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

My email signature is Author, Blogger, Totally Fierce Nerd — and I think that’s a pretty good summation.

In 140 words or less, tell us why 32 Candles would make a great addition to our personal library.

I wrote 32 CANDLES with the intention of providing a missing book, that is a book that I’d been wanting to read that I wasn’t seeing when I went to the bookstore. If you’re a quirky woman who has been craving stories about other quirky women, then you’ll definitely want to check out this book.

How did you come up with the title…32 Candles?

That’s a long story, b/c I didn’t come up with the title. The original title was MOLLY RINGWALD ENDING, but then we discovered a little legal term called “fair use,” which basically meant we couldn’t use the actress’s name in the title without her permission. And when we asked her permission, we got a stern “NO” from her lawyer(s), so … I crowdsourced it on FierceandNerdy.com, the blog that I run, asking them to choose between a few titles, one of which was 32 CANDLES (a suggestion from my husband). The readers chose 32 CANDLES.

I love the cover and think it’s appealing and attention-grabbing.  Did you have any input regarding the cover and how did you come up with it?

No, I didn’t have any input. We just got really lucky. A wonderful designer by the name of Archie Ferguson came up with it. He also designed the eye-catching cover for Helena Andrew’s BITCH IS THE NEW BLACK (a book I super-duper loved).

Tell us about the main characters in 32 Candles.

Well, there’s DAVIE who despite being poor, abused, and unpopular falls in crush with JAMES FARRELL, the most popular guy in school. It goes disastrously, she reinvents herself, and 15 years later he shows up on her doorstep.

How did you come up with the characters for 32 Candles?

I don’t think I came up with them as much as the story did. I love character-driven stories, but I’m a plot-driven author, so my characters always come out of story. It’s like, “Well, this is the story, so who are the characters that would make a story like this happen?”I’m always surprised myself.

What are some of the main themes you portray in 32 Candles?

Redemption, Redesign, and Revival

What was the most difficult chapter or character to write?  Why?

Describing Davie’s reinvention proved to be a lot more difficult than I thought it would. I wanted it to be a classic 80s montage of reinvention, short and snappy, 6 pages — 10 pages top. It ended up mushrooming into 60 hard-to-write pages. As it turns out, no one can reinvent herself (well) in that short of a time frame. But as a writer, it’s difficult to watch your own work ballooning when you don’t want it to — you’re fighting it all the way, and that makes the process miserable. I think it reminded me that I’m not in control, the story is, and that tug of war can be frustrating.

What makes 32 Candles different from other books in the marketplace?

I’ve run afoul of a few critics who either wanted the book to be more literary or more of a genre romance, but I’m happy that it doesn’t fit into either category. It’s funny, because I know a ton of awkward black women in real life, but it’s really hard to find them on the book shelf, especially in romantic situations. Mostly, I just love that no one can say that “32 CANDLES is just like ________”

Now that 32 Candles has been out for awhile, and you’ve received feedback from readers, If you could get a re-do with this book, what would you do differently?

Not a gotdang thing. I don’t look back when it comes to writing. Once it’s out there, I’m done.

If you had to put 32 Candles in a box, what genre would it be included in and who would be the target audience?

I wouldn’t put 32 CANDLES in a box, but I did write it for and about black women. The wider market that it’s found has been a treat.

APOOO recommends your book to everyone and tells them it’s a must read. Readers are off to the store to purchase it.  To make it easy for readers to find, where would you prefer it be located–the African-American Interest section or the Fiction/Literature section?  Why?

I don’t have a preference. I’m always just really happy to find 32 CANDLES in the store. That’s not a popular opinion, I know, but I come from the “expect nothing” school of thought and I credit it with keeping me (relatively) sane during my starving artist years. As far as my own work is concerned, I consider commercial distribution and readership a privilege, not a right.

Finish this sentence: In order to further hone my writing skills, I would be honored to sit under __________________________’s tutelage.

This one is hard, because to a certain extent, I consider reading a master class. But if I had to pick just one teacher, it would probably be Stephen King. I don’t like everything he writes, but I respect his career, and I almost always respect his writing. But you know, if Tananarive Due offered a class, I’d be the first to enroll. She’s one of the few writers that I find hard to analyze, because I get so caught up in the ride. I would love to have her explain to me how she does what she does. Oh, and I’m still sad that my writing wasn’t strong enough back in the day to make it into any of the writing classes that Elinor Lipman taught while I was at Smith College. I just love her little gems.

Share with us your next project and when can we expect to see it in-market.

I’m currently finishing up a rewrite of a novel called THE AWESOME GIRL’S GUIDE TO DATING EXTRAORDINARY MEN. Both Tammy Farrell and Mike Barker from 32 CANDLES become main characters in this next book. Mostly it’s the novel about friendship, family, career, and love that I haven’t been seeing on bookshelves. Yeah, a lot of my writing comes out of being a frustrated reader.

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

Thank you for reading. You’ll never fully know how very much you’re appreciated.

Ernessa thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to hang out with APOOO and we wish you many blessings with your literary endeavors.

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