Interview with author LeTeisha Newton

Today's guest is multi-published, multi-genre author LeTeisha Newton.

Bio:

LeTeisha Newton is the author of thirteen novels, Baile, Stolen Warrior, Assassin's Call, Caged Heart, Melt Me, Shifter Heat, Aphrodite's Chosen, A Wolf Like Mine, Theirs to Claim, The Fire of His Claim, Murder By Ritual, Howl at the Moon, and Instinct.

As a Goodreads, NightReading, Amazon, Kindle, Sony, and Diesel author, LeTeisha has begun to reach out to fans. She began writing long before she ever thought about publishing. Thanks to an amazing teacher, that kept telling her to STOP reading in class, she decided to go further than she ever thought possible with her writing. Baile, her premier novel, is the only one written in the first person, and, at times, her go-to novel for inspiration. As a mother herself, LeTeisha truly felt the way Yfel did about doing anything for one’s children, go to any lengths, and smile at the end. She enjoys hearing from her fans

Welcome, LeTeisha. Please tell us about Howl at the Moon.

Howl at the Moon is a book about a woman who’s been in love with her boss for over three years. Tatiana has wasted away on the wayside in her love, but finally reaches out to claim her fantasy. When they share a moment of passion, however, the reality isn’t all that she thought it would be and she’s relegated to friends with benefits. She’s not happy with the way things are going and thinks that all is lost. But an angel has a different view of things and sends her a little help to catch her man. After Clyde, her boss, finds out that he’s a werewolf and that Tatiana is his mate, he has to do as much work to get her back as Tatiana has to do to claim him.

What inspired you to write this book?

My former hairdresser, my cousin Rubin Scott who passed away earlier this year, inspired this book. He could make a match out of anyone, and wondered what would happen if someone had the God-given gift to do just that. I created the story around him, and now it looks like I’ll be writing five more novels in the series!

Excerpt:

Tatiana stuck another spoonful of Gold Medal Ribbon ice cream into her mouth in veg-out mode, complete with scruffy green socks, purple tights, and a white tank top. So, she was majorly color clashing. She didn’t care. Add to it her very messy bun balancing haphazardly on her head and she was about as far from model perfect as she could get. Of course, that was the whole stupid point. She knew who she was. She was this girl, right now, who didn’t care about perfection and designer clothes. Who didn’t give a crap about being the crème de la crème. Not because she couldn’t afford it, because she knew there was no point. She wasn’t some Pollyanna, of course. She knew she was pretty. She was okay with that. She was comfortable with herself.

She was just mad as hell that God put in her path a man who she knew she could never get. That was a bitch, to say the least. It was time for another mouthful of ice cream. She started walking past the front door after leaving the kitchen. She was headed to her living room and a nice night of CSI: marathon watching. Midstride, she stopped because of a knock on her door.

“Who is it?”

“Would you open up, please, it’s cold out here. Nothing like a random cold front in South Texas.”

“Coco?” Tatiana asked as she opened the door, shocked to see the queen on her doorstep. Still in her all black outfit with the startling silver heels, she had added a smart peacoat with the collar turned up around her face. Her hair was twisted up into an artful messy bun.

“Oh, that is just wrong,” Tatiana groaned, thinking of her own hair.

“What?”

“I bet you did your hair in five seconds and made mine look like a nine-year-old did it.”

“I could teach you how to do it, but we’ll need a mirror. Going to invite me in?” Coco asked, rubbing her gloved hands together.

“Yeah, come on in. It’s not that cold outside, Coco.”

“Hey, if I have a peacoat on, the gloves come too. Accessories, love, accessories make the outfit.”

“I suppose you’re right. Let me take your coat.” Coat securely deposited in the hall closet, Tatiana went into the kitchen to deposit her comfort ice cream in the freezer again. She sighed. So much for that.

“Take it with us into the bathroom, Tatiana. A girl can never turn down ice cream. Just get another spoon.”

“I can’t believe I let you in my house,” Tatiana thought aloud. “Wait a minute. How did you even know where I lived?”

“One step at a time, chickapea. Where’s your bathroom?”

“I asked you a question, Coco.”

“Missy, don’t get smart with me. I came to help you. Have a little faith. You went running out of my store crying a storm. In my book, that means you need help. Has the world gotten so bad people can’t look out for one another anymore? You want to frisk me for weapons?”

What exciting story are you working on next?

My next novel, Instinct, will be out July 12th. It’s a shape shifter novel with a little but if a twist. What if we created them to survive our apocalypse and then hunted them down to near extinction when we finished surviving? Could love happen between a human and a shifter then? Would anyone even try?

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I think I kind of always have been. When I was in school my English teachers would tell me to not read so much, not to write such long papers. Odd coming from an English teacher, but completely true. Later an English teacher told me to write a completely fictitious piece in about fifteen hundred words. It ended up being a book. She edited it for me and I put it on the shelf. She told me then it was the worst mistake I’d ever made, but then again, at thirteen I didn’t listen much to adults. I published Baile, that old, dirty manuscript after I turned twenty. I guess she was right.

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?

I seem to have an on and off love affair with writing full time. I’m a mom, and a student. I find that people can keep you pretty busy when they think you just stay at home and write all day. They don’t realize how much work you really do. They’ve seen me write a book in a weekend, so I supposed I’ve helped that misunderstanding along. When I work I find I have more time to write, and then I have so many stories pile up in my head that my job begins to interfere. Currently I write full-time. When my son is asleep mommy writes, when he’s awake, mommy doesn’t. It seems to work out so far.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I love the idea of recording my novels and then transcribing then when it’s done. Can I tell you now that I have about five books recorded that haven’t been transcribed? I didn’t realize how much work it is to do dictation! Oh well. It’s still one of my quirks because for every book I don’t transcribe I have one that I do.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be choreographer. I love making up dances and teaching others. I didn’t know that word until I was a little older but that’s what I loved. I still do choreography though for youth groups so I guess I succeeded in a way.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I have a wide variety of novels. I love writing fantasy, romance, paranormal, erotica, or urban fantasy. You really can find something up your alley with my name on it. Don’t be afraid to take a look. Life is a story. How will yours read?

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Thanks, LeTeisha!