Q and A with Shanora Williams

Shanora Williams is a New York Times and the USA Today bestselling author of over thirty romance and diverse suspense novels.

She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and is the mother of three amazing boys, has a fiercely devoted and supportive husband, and is a sister to eleven.

When she isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her family, binge reading, or running marathons on TV streaming services while scarfing down something sweet and salty.

 

How did your childhood impact the writer you’ve become?

My grandmother used to be a teacher. She wasn’t my in-school teacher, but I spent a lot of my childhood growing up with her. She lived up the street from a library and was my caretaker during the day while my mother worked, so every week of summer she’d send my cousins and me up to the library to get a book that we could read and then by the end of the week, she’d have us write a paragraph about what we liked about the book.

I remember all of my siblings and cousins groaning and dreading it but I loved doing it! I enjoyed being in the library, finding books that called to me, and then devouring them on my grandma’s front patio. Sometimes I’d borrow more than one book from the library and the other would be just for leisure. So I think writing came naturally to me because of that.

I’d found a love for the written word at a very young age. Not only that, but my mother was also writing her own book when I was a teenager and she would spend many nights typing on an old computer. I knew I loved writing and reading and had a really big imagination, but I didn’t realize until I was seventeen that I really wanted to become an author.

How has writing changed you as a person? 

Writing changed my whole life. Prior to becoming a writer I worked two jobs – as a hostess at a Tex-Mex restaurant and part time as a dressing room associate at a well-known department store. I was 18 then and had already graduated high school. During both jobs, I would bring a notebook with me to scribble in when the days/nights were slow so that I could write. I didn’t realize it then, but I was writing the book that’d changed my whole life. Of course I’d get in trouble for “writing” on the job but I’d say it was well worth the trouble.

Can you tell us a bit about your novel THE PERFECT RUIN  and what inspired you to write it?

The Perfect Ruin came to me while I was in the midst of writing another thriller. The other thriller was originally going to be called The Perfect Ruin, but then another idea popped up and it was relentless, so I shelved the first thriller to start on the new plot and I couldn’t stop writing it or thinking about it until I’d finished. I will say that I had always wanted to read what I was writing.

There was a lack of diversity in the psychological/domestic thriller genre and I craved to read about characters like me, and there’s an old saying that if you can’t find the book you want to read, then you should write it. So I did, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience writing in this genre and one that I probably won’t drift away from for a very long time.

What would be your 6 word memoir?

Shanora Williams writes diverse thrillers and romances.

What is the best writing advice you’ve ever had, and the worst?

Best Advice: To never lose momentum. To ignore the typos, grammar mistakes, and even the detail that will always come with a first draft. I have become a much faster writer because of this advice and not focusing so much on the smaller things that can be fixed, especially when the story is flowing for me. Write now, fix later.

Worst Advice: To give up.

(I never will.)

What is your writing process like? Are you a pantser or a plotter? 

My writing process is a bit loosey-goosey. I first find character names. Then I spend nearly a month doing online research, depending on the topics in the novel. Afterward, I’ll write a loose outline of the story (never too detailed unless there are particular “scenes” in mind that I really want to include.) I allow all of it to marinate, but that usually only lasts me a day or two before I’m diving into the story. My outlines tend to be loose because I rarely stick to them. So I suppose that would make me a bit more of a pantser than a plotter.

Do you need a special place to write? Are you part of a writing community or a writing group?

I don’t have to be anywhere special, as long as it’s sort of a quiet, chill atmosphere. I do have an office but I only really spend time writing there if I’m under a strict deadline. Other than that, I can write anywhere. My sofa, bed, the floor, even in my car. I am in the Crime Writers of Color group and I have my own little Shanora community on Instagram and Facebook.

What is your experience with social media as a writer? Do you find it distracts you or does it provide inspiration?

I don’t think I would have been able to sell a single book without social media. That being said, social media is a tricky thing for authors–or any artist for that matter. On the one hand, you want to connect with your supporters (well, I do personally) and you want to hang out and chat with them, but if you run your own accounts, there are times when you’ll be tagged in something negative, have your username tagged in a negative comment about your work, or a lot of other toxic circumstances beyond your control.

I think this can really mess with an author’s headspace, and I’m all about preserving mental headspace for creativity and passion. Seeing things like that can dim some of the shine so you truly have to be careful. I’ve learned to let things like that roll off my back, but that has taken me years to get good at. Other than that, social media is a great tool for promoting, connecting, and keeping supporters (in my case, readers) updated and engaged. I have nothing against it, I just make sure to surround myself in the positive.

It’s equal in both distraction and inspiration for me. I love Pinterest for inspiration and vision boards. But I get severely distracted on Instagram and TikTok when I really should be writing.

Who are your favorite authors? 

I get this question often and I don’t really have favorite authors or books. I know it’s weird, but people also ask me who’s my favorite music artist, actor, or what my favorite movie is. I don’t have favorites in artistic regards. I like taking chances on all art and artists because art in every form has its own uniqueness and has something that can be learned or gained.

What are you reading currently?

I just wrapped up on Man of the Year by Caroline Louise Walker. Really intriguing read!

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Visit her at shanorawilliams.com or interact with her on Instagram @reallyshanora.

Connect with online at www.shanorawilliams.com

THE PERFECT RUIN

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shanora Williams comes a tale of revenge served ice cold–and a warning to be careful what you scheme for . . .

A brutal tragedy ended Ivy Hill’s happy family and childhood. Now in her twenties and severely troubled, she barely has a life–or much to live for. Until the day she discovers the name of the woman who destroyed her world: Lola Maxwell–the mega-wealthy socialite with a heart, Miami’s beloved “first lady” of charity. Accomplished, gorgeous, and oh-so-caring, Lola has the best of everything–and doesn’t deserve any of it. So it’s only right that Ivy take it all away . . .

Little by little, Ivy infiltrates Lola’s elite circle, becomes her new best friend–and plays Lola’s envious acquaintances and hangers-on against her. But seducing Lola’s handsome, devoted surgeon husband turns into a passionate dream Ivy suddenly can’t control. And soon, an insidious someone will twist Ivy’s revenge into a nightmare of deception, secrets, and betrayal that Ivy may not wake up from . . .

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, Interviews, On Writing