In
Times of Trouble
by
Yolonda Tonette Sanders
MM: Welcome to Mass Musings Yolonda! I'm so excited you could join us today for a chat :). Many authors relate their
characters to people they know. Is this the case with your
characters and do you see yourself in any of them?
There are times
when I may loosely base a character on someone I know. I can also see
bits of my personality or habits in some characters as well. For
instance, one thing that Lisa and I have in common is our low
tolerance for disrespect from our children. In any case, there’s no
single individual on which I can claim a character is totally based.
MM: Who is your favorite character in
your book and why?
RJ. He is a guy
who has made some mistakes in life, but who hasn’t let those
mistakes stop him from moving forward. I also appreciate his
unwavering love for his family.
MM: Who is your most favorite
character from any book of all time?
Anne from Anne of
Green Gables. She is funny and I can identify with how picky she is
about the spelling of her name since my first name is often
misspelled. One of the funniest moments in that book to me was when
she commented on the way a teacher had said her name. Anne said that
she could tell she pronounced it without an “e.”
MM: If you could dive into the pages
of any book, which book would it be and what character would you be?
This is a great
question for which I am truly stumped! Hmmm . . . maybe I would be
Anne from Anne of Green Gables. She’s funny and sometimes a little
melodramatic (like me), but she genuinely cares about her loved ones.
That’s another characteristic we have in common.
MM: If your book was to become a
movie, which actors/actresses do you see playing the parts of your
characters?
Thandi Newton as
Lisa
KeKe Palmer as
Chanelle
Blair Underwood
as RJ
Meagan Good as
Tyra
Angela Bassett or
Regina King as Olivia or Callie
Jamie Foxx as
Eric
Selena Gomez or
Demi Lovato as Stacie
MM: What can we expect from Yolonda
Tonette Sanders in the future? Any new projects?
I have a
mystery/suspense series scheduled to be released in April 2014. You
can also expect a young adult series from me in the upcoming years as
my agent is currently shopping around one story of this series. In
addition, I have a nonfiction project twirling about in my mind, so
stay tuned.
MM: Where can readers connect with
you?
Thank you so much for taking time to
chat with me today. It's been a wonderful pleasure.
Thank you for
having me as your guest. I have enjoyed our chat!
About The Author:
Yolonda
Tonette Sanders took a leap of faith in 2004 when she resigned from
her job with the State of Ohio after only three and a half years to
focus more on writing. It was a leap that she has never regretted. In
2005, her debut novel, Soul Matters,
was published by Walk Worthy Press
and Time Warner (now Hachette Book Group). In 2008, her second book,
Secrets of a Sinner, was
published by Harlequin/Kimani Press. That same year Yolonda started
Yo Productions, LLC, a Christian based literary services and
theatrical entertainment company, which she used to launch and create
her first stage production. The theatrical version of Soul
Matters debuted successfully in
September 2009 at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Columbus, Ohio.
Since then, Strebor Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, is
planning to release four of Yolonda’s titles by April 2015.
Currently, Yolonda resides in Columbus, Ohio and is the loving wife
of David, proud mother of Tre and Tia, and joyful caregiver of her
mother, Wilene.
Genre:
Christian | Contemporary |
Inspirational
Publisher:
Simon and Schuster/Strebor Books
Release
Date: April 23, 2013
Book
Description:
Divorced,
single mother Lisa Hampton is grateful for a fresh start after a
humiliating scandal forced her to relocate from Maryland to Ohio. Her
biggest issue nowadays is dealing with her rebellious teenage
daughter, Chanelle, who is one smart comment away from being
toothless!
Other
than the stress of dealing with Chanelle, life is perfect. Lisa has a
new beau and a steady job that allows her the opportunity to rub
shoulders with very wealthy and influential people. She is best
friends with Isaac and Olivia Scott, an extremely rich and powerful
couple.
When
Chanelle accuses the Scotts’ son of rape, Lisa learns how quickly
her friends become enemies as Olivia and Isaac use their wealth and
power to manipulate justice. The Scotts prove that they are willing
to go to extreme lengths to protect their son, even if it means
destroying both Lisa and Chanelle in the process.
Excerpt
Hearing
the sound of her mother's footsteps descending the hardwood stairs,
Lisa leaned back on the sofa so as not to appear overly anxious.
"Chanelle
still hasn’t made it home?” Her mother’s wire-framed glasses
rested at the tip of her nose while a large green robe concealed her
body.
"Nope.
. ."
"Did
you call Jareeka’s?”
“Yes;
her father said that she and her mother are away for the weekend.”
She felt herself tensing with every word.
“What
about RJ? Have you called him?”
“He
hasn’t seen her either.”
“Well,
don’t come down too hard on her. Maybe she didn't know Jareeka was
out of town and when she found out, she decided to hang with one of
her other friends instead. Now she should’ve at least called and
told you, but she was probably so happy to get out the house that she
forgot. Poor thing; it seems like she’s always on punishment.
Sometimes I think you’re too hard on that girl. I don't want to
meddle—"
"Then
please don't," the thirty-eight-year-old interjected in the most
respectful tone that she could conjure up with a clenched jaw.
"All
right. I'll keep my opinion to myself, but I was merely going to
say that you may want to consider extending Chanelle's curfew.
She’s practically an adult and it’s time you start treating her
like one. Maybe then you’d be less likely to run into this
problem."
An
electrifying jolt shot through Lisa’s body. The way she disciplined
Chanelle had become a constant point of contention between her and
her mother. Thank goodness Hattie would soon be moving into her own
apartment! Lisa could not wait!
“That
makes absolutely no sense!” she fired back. “What she is, is
irresponsible. Why should I reward her for not being able to honor
her curfew? And anyhow, she wouldn’t have been on punishment
recently had she not been so smart at the mouth.”
“I
wonder where she got it from . . .” her mother replied cynically,
quickly disappearing into the kitchen and returning moments later.
“Good night."
"The
same to you,” Lisa replied, continuing to stew as the clock read
1:21 a.m. The only other noise she heard was the emptying of the
automatic ice machine until ten minutes or so later when a car pulled
into the driveway. Lisa’s heart began racing when she saw flashing
blue and red lights from the window. It wasn’t her car as she had
thought, but a police cruiser. A gut-wrenching fear fell over her.
Had something horrible happened to Chanelle? She felt guilty about
being so angry and the missed curfew was now a minor issue compared
to the concern that her baby might be lying in the hospital
somewhere. Lisa was horrified by the unlimited possibilities of
things that could’ve happened to her daughter. The pit of her
stomach knotted as she sprang from the couch and raced to the front
door.
3 comments:
Thank you so much for chatting today Yolonda :)
Great interview. I can totally relate to the name misspelling, mine is always spelled and said wrong. Good luck with the rest of your tour.
-Dee
Brilliant interview. Clever questions and I loved the 'step inside the pages of a book' one. Imagine being at the mercy of an author! Yikes!
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