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.

Subscribe to continue reading

Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.

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.



Read More

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.

Subscribe to continue reading

Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.

Wrath Chapter 20: “Lauryn… May I?”

On a list of stories that challenged me as a storyteller, Wrath tops the list. I was sincerely terrified to write this story. Not because I thought it wouldn’t be good, but because of how much I knew I’d have to anchor myself in my character, Lauryn James. My friends-to-lovers love story Last Comes Love took a lot out of me after I wrote it, and I was concerned that Wrath would do the same. And it did—but in such a beautiful way, much like LCL. I told myself Lauryn’s story would be a progressive journey toward happily ever after, with surprising pivots that would feel like the end of the world but were really just part of the necessary path. And one of those pivots happened in chapter 20… the chapter that captured Asher and Lauryn’s first intimate encounter.

Subscribe to continue reading

Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.

Inside the Character: Getting to Know Lila Perez (neé Moore) from the No Fraternizing series

Lila Perez (neé Moore) is the FMC who started it all for me. She was the very first self-published character to appear in my very first self-published story, No Fraternizing, Pt. 1. I thought her up after visiting a barbershop with my boyfriend (now husband), and she lived rent-free in my head from that moment on. Lila was the first character I ever fleshed out to completion—one who came alive on the page beyond anything I could’ve imagined. She’s like the Eve of my book world… the first to walk its terrain. And I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else to go first.

Let’s get to know Lila Moore a little more intimately.

Subscribe to continue reading

Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.

1 2