Un-Nappily in Love

So as I promised yesterday, I am interviewing the lovely Trisha R. Thomas today! Trisha is the author of seven novels, and her first novel in her Nappily series, Nappily Ever After, is being made into a feature film starring the beautiful Halle Berry. Her latest entry in the juicy Nappily series is Un-Nappily in Love, and follows the always proudly nappy-haired Atlanta florist, Venus Johnston Parson, as she discovers once again that life with former rap artist, Jake, can’t always be a bed of roses. When Jake becomes a budding film star, appearing with his first love, Sirena Lassiter, in their hit movie, True Beauty, the thorns are unusually sharp. Venus, the mother of cute five-year-old Mya, fears Sirena is after Jake even though she’s engaged to Earl Benning, CEO of Rise Records. As the co-stars create a media frenzy, Venus, home in Atlanta, tries to enjoy a visit from Pauletta, her mother, who’s still fighting cancer, and be supportive of her friend, Miriam, whose husband’s having an affair. But Venus soon realizes that she’s going to have to fight for her man when the gossip escalates and Sirena reveals a shocker from the past.

Juicy indeed! Let’s dive into the interview!

1. You’ve been writing the Nappily series for several years. What gave you the idea to write a novel that concentrated on a black woman’s hair?

I wrote the first book in the series ten years ago. I wanted to answer the question: Why are we so obsessed with our hair? Why  are we willing to pay just about any amount of money to be what we’re not? The reason the question even came up was because my daughter came home crying from school after being called ‘nappy head’. I was floored. I couldn’t believe after twenty some odd years, the good hair- bad hair war was still going on from when I was growing up. And was it really going to go on for another twenty, thirty, or fifty years? I started paying attention to all the subtle and not so subtle messages. The TV commercials always touted going from frizzy to straight if you wanted to be beautiful. Even the main talk shows that were supposed to be empowering women focused on taking a woman’s natural hair and straightening it to make her new and beautiful as if that was the only way to feel good about herself. When would we be happy with our hair? That’s pretty much how the journey began.

2. Did you always set out for a series or was that brought on by your reader’s wanting more?

I didn’t plan to write a series. I was writing out of a need to tell a story, our story. It started as a non-fiction critical look at black hair from the 1800′s on. I spent a lot of time on research. When I finally submitted the manuscript to publishers, no one was interested. I went back to the chopping block and started from scratch. None of the big publishers cared about black hair history so I had to squeeze it in. I had to entertain as well as enlighten to get my message out. Once I finished the book, I was satisfied. But that didn’t last long. The story took on a life of it’s own and people wanted to hear more about Venus and her journey.

3. When writing a series, you have to give background for your new readers, while not boring your old ones. How do you balance the two?

I enjoy reliving the past parts of Venus’ life. It’s fun to see her challenges and growth. Like our hair, she’s always changing. I keep every story fresh with adventure and new plots.

4. You mentioned on your blog that the book you’re writing now is not in the Nappily series. Does that mean the end for Venus?

Venus has a few more stories, I couldn’t end it yet. But I did want to take a short break. This last book, Un-Nappily in Love, was very emotional for me. I wrote with so much of myself that I felt like I needed to step back for a minute.

5. How do you think your readers will like you going in this new direction? How do you feel about it, excited, nervous—Share!

"One Thing She Knew" is the story I’m working on just about every minute of the day. A woman has to chose who to save between her lover and her ex-husband after a car accident. The choice she makes puts her in all kinds of trouble, but once the story is told, you understand why.

6. It’s getting harder and harder for black authors to stay positive in the publishing industry. How do you stay positive amid all the negativity?

My goal is to simply tell stories. Though the Nappily Series is about a black woman’s experience living and loving, It’s still a human experience. When I write, I’m always asking myself would this story still flow no matter what the skin color, no matter what culture or background? If I can answer yes, I know it’s going to reach my audience. Black readers want to read good books just like any other reader. I hope one day white readers will be comfortable enough with our stories to pick them up without Oprah announcing it. The only answer is to keep writing. Authenticity will always find it’s place.

7. You have a blog and you’re on Facebook. How do you feel about social media. Which do you enjoy the best—blogging, or Facebook?

I love them all. I have never felt more in touch with readers. It’s a relief to hear feedback directly and not have to guess who this person is.

8. As a writer, what’s the hardest thing for you to tackle? Plot? Dialogue? What’s the easiest?

Nothing is easy. I think if it ever became easy, I would move on to something else.

9. Congrats on the upcoming movie deal! That is a dream for most authors—to see their books on the silver screen. How does it feel?

It feels amazing and surreal. Mostly surreal because I haven’t seen the finished product yet. I’m a firm believer that good stuff takes time. It’s been almost seven years since Halle Berry optioned the first novel, Nappily Ever After. It’s a long time, but not by Hollywood standards. 

10. What’s the biggest myth about being a bestselling author?

That you’re dancing on a bed full of money. That’s so not true. The other thing that’s really not true is that it gets easier. Every book takes me at least a year to write. Sometimes longer.

11. What’s the one thing you wished you knew as a debut author? What advice would you give fellow newbies like myself?

I’m glad I didn’t know anything as a new writer. I’m glad I had no one to tell me what wasn’t possible. When I finally started getting feedback from agents and editors, I was completely immersed in my own plan. There was nothing anyone could say to shake me up or discourage me. I wanted to tell my story.

12. We can’t skip the hair here at Curl Up and Write! What do you love about being natural?

Being natural is work just like any other style undertaking. I have to keep it healthy. I twist my hair and wear it in cute styles. I rarely let it fly unless I’m going out to dinner with my husband or some other occassion. Then I channel my inner Foxy Brown and work the whole look, hot dress, heels, and big earrings.

13. What advice would you give other women considering going natural?

Taking ownership of yourself and not following the rules because that’s what we were taught as children gives you the kind of empowerment you can’t find anywhere else. Even if you only do it for a year out of your life, you’ll always remember that inner strength.

14. I’m sure you’ve heard the debate going on from our natural beauties and our relaxed honeys. What’s your take on the debate?

The ongoing debate is pretty much standard. I’m hoping we can all agree to love ourselves first and on the desert toppings later. The same way you wouldn’t eat ice cream before your salad and dinner. We need to take care of ourselves first. 

15. Last, but certainly not least, have you ever worn a weave?

Absolutely. I’ve had every hairstyle you can possibly have. This is the best time of my life. I’m happy to be nappy, literally. I don’t want to wake up worrying about my hair for the next half of my life. That’s kind of silly and a waste of time. Just like character, Venus, it’s all about being authentic and loving life out loud. You can’t do that worrying about your edges.

I want to thank Trisha for stopping by the blog. I’ve been a reader of the Nappily series since the beginning and can’t wait to pick up my copy. Don’t forget to get yours too! In other news, I have a few copies of Unbeweaveable that I’m about to giveaway, so follow me on Twitter at @katrinasspencer to be the first to find out how you can get an early bird copy!