Pamela Yaye has a Bachelor’s Degree in Christian Education and her love for African-American fiction, prompted her to pursue a career in writing romance. She penned her first novel, Other People’s Business, while teaching English in Seoul, South Korea and wrote The Trouble With Luv’ soon after. Two years and thirty rejection letters later, she signed with super-agent Sha-Shana Crichton of Crichton and Associates. When she’s not working on her latest novel, she’s watching basketball, cooking, or planning her next vacation. Pamela lives in Calgary, Canada with her husband and daughter.
Her Kind of Man
Makayla Stevens has blossomed since high school, but one thing hasn't changed: Kenyon Blake still turns her knees to jelly. Back then, she had thick glasses and braces, and he was a gorgeous football star. Now he's the uncle of one of her students, and he's made it plain he'd like to get to know her outside the classroom. The reality is even hotter than her teenage fantasies, but getting involved with a student's relative could mess with her career, and her peace of mind.
Kenyon's not giving up, not before teaching Makayla a few things—about long, slow kisses, sizzling passion and listening to your heart.…
What would you like your readers to take away from your book?
I want readers to know that you are NEVER too old to reinvent yourself! It doesn’t matter if you’re a teenager, a single mom with five kids or retired. It doesn’t matter what anyone has to say. The only person you have to answer to is you. So, if you have a burning desire to write a novel, or go back to school or travel the world (like my heroine, Makayla Stevens), ignore the naysayers and do everything humanly possible to make your dream a reality.
What did you learn while writing this book?
I learned that as long as I keep God first in my life, there is nothing, and I do mean nothing, I can’t overcome. I was seven months pregnant when I wrote this book and when my son, Justice, passed away unexpectedly, I didn’t know how I was going to get out of bed in the morning, let alone write. But, God has renewed my strength and through prayer and counseling, I’ve started to work through my grief. Our friends and family and co-workers have been incredibly supportive and my husband and I are grateful for each and every one of them.
What is your favorite scene from this book?
I can only choose one? That’s like asking a mother who her favorite child is! I love the book club scene. Its women at their best-talking, laughing, joking, dishing dirt about the men in their lives. The other scene I really enjoyed writing was Kenyon and Makayla getting cozy at the drive-in. And once you read it, you’ll see why…
What one thing about writing do you wish other non-writers would understand?
Writing takes time. I don’t sit down at my computer and knock out a 300 page manuscript in a week. Or even a month. It’s hours spent reading, researching, plotting and typing. I write every scene long hand, then type it out on the computer. It sounds like a lot of work, but that’s my process and it works for me.
What aspect of writing do you love the best, and which do you hate the most?
I love everything about writing. Creating, revising, editing, fighting with my characters and getting inside their heads. Or rather, trying to get them out of mine. I’m a new writer and I’m still in the honeymoon phase so there’s nothing I hate. A lot of authors complain about doing revisions, but I think it’s another opportunity to make the novel even better. And I’ve been fortunate enough to have a super-great editor who likes my voice and “gets” my sense of humor.
What are three things you wish you'd known before you reached where you are now?
I’m a perfectionist and I like things done my way. Since having my daughter, I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff and to ask for help when I need it. I can’t be all things to all people and I know now that that’s okay. Every day is a gift, and I want my days to be filled with love and laughter, not stress and anger.
What do you do to make time for yourself?
On the weekends, I wake up early, make myself breakfast and sit at the kitchen table. I usually pray and read my bible, but sometimes I just stare out the window, thinking about how great my life is and how fortunate I am to be loved by so many incredible people.
My city is really (really) cold, so now that Spring is finally here, I want to be outside as much as possible. I go for bike rides, long, afternoon walks, and treat myself to a massage when I’m feeling stressed. At twenty-nine, I’m finally learning to be kind to myself and I think it’s important that women make time to pamper themselves.
This month our theme is Resources on the Net. Can you give us five resources you use on the net?
http://www.eharlequin.com/: When I started writing my first novel, it never occurred to me to check publisher’s websites and when I stumbled upon eharlqeuin.com, light bulbs went off left and right! Read through the guidelines for the line you are targeting and see if your story fits. There are also articles written by editors, authors and others in the business. Very useful and informative site.
http://www.karenfox.com/: This site has everything and I do mean everything! It was one of the first writing websites I discovered when I got started. There are tons of articles about writing (how to write dialogue, developing your voice, crafting believable characters) but she also has information about various publishers and agents.
http://www.romanceincolor/: I practically LIVE at this site. This site is by us and for us. Before I got published, I used to read the reviews and make a mental note of what readers liked and disliked. I think that helped me to avoid certain pitfalls and encouraged me to be different in my approach. My goal is to always put a fresh spin on an old story and to keep the reader so engaged, they can’t put my book down.
http://www.likesbooks.com/: More great articles and writing samples on how to improve your writing. I found it easier to print them off and add them to my writing binder. That way, they’re easily accessible.
http://www.publishingcentral.com/: A lot of the articles are written by authors and as a new writer it was helpful to see what worked/didn’t work for published authors. Use these resources to create your own ‘Writer’s Toolkit’ and learn from others mistakes!
Do you have any advice for the aspiring writer?
Stop surfing the internet, put down the phone and step away from the TV! (joking) The only way to write a novel is to just dive in. When I’m working in my office, I don’t stop to watch Oprah (although I love her) or answer the phone or put on a load of laundry. The only thing that can pull me away from the computer is my daughter. And sometimes my husband!
How can readers get in contact with you? (mail, email, website)
I love to hear from readers! Post your thoughts and comments at http://www.pamelayaye.com/. Or you can email me at pamelayaye@aol.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
What did you learn while writing this book?
I learned that as long as I keep God first in my life, there is nothing, and I do mean nothing, I can’t overcome. I was seven months pregnant when I wrote this book and when my son, Justice, passed away unexpectedly, I didn’t know how I was going to get out of bed in the morning, let alone write. But, God has renewed my strength and through prayer and counseling, I’ve started to work through my grief. Our friends and family and co-workers have been incredibly supportive and my husband and I are grateful for each and every one of them.
What is your favorite scene from this book?
I can only choose one? That’s like asking a mother who her favorite child is! I love the book club scene. Its women at their best-talking, laughing, joking, dishing dirt about the men in their lives. The other scene I really enjoyed writing was Kenyon and Makayla getting cozy at the drive-in. And once you read it, you’ll see why…
What one thing about writing do you wish other non-writers would understand?
Writing takes time. I don’t sit down at my computer and knock out a 300 page manuscript in a week. Or even a month. It’s hours spent reading, researching, plotting and typing. I write every scene long hand, then type it out on the computer. It sounds like a lot of work, but that’s my process and it works for me.
What aspect of writing do you love the best, and which do you hate the most?
I love everything about writing. Creating, revising, editing, fighting with my characters and getting inside their heads. Or rather, trying to get them out of mine. I’m a new writer and I’m still in the honeymoon phase so there’s nothing I hate. A lot of authors complain about doing revisions, but I think it’s another opportunity to make the novel even better. And I’ve been fortunate enough to have a super-great editor who likes my voice and “gets” my sense of humor.
What are three things you wish you'd known before you reached where you are now?
I’m a perfectionist and I like things done my way. Since having my daughter, I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff and to ask for help when I need it. I can’t be all things to all people and I know now that that’s okay. Every day is a gift, and I want my days to be filled with love and laughter, not stress and anger.
What do you do to make time for yourself?
On the weekends, I wake up early, make myself breakfast and sit at the kitchen table. I usually pray and read my bible, but sometimes I just stare out the window, thinking about how great my life is and how fortunate I am to be loved by so many incredible people.
My city is really (really) cold, so now that Spring is finally here, I want to be outside as much as possible. I go for bike rides, long, afternoon walks, and treat myself to a massage when I’m feeling stressed. At twenty-nine, I’m finally learning to be kind to myself and I think it’s important that women make time to pamper themselves.
This month our theme is Resources on the Net. Can you give us five resources you use on the net?
http://www.eharlequin.com/: When I started writing my first novel, it never occurred to me to check publisher’s websites and when I stumbled upon eharlqeuin.com, light bulbs went off left and right! Read through the guidelines for the line you are targeting and see if your story fits. There are also articles written by editors, authors and others in the business. Very useful and informative site.
http://www.karenfox.com/: This site has everything and I do mean everything! It was one of the first writing websites I discovered when I got started. There are tons of articles about writing (how to write dialogue, developing your voice, crafting believable characters) but she also has information about various publishers and agents.
http://www.romanceincolor/: I practically LIVE at this site. This site is by us and for us. Before I got published, I used to read the reviews and make a mental note of what readers liked and disliked. I think that helped me to avoid certain pitfalls and encouraged me to be different in my approach. My goal is to always put a fresh spin on an old story and to keep the reader so engaged, they can’t put my book down.
http://www.likesbooks.com/: More great articles and writing samples on how to improve your writing. I found it easier to print them off and add them to my writing binder. That way, they’re easily accessible.
http://www.publishingcentral.com/: A lot of the articles are written by authors and as a new writer it was helpful to see what worked/didn’t work for published authors. Use these resources to create your own ‘Writer’s Toolkit’ and learn from others mistakes!
Do you have any advice for the aspiring writer?
Stop surfing the internet, put down the phone and step away from the TV! (joking) The only way to write a novel is to just dive in. When I’m working in my office, I don’t stop to watch Oprah (although I love her) or answer the phone or put on a load of laundry. The only thing that can pull me away from the computer is my daughter. And sometimes my husband!
How can readers get in contact with you? (mail, email, website)
I love to hear from readers! Post your thoughts and comments at http://www.pamelayaye.com/. Or you can email me at pamelayaye@aol.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
3 comments:
Pamela,
My deepest sympathy on the loss of your son.
I write long hand and type out everything too. Great advice for the aspiring writer, now if I could get away from the t.v. I could get some serious writing done.
Thank you for the interview. It was nice meeting you at the slam.
Pamela,
So nice to see/hear you are doing. You are an inspiration to us all at the way you kept going through one of the darkest times a person can imagine. Hugs, my friend.
Linda Ford
Pamela,
You're an inspiration! Keep writing those fantastic stories!!
Cheers, Julie Rowe
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