Q&A with Fiona Zedde

Q&A with Fiona Zedde

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Meet Fiona Zedde, Author of "Bliss"

From the outside, Bliss Sinclair’s life seems very glamorous—a high-profile job with a publishing house, a fashionable boyfriend who looks good on her arm, and ultra-chic parties where the come-ons are as hot and thrilling at night as they are empty as an air-kiss greeting the next day. It’s a world Bliss wanders through with blinders on, all the while craving more. And she finds it in the most unlikely of places.

Embarking on a series of carnal adventures with a notorious bad girl as her guide, Bliss opens herself to every new experience and every taboo. In abandoned warehouses, private fetish clubs, even her own office, Bliss is skating on the thin ice of desire—until her world comes crashing in.

Now, broken and wanting, Bliss decides to spend a summer in her birthplace, Jamaica, where she hopes to reconcile with her estranged father and rediscover herself. There, in a land of lush ripeness, of heat, warm breezes, easy smiles, and the family she left behind, Bliss will discover what she didn’t know was missing. It’s a journey that will awaken every one of her senses and take her to the edge of known pleasure and far beyond it, to a love that is as sexy as it gets, as real as can be, and more surprising than she can imagine—a place of total bliss.

Q&A With Fiona Zedde, Author of "Bliss"

Q: When did you decide you wanted to write?

A: I can't even remember it being a decision, per se. It was just something that I had to do.

Q: How many novels in all have you written?

A: I've written two novels to date and am working on a third as well as a novella.

Q: How long did it take you to write your first novel?

A: It took me about eight months, maybe a little bit more. Unfortunately, I write slower than most authors I know.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration for your stories?

A: From my life, the people around me, and the stories they tell, including their fantasies. It's fun to talk with friends about what they'd love to see in print and then go out and create those scenarios with them specifically in mind.

Q: Are the characters based on real people?

A: To some extent. Mostly my characters are an amalgamation of people who I've met or wanted to meet, or was frightened of meeting in real life.

Q: After writing your first novel, did you self-publish?? If so, how was that experience?

A: I thought about self publishing, but actually ended up getting an agent who signed me to a large publishing house.

Q: What feedback have you received from fans?

A: Excellent and positive feedback. They tell me how much they love the characters and wish the book didn't have to end. It's wonderful every time I hear from somebody, because it gives me even more fuel to keep writing.

Q: What authors do you admire?

A: Dionne Brand, Laura Kinsale, Jewelle Gomez, Pablo Neruda, Jamaica Kincaid, and a few others.

Q: Did one of them inspire you?

A: They all inspire me. These writers and poets have an enviable way with language and color that makes me strive every time I write to be even half as good as they are.

Q: Is writing your only passion?

A: No. I love to eat and I love to laze about in the sun. But writing is the only passion I get paid for.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

A:Successful, by my own definition, and even happier than I am now.

Q: What advice would you give aspiring authors?

A: Don't be an "aspiring" author, be a writer who writes, and then share your stories with the rest of the world.

Q: What would you like readers to learn from your stories?

A: One possible "lesson" or idea they could take away from my fiction is that, no matter how unhappy or tense, or unbearable your life seems now, it will get better. That thing that you need will come.

Q: Are you working on another novel? If so, what is it about?

A: I actually just finished my second novel, called A Taste of Sin, and it's going to be published in July. I'm working on an untitled novella right now that's going to be one of three in a collection that my publisher is putting out next year. The novella is a sensuality-driven story about a May/December romance and takes place in California.

Q: Where can people purchase your books? Do you have a website?

A: My book is available in most general bookstores worldwide, but is also specifically on sale at independent bookstores that need our support to survive. You can find out more about me and my fiction at www.fionazedde.com.

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