They’re creativity is unmatched.

Do you belong to any 'Book Clubs'?

Too many book clubs, is it bad to say that I prefer my own book club? Amarie Avant Arousal on Facebook, I like to connect with the readers and this is my favorite. I belong to some awesome author’s book clubs such as S K Lessley, and the Powder Room. I think these clubs are catered to the authors, and I just love how the authors connect with their readers.

What would you like your readers to know that they may not know about you?

I’m just a serious homebody, unless I’m splurging at Bobby Flay’s, Emril’s or another expensive restaurant. I’m star struck by celebrity chefs. I also am a crazy movie fanatic. I prefer a movie over a book any day–sorry, but I do. I have my favorite actors whom do so well that I love to hate them, or hate that I’ve fallen so deeply in love with them. I also like Taebo and spa dates.

Please tell us what you are working on at this time and can we expect a release date soon?

Currently I’m re-reading Raven and Jon’s rollercoaster of a love story and writing Fear IV. Those two series are jam-packed with action so this is fun. All four books of Delacroix Family Saga will launch this summer. Maybe I can have Fear IV done by 8/7 my birthday… maybe.

 Please share with us anything not covered above you would like to share with your readers?

I thought to tell you all my favorite color is turquoise but guess what, you’re getting to know me well already so no need to go back to the rudimentary parts. (Drum roll please) Was that funny? Maybe not, I like to think I’m funny but it might be due to the schizophrenic’s I communicate with.

  Please leave us a excerpt from your any of your novels. 

This sample is from my current release “His Melody.” This is a very passionate story and sort of the antithesis of a romance novel. Of course, there the storyline is doused in emotion, but here’s a snippet of chapter one…

Chapter 1

Melody

"To be honest, when I met up-and-coming songwriter Kiel McIsaac, I didn't know his worth. Sure Kiel could've easily sung my panties off. He strummed a song that made my nether regions percolate with honey–along with a million other women...

Before we touched, I’d written him off as a one-nighter–albeit, my very first one-nighter. In my mind, he had to have groupies galore. And that's the way I played it. I treated the laid back celebrity as if he were replaceable. Besides, my heart wasn't built to fall in love.

I sit on a wicker couch on the terrace of my home in the Hollywood Hills. The stars flicker in the sky, mirroring the twinkling of bright lights from downtown Los Angeles. My feet are tucked under a turquoise cashmere blanket, giving me a false sense of comfort. The hearth is ablaze, and the surround sound is mellow. The misty air brings a bit of warmth my way as it passes through the stone fire pit. All tranquility, until a crashing sound against the shatterproof glass walls tells me that Kiel is home.

“Mel! Mel! Melody!” He shouts out.

His favorite, tailor-made leather jacket is so worn that it forms to lean muscles as he steps out on the terrace. My love has always been subdued. The man before me rakes a hand through his long brown hair, and the fire from the hearth glints off his gray eyes as he asks, “Have you lost your fucking mind, Mel?”

Crisp white paper goes flying around. Ironically, the first page requesting our dissolution of marriage, floats onto the wicker seat next to me. Damn, I'd left the divorce papers on the counter. Though I have attachment issues at times, I grappled within my mind about a heart to heart with him before presenting the “way out”.

“Kiel, please understand–”

“No,” he says through clinched teeth. He reaches down to snatch up a few of the fly away documents, rips them, and then tosses them into the fire. He licks the meat of his lips and sneers. “You're the Christian one. You made the vow before your God to be my wife. That's how you will stay,” he barks. The man who often wears “man bracelets” amongst other new-aged faith-based idealizations has lost his chi. And after five years of marriage, I see a new side of him.

“I belong to you, Kiel? Until I die?” I scoff. The tension between us is suffocating. However, the look in Kiel’s eyes tells me that he will snatch me from the grave. There's no such thing as ‘till death do us part’. He doesn't want this way out. But of all the times I've been selfish in love, he has to know that for the very first time, I'm doing this just for him. Without reply, Kiel turns on the soles of his boots and heads back into the house.

It takes a while, but the pressure surging through my veins begins to fade. My tears turn into a salted river against my cheeks. A song streams softly through the speaker. The one that made Kiel McIsaac a household name in the music business. Kiel wrote the dysfunctional love song for R&B crooner John Legend. It was just five years ago when Kiel made the world fall in love with the story of us."

                          Amarie...... I have included my review of "His Melody"

      

      "His Melody" by Amarie Avant

      My Thoughts...

     This was a well written good read that this author gives to the readers. Thank God Melody had a Kiel in her life, however, will Kiel be able to saved Melody from herself? The main questions is why did Melody act the way she did and what was behind all of this? Melody was truly the love of Kiel's life and when it may have seemed that she did not care for herself Kiel never lost hope that he would always be their for her...'the love of his life... His Melody' As the reader reads through this story one can see that poor Melody had problems that started in her early childhood that seemed so very unimportant to her mother. Now, why was this kept such a big secret? Read this story and you will soon find out why Melody felt so damaged with much of her life! This definitely had me thinking what kind of mother is this person! As one reads this story closely one can see why Melody was feeling so broken and thinking of Kiel as.... "HE CAN DO BETTER?" It seems like even though Melody had some good friends...it was Kiel, her husband who was their for her through the thick and thin of it all and not wanting to give up on her. It seems like her past that she had endured early in her life was still with her as a adult and causing all kinds of problems for this marriaged couple. I liked how this author brought in all the help for Melody through the therapist, friends and oh yes there was Kiel...all who were right their with her all the way to the end never giving up on her. I loved that ending.... for that was quite a surprise! To me I thought this author did a excellent job it bringing out this story so well to the readers. Yes, we had a broken person and with the help of God and I liked the scriptures that were presented, friends that remained with Melody [Angelique...Jelly, Erin & Josaline] through it all and then as always their was Kiel. The author gives the reader one rich emotional read that will give the reader much thought long after the read especially after finding out what all Melody had been through up to this point in her life. I loved the read and the characters were off the chart...all well developed, defined and believable giving the reader a good read.

     This is from Arlena's Blog page: Arlena's Book Review located: http:arlenasbookreviews-arlenadean.blogspot.com  Please check it out to see what rating I gave this review!

Where can your readers follow you? 

 Contact me:

For book updates and tidbits please ‘like’ my Facebook Fan Page

For eye candy, good company, and exclusive teasers, please join my group Amarie Avant’s Aroused

Friend me on Facebook

Tweet with me

I’m not too proud to beg for reviews/ratings on … Goodreads LOL

   
A FREE READ IF YOUR NAME IS CHOSEN!

Author Amarie Avant will be providing a  a free copy of her latest release  'His Melody' to three article commentor's.  Please leave your name, email address in the comment area below.  Also, there are multiple $15 gift cards available at the end of the book.  This will go on until Tuesday, May 31, 2016.

    

   

THANK YOU SO MUCH AMARIE FOR SHARING WITH US ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WONDERFUL NOVELS.  SINCE THIS IS MOTHER'S DAY...I WOULD LIKE TO WISH YOU A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY THIS SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2016.  MAY YOU BE TRULY BLESSED IN ALL OF YOUR WRITINGS.