SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: Today in The Loft: Author Lyndell Williams!

Joining me today in The Loft is award-winning author Lyndell Williams. Lyndell brings an impressive academic and literary background to her role as an author of romance. By day, she is a cultural critic with a background in literary criticism, specializing in romance, and an editor, writing coach, and mentor. She has been published in peer-reviewed journals and writes for multiple online publications. By night, Lyndell is the best-selling author of steamy multicultural romance!

Author Lyndell Williams

S: Welcome, Lyndell! Thanks for joining me today.

Why did you become a writer?

L: Writing is an integral part of who I am. Crafting words played an essential role in my personal and professional development. Besides my work, I have taught and edited writing for over 10 years. Writing is enmeshed in my life and self-awareness. I write because I appreciate the power of words and their impact on me as I draft them and those who read them. Language is intrinsic to the human experience. Those gifted with the ability to use it to convey ideas, persuade people, and tap into emotions through writing are truly blessed.

S: You write in a wide variety of genres and styles. Can you give readers a sense of your scope?

L: I am on my writing game every day, using my skills to write a range of things, including journal articles, opinion pieces, and blog posts for a range of platforms. I also author a spectrum of short stories, novelettes, novellas, and novels. Shifting between writing styles can be a hassle, but all of it is important to me. Using them provides me with many opportunities to share my thoughts and stories. Romance is my genre of choice. I think the genre is an essential part of literature. Love stories exist across all genres. Romance centers them and conveys how members of societies and cultures navigate one of the most important human emotions—eros love.” When I write romance, I seek to give people the chance to connect with the layers of ways we meet, fall in love, and stay together. It can be complicated.

S: Where do you write?

L: I use the smallest room in our house for an office, something all six children eye regularly. Space is a premium in our large family. I could give it up and let one of them have the room, but I have made enough sacrifices. Besides, I need the space to work, store books, supplies, equipment, and get some quiet to write. I don’t always write in my office. Who wants to be stuck in four walls all day, every day? When I need to break out or travel, I have a tablet and Bluetooth keyboard to type in bed, on the den sofa, or front porch. I used to have laptops, but after burning through a few of them over the years, my youngest son built me a desktop, and I have never looked back. Writing demands require that I stay flexible about where and when I write. With a house of nine people, noise is often a standard part of everyday life, making writing difficult. I will get up at about 4 a.m. to write. Everyone is fast asleep, and my juices can flow. I am at my best during that time.

S: Wow, I don't think I'm capable of rising that early!

Your romance novels encompass a wide range of characters. What led you to create such a diverse group of people to populate your stories?

L: My romance characters represent diverse social, economic, and cultural backgrounds. The only constant I maintain is that all the female protagonists in my romances are African American. It is crucial for me to write African American women characters--who are often subjected to disdain and violence--with male love interests that pursue and cherish them. There is not enough of that in romance. I try to integrate real-life elements in my stories. My characters contend with work schedules, family, and personal issues, all of them influencing who and how they love.

S: Your books do convey a strong sense of realism. They portray life as it is, not as we want it to be, and that's commendable.

Tell me about the characters in your latest book, "Building on Broken Dreams."

L: In my book, the main characters Adam and Maryam must struggle with the past to stay together. Maryam escapes an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, Raad. She meets Adam after moving to a new city and rebuilding her life. Maryam is still healing, but she cannot ignore the way he makes her feel. Giving in to him means trusting another man, something she is not sure she can do. Adam wanted Maryam from the moment he saw her. He is prepared to do whatever it takes to get her in his arms and keep her safe. He does not care about Maryam’s past, and he concentrates on their future. But willfully ignoring their history will not keep it from reaching into their lives and threatening to tear down everything they have built.

S: What did you hope to achieve by writing this book?

L: I wrote "Building on Broken Dreams" so readers could connect with the desire to keep the past from affecting the present, but being unable to stop it. I highlight Maryam’s survival and the need for Adam to learn how to understand the ways trauma impacts the woman he loves. We all have issues that impact us and must address the ones the people we love have, too. It takes more than affection. Hard work and gathering enough empathy to provide support is essential. I try to show that through Adam and Maryam’s love.

Here's the blurb:

If Maryam Avery stays in New York for one more day, she will die.

Trapped in an abusive relationship with the manipulative and cruel Raad, she can feel her life closing in around her. After he chases her from her home and family, Maryam flees to Philadelphia, searching desperately for a new beginning, something to help rebuild her spiritually and physically.

When she meets the mysterious Adam, things are thrown off-kilter. A successful businessperson with his own past that he is fleeing from, he is everything that Maryam wants. But can she trust another man?

Doubt gives way to desire. They find themselves in a whirlwind romance, and for once, it seems like everything will work out.

Until Raad turns up.