Shakir Rashaan is the author of
the national bestselling novel In Service to the Senator, Unthinkable, The
Devil’s All-American, the national bestselling series the Nubian Underworld,
the Kink, P.I. series, and the upcoming novel, Love, Lust & Beautiful Liars
in February 2020. He is also developing projects under the pen name PK Rashaan.
You can find out more about Rashaan at www.ShakirRashaan.com.
How can readers get in contact with you?
www.ShakirRashaan.com
(all of my social media and contact information is there, including my
newsletter sign up on the front page)
What would you like readers to take away from your
book?
What I want readers to take away from Senator is that there
are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes in the political arena, and
that people are not always who they present themselves as in public. I want
readers to enjoy the ride as much as I enjoyed writing about it.
What did you learn while writing this book?
As with any of the books I write, I always learn something
different. With Senator, I learned that I have the ability to step outside of
my comfort zone, in a manner of speaking, and still put my signature spin on
the relationships that reside within the pages of the other books in my
catalog, so that it doesn’t feel like an outlier.
What did you hope to accomplish with this book?
I hoped to give readers a chance to escape. Considering this
was a political thriller (and the current circus going on in the real time
political arena), I wanted to present a world where there was a clear-headed
and intelligent politician that readers could enjoy.
Which character did you have the most fun writing
about?
The distinguished gentleman from California, of course. When
Mr. Obama was in office, I always wanted to give him more of an edge, without
it feeling like he was being uncouth. Politics is always about appearances in
addition to having the acumen to handle the job. To have the chance to give
Senator Warren the ability to exhibit both was fun and challenging, while still
giving him some flaws that created the situation that happened inside the book.
What do you believe makes your stories stand out?
My stories are meant to educate and titillate, that has always
been my ultimate goal. They aren’t always for the faint of heart, but they are
meant to help open minds and perspectives while telling an entertaining story
at the same time.
What do you do when your book isn’t selling?
I try to freshen up the marketing approach, try to find out if
there are other areas or mediums that I haven’t tried to hopefully reach a
different reader base. I have, at times, reached out to fellow authors in my
genre to pitch to their readers, too.
Beside yourself, what male author would you
recommend SORMAG readers check out.
That’s a list in itself. Eric Jerome Dickey, Brian W. Smith,
Asar, Curtis Bunn, Roy Glenn, Wayne Adrian Jordan, Keith Thomas Walker, K’wan, Marlon
McCaulskey, Blacc Topp, Keith Kareem Williams.
Who was the first author you ever met?
E Lynn Harris. Changed my life in ways that I still can’t
convey. Met him before Invisible Life took off, and the fact that he was so
authentic about his life to the point that it found its way into the pages of
his debut book influence my pen to this day. It may make people uncomfortable,
but I would have it no other way. Authenticity is important.
How can we get more young men interested in
writing and reading books?
Honestly, that starts with getting them to read things that
appeal to them. When I was growing up, I was a huge comic book reader. It
allowed me to find worlds and characters and perspectives that were not my own,
all while entertaining me at the same time. For this generation, sometimes it
is a matter of giving them something to enjoy reading as opposed to giving them
something to think deeply over. The reason rap became such a popular medium for
black men is simple: it gave them the ability to tell their story, to be heard.
The same thing can happen with writing, but exposure to other men who are
writing something other than nonfiction will go a long way to getting more to
writing and reading.
What’s the most interesting change in your life as
a result of being a published author?
The most interesting thing is having readers send emails that
let me know that my books helped them have conversations with their significant
others about their desires and needs. My characters live unapologetically, and
that is something that should be done a lot more, but people don’t always have
the courage to do so. Books serve a purpose, and they can spark conversations
that people would not normally have.
What has surprised you most about being a
published author?
The doors that have opened for me by being a published author,
and the places that it has taken me over the past decade.
What about writing do you wish non-writers would
understand?
That it is very difficult to create a story arc and make it
feel fresh and interesting, especially to people who read a lot. And whether
they like it or not, writing is a passion and a profession, one that deserves
to be compensated for the work being done.
Can you give us one do and one don't for those
aspiring to be an author?
Do: Be open to your readers. You never know who they know, and
they may drop your name in places and conversations that you would otherwise
never be involved in.
Don’t: Never take a review personally. EVER. Writing is
subjective, and not everyone is going to be receptive to your creative process.
It’s bad form, and while it might make you feel better in the short term, the
long-term consequences could stunt your professional growth.
When you're not writing, what do you like to do in
your spare time?
I’m usually at home watching movies and television shows with
my Beloved and our daughter. I also teach classes at different conferences away
from the literary world (if you’ve been to my site, then you know the nature of
those conferences. If you haven’t, then you’re in for a treat LOL). I’m a
sports fan, so I’m entertained year-round on that front.
Oprah always asks, what do you know for sure?
I know for sure that I will be writing until I transition to
the next life, and hopefully, I will be writing in the next life, too.
Any last words for our readers?
I want to say thank you for taking the time to read my
interview, I appreciate you more than you know. I hope you stop by my website,
join the community inside my website, and take a look at my catalog and pick up
a few books along the way. I’ve got a lot more coming down the pipeline!
Terrell Warren is a rising star within the Democratic Party.
Buoyed by his exploits in Desert Storm, the two-term senator is poised to enter
rarified air as an African-American politician, possessing the charisma, the
political pedigree, his Obama-esque looks--and picture-perfect wife by his
side--that could have him sitting in the Oval Office as Commander-in-Chief in
the not-so-distant future.
Forces in the shadows who are not happy with the senator's
ascension have devised the perfect leverage to derail the momentum of the
powerful statesman, centered around the abduction of his newlywed bride. It's a
race against the clock to find her, while dealing with the potential
consequences should he decide not to comply with her abductors' extraordinary
demand--one that threatens to revert American foreign policy to the previous
century's "Cold War" history.
In Service to the Senator is the latest explosive tale from
best-selling author Shakir Rashaan, where sometimes, politics make the
strangest of bedfellows--and enemies.
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