June 19

Interview: MJ Williamz + Ronica Black

MJ Williamz interviews Ronica Black:

If I’m not mistaken, your twelfth book just came out. What is the most important thing you’ve learned since getting that first book published?

Wow, great question, MJ. Thanks for taking the time to pick my brain. J I’m going to try my best to dig some answers out of you as well! I’ve learned so much these past twelve years with BSB it’s difficult to narrow it down. I would say the most important thing I’ve learned is to never give up. If you’re struggling, don’t beat yourself up. If you need a break, take it. While I try to write every day, some days it just ain’t happenin’. Then I see your Facebook page, MJ, and the thousands of words you’ve managed and I want to scream. How does she do it?? LOL. But it just goes to show, everyone is different and I’m careful not to force myself. Otherwise, I will just delete it all the next day anyway, because it’s awful. So, be kind to yourself, be positive, and don’t give up. That being said, MJ, you have an unbounded energy and drive…How DO you do it? Is there a magic pill? Can I get one?

LOL! No magic pill, I’m afraid. I just have these movies playing in my head and I have to get them down on paper. But I agree—you can’t force yourself. If it’s there, it’s there. If not, and you try to force it, you get garbage. In your most recent book, The Practitioner, you wrote about a character with anxiety issues. And you wrote it very well. Is this something you, yourself experience?

Oh yeah. Since I was thirteen. And it has been a long and difficult battle. It affects every aspect of your life and you have to figure out how to exist with it. I’ve finally found my groove and I can manage pretty well now. I surround myself with people who understand, who are positive, and who don’t make me feel like I’m ridiculous for feeling the way I do. I still need to work on my social skills. I’m great one on one, but crowds still overwhelm me. Very much like Johnnie in The Practitioner, when she walks into the restaurant to meet Elaine. She feels everyone’s energy, everyone’s eyes on her. It can be overpowering and stifling. You have to learn to put up boundaries to protect yourself and to focus on one thing and one thing only. You don’t seem to be shy or reserved at all, MJ. Am I wrong?

You are dead wrong! LOL. I’m way shy. Like painfully so. But I do okay when I put on my MJ hat. Most of my readers know, I suffer from Bipolar Disorder. Do you have any chronic health issues? And how does it affect your writing?

I do, yes. I suffer from autoimmune diseases which love to gang up and play havoc with me. Right now, my chronic kidney disease is causing problems and I am frequenting doctors’ offices quite often. When the doctors don’t have answers, you tend to worry a little and you get frustrated with all the testing, but eventually you just work around it. Right now, I do best first thing in the morning, so I run errands and write until midafternoon and then I crash. And when I say crash, I mean I am DONE. I just can’t physically go on. Hopefully, once I have answers, my energy levels will change for the better. But you just have to hang in there and not let it stop you. If I have to write at three a.m., I will. What about you MJ? Do you have to find ways to work around your illness? Do you stay positive?

I stay medicated. That’s the only way for me to stay stable. I wrote most of my short stories, and several books, before I was diagnosed, and it’s been suggested I go off my meds to get that mojo back, but I wouldn’t trade stability for anything! You write incredible sexual tension. Of course, I, personally, would like to know how you do it, but let’s just ask, do you find it easy or hard to keep that tension ratcheted up?

I love sexual tension. In books, film, real life, you name it. Writing it for me is easy. Well, not easy, but natural. I don’t know why. I guess it could be because that’s the kind of book I love to read. I love the tease and to keep those pages turning. It’s hot and yes, I do enjoy it. It keeps me going, keeps me writing. What about you, MJ? How do you dial up that tension? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

I don’t do tension as well as you do. I have a hard time writing it. I’m more the instant gratification type of person. I want to skip right to the good stuff. LOL. What part of writing is most fun for you? What part do you find the hardest?

The most fun for me is writing dialogue, fleshing out characters, and coming up with new ideas as I write. Often times I have no idea where something is going until I sit down and write. And then, WHAM! There it is. I love that moment. The hardest…God, I hate the blurb or the synopsis. Especially if there is a word limit. I find it so frustrating. I can write the whole damn book but I struggle with the 150 word back cover blurb. Go figure. Do you feel me on that, MJ, or am I crazy?

I’m with you 100%. Dialogue is by far my favorite and blurb writing ranks right up there with editing. No thanks. It’s a necessary evil for me. What advice would you give to new/aspiring writers?

Read, read, read. Write, write, write. Write the way you feel most comfortable. Get it out. Spelling errors, grammar errors, just get it out and on the page. Lay out those bones and then go back and put perfect the flesh later. The most fun is going back and adding to that flesh, adding to descriptions and tweaking here and there. Don’t start out with perfection in mind. Just write. What would you say on that note, MJ?

You said it! Read everything you can get your hands on and write every day. Let’s talk about sex. Your sex scenes are smokin’ hot! What’s the easiest thing about writing a sex scene? What’s the hardest?

Oh, my Lord, the sex. LOL. Sex scenes for me are only easy if I’m in the zone and my characters are flowing and the story is flowing and the stars are aligned, etc. In those rare instances, yes, it just comes out. But if any of those things are off, I turn on music, I get the wine, I light the candles. I put myself in my character’s shoes and I write. If none of that works, I save it for the next day, but I’ll think about it all night. The hardest…sometimes the whole damn thing is difficult. As I said, things have to be aligned for it to go well! What about you? Do the stars have to be aligned in your neck of the woods?

Writing sex scenes is hard! And keeping each one unique is even harder. I’m with you on this one. Sticking with sex, because, well, why not? How would you say you keep so many sex scenes fresh and new? How do you keep from making one sex scene sound like another?

That’s one of the hard things about writing them. You have to keep it fresh and exciting. And that can be tedious. I get frustrated just like anyone else. I often yell out to my partner or text her, “Babe, what’s another word for nipple? Is there another word for nipple?” It gets crazy around here when I’m looking up words for sex scenes. How do I keep it fresh and new? Well I give my characters credit for that. No two couples are going to experience or go about sex the same way. So I just let my individual characters take the lead and I keep the ole thesaurus close by.

Could be a personal question—where do you find the inspiration for your sex scenes?

Oh, I find inspiration everywhere. I’m a die-hard romantic so my mind is often on romance to begin with. And I think each and every person is beautiful in one way or another. A song can spark a love scene, a movie, a good book. A beautiful woman doing the simplest of daily things just her way. Laughter. I think a woman laughing is so sexy. And if she’s funny, I’m done for. I’m dying to know your inspiration, MJ. Do tell!

LOL. For me, the characters are their own inspiration. As you said, each couple is unique and they tell me what they want in the bedroom. Who’s the favorite character you’ve written and why?

I think to date it would be Johnnie in The Practitioner. She’s faced so much adversity and come through the other side. And…she landed the woman of her dreams.

Looking back now that you’re on book twelve, what would you change in any of your books and why?

I think I would want more time. To be able to set a book aside for a year and then go back over it. I guess I will always want to do that whether it’s a painting I’m working on or a book.

Do you have any writing rituals?

For love scenes, if needed, yes. Wine, candles, good music. Sometimes I’ll go places like a pub or a bar, if my character frequents them. It helps set the mood.

Do you listen to music when you write? Or do you need silence?

If I’m around people, I need music. If I’m home alone, silence is nice.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m working on a noir called Dark Euphoria. Very dark, very sexy. What about you? I know you’re working hard on something because you NEVER stop!! Tell us!

I recently finished a book about a photographer and a model and another model who stalks the first model. It’s kind of twisted, but hot and fun. What’s your favorite non lesfic book? And why?

I have two. The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy. (Because it’s just so Southern dysfunctional.) And Wonder by R.J. Palacio (Because it is absolutely beautiful and every adult and child should read it.)

When you were in school, what was your favorite subject?

English Lit. Loved it. Gothic lit was my awakening. I could not get enough! But I did not excel in that class. It was English honors and I think I got a B. I was more of a wallflower. A quiet kid. You never know what those quiet kids are capable of, do you?

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

Comedy: Young Frankenstein. Drama: American Beauty. And probably a few dozen more. I love film.

Are you married? If so, how does she feel about being married to a famous author?

No, I’m not married, but I am involved. We’ve discussed marriage a few times. I think eventually we will get married but it’s not something we worry about. As far as being married to a famous author…Lol she’s so over me. The writing, to her, is a part of me, nothing more nothing less. That being said, she is my biggest fan. She loves to read my work, no matter what it is. She really likes my poetry and she encourages me to write whatever I want, whatever I feel. She’s wonderful. But the famous thing, LOL, she doesn’t see me any different.

Do you have kids? Furbabies?

My partner has kids, but they are finally grown. I, myself, do not. I do have furbabies. A little rescue dog named Frankie and two crazy cats named Hitchcock and Chaplin. What about you, MJ. I know you have the beautiful cat that resembles my Chaplin. Any others?

Besides my adorable kitty, we have three dogs (big ones) and our niece who lives with us also has a cat. So, we’re on fur overload here.

I hear you! I’m now being regulated by my partner and my family. No more furpanions! Otherwise, I’d bring one home every day.

What’s your favorite thing to do in your spare time?

Anything having to do with art or creating. I love to get my hands dirty.

Is your workspace neat or messy?

Well it depends. My number one priority when I write is comfort. I must be comfortable. I tend to like the area to be neat but sometimes I just need to sit and write and not worry about it until after. I am not one who can sit at a desk and work. I need a plush comfy chair or sofa. And someone fanning me of course. LOL. What about you, MJ? Do you prefer someone fanning you as you work?

Living in Houston, I have an electrical fan fanning me as I write. Outside of that, my writing area is a cluttered mess. Doesn’t bother me at all. Is Ronica Black a pen name? How did you choose it?

Ronica Black is a pen name. I got Ronica from a movie with Angie Harmon, can’t recall the name of it. We took the kids to see it years ago. Black is short for Blackwelder which was my grandmother’s maiden name. When I choose pen names, I try to use family names. It makes them more special to me. What about yours, MJ?

LOL! Okay—so I was trying to come up with a pen name and my mother told me about Fern Michaels, an author she enjoys, who has a fern in her office and a husband named Michael, and that’s how she got her name. At the time, I was married to a man named Bill, so Williamz was easy. But for a plant? I could only think of one, and MJ Williamz was born! (I’m not saying what the plant was. I figure you can figure it out on your own.)

OMG. I’m going to have to look up plants now. I have no idea. Hang on. OMG. LMAO. Okay, I got it. Let’s see if our readers can guess.

Is there anything you wish I’d asked you but didn’t?

No, I don’t think so. You did great! I thoroughly enjoyed this, MJ, thank you so much!

Do you ever go to events where fans can meet you?

I haven’t been to one in a while. I plan on doing some in the future, if my health improves and remains steady. I would love to go to Saints and Sinners and P-town to name a few. I miss seeing everyone and talking to fellow writers. Someone who feels my PAIN, so to speak LOL. Eventually, I’ll get back there. Fingers crossed. MJ Williamz interviews Ronica Black: