Welcome to APOOO, Shana Burton!

In 140 words or less, tell us a little about yourself. 

I’m very much a Georgia Peach! I love God, family, food and fun.  I’m either quiet and reserved or completely over-the-top.  There is no middle ground.  I’m not good at being fake, so what you see is pretty much what you get.  I’m also extremely sensitive to the needs of others.  I can’t stand to see people mistreated or in pain.  I’m just really simple and complex at the same time.

In 140 words or less, tell us why Flaw Less would make a great addition to our personal library.

If Flaw Less is nothing else, it’s highly entertaining.  More than that, though, the characters are real and relatable.  They storyline is fresh and full of plot twists and turns. As a reader, you go through this journey with these women and can see their growth.  There are no stagnant characters.  Everyone develops and is a different person by the last page.  The readers often find that they are different as well.

How did you come up with the premise for your book title?

Since it’s a sequel to Flaws and All, I definitely wanted the word “flaws” to be somewhere in the title.  One of my instructors suggested “Flaw Less,” and I loved it, especially the play on the two words.

Tell us about the main character(s) in Flaw Less.

The main characters are Sullivan, Lawson, Reginell, Kina, and Angel.  Sullivan is a pastor’s wife, who constantly struggles between her role as a First Lady and being who she feels is her true self.  Lawson is a head-strong single mother whose insecurities tend to push away the people she loves most.  Reginell is Lawson’s younger sister and a starry-eyed exotic dancer whose impetuous nature lands her in more trouble than she can handle.  Kina is a domestic-abuse survivor who is struggling to find her identity after the death of her abusive husband.  Angel is a dedicated nurse who finds herself settling for less than she deserves for the sake preserving her image.

What are some of the main themes you portray in your book title?

Forgiveness is definitely a dominant theme in the book.  Temptation and destruction as whole is also a theme I explore.  The importance of family and loneliness as destructive forces are the other themes that are significant in this novel.

What makes Flaw Less different from other books in the marketplace?

I don’t think the themes are that different, but I think my style of storytelling is definitely different.  I create characters who are like the people I know.  They’re both flawed and fabulous. The characters are very complex and well-rounded.  A lot of times, especially in Christian fiction, the characters are too saintly to be realistic.  My characters are about as real as it gets (at least as real as I can get away with as a Christian author)!

What genre is your book title and who is the target audience?

This book could fall into a couple of genres.  It’s definitely Christian fiction (with a bit of an edge to it).  It’s chick lit, but it can also be considered in the contemporary romance genre.  My books are like me– we can’t be contained in just one box!

What lessons have you learned about the publishing industry?

I’ve learned that it’s a business more than anything.  Writing the book is the easy part.  Marketing and promotion is a beast of all of its own.  It never stops, and there’s always an ingénue waiting to take your spot, so you have to stay on top of your game at all times.

What can readers expect from you in the future? 

I’m working on the third, and possibly last, book in the Flaws series, which will be Flawfully Wedded Wives.  I say it’s the last, but I’ve come to love these characters, so it might not be!

Is there anything else you would like to share with APOOO readers?

Just that I appreciate all APOOO does to support literacy and black authors.  APOOO rocks!!

Find the author online

jatice at hotmail dot com

www.facebook.com/shanajohnsonburton

www.twitter.com/shanajburton

shanajburton.blogspot.com

Purchase the Book Online at:

Amazon.com

BarnesandNoble.com

View the blog tour schedule at:

http://www.tywebbin.com/blog-tours/authors-on-tour/2012-tours/