Interview with romantic suspense author Stacy-Deanne

Today's guest is Stacy-Deanne, Interracial Romantic Suspense/Crime Novelist.

Welcome, Stacy-Deanne. Please tell us about your current release.
Giving up the Ghost is my fourth release. It’s the first book in my new Interracial Romantic Suspense series. The series focuses on Albany Detectives Brianna “Bree” Morris and Steven Kemp who debuted in my 2008 mystery, Melody.

In Giving up the Ghost, Bree and Steven investigate the brutal assault of Bree’s friend Cheyenne Wilson. The case leads Bree and Steven to an array of interesting characters who are all somehow connected to the attack. Bree finds herself fighting an attraction for one of the possible suspects, Simon Watts, who claims to be a friend of Cheyenne’s. Bree and Simon fall in love and Bree must make a choice between what her heart feels for Simon and her loyalty to the case. Meanwhile Bree is being stalked by a sadistic maniac who might be connected to the attack as well.

What inspired you to write this book?
I fell in love with Bree and Steven when writing Melody. I couldn’t give them up. There was so much more I wanted to do with them so I began the series. One of my main influences for Giving up the Ghost is Alfred Hitchcock. He is my idol and his brilliant methods of suspense were a key thing that made me want to write this story. I wanted to see if I could pull off a Hitchcock-type mystery and I loved every minute of it. It was a lot of fun.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I am working on more books in the series and some standalones. My next release will be the second book in the series, The Season of Sin. Nadia Hollister, Bree’s psychiatrist is murdered while Bree is in Nadia’s living room! Bree’s been knocked unconscious by the culprit but when she comes to she vows to find the killer. Nadia’s murder exposes a number of people who wanted her dead as well as uncovers a secret Nadia has been hiding. Did this secret get her killed? It’s up to Bree and Steven to find out. No one is who they seem in this story. I’m very excited about it and I think readers will enjoy it. The book will be released December 2011.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’ve always enjoyed writing but I didn’t think of doing it professionally until I was 19 when I got my first computer. It was like something had awakened in me beyond my control. I got such a high and passion from writing. I enjoyed it so much that I knew this was what I wanted to pursue. The rest is history. LOL!

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Right now I am only writing but I plan to embark on other career opportunities soon. I plan to always write. Writing is who I am. When I first started I wrote constantly, day and night. Now that I’ve been in the business over a decade, I’ve slowed down a bit and give myself more breathing room and take more breaks. Things change when you get older. I was 19 when I started so it was easier to put all my time into writing and nothing else. I’m 33 now and I have different interests and more things to concentrate on besides writing. You naturally grow into other things. In between my novels I write articles and do plenty of guest posts for different blogs so I’m always working on something.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I like to write in the nude. No, just kidding LOL! Honestly I don’t think I have any interesting writing quirks. I don’t do anything unusual. One thing is that I can’t write when my work station is too neat. It’s uncomfortable and my mind feels stifled if I’m sitting in a very neat spot. I like my space a little cluttered when writing. I think the chaos helps me.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Oh, man, I wanted to be everything under the sun. For years I wanted to be a teacher because my mother was. Then I wanted to be a cop. I wanted to be an actress or singer. I even wanted to be a nun at one time. LOL! I’ve always wanted to be a comedienne but I’m so shy. I love comedy and I love to laugh. People say I’m very funny even when I don’t try to be and I do think I could be a comedienne if I had the guts to do it. LOL!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I’m happy to announce that I’ve been nominated for a 2011 African-American Literary Award! This is a huge honor. I appreciate all the support. I also hope that readers of this wonderful blog check out some of my work. If you love passion, suspense and thrills then my new series should not disappoint!

People can easily find me an connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks so much for having me, Lisa.

You're welcome. It's been a pleasure meeting you and getting to know a little bit about you and your writing.