Mocha Girls Read is taking time out to chat with published authors. We have asked HonMag PR to help us get in contact with authors and see if they would be willing to sit down and chat with us.
HonMag PR is was founded in 2018 by Tia Kelly, HonMag PR specializes in promoting novels that contain at least one main character who is a person of color.
Today we are pouring a cup of coffee and sitting down to chat with author Stephanie Nicole Norris.
Who is Stephanie Nicole Norris?
Stephanie Nicole Norris is an author from Chattanooga, Tennessee with a humble beginning. She was raised with six siblings by her mother, Jessica. Always being a lover of reading, during ‘Stephanie’s teenage years, her joy was running to the bookmobile to read stories by R.L. Stine. After becoming a young adult, her love for romance sparked, leaving her captivated by heroes and heroines alike. With a big imagination and a creative heart, Stephanie penned her first novel Trouble In Paradise and self-published it in 2012. Her debut novel turned into a four book series packed with romance, drama, and suspense. She went on to pen grin-inducing romance and to her pleasure was awarded BRAB’s Best Book Cover of 2018 and has been nominated for several other’s including, ‘BRAB’s 2018 Rochelle Alers Best Series Award for the Falling for a Rose Series. ‘BRAB’s Donna Hill Breakout Author Award 2018, as well as Girl Have You Read’s Favorite Romance of 2019 for With Your Permission. As a prolific writer, Stephanie’s catalog continues to grow. Her books can be found on Amazon as well as www.stephanienicolenorris.com. She currently resides in Tennessee with her husband and four-year-old son.
Welcome, Stephanie. Thank you so much for joining us today and for being our second author. We have a few questions we would love to ask you. The rules are simple. You MUST answer 10 questions. You can pass at any time and we will pull another question but you must answer 10 of them. OK! Here we go.
MGR: Welcome to Mocha Girls Read Stephanie. Let’s jump in with our first question. Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
SNN: Both. Allow me to explain. In romance, my stories will always end with the happily ever after that romance readers crave. However, the storyline will be original because no two authors are alike. I tend to throw in unforeseen twists that, from what I’ve heard so far makes my readers’ mouths drop. I also like to connect those twists with relatable circumstances that will allow the reader to connect to the story. I write romance with the type of all-consuming unhinging adoration that sets me on fire and has my mind buzzing and nerves hyperaware. I don’t tiptoe around topics, and you’ll feel the passion the same way you felt the frustration, one-hundred percent.
MGR: Girl, now that was an amazingly passionate answer. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
SNN: Okay, this is where I break down series versus serial.
A serial is a body of works that connect in the same universe with book two picking up where book one left off. You can’t read book two without reading book one, or you’ll be lost. It’s the same as watching your favorite TV shows from week to week.
A series can also be in the same universe, but each book stands alone. The main characters in former books become background characters in the next, but you don’t run the risk of being confused if you haven’t read previous books.
I have two big family series. My Falling for a Rose and In The Heart of a Valentine. Both have huge family dynamics, and you’ll see brothers or sisters from previous books appear in later stories, but there will be no confusion because these books are focused on the main couple and their journey to love.
I do have a few standalones as well. I also have a short story series titled The Lunch Break Series. It is not a continuation of the same story in parts. It is a series of standalone short stories that you can enjoy on your lunch break hour. These stories are written purely for your quick gratification.
MGR: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
SNN: Stop doubting yourself and write the damn book.
MGR: AMEN!! Just do it. LOL! How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
SNN: Seven. Lol.
MGR: LOL!!! What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
SNN: With my full novels, I write an outline. I’ll search for anything that pertains to my characters or their story like, vehicles, home styles, the area of the city they live in to get a feel for the atmosphere. Their careers, language (some of my characters speak multiple languages), certain characteristics, and more.
My short stories are written off the top of my head with no outline or research because they’re quick and to the point.
MGR: How long were you a part-time writer before you became a full-time one?
SNN: I’ve been writing for ten years now. For the first six years, I was a part-time writer. To be fair, I had breaks in my storytelling. I’d say for about two years I didn’t publish. It was when I gave birth to my son, Noah, that I got serious with my writing and decided to see if it was something I had a future doing. He was born prematurely at 20 weeks and endured four months in the NICU. When we came home, I knew I couldn’t leave him in the care of someone else to go back to work. My full-time career as an author was born then.
MGR: How many hours a day do you write?
SNN: I don’t write daily. I did in the past, but… life. So, when I do write, I usually have a goal that I’m trying to reach like say, five thousand words, or finish up a scene or two. It depends on the day.
MGR: If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
SNN: I would sell insurance. I have a license to sell health and life insurance. I would also probably work in the clerical or customer service field.
MGR: Interesting. Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
SNN: This question made me laugh. I just recently stumbled across a review on Instagram. I promise I was not looking for anything pertaining to me, but I saw my audiobook cover and curiosity killed the cat. Lol. The reviewer loved the book but found a few things she didn’t like. A commenter said one of the scenes was cringeworthy. (That should’ve made me pass out, right? Lol.) She talked about the scene, and I thought it was hilarious because most of the comments about that scene have been excellent. I found it interesting how people can perceive stories or scenes differently, but I shrugged and kept moving. I do read some of my reviews—usually anything from a three-star up to a five star. The reason is because if it’s anything under that, I don’t want to hear about why you hated my story. It does nothing for me. There’s no helpful criticism, in my opinion, in a one or two-star review. That simply means one thing, HATED IT. Lol. And everyone’s entitled to their opinion, so that’s fine too. The three-star reviews usually give constructive criticism, and who doesn’t like four and five stars?
MGR: And for our last question….what was your hardest scene to write?
SNN: Whew, let me tell you! Wait No More, my military romance and also a spin-off of my bestselling novel, With Your Permission, was by far the hardest story to write.
Because it’s military, trying to make sure I had the lingo of soldiers, and bring to life the struggles of having boots on the ground in Afghanistan was hairpulling. I do write about areas I’ve never been but picture it. It’s Afghanistan! Lol. To put into words the reality of that type of life was daunting. I actually wrote a second military story but it’s one of my seven unpublished books because I gave up. Aww that sounds bad I know but I have to represent correctly, and I gave it all I had in Wait No More. 🙂
MGR: Thank you so much, Stephanie, for joining us today and for answering all our questions. Any last words and let our readers know how to get in touch with you.
SNN: Thank you for interviewing me, if you haven’t had a chance to check out my books I hope you’ll give them a try. You can get a free teaser when you subscribe to my newsletter here.
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