Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Interview with Author Stefanie Newell

Joins us as we chat with Stefanie Newell author of The Buzz and one of Sexy Ebony Book Club's January 2010 Featured Authors. Please feel free to comment on the interview. And don't forget to visit the Sexy Ebony BBW African American Book Club website for a chance to win a copy of The Buzz. Contest ends February 7, 2010

http://www.sexyebonybbwaabookclub.com/


1) Tell us about yourself? I'm a fiction writer. I also freelance write for an online entertainment magazine as well as my own blog The Music Hot Spot. I enjoy anything creative. I love shopping for shoes and boots. I'm a business owner and a mom.

2) How long have you been writing? My mom recently gifted me with two books I wrote in grammar school. The first book I had to have been about eight. It was completely illustrated, cover and all, and it was called The Two Inch Boy. It's the story of a little boy who was only two inches tall and the struggles he faced. LOL. I wrote another book about a year later called The Idea. The Babysitter's Club series was really popular at that time and my book was a spin on it. So I've been writing quite a long time.

3)What drove you to pick up that pen for the first time? I realized at a very early age that I enjoyed writing. I remember being very excited when I learned to read. I have always had a very vivid imagination so I enjoyed reading. When I was a child there were book clubs you could join and they'd send a shipment of books in the mail. I would read the whole shipment in one night.

I encourage parents to purchase books for their kids and encourage them to read. Aside from being stimulating, it allows them to use their imagination. As a result of my mom encouraging me to read; I've written poems, short stories, songs, articles and now my novel The Buzz. It planted a seed.

4) This month we will be giving away a copy of your novel, The Buzz, When Celebrity Gossip Goes Wrong... Please tell us a little about your novel?

The Buzz is really a fun story and very apropos.

It's the story of Ebony Jenkins an Internet addict and celebrity gossiper. She's opinionated and very in your face. From the outside it appears she has it all; a successful thriving hair salon, a daughter, and a devoted boyfriend but she's become so immersed in celebrity culture, she'll do anything to maintain her faux celebrity lifestyle.

She despises the celebrities she tries to emulate and when her life crosses path with an up and coming R&B singer, she sets out to ruin her career by any means necessary. The Buzz is a page turner full of drama, scandal and revenge and little bit of gossip thrown in.

5) How much was this book influenced by your work with your Entertainment Blog The Music Hot Spot and as an entertainment writer for Unrated Magazine? Most of it is directly related to my work in the entertainment industry. When I first started writing for my website themusichotspot.com and for Unrated Magazine I decided I wanted my first novel to be about the entertainment industry. But, I didn't want it to be the typical entertainment story. I wanted to tell the story in a new voice.

I would visit message boards and gossip blogs to gather story ideas and I would encounter some of the most hilarious people commenting on gossip. I then came up with the idea to tell The Buzz from the perspective of a celebrity gossiper. Someone who actually sends the gossip to the blogger. Why would they do that? What are their motives?

When the book opens, you're on the Internet and Ebony's chatting on a message board. You get a good feel for her as soon as the book opens.

6) Is there another novel in the works? Can you tell us a little about this book? I'm writing a novel called Rules of the Game. There's currently no release date but the story is written from the perspective of a young woman who has written her own rules for relationships.

7) You are a woman juggling lots of different roles and making it work for you. What is a typical day for you like when you are on a writing deadline? How do you manage the different hats you wear and still have time for self? Being balanced is very important to me. So I pamper myself often and sometimes that's as simple as being able to write a chapter in my upcoming novel.

In the latter part of 2008, I established my publishing company Write One Publications, Inc.

I released both my novel The Buzz and author Bernice Harris' book Pull Your Pants Up and be man! through my company. A typical day? I'm usually juggling many different projects. But I start my morning at about 7 am. After taking my son to school, I head to the gym and when I return from the gym I make sure I have breakfast. My day goes so much better with breakfast.

I check emails, return phone calls, and do social marketing (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) in the morning. And the rest of my day is spent working on accounting, scheduling speaking engagements, blogging, writing, preparing proposals, coordinating with my author for signings and interviews, etc. It really is a balancing act. But the blessing is that it doesn't feel like work. I also just started doing workshops with the youth which I'm excited about.

In the evening, it's family time. I cook dinner and we watch DVR recordings and just hang out.

8)What has been the greatest challenge you have faced as a writer? As a new writer, you face the challenge of readers not recognizing your name. You have to start at ground level to create a fan base of readers. But the positive I've found is the Internet has been so helpful. It puts new writers such as myself in contact with the readers who enjoy our books. Readers that enjoy staying up all night because they have to know what's going to happen next. That's why I'm so thankful for sites such as yours and the support I've received. It's a challenge but it can be overcome.

9) What are you reading now? What types of books (genres) do you read in general? Right now I'm reading a lot of business books. I'm currently reading Guerilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson. I really enjoy business and books on marketing and finance. I enjoy reading autobiographies. And of course I love fiction.

10) Who are your favorite authors? So many...Sophie Kinsella is a really good writer. I love her Shopaholic series. I enjoy her because she makes me laugh. It's not often you can read a book and literally laugh out loud. I've been in public reading her books and caught myself laughing hysterically.

I enjoy Sister Souljah and Kimberly Lawson Roby. I really like Carl Weber, I love the fact that his characters are women and he writes in their voice effortlessly. I could go on and on.

11) Tell us about the online and offline personal appearances you have planned over the next couple of months. Where can readers connect with you up close and personal? Do you have a website? In addition to being a writer, I'm also a public speaker. In the coming months I will be visiting different schools speaking with the youth about setting goals, finding their passion, and achieving their dreams. Readers can visit http://www.writeonepublications.com/ for additional information on the workshops.

12) What is the one thing you would like all of your readers to know about you? I'm very passionate about writing. I'm doing what I absolutely love!


ABOUT STEFANIE NEWELL: Stefanie Newell was born and raised in Chicago, IL. She graduated from DePaul University with a B.A. in Finance. While finance has been her day job, she has been a writer for many years in different facets. Stefanie first co-wrote a song for Latin recording artist, Yohany and later began freelance writing for Unrated Magazine and her entertainment blog The Music Hot Spot. After observing the entertainment industry and lurking on various message boards and blogs over the years, Stefanie came up with the idea for her debut novel The Buzz. Published by Write One Publications, Inc., The Buzz has created an incredible buzz amongst book readers and fans of celebrity gossip. Stefanie is currently working on her second novel Rules of the Game.

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