Good morning all,
Today I am excited and honored to be the second stop of the whirlwind blog tour for author Chelle Ramsey. Ramsey is hitting all the hot spots celebrating the release of her latest book '
BeJeweled: The Flight of an Angel'. In case you missed the sizzling excerpt from
BeJeweled yesterday,
whet your whistle and check it out right here on Te Russ' blog.
The beauty salon is a solid fixture in a woman's world. A woman's hair is her crowning glory whether the economy is good, bad, or otherwise. We might have to pass up that purse, getting the car washed this week, or wait on that new pair of shoes, but we are not going around with our hair looking any kind of way; if we can possibly help it. lol. So what better backdrop for a juicy novel than a beauty salon? We can always count on some relaxation, catching up on the latest happenings, sisterhood affirmation, and sometimes even a little drama.
'
BeJeweled' delivers all of this and more. And Chelle Ramsey has stopped by today to share with us a glimpse into the creative forces behind the birthing of her latest book. Thank you so much for joining us today and answering the questions inquiring minds want to know. Let's get started.
Pamela Kay: What
can you tell us about "BeJeweled The Flight of an Angel?”
Chelle: BeJeweled is the first novel in a four book series. Each story focuses on
the main character: Olivia, the salon owner; and one of her stylists, nail
techs, or masseuses. There are other background characters that you get to
know, who will have their own story.
BeJeweled:
The Flight of an Angel focuses on Olivia and Angel Franklin, a hard working
stylist with dreams of owning her own salon. However, with being berated by
another co-worker, constantly finding herself in the center of BeJeweled’s
gossip, and her husband’s constant infidelity, she’s losing hope quickly. With
years of looking the other way, she realizes that she can no longer ignore his
“side chicks” when it hits close to home. Angel may have to make a decision
that may leave her raising their only son alone.
Olivia
is working on opening a second salon, but when things in the shop spiral out of
control, she finds herself being torn in several different directions. A
spiritual woman, Olivia attempts to inspire her workers to rise above their
adversities. Yet, her attention is diverted when the only man she has ever
loved returns to Atlanta. Questioning his return, the status of his marriage,
and his intentions, Olivia finds herself once again laying her heart on the
line. With the possibility of finally discovering love, she realizes an old
promise she made will be tested. Between the drama in the shop, and her own
drama surfacing, Olivia finds her faith tested.
Pamela Kay: What
sparked the idea for this story?
Chelle: I
wanted to write a story whose main character was inspirational. All of my other
novels have an inspirational message; however, the main character is usually
deep in the conflict of the story. Olivia does have conflict that she must
resolve; however, she is steeped in her faith. And she rests on her faith to
bring her through whatever may come. I wanted to show a single woman who could
be strong, successful, and still inspirational. She aspires to be a Proverbs 31
woman if she ever has a family of her own.
Pamela Kay: How
did you develop and differentiate your characters?
Chelle: I created my characters with personalities that real people
in their situations would embody. I envisioned how an Olivia, Angel, or Belinda
would react in any given situation. I recalled the years of going to the salon
and the various personalities I encountered there, and allowed my imagination
to flow. The characters are as real to me as someone standing in front of me
conversing with me. As I heard their voices speaking different words, or
phrases I wrote them down and made those their tag words. Finally, I went on an
internet search to find the pictures of my characters as I saw them in my head,
so that I could flesh them out. This is the first novel that I have used an
outline with, thanks to fellow author, MJ Kane. It enabled me to recall
important things about them, such as their insecurities, worst memory, greatest
fear, favorite color or piece of clothing. Coming from different backgrounds
and cultures enabled me to differentiate their personalities.
Pamela Kay: Who do you imagine is your ideal reader?
Chelle: My ideal reader varies, it can be the woman who is feeling as if she is
too old to pursue her dreams, to the young woman who is trying to overcome an
abusive relationship. It may be the successful woman who has never had a
family, but as middle age approaches she finds herself wanting more than a
career, but the love and warmth of a family. Above all, my ideal reader is the
person who is facing or has faced life challenges, and needs to know that they
can overcome adversity with belief in themselves, and faith.
Pamela Kay: What do you hope readers take away from
this story?
Chelle: I hope readers become empowered to look beyond the
traditional happy ending. I want them to realize they can create their own life
ending, despite their challenges. I want them to look within and learn to
believe in themselves and love themselves above everything else. Because only
then can they learn to love others and give the best of themselves to the
world.
Pamela Kay: What is your writing process?
Chelle: My
writing process involves jotting an idea down on a piece of paper when it
occurs to me. This can happen if I am out and about, or in the middle of the
night from a dream I have had. Most of my stories come from dreams. As soon as
I have a free moment, I sit down and free write. In other words, I let the
words, ideas and thoughts flow from my head, down through my fingers and onto
the computer screen. I never question it in the beginning.
When I come upon certain topics, such as a career
unfamiliar to me, an illness, or legal situation I take a couple of days to
research that area thoroughly. I return to the writing process and write that
situation as realistically as possible into the story. After I have written the
complete novel, I go back revise, edit, and send it to my Beta readers, and
possibly revise some more. This is the first novel that I have actually used an
outline in, which I created after the first few chapters were written.
Pamela Kay: What authors most inspire you?
Chelle: Terry
McMillan, Connie Briscoe, James Patterson, Stuart Woods, and Nora Roberts.
Pamela Kay: What one book, written by someone else,
do you wish you'd written yourself?
Chelle: There is no book that someone
else has already written that I wish I had written. I say this because if there
are books out there like that, had I written them, they would be a completely
different book. Everyone has their own ideas, voice, perspective, and
creativity…so no two books will ever be the same. Therefore, I write what my
heart desires and let every author have his or her own story.
Pamela Kay: Thank you for opening up and sharing with us today Chelle. And readers please be sure to mark your calendars so you can join Chelle on the next stop of her tour when she visits the fabulous blog of author Chicki Brown on May 12, 2014.
About The
Author
Chelle Ramsey
An
avid reader since her primary years, Chelle saw books as an escape mechanism.
Excited by the worlds, and characters that could be created with a touch of the
imagination, she began writing her own stories at the age of 12. The more
enamored with storytelling she became, the more she wanted to create stories
about the suffering, and hardships she saw others enduring, with one twist…her
characters would rise above their adversities and limitations, but not always
with traditional endings.
This
busy wife, and mother of three, exchanged her Girl Scout Leader pins for her
creative writing pen, as she began to focus on publishing her novels. In her
spare time, when she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading mystery novels, watching
the NBA, remodeling their home with her husband, and spending time with him and
their children. Having received her MBA in Human Resource Management, she says
she cannot wait for the day when writing becomes her full-time career. “If I
can show my readers they are not alone, in dealing with their challenges, and
that they can rise above their limitations, I have achieved my goal,” Ramsey
says.
Contact Info:
Twitter: @ChellesBooks
Pinterest: authorcmramsey
Purchase the
Book Online at:
Amazon.com
BarnesandNoble.com
Obtain Graphics
from the Media Kit:
