Sunday, February 17, 2019

Maker of Sunshine: Only for Love


February 17, 2019
It is with pleasure that I introduce my subscribers to this novel because I love it when I support other authors and women writers. G Nichelle and I have something in common - we both are from Dallas, Texas. Although I live in New Orleans, there is something special about women from Texas. I hope you enjoy meeting G Nichelle and take the time to learn about her and her books.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW

G Nichelle
Maker of Sunshine: Only for Love





Name of Book: Maker of Sunshine: Only for Love

Year Published: 2019

Publisher: HunBun Luv (Independent)



Tell your readers a little about yourself. Where you grew up, where you live now, where you went to school etc. Let them get to know the personal you. - I was born and raised in Dallas, TX, which is a big small town. There are huge buildings, but the streets are still quiet by ten o’clock on weeknights. I still live in Dallas, because I love the diversity and opportunities available. A de-segregation court order created various school programs in the city that provided me with the opportunity to explore the arts through a specialized magnet school program. Every day I rode a bus from my neighborhood to another school that had programs geared to the performing arts. On those thirty-minute bus rides is where I began sharing stories that I wrote about a music group that I adored. Back then I called my stories ‘dreams’. I would tell my friend “I had this dream…” and then I would include all of our friends as characters who meet and fall in love with the band members to live happily ever after. Class work was easy for me, so I would write the ‘dreams’ down and pass them around on the bus back home.



What inspired you to write this book? -  For all of the great things in my childhood, there were many dark moments. I wanted more for my children, I wanted a loving stable environment for them to flourish in. How do you accomplish that when you have never seen love? How do you accomplish a healthy relationship when you have never seen one and don’t know anyone in a meaningful positive relationship? The story grew from questions about how to love after trauma. When it’s hard to love yourself and you are struggling to just survive, how can you love? Is it even a good idea?  I wanted to explore what that looked like.



You’re very young for a novelist? When did you begin writing? - I fell in love with books before I could really read. My parents would have to limit the number of books that I could bring home. The grandmother that cared for me when I was pre-school age doodled a lot and wrote on everything. I would mimic her and by the end of the day have a notebook full of curly loops that were words just like hers (in my mind at least). I have always written. I remember reading Terry Mc Millan and Zora Neal Hurston in middle school and wanting more stories like that. So between my fan fiction, mimicking great writers, and the women in my life, I began crafting my romance stories.



Are there any authors who inspired you growing up or who inspires you now? - Terry Mc Millan and Zora Neal Hurston are the inspiration of course, but Maya Angelou and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings… that did it for me. I still watch her interviews in amazement at the way she was able to craft words of wisdom in a way that stuck with me without that sense of judgment or condescension.



Susan Mallory and Brenda Jackson influence my romance writing.



What were your struggles or obstacles you had to overcome to get this book written? - First and foremost, time was/is the biggest hurdle to overcome. I have a fulltime job, a husband, and three active children. Over the years I have written when I had a moment of quietness or when the muses spoke to me, but to write consistently on one piece and complete it was difficult. My characters are like family, so ending the story was difficult as well (hence a novella coming this June). Finding good resources became a hurdle. Finding a cover creator, editor, a person to help with a blurb for sales etc. took longer than needed. I took the long way around to get simple things done.



Tell your readers about your book. - It’s a story about love on many levels. While the main plot focuses on Nailah and Tyriq finding each other, I also explore how the love of family and friends shapes our lives. Nailah is a social worker who was abandoned by her mother, father and foster mother. She has learned that relationships are temporary and it’s best to love in small doses. Tyriq is ready for the forever kind of love and doesn’t mind walking Nailah each step of the way, even if it is at a snail’s pace. Nailah is not what Tyriq’s family or his ex-girlfriend expected. The two have to overcome individual past hurts to build a future.




Who is your target audience and why? - People who love a love story. Love is universal, but women may relate to the story more since the majority of the book is given from Nailah’s perspective.



What one unique thing sets you apart from other writers in your genre? - I believe romance includes more than the physical act of sex, so while there are some erotic scenes, my books delve into the love moments that make life fun. My goal in writing is to make my reader’s smile. I want to normalize romance and give people the opportunity to see the love in their everyday lives. Love is not always grand gestures with billboards and millionaires, love includes backrubs and favorite pasta dishes while watching a show you despise. My writing includes the grandiose… Tyriq is wealthy of course… but also the little things that people overlook, like getting your girlfriend new tires.



How did you come up with the idea for your book? - It’s always a question for me. What would that look like in someone’s life? My grandmother told me about her grandmother being left with her father’s girlfriend when she was young and I had tons of questions. I am always inspired by the real.



What is your next book? Tell us a little about it. - I have three.


Maker of Sunshine: The Wedding, this will be a novella out in June that will continue Nailah and Tyriq’s journey to marriage.
COMING JUNE 2019


Maker of Moonlight: Midnight in Bloom, is the love story about two of the characters from Maker of Sunshine. Terrence lost the love of his life and first wife at the tender age of 23. He knows that no one will ever be able to replace her, so he promises that he will remain single to honor her memory. Regina is poised to take over her father’s investment company, but there is one stipulation, she can’t do it alone. Her father requires that she marry first. Even though Regina is a beautiful woman, she can’t find the right combination of intelligence and compassion that she requires in a man to tolerate being married. When Terrence and Regina begin a fiery love affair, they learn that their bodies were made to be connected to each other, but what about their hearts?

In Maker of Moonlight, I still explore the theme of loving after trauma and learning to love in a way that was not taught to you.  Regina’s parents had a marriage based on mutual understanding and it worked out well, but Regina is not as compliant as her mother. Her independent spirit and unrestricted vocabulary usually drive away the men that she doesn’t dismiss first. Terrence grew up in a home with strong women, so Regina’s brazen attitude doesn’t scare him, but the fact that she has wiggled close to his heart does.

Tell your readers anything else you want to share. I’m simple: I like to write stories. I hope people will read them, smile, and like my stories too.
Posted by at