Intimate Conversation with Zuri Day
Recently Ella Curry, president of EDC Creations, had the opportunity to sit down and chat with award winning author Zuri Day. She resides in Los Angeles with her family and when she isn't writing loves to travel the world, cook vegetarian food, work out, watch sports, attend concerts and theatre and enjoy the simple things in life.
Zuri Day is the bestselling author of more than a dozen novels. An EMMA and African-American Literary Awards winner, two of her novels were also finalists in the Romantic Times Best Multicultural Romance category. Along with titillating the sensual senses, Zuri loves to stimulate provocative thought on timely, relevant topics that will benefit her community of readers.
She believes in true love, half-full glasses and dreams coming true. Along with writing, hearing from readers is one of her favorite things to have happen, so she’d love to hear from you! Connect via her website, ZuriDay.com or on Facebook at haveazuriday.
BPM: How did you get started writing romance?
I'd just turned in a contemporary fiction novel when my editor, Selena James, asked if I could write romance. I said “Sure!” I'd grown up reading romance and thought writing one would be a breeze. Boy, did I have a lot to learn: about the formula, the dos and don'ts, the various types of romance. Thanks to my editor's patience and my agent's wisdom, Lies Lovers Tell was born. That first romance will always hold a special place in my heart.
Many people have given up on love, much less romance. I'm hoping that somehow in the love-filled pages of my romance novels, they can ignite the desire to believe again. Anything is possible, when we believe...
BPM: Tell us about your latest book, A Good Dose of Pleasure, from the Morgan Men series.
A Good Dose of Pleasure, when artist Anise Cartier leaves Nebraska for L.A., she's finally ready to put the past and its losses behind her. She’s even taken a new name to match her new future. And she soon finds a welcoming committee in the form of one very handsome doctor, Gregory Morgan. Their attraction is instant. So is their animosity.
Anise's goal is to start an art gallery, while Gregory is in a fierce competition for a multimillion-dollar medical research grant . His opponent for the coveted funding is not Gregory’s only problem. The beloved artist community where Anise plans to set up shop is the same location slated to be demolished to make way for the new research center.
Soon, it’s a battle between art and science—one that neither Anise nor Gregory intend to lose. Their passion is intense, but can this heated war of wills lead to a lifetime of red hot love?
BPM: What inspired the Morgan Brothers series?
I knew I wanted my next set of romance novels to involve a family. I love the idea of readers being able to delve into the hero or heroine's inner circle and extended family, so much so that they actually become a part of the reader's lives. A series allows that to happen.
BPM: Your books have seriously strong characters through out. How difficult is it to contain your secondary characters so your hero and heroine continue to take center stage?
Sometimes that's a challenge, especially when they have strong or colorful personalities. I try to make sure that whatever they're doing is not only adding layers to the story, but also helping to advance the main story line and leading the reader back to the hero and heroine's conflict and ultimate resolution.
BPM: What do you want readers to take away from reading your books?
As with all of my novels, I want readers to be entertained and inspired. I want them to feel they've gotten a peek into someone's life and maybe learned a lesson or two from what the characters have learned or endured. More than anything, I want them to fall in love with my work, and since Zuri means "beautiful" in Swahili, I want them to always have a Zuri Day!
BPM: What makes your books stand out and would entice a reader pick it up?
My books are filled with love, sex, mystery, intrigue. There's drama, comedy and never a dull moment! My novels are realistic enough for the reader to relate yet edgy enough to provide the perfect literary escape.
BPM: Albert Einstein stated that, "If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." Was there ever a point in your career, when how your life didn't match the theory? And how did you change the facts?
Zuri: Very much so. It was 2004, and I was faced with going back into the corporate world of marketing, sales or public relations. But I wanted to be a full-time writer! I stepped out on faith, quit sending out resumes and posted my writer/editor credentials on Craigslist. It was a scary moment: I didn't have a huge savings account and the bills weren't going to stop while I pursued by dream. A month later, I got my first client, a former Palm Beach socialite who wanted to write her memoir. I've written full-time ever since.
BPM: On your Facebook page you share empowering messages and you always seem to up beat. Finish this sentence: I am Powerful because...
I am Powerful because I believe I am.
BPM: How do you balance writing full time, romance, marketing, and real-life stress?
One of the tenets of my brand is dealing with real-life situations within the context of romance. I think readers appreciate when there are everyday problems for the main characters to contend with, maybe even ones that the readers are dealing with as well. The fact that there can be laughter throughout leading to a happy ending gives hope to us all.
BPM: Does reader feedback affect your writing choices at all?
Their opinions definitely matter; if readers ask questions about characters they liked, I'll often place them in another novel to keep readers updated. A great example of that is how the couple in Body by Night makes an appearance in Love in Play. Readers loved it.
BPM: Thank you Zuri for joining us to day. Readers you can find out more about Zuri by visiting the links below.
Visit her website: www.ZuriDay.com
Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haveazuriday
NEW RELEASE: A Good Dose of Pleasure by Zuri Day
Purchase your copy today: http://amzn.com/B00D4AKBGQ
