Character Q&A: Asher Truesdale

Asher and I are tucked away in a private study room at Langston University’s study hall. He’s taking a break between classes to chat before heading back to finish his day. He’s eager to wrap things up on time because tonight, he and Lauryn have planned a child-free evening together. Their daughter, Eres, is staying with Lauryn’s aunt for the night.

“We’re going to keep it simple…” Asher grinned. “Movie, dinner, and home for a quiet night in bed reading. I’m excited already.”

On that note, I decided to start with Lauryn and Eres, and Asher was more than happy to gush about his little family and his plans to grow it.

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My First, My Last Chapter 20: “… I’m scared of losing myself in someone else”

Chapter 20 captured the third time in Ayla and Hassani’s story when they were intimate. It’s one of the most significant intimate scenes because much like the others, it pivoted the story in a new direction—this direction a little more uncertain. This chapter gave us a moment we’d been waiting for with these two. It creates a false high because we know what happens after it. But beyond the unknown, it’s sincerely a beautiful homecoming-like moment that holds a special memory we’ll see uncovered in the spinoff to this story, My Only.

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Inside the Character: Getting to Know Hassani Franklin from My First, My Last

Hassani Franklin was an instant favorite in my book world. He was definitely a favorite for me. There have been several character breakdowns I’ve done on Hassani—that’s how much of a fan I am. He is the total package. The only thing missing for him was a love that gave him life, which he found in his friend Ayla.

Let’s get to know Hassani a little more intimately.

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Alternate Story Ending: Lila & Manny (No Fraternizing series)

Did you read my short second-chance romance, Maybe This Time Will Be Different? If you did, then you’ll remember how the story opens. The short follows Omar Harris, a barber at Kuts Kings… the same Kuts Kings from my No Fraternizing series.

Anyway, in Maybe This Time Will Be Different, Lila and Manny from No Fraternizing make a cameo. Their appearance serves as an update from their last one in Loveless (book 4 in the Forbidden series), when Lila was pregnant. So it’s a bit of a surprise when it’s alluded that she might be pregnant again. Especially when she’s first caught running off to the bathroom and Manny casually mentions she’s had an upset stomach since the day before. Then again when she runs out of the shop after Omar’s son’s mother jokes about Lila not knowing she’s experiencing pregnancy symptoms.

Well, this alternate ending picks up right where that moment in Maybe This Time Will Be Different left off! I had to revisit it. And, as usual, I feel like these two have another story in them.

What do you think?

Enjoy. 🥰

LILA

It was quiet. A little too quiet. So quiet I could hear my heart pounding… loud, steady, and distracting.

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No Fraternizing, Pt. 3 Chapter 14: “Do You Think You Can Keep Your Voice Down?”

The No Fraternizing series was a lot of fun to write as a whole, but this chapter was a culmination of all that fun and really the calm before the storm. By the time we make it to part 3 in the series, a lot has transpired, relationship dynamics have shifted, and Manny and Lila—though still on shaky ground—are moving toward something more than casual. This chapter that captures Lila and Manny’s intimate encounter doubles as both sugar and spice in the most unpredictable way.

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Inside the Character: Getting to Know Emmanuel “Manny” Perez from the No Fraternizing Series

Much like his love interest in No Fraternizing, Emmanuel “Manny” Perez was my very first male main character. The same day I created Lila Moore in my head, Manny came to life too. A flawed character who respected order and rules—even when doing so was complicated and inconvenient. Manny was the kind of character I connected with the moment he appeared on the page.

Let’s get to know Manny more intimately.

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Why I Took My Books Wide

Picture it. It’s 2015, and I’ve got a story—a short one—with no real plans for it. But with a little encouragement, I decide to publish it on Amazon. I know nothing about self-publishing. Whatever little you might know now? I knew even less than that.

I thought all I had to do was upload my story to Amazon’s platform and boom, Amazon would handle the rest.

Not only did Amazon not handle the rest, 🤣, I had to roll up my sleeves and learn how to self-publish for real. So I took a year and immersed myself in everything I could find… writing, designing, marketing, editing. Workshops. Seminars. It was a lot. But even with all that, knowing what I know now, I was barely scratching the surface.

The truth is, the learning never stops. Class is always in session. And one of the biggest lessons I had to learn in those early days was about the very mysterious Kindle Unlimited, what we’ll call KU from here on out.

That first story I mentioned? It was No Fraternizing, Pt. 1. It wasn’t a “Part 1” when I wrote it, but while I was deep in learning mode, I started getting messages from readers I had no idea my story had even reached—asking if there was going to be a next part.

So, while I was learning, I was also writing. In 2016, I came back more informed and with at least five new stories that I enrolled in KU.

I didn’t fully understand the program back then… I just knew that’s where the readers were. And I wanted to be (and still want to be) where the readers reside. So I ticked the little box that made my books exclusive to Amazon, and honestly? The rest was history…

Until February 2024.



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Character Q&A: Lauryn James

Lauryn insisted we meet at a charming bookstore cafe nestled on a quiet corner in Manhattan. It wasn’t far from Langston University, where her husband, Asher Truesdale, was wrapping up another intense day of PhD studies. 

“I wanted to meet here because it’s close to LU,” Lauryn explained, her smile softening as she adjusted her baby girl in her arms. “Asher’s coming after class. We’re going to grab dinner together.”

We settled into a cozy corner near the back of the café, the sound of clinking mugs and low chatter filling the background. Lauryn’s baby, Eres, was peacefully asleep against her shoulder, her small hands curled gently in the crook of her mother’s arm. With only an hour to chat before Asher joined us, Lauryn and I got right into our conversation about marriage, the possibility of more children, and the exciting new project her father had been working on.

The warmth of the moment felt easy, natural… a reflection of Lauryn’s journey. She was once closed off, guarded by pain, but now, in this space, she radiated a calm confidence. As our time together ticked on, I couldn’t help but marvel at how much she had changed since the early days of Wrath.

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