Interview with the Author: Lyndell Williams

Hello, fellow book dragons!  It’s time for my last Interview with the Author for 2018.  Today I want you to meet Lyndell Williams, a superb author.  She rocks the alphabet, ya’ll.  I met Lyndell through K. Williams as part of the #OpenBook blog I participate in on Mondays.  I really enjoy her comments on the topics, and when she offered an ARC of her new book, My Way To You, I tried very hard not to jump up and down and squeal when I got one.  Just kidding.  I totes celebrated.  I mean, look at it!  It’s gorgeous, and I already knew she was a solid writer.

It’s okay if you scrolled down, and then scrolled back up and scrolled down again.  I did it while writing this, and I’ve already had time to enjoy the cover.  And I just did it again.  And that’s just the cover.  The writing will have you doing it to enjoy those scenes again.

My Way to You is a strong, sexy book.  Lyndell already does an excellent job of telling you about it below, so I won’t hit you with it twice.  (I have reviewed it on Goodreads and Amazon, so you’ll see my review when you go to review it!)  My favorite parts of the book (other than when I was reading this book in the dentist office waiting for my kids and I was having a hard time keeping my face from turning into fire) is the honesty of interracial relationships, a gorgeous, curvy MC, and the play between the strong personalities.

I’ve gotten to know Lyndell a little more online. I enjoy her sense of humor and honesty, and she’s talented with the gifs.

Ready to get to know Lyndell Williams better?  Let’s get right down to it!  (Also, bonus!  You’ll get the opportunity to add more authors to your to read list!)

1.    Introduce yourself.  Name.  Nickname.

Hello, readers. I am a romance author, Lyndell Williams. I don’t have a nickname. When I was a kid, my family and friends called me “boo boo,” but anyone trying to do that now risks being maimed. 

2.    What personality trait has gotten you into the most trouble?  

I tend to be indefatigable in my veracity, which has proven to be detrimental in some situations. People are rarely ready to hear the raw truth, and my tendency to “tell it like it is” may be grating for some.

Even though it may cause some tension, I’ve learned to handle most of the heat but only venture into it when I know it will be of the most benefit and cause the least damage to myself. A sistah has to be careful.   

3.    What genre (or collection) do you write in and why?

Romance fiction is my thang. I read it mainly through high school and specialized in it during my graduate studies. My master’s thesis centers romance, and I’ve written one peer-reviewed journal essay on it.

Romance is pivotal to showing how people navigate an essential human emotion—eros love. Romance novels simultaneously reflect and influence notions of love and sensual dialogue and can be a powerful tool in shifting paradigms about love interests. For example, Black women authors like Beverly Jenkins, Consuela Francis, Zane and Alyssa Cole influenced a significant shift of Black women female protagonists away from typical mammy or harlot roles to central love interests. Now there are authors like Love Journey, Talia Hibbert, Keta Kendric, Twyla Turner, and Reana Moari exploring interracial romances in-depth and across cultural backgrounds. 

Muslim authors like Karimah Grayson, Nasheed Jaxson, Jatasha Sharif and myself explore layers of romance in a specific faith context, which is vital to the genre. More diversity strengthens romance in our fluid culture. 

4.    Where do you call home?

New York, born and raised. It’s been a blessing being a New Yorker. Although there are some isolated areas across the state, I’ve had access to a lot of different cultures, which not only drove my interest in becoming a cultural critic. I’ve been taught to appreciate differing cultural perspectives, even the ones that may produce tensions with my own. 

5.    What books are/have you written?  

I just released my first interracial romance, My Way to You. It features Asian American lawyer, Simon Young and African American pro-Black blogger, Regina Kent. The couple faces and find refuge with each other from layers of bigotry and racial violence. They also have to worry about Regina’s big brother/Simon’s best friend, Marcus finding out about their affair. 

My Way to You is the first book in the Brothers in Law series. The brothers comprise of six men, who met in law school and became life-long friends. They are from different backgrounds, but all of them are committed to making sure the women they love end up and remain in their arms. 

The second book in the series, Sweet Love, Bitter Fruit, is scheduled for release early next year. It tells the story of Marcus and Toni Kent from book one. Unlike Simon and Regina, Marcus and Toni are married, but the stresses of infertility and a bunch of other issues threaten their rock-solid relationship.  The rest of the brothers and their love stories will follow.

I’m also writing a wolf shifter series, Noble Birth, but I can’t tell too much about that one, save that it is an exploration of nuances of patriarchy, matriarchy and social hierarchies. 

6.    If you are having a rotten day, what do you do to conquer that?

Many of my days have some level of stress, so I tend to have a bunch of different coping mechanisms for rotten days, dependent upon what’s “rotting” them up. 

I have a house full of kids. When they’re going full tilt, I’ll hit the gym. I find that jamming with my girls brightens what has been a crummy day. 

I usually head for my husband’s arms when faced with professional or artistic stress. His warmth and love help me put things into perspective and clears writer’s block very effectively because he’s such a great sounding board.

When the man above pisses me off, I hit the phone and whine to my best friends—women I trust and who can calm me and give me some great advice. 

7.    If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?

I never want to be invisible. I’ve spent too much of my life that way as a Black girl and then a Black Muslim woman. The world is always trying to ignore my existence. I want people to see and hear me!

8.    Your life is made into a musical.  What is the title of at least one of the songs?

Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’

9.    What are your sleeping habits?

I am often asked about this “sleeping” thing. What is that? It sounds like a beautiful thing and like the brief moments of unconsciousness I experience. Alas, those are few and far between.

10.    Tell me about one of your characters.  Would you get along in real life?

Quinn Ang, one of the Brothers in Law, is super cool. I would love to hang with him. He’s got a determined personality and oozes quiet confidence. He doesn’t do a lot of stomping and chest thumping, and he has a spooky intuition. He’s intimidating as heck, but the people who he loves are wrapped with this security by knowing he’s in their lives. 

He is in most of the series’ books because he presents that layer of security for his friends and their love interests. I would totally get along with him because he is so chill most of the time, which would complement my high-strung nature. He could rein me in when I’m about to go off on someone.

11.    If you were arrested with no explanation, what would your friends and family assume you had done?

My family and friends know that I’m always down with fighting for the oppressed, so if I’m arrested, they’d probably think I was at a protest, refused to stop videotaping police brutality, or stood up for someone being pushed around. 

12.    What are your favorite clothes to wear?

I love a big tee shirt and pajama bottoms. I live in those and will wear jewelry with them.

13.    What are your future writing plans?  

I write a ton. I contribute to at least three platforms and continue to write short stories for collections as well as my author’s blog. Then there are my novels. So, my writing plans are to continue to do it. 

14.    What is one of your pet peeves?

I can’t stand arrogance in any of its forms. Our society is replete with people caught up in building delusions of superiority. I usually am ready to cut anyone prepared to make someone else feel inferior down. 

I also can’t stand when people use laughing emojis passive aggressively. Like you just insulted me. A laughing emoji doesn’t mitigate that. Come straight with yours. If you want to be aggressive, bring it. I can handle it. I ain’t scared. 

What was the question?

I’m grateful for this chance to get to know Lyndell Williams better, and also be able to share her and her literature with you.  Now to wait around until she writes another fantastic romance!

 Connect with Lyndell Williams!
(I think I’ve got her on most of these!)

Blog – https://laylawriteslove.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laylawriteslove

Twitter – https://twitter.com/laylawriteslove

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/laylawriteslove

Amazon – http://amazon.com/author/laylawriteslove

Thanks so much and I’ll see you all next year!

Live Bravely,
Love Strongly,
AEM