LaShanta Charles was born and raised in the small town of Orangeburg, SC. She has always been an avid reader of all genres, but Urban / African American Fiction has always been her true love and is what inspired her to pursue a writing career. In high school, she began letting her classmates read the short stories that she would write and based off of their feedback, her passion for writing pushed her to become a published author. She published her debut novel, Lovely Lies, in 2013 and is currently working on the sequel, Lovely Lies 2, along with other projects. In recognition of her work, LaShanta was recently named National Black Book Festival's 2013 Best New Author and has been nominated for 2013 Breakout Author of the Year through the African American Literary Awards Show.
Currently she lives in Killeen, TX, with her husband and two children. She is pursuing a degree in English at Drury University and also serving in the US Army. Her hobbies include spending time with family, traveling, eating, and of course, writing. Her motto is “strive to excel, not to equal.”
We got some questions answered by Ms. Charles that some of her fans have been dying to know. Check out the Q and A session below:
1. What inspires you to write the books you write? What motivates you?
My motivation and inspiration comes from the same thing, my emotions. I thrive off of them. Whatever emotion I'm feeling is usually the type of scene I go for. Anger or sadness usually garners the bet results though. It's always good when you can "kill" someone and get away with it LOL.
2. 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 research a lot, but I use my imagination just as much. I try to set realistic scenes, but at the same time, I want to have the reader questioning the likelihood of the situation. I try to deliver scenes that are relatable, but also push the limits. On a normal day, Google is my best friend. I have no set boundaries that I stick to. I just go with the flow of whatever hits me.
3. What is hardest part about writing for you? The easiest part?
The hardest part about writing is finishing. Writing is actually the easy part, but the hard part comes when you're done and waiting. Waiting for edits, waiting for reviews and critique, waiting to see what will actually happen when your book is released. That's the part that I dread the most. Oh, and writing the synopsis. You have to squeeze 200+ pages into one or two paragraphs…brutal torture.
4. What new projects are you working on now?
Right now I'm working on my third novel. The basic concept of this novel is karma. Whether it's good karma or bad karma, we all have to deal with it. I'm exploring what could actually constitute the old saying "what goes around, comes around." I'm playing around with titles, but I think I want to call it Splitting Karma.
5. Any advice for aspiring writers that you wish somebody had shared with you?
Writing only becomes hard and is not enjoyable when you stop writing for the pleasure of it; not everyone will like your work and that's okay. Write something that you know you would love to read and take pride in what you intend to put out.
Lashanta's new novel, Lovely Lies 2, is available for pre-order on Amazon.com at the link below:
http://www.amazon.com/Lovely-Lies-Delphine-Publications-Presents/dp/0991022874/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1387294204&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=lovely+lies+2
Please support her work. We thank Lashanta for her time!!!!
Leave any comments below... Until next time guys...
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