Q. How did you decide to become a romance writer?
A. I decided to become a romance writer after reading more than 2,000 novels over a ten-year period. I’ve always been a voracious reader, but after reading The Flame and the Flower and Sweet Savage Love I found myself addicted to the romance genre. But what I did not realize was how difficult it was to write to formulaic rhythm of the category romance novel. It took several rejections before I finally got it right.

I began writing my first novel in 1984, took a year to complete it and although I was published for the first time in 1988 it was another seven years before my first attempt became a reality. That novel is now the very popular and best-selling Hideaway.

Q. You’ve set your books in some very exotic locations. How do you come up with these locations?
A. When I plotted the first book of the Hideway legacy I wanted it set in Florida to acknowledge my Southern roots and to deploy characters who claimed not only their African heritage, but other ethnic groups who are a microcosm of what makes an African-American unique. The characters are not only multi-cultural, but also bilingual. Each character was assigned a location based upon their ethnic background. Their ability to speak a language other than English added to the authenticity and believability of the plot. The five books in the series have two overlapping plots with settings in: Florida, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Brazil.

Q. What was your favorite locale for a romance and why?
A. Anyplace tropical because it has all of the elements for romance: an abundance of color with sandy beaches, warm breezes, palm trees, lush tropical flowers, fruits, brilliant sunrises, and sensual sunsets. And as a sensualist I utilize all of my five senses to set the stage for a perfect backdrop for romance. I clothe my characters in lightweight, airy fabrics in brilliant colors of yellow, orange, soft pale peach shades, and startling white over bared expanses of flesh in hues ranging from a satiny-sable to a sun-browned palomino-gold.

 Q. How do you balance a full-time career and a writing career?
A. With a lot of discipline and determination. I get up at 5:00 and write for two hours before readying myself to go into the office. I discovered writing at this hour is preferable because my mind is usually fresh after a night of sleep. I write on weekends if the creative juices are really flowing, and/or at night only if I’m on a deadline. Thus far I’ve been quite successful with this routine. I celebrated my tenth year as a published writer this past December with twelve books in print as of July 1998 (ten within the past four years).

Q. What are your favorite hobbies and how do you incorporate them into your romance writing?
A. My hobbies are traveling, art, meditation, music and cooking gourmet foods, and these interests always appear in every book I write. The foreign locales are apparent in the Hideaway legacy, art in the novellas First Fruits from the Holiday Cheer anthology and Hearts of Gold from the Love Letters anthology, gourmet cooking in Home Sweet Home, and music in Heaven Sent. I utilize Feng Shui whenever I create the furnishings for a room/or spaces, and scented candles, soothing music, bath oils or crystals to relieve a character’s stress. Music plays a major role in my creative process because I always write to music. I favor soundtracks that at times will convey the mood of the characters or their dilemma. My taste in music runs the gamut from Mozart, Babyface, Manhattan Transfer to Boys II Men. I create love scenes while playing vintage Isaac Hayes and Barry White. My music library is extensive and I’ve written and completed novels while playing certain scores repeatedly. The original motion picture soundtrack for Hamlet was used for Heaven Sent, The Mission for Hidden Agenda, The Last of the Mohicans for Vows, Marc Anthony’s Todo A Su Tiempo also for Heaven Sent, and Madonna’s Live To Tell for Hideaway.

Above Q&A Courtesy of BET Books Arabesque Romance News - May 1999

 

Four Degrees of Heat
Click to order via Amazon

by Rochelle Alers, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Brenda L. Thomas, Crystal Lacey Winslow

The mercury is soaring, and it's the perfect time to dive into a pool of uninhibited sensuality. Take a break from the heat with this collection of steamy summertime encounters featuring four of today's most popular African-American women writers.

Going south for her summer break, a high school math teacher puts her assets to work as an exotic dancer in Maxed Out by Brenda L. Thomas. But when her secret double life follows her home to Philadelphia, things swing wildly out of control as she tries to walk the line between sexy woman and sex object.

Worlds collide when a street-smart beauty scores with a multimillionaire during a summer that climaxes with the New York City blackout. Crystal Lacey Winslow captures the edgy thrills -- and the dark side -- of carnal pleasures in Sex, Sin & Brooklyn.

In Rochelle Alers' Summer Madness, a sexy brother with a mysterious past turns a pretty librarian's play-it-safe Hamptons vacation into a torrent of sensual delights. But can she trust him without knowing his whole story?

A jilted bride is on the Rebound in ReShonda Tate Billingsley's tale of passion in unexpected places. A Houston attorney goes solo on the Belize honeymoon she was supposed to share with her husband -- and makes a sizzling connection with a handsome stranger in paradise.

 

Title:  Rosie's Curl and Weave
(Click title to order on-line)

with:  Donna Hill and Felicia Mason
Date Published:  December 1998
Format:  Trade Paper

Whether you want a cut, weave or braid; a facial, manicure, or massage; there's always a helping hand-and a sympathetic ear-at Rosie's Curl and Weave on 125th Street in Harlem. And sometimes, when you least expect it, love walks in the door. So sit back, relax, put your feet up, and enjoy, as four talented writers render four magical stories about the love of beauty and the beauty of love.

 

Title:  Heaven Sent
(Click title to order on-line)

Date Published:  June 1998
Format:  Trade Paper

With her half-brother serving time in an American prison for a crime he didn't commit, Serena Morris-Vega returned to her childhood home of Costa Rica to help her influential stepfather obtain his freedom. But when a mysterious stranger shows up on the Vega estate, close to death, Serena discovers that the secrets surrounding his true identity not only strike very close to home, but also prove to be a dangerously seductive challenge.

 

Title:  Summer Magic
(Click title to order on-line)

Date Published:  April 1999
Format:  Trade Paper

Caryn Edwards needs to heal the wounds left by her ugly divorce and recover from a bad case of career burnout as a home economics teacher, so she rents a summer house on North Carolina's Marble Island. What she doesn't bargain for is handsome developer Logan Prescott, who will unexpectedly be sharing the house with her. But Logan has his own demons to deal with, and no intention of letting Caryn distract him--even if she is the most tempting woman he's ever met.

 

Title:  Home Sweet Home
(Click title to order on-line)

Date Published:  May 1996
Format:  Mass Market Paperbound

When Quintin Lord's new neighbor marched into his apartment and demanded that he turn down his music, he was surprised--and utterly enchanted. Though the celebrated photographer had had his fill of pretty faces, this lovely, graceful woman was different, somehow.

 

 

Title:  Hideaway
(Click title to order on-line)

Date Published:  April 1995
Format:  Mass Market Paperbound

Parris Simmons has spent the last ten years hiding from her ex-husband and her ex-lover, Martin Cole. Now, Martin has found Parris again--and their daughter. Soon Parris agrees to marry him, but will a dangerous, decade-old secret threaten to destroy all Parris and Martin cherish most. Original.

 

Related Links

Rochelle Alers Homepage
http://www.rochellealers.com/