Q:  When did you decide you wanted to write?

A:  The decision to write, For me wasn't really a decision. Writing was just something I did to express myself. Then eventually I became passionate about it and started to seriously think about becoming an author and poet.

Q: How many novels in all have you written?

A:  I have written four novels in all including Cross My Heart, but out of the four I'm only thinking about publishing one of them. I do have other projects in the works though.

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

A:  Cross My Heart took about 4 or 5 months to write.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration for your stories? Are the characters based on real people?

A:  I get my inspiration from reading other novels as well as real life. Some of the characters are based on actual people. I love to people-watch and develop stories.

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

A:  Yes, I did self-publish at first. I posted my novel up on a site called Lulu.com, but it didn't take long before people took notice and after only about 3 months I was being offered a publishing contract.

Q:  What feedback have you received from fans?

A:  The fans have been really supportive and they seem to love the novel. There have been numerous requests for me to do a sequel.

Q:  What authors do you admire? Did one of them inspire you?

A:  I really love Toni Morrison, Omar Tyree and Eric Jerome Dickey just to name a few, but the author that really inspired me is Terry McMillan. I love her style of writing. It's so raw and real. You feel as if you know the characters and she moves you. That's exactly what I aspire to do with each story that I write.

Q: Is writing your only passion?

A:  No, writing isn't my only passion. I love music and have been singing since I could talk. I want to learn to play some instruments as well. I also love to dance and hope to do some acting in the future.

Q:   Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

A:  In 5 years I hope to have put out a novel per year. Hopefully, I can get into theatre. I also want to open a couple businesses. Mostly I just want control and stability in my career no matter what path I decide to take.

Q: What advice would you give aspiring authors?

A:  Read, read, read. Make sure you study your favorite authors so that you know what it takes to write a good story. Also, take a few classes on writing. The bottomline is learn as much as you can about your passion. And don't listen to the haters, don't let anybody stop you from dreaming.

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

A:  I would just like to bring up issues that make people think and hopefully affect them in a positive way.

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

A:  Yes, I am. Actually, there were so many requests for a sequel to Cross My Heart that I started writing it. This story will basically start a few months after where the first novel left off.

13. Where can people purchase your books? Do you have a website?

My debut novel can be found on Amazon.com and we're working on getting it into bookstores nationwide. I do not have a website at the moment, but I do have a myspace page. The url is www.myspace.com/sexyanjel.