Weirding Word (SM) had a chance to talk with Shelia Goss, an award-winning author or women's fiction. In addition to writing books, she hosts the entertainment news site e-Spot and hosts her own blog. The former software trainer and contractor is a true believer in the adage, "Life is stranger than fiction." In fact, as you'll read in this interview, Shelia writes stories as good as what you'll see in real life.
New to the Weirding Word (SM) Blog is our Guest Blogging series, which Sheila kicks off tomorrow. She'll be sharing tips on writing and publishing, and on romance throughout the week. But, in the meantime, Shelia had so much to share that this interview is broken down into two parts. Learn why she is a bestselling Essence Magazine and award-winning romance author. I encourage you to learn more about her and return during the week to read and contribute.
WW: Tell us a little about who you are.
SG: Well, I am the author of several books. The first one is My Invisible Husband. Roses are Thorns,Violets are True is my second book. Paige’s Web is my third one. And my most recent one is Double Platinum, which was just released. Besides writing fiction, I also write articles on relationships and interview different entertainers in music, film, other authors. Those are the basic things that I pretty much do. They take up most of my day. And, besides being an author, I’m also and avid reader. So, I love to read as well.
WW: How did you get from doing a work-a-day job to writing full time?
SG: Well, when I really started doing it, it wasn’t by choice. I was working for one of the Fortune 500 companies and went through a re-org, and several people got laid off. I actually decided to take a voluntary separation package, which allowed me to be out for a year if I wanted to be without having to worry a about money and what have you. So, I took that time off and I used that time to actually write novels. And, in between, I found contract assisgments where I could work three or four months and make the same amount of money as if I’d worked the entire year. I took some time off and I used that time to write a couple of novels.
WW: So, that started off your writing career.
SG: That started my writing career. Writing was always something that I wanted to do, but I originally had planned on waiting until I retired. You know, at 55, 65, what have you. That was one of the things that propelled me to do it then. But also, I’d lost my dad and princess Diana had died, and I was just thinking that life is too short to wait. Just go ahead and start pursuing your dreams. So, while I was still working, I was writing at night, during my break, at lunchtime, etc. And then when opportunity came, it was just the right time to go ahead and put everything I had into it.
WW: How did you come to write Double Platinum?
SG: Double Platinum is kind of like just giving back. I love R&B music, I love Pop, I love culture. I just love music period. And so, Double Platinum, really I didn’t have to do any research on it because over the past couple of years I’ve had a chance to interview some of the entertainers in the music business. Singers, rappers, people behind the scenes. And, I used that as my background for my research in order to write the book.
The story is about an R&B singer, Paris Mitchell, and she was trying to make a comeback. I know in real life we hear about all these singers that things happen in their personal lives. And we always hear all of these negatives, but we never hear from them on the music scene. So, Paris is kind of like that in a way. She’s really just trying to make a comeback, and she ends up connecting with this producer who’s at the top of the charts, but he wants a new sound, getting away from what he normally does. So, Casper Johnson and Paris meet each other and things really ignite between the two. And, between the groupies and the paparazzi, things kind of get out of control. But I think readers will really like it. If you like music and you like romance, then Double Platinum is really for you.
WW: How would you describe your books and the kind of stories that you like to write?
SG: I don’t know if I would describe them as romance or chick lit or women’s fiction. It’s really hard to put them in one particular category. I would say just women’s fiction. If you like romance or chick lit or if you like women’s fiction, then you could pick up any one of my books.
Well, My Invisible Husband for example. It’s about a 34-year-old woman who is tired of people asking her, “When are you getting married?” So, what does she go out and do? She goes out and fakes a Las Vegas wedding. And that story has a lot of dramatic points, but it’s also kind of comical as well because you’re wondering, “How is she going to get out of this mess?” How can you fake a wedding? You have to come home. You know, “Where’s the husband?”
In Roses are Thorns, Violets are True, it’s about twin sisters. It’s more about building relationships with family. And, in this case, there’s some sibling rivalry going on between the twins. In Paige’s Web I tackle the subject of a woman who’s afraid of commitment. Normally, it’s the men who are always running from commitment. But Paige, she’s a little afraid of it. She ends up getting engaged to not only just one man, but three men at the same time.
And, I was watching Another 48 Hours this past weekend on CBS. There was a murder mystery case that they were working on that started in Alaska. And, there was a woman who actually ended up getting engaged to three men at the same time. Now, this was a true story. Unfortunately, one of the men that she was engaged to ended up getting killed. I threw this in there because sometimes people say, “Oh, this is kind of far fetched.” In my mind, I thought I was being unique, but then somebody actually did it and I was amazed watching 48 Hours over the weekend.
WW: You’ve been writing your whole life—since you were in school. What would you say is different about your writing now then when you were in school.
SG: When I was in school, I guess it was kind of like a popcorn kind of writing. I loved poetry and it was talking about things you did in school. When I was in high school it was about boys in school. Now I try to tackle everyday issues that women face and put it in a fiction form. And, I try to do it in an entertaining way.
Like I said, when you’re over 30 and not married, the pressure is on. People will be asking you, “When are you getting married?! When are you getting married?!” So, I took that concept and I tried to make it entertaining. And also, as far as men are always the ones who seem to be running from commitment, there are a lot of single women who aren’t in a rush to get married either. So, that’s why I tackled that particular issue.
And, then with Double Platinum, the main thing is I’m just trying to give back and show my love for music in that particular book. And, I also wanted to show that even though these people are celebrities, and they’re always in our face because of the paparazzi, they’re like us. They’re everyday people just like we are. They deal with the same issues that we deal with except theirs is more out in the public.
See Part 2 of this two-part interview and be sure to look for Shelia's guest blogs the week of March 23.
Gaea Honeycutt
blog@weirdingword.com
Interested in guest blogging? Please see the Weirding Word (SM) Blog Guide at www.weirdingword.com/PDF/WW_Blog_guide.pdf.”
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