Today, we are doing another spotlight on an author from Delphine Publications, Ms. Shewanda Pugh.
Shewanda Pugh is a native of Boston's inner city, though she now calls Miami, Florida home. She has a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Alabama A&M University and a Master's in Writing from Nova Southeastern University. Fueled from a young age, her passion for crossing societal boundaries like race, class and culture, is the inspiration for both her cluttered bookshelf and her writing. When she's not busy obsessing over fiction, she can be found traveling, nursing her social networking addiction or enjoying the company of loved ones.
Recently, we sat down with Ms. Pugh to get more insight from her about her career. Check out the interview below:
What inspires you to write the books you write? What motivates you?
I'm fascinated by the things that come together to make us us, to forge our identity. I see those things as family, friends, religion and/or other beliefs, love, social and financial circumstances. I'm also drawn to stories that feature insurmountable odds. For me, it felt natural to write about love overcoming all. This concept is at the heart of every Shewanda Pugh novel.
Do you research anything prior to starting a new project? Take us through a normal day with a new project that needs to be handed in.
I am a research junkie. I check and triple check things I'm even certain about. I squint at maps before I have characters walk down a street just to ensure they're traveling in the right direction. I research cultural nuances and the how and why behind their development, before deciding the character either will embrace or reject these norms. For me, a new novel starts with a scene that's been burning a hole in my head. At this point, I know nothing of my characters, their goals, their obstacles or their setting. I don't even know their names. Still, I gear up the laptop and let the scene pour out. Usually, two or three follow. At this point, I may do "spot research," which is basically me Googling something or otherwise double checking it quickly. Later, when I've exhausted whatever inspiration gave me the initial idea, I go back and flesh out the backgrounds of my hero and heroine. I begin with whatever it is I've learned about them through these initial scenes and use that as a skeletal structure to flesh them out further. I get to know them and the people most important in their lives. I figure out their career and what character traits led to this career. I figure out their pet peeves and shortcomings. For me, it's a constant cycle of learning and applying what I've learned as I work through the novel.
What is hardest part about writing for you? The easiest part?
The hardest part is letting go of a project. I am obsessed with the perfect book, all the while knowing that it can't exist. Still, I'm forever caught in this vortex of "one more round of edits" and "one more set of rewrites" and letting go is almost never part of the equation. On the opposite end of that is the writing itself. I rarely get writer's block, find it easy to jump from one project to the next, and I am always working on something.
What new projects are you working on now?
Right now I am working on a young adult romance series titled Love, Edy. It features an Asian Indian guy with dreams of the NFL and the ballerina next door that he adores. Tradition says that they can never be together, but it appears that the two may have other plans.
Any advice for aspiring writers that you wish somebody had shared with you?
Keep at it. Quitting is the easiest thing you can do. The option will be there every single day. Reject it and be true to yourself.
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Be sure to check out Ms. Pugh's latest release, Crimson Footprints III, which will be released January 7, 2014 on Amazon.com.
Thanks for checking us out and be sure to stay tuned for much more.
Until next time..
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