Intimate Conversation with Ericka Monique Williams
Ericka Williams is a tour de force, a phenomenal woman. She is a compassionate person who not only cares about herself and hers, but she cares about humanity. All of her books are themed to show the unlimited access of human beings to redemption. She is a Christian, spreading the message that Jesus saves; no matter who you are, what you've done, or what other people think of you. She uses societal ills, her own experiences, and real situations that we all face, to show that their is a light at the end of every tunnel, if you take God's hand and let him lead the way. She may not fit the mold of a "saint", but she sure is a believer and she knows that we all only have the obligation to spread the Word, the way that we personally know how.
Ericka Williams is a mother of two, an elementary school Language Arts teacher, an actor, a director, and a producer of short films. She is currently in the cast of The Cartel Publications, feature "Pitbulls in a Skirt" movie. She continues to write books, act, and prepare to fulfill her dream of having her books turned into films. Ericka Williams is a humanitarian, a mentor, a public speaker and above all, a Child of God. You may contact her at erickawilliamsinfo@yahoo.com. You may "like" her at Ericka Monique Williams on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter @AuthorErickaw
BPM: When did you get your first inkling to write, and how did you advance the call for writing? Do you have anyone in your life that was heavily influential in your deciding to become an author?
My cousin Nadja’s death influenced me to write a book for young ladies, my first book All that Glitters. Nadja was older than me and I looked up to her. I wanted to be just like her and emulate her. When she passed I became pregnant with my first child, so I wanted to dedicate something to her to carry on her name and legacy. Although she wasn’t famous, she was a pretty girl who got caught up in the glamour of money and the streets. She inspired me to show the pitfalls of living fast and the results of dying young. She lives on every time someone reads the dedication and reads “All That Glitters”.
BPM: Introduce us to your book and the main characters. What makes each one special? Do you have any favorites?
A Woman Scorned 3: Déjà vu is the third installment of the “A Woman Scorned” series. The main character Brielle starts off in the first book as a woman with many inner conflicts and issues. She miscarriages three times, kills her husband, and is lost in the past and afflicted by the lack of love she received from both of her parents as a child.
In “A Woman Scorned 2: Family Ties, Brielle is trying to put the pieces of her life back together with a new love, but her treacherous cousin is trying to keep her down and bound; where her younger sister proves to be an unhealthy comrade and equally negative part of her life. Brielle has got to let go of the past, before she can have her happy ending.
In “A Woman Scorned 3: Déjà vu” she is attempting to finally achieve that. The other important characters in part 3 are Shawn, Brielle’s second husband, and a new character who drives the story is Dr. Nia Gray. Dr. Gray is a psychiatrist who is supposed to be helping Brielle to get better; but who is motivated by a hidden agenda to steal Shawn from her. Dr. Gray’s sister, Danae is an antagonist in this part as well.
BPM: What inspired you to write this book? Does your faith or experiences inspire your writing?
I was inspired to continue this story, with a third part because the readers have seen Brielle as a crazy woman. They have seen her family as crazy and they have loved that. We all love drama but I didn’t want to forget to remind everyone that habit is stagnating. When we get so used to bad things happen, that we don’t want or look forward to any good; then we must examine ourselves. “We” used to love happy endings, now we love chaos and dysfunction and although we can pretend that we only love the insane in entertainment it definitely transcends into our personal lives. The first two books ending with cliffhangers. This book was planned to show that we can and will overcome when we leave the negativity behind. Happy endings are certainly possible, if we not only believe in them but strive to attain them.
BPM: Which character or topic in the book can you identify with the most? Why?
I identify with Brielle because I have acknowledged my own “anger issue” and I face problems in my family that influenced me to write the second part, “Family Ties”. Brielle was lashing out and the people who she felt wronged her, but she didn’t realize her own part in the problems she was facing due to her retaliation, and drive for revenge. I cannot say that I have been wronged but I have felt that my own family has not supported me in my endeavors, as I would have liked them too. I feel that my family has shown more animosity than love for each other. I just don’t believe that blood is always thicker than water. I also have used therapy in the past to help me deal with some dilemmas, and I used “A Woman Scorned” to help promote people to seek help when they are having emotional, mental, or problems dealing with coping and temperament.
BPM: A Legacy is something that is handed down from one period of time to another period of time. Finish this sentence- “My writing offers the following legacy to future readers... ”
My writing offers the following legacy to future readers…that success is in giving of your self. I have been writing for a long time. I am not one of the top ten authors in this “genre” that has us all lumped together because of the color of our skin. But I know that the people that I do reach, are touched, and inspired. I am fulfilled in knowing that I matter and that I will always be alive, because my books will always be here; long after I’m gone. Being a writer or author is not a get rich quick scheme, or plan; but, it is a sustaining profession.
As long as I write books, I will make a living from it. And as long as I pour my heart into my books, I will be felt. I teach in the inner city, I am from a small suburb of Manhattan; but my big dreams have allowed me to author six books to date. And I am not done. This is what I will do, until the day I die and looking ahead will allow me to leave a trail of books behind. My legacy is in perseverance, persistence, and always redemption, and faith. Just like my novels. I want readers to know that we all have challenges, but that we can overcome them.
Connect with the Author Online
Website: www.Erickaw.com
Twitter: @AuthorErickaw
https://twitter.com/AuthorErickaw
Facebook: Ericka Monique Williams
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ericka-Monique-Williams/389815499992
Purchase the Books in the “Woman Scorned” Series
Book 1: A Woman Scorned
Book 2: A Woman Scorned 2: Family Ties
Book 3: A Woman Scorned 3: Deja Vu
Buy now: http://www.amazon.com/Ericka-Williams/e/B002G5U89U
