Love in the Wide Open World with Cher Terais

[00:00:00] I want my stories to be rooted in reality. And yes, all of us need to understand that we can have the fairy tale, but we also need to know that the fairy tale takes a lot of work. What's good? I'm Nikesha Elise Williams and this is Black & Published on the Mahogany Books Podcast Network, bringing you the journeys of writers, poets, playwrights, and storytellers of all kinds.

[00:00:26] Today's guest is Cher Terais, author of the wanderlust romance novel, Tempest and Tulum, a story inspired by a recent blockbuster movie. The young lady who plays the main character in the movie, The Woman King, The Daughter, she's an actual martial artist. And I found her social media and I was like, she is a badass. And I was like, this is the first time I've ever seen a Black woman martial artist at my big old grown age.

[00:00:56] And I said, why not? Why not write this story? In crafting her novels, Cher says while her settings may be exotic and lush for love, what the characters go through will always be grounded in reality. Why she says she was never a fan of Prince Charming. Plus, why it took her 20 years to return to the page after she first tried to pen a novel. And, in choosing to be an indie author, the steps she's taken to make sure her work is as polished as possible.

[00:01:27] That and more is next, when Black & Published continues. Cher, when did you know that you were a writer?

[00:01:54] Listen, I think I might have been the tender age of seven. Seven in elementary school wrote my first poem. That was the first work that I had published. Published at seven. Where was it published? It was in a local journal, maybe in Orlando, Florida. There was a contest that we had with writing a poem. And, honestly, it was a poem about the space shuttle Challenger explosion way back in the 80s.

[00:02:24] Yeah. I won that contest and got that poem published. And I had a second grade teacher that told me I was going to be a journalist. I didn't become a journalist, but, of course, I became a novelist later, later in life. Okay. So, you talk about becoming a novelist later in life, but always being encouraged to write. What did that journey look like from that first publication at seven to where you are now? You know what? Seven, first poem published. How it went, I have no idea. I don't remember.

[00:02:53] But after that, at the age of 18, 19, 20, I started writing poetry. I had been writing poetry, but started taking it seriously after high school. And then I had a couple of more poems published in some anthologies around the age of 19, 20. Decided that I was going to write a novel at the age of 22. Had no idea what I was doing. Quickly wrote those first six chapters, re-read it and was like, yeah, this probably is not going to be my journey.

[00:03:25] And I didn't know what I didn't know. I didn't realize that the first draft was supposed to be rough. It was supposed to not look great. And I didn't go back to it. I still have those six chapters, by the way. I need to go back and see if I could dust it off and start over. But the fact is at the age of, I don't even remember how old I was. It was 2018. How old was I? 41. I started writing my first novel. This one actually did. Make it across the finish line, get published.

[00:03:52] My first novel, Bali Blue, published in 2021. The first time republished in 2022. And it's been a book every year since. So then at 22, you tried to write a novel. I was like, you know what? I'm not good at this. No, thank you. And then you came back almost 20 years later and tried again with more success. Yes. What were you doing in that interim and was writing still on your mind, even though you realize how difficult it was? Always on my mind.

[00:04:20] I think just like everybody else, you know, there feels like the story is always inside of us. You know, and I always tell, especially new writers, new people who are just thinking about writing a book, write the book. We all have a story inside of us. It's always going to be rough. I speak from experience when I say none of us exactly know how to do it the first time unless you're formally trained. And a great majority of us are not formally trained, right? But you can learn and there is a story. And guess what?

[00:04:50] Not only is there a story, there's an audience for the story. So keep working at it. Keep trying. The first draft is supposed to be rough. That's how I had to learn. And then I realized, oh, I need help. It wasn't until after the first novel that I realized, go get some help. Go get some training. Find some accountability partners. Do your thing and keep doing it and get better and better. What did that help look like when you said, okay, I need help. Go get some training. What did you do specifically?

[00:05:18] Listen, it started out with finding authors like Christina C. Jones, Love Belvin on social media. I didn't realize these kind of communities existed. And let me say, even before I became an author, I was an avid reader. So much so that I started a bookstore back in like 2005. I had my own bookstore because I was giving Barnes & Noble so much of my money and could not find the authors and titles that I wanted to read.

[00:05:45] Of course, I wanted to read more of the Eric Jerome Dickey's authors that looked like me. Authors that still are underrepresented. So I started my own bookstore and it was very successful until the Kindle. Everybody wanted a digital copy then, but it was all good. I loved it. I moved on beyond there.

[00:06:04] But on social media, I found communities where Christina C. Jones, indie author extraordinaire, love Belvin, started following their work and their trajectory and was like, man, they are writing books on top of books on top of books. Let me see what they're doing. So I started there and then I found other independent authors and now I'm a part of a group called the Black Romance Accountability Group. Brag Chat, that's what we call it. And I have accountability partners who are other authors.

[00:06:33] We read each other's work. We critique each other's work. And sometimes it's tough to hear that kind of critique. From a beta reader, you get some soft critique. From another author, oh yeah, it's some tough work out there. But that's my school. That's how I learn. Okay. And so you've lived a lot of life. Yeah. Like you've owned the bookstore. I know you do like your travel stuff. Oh yeah. You've had lots of different jobs, but you keep coming back to the page. What is that compulsion for you?

[00:07:02] Or what are those stories? How do they, like, what drives you to do something that is a craft, is an art, is a vocation, takes a lot of time. Mm-hmm. When you could be doing something else. And do do other things. You know, I've always been kind of a dabbler. I dare not say a jack of all trades, because I probably am not very good at very many of them.

[00:07:25] But in writing, it's a way that I could put my emotions out on the page, tell the story, but it doesn't have to be my own. But I can still get the point across, right? And that's the thing that I wanted to focus on early on. I'm not always telling my story. There are characters, there are situations, scenes, scenarios that are constantly running through my head. I'm always asking, what if? And usually if that what if is loud enough, it turns into a story.

[00:07:53] So right now, I probably have about ten stories in draft and thought form right now. And they're all, again, based on what ifs. And I feel like writing them, writing these stories, is the only way that I can answer those questions, right? And it's not, again, an answer just for me, but I know if I have that what if question, other people do too. And that's kind of how I think about the craft of writing and the audience. You always have an audience because there's no original thoughts anymore. Let's just be clear, right?

[00:08:22] But a spin on a thought and your take on that thought, it can get really interesting. And so that's what encourages me. Traveling the world is usually what sparks the what ifs though. So let's talk about that because, as you mentioned, your first novel that you completed and then published was Bali Blue. We're here today to talk about Tempest in Tulum. Your whole, I guess, niche is wanderlust romance inspired by your travels.

[00:08:49] What is it about these exotic locales that people dream of going to on vacation that inspires you to set romance and stories of love there? You know, I couldn't find the books that I wanted to read. It goes back to that. I enjoy traveling the world. I started out in the army. That's when I first had my first international trip around the world. I went to Germany, saw castles. I never grew up wanting that fairytale life.

[00:09:19] Let me just be real clear. I write romance, but I never saw myself like being the princess that's being chased by Prince Charming. I wanted to tell the story of a different kind of princess. And so going to Germany when I was, like I said, 20, 21 years old, that's when I was like, I can actually tell a story, a romance story, and it would be perfect in this castle or at least at this castle.

[00:09:48] I can also tell a story about a wonderful woman that's not looking to be saved, right? And so I started getting the settings again through my travels, the world building, if you will. But then I also wanted to tell the story about those imperfect women, perfectly imperfect women who aren't necessarily looking for love, but when it slaps you in the face, it's undeniable. And so that's really what set the tone, that first castle that I saw in Germany, seeing open fields.

[00:10:17] And that was my springboard, if you will, to want to see more of the world. And then as I got more mature and got older and started talking to other people who absolutely wanted to travel the world too, by whatever reason, no resources to do so, not the time to do it. I was like, you know what, this is a perfect genre to actually start focusing romance in and take people on these journeys that sometimes they cannot go or just need confirmation that they need to go.

[00:10:43] And so I got really excited about starting to write in the Wanderlust series, if you will. All right. So then let's talk about not only the writing of the Wanderlust series, but like your publication journey. You are an indie author and you started with Bolly Blue and you said that you published it and then republished it. Why the two publication dates? Again, because I was learning. I finished the book the first time I had it professionally edited.

[00:11:11] I actually designed the book cover myself and it was getting great traction. And then again, I found an accountability group and I started learning really the craft of conflict and conflict resolution and how to keep the story moving forward. And after, again, about a year of working with these wonderful independent authors, I went back and really read Bolly Blue myself. And that's one thing I didn't know at first going in either.

[00:11:40] I read it from an editing standpoint, but I didn't take a step back and read that book as a reader would read it. And so after learning a bit more about, you know, the craft of writing and then understanding more about who my audience was, that was the spark to go back and reread it. And I was like, you know what? There's some opportunities for improvement. That's the beautiful thing about being an indie author. You get to redo some things and republish your work. And that's exactly what I did.

[00:12:06] I took that opportunity to learn and redo and then seek validation through a bigger reading of viewership, if you will. Why did you want to go the indie route in your publication journey? I did not want to give the lion's share of any profit or any of the value or benefit that comes with writing a book. I didn't want to share that with somebody else, to be honest.

[00:12:34] I didn't want my creative thoughts kind of messed with, if you will. I knew what story that I wanted to tell and I knew how I wanted it to go from beginning to end. And I also wanted, I knew that the main character, I'll talk about Bali Blue again because it was my first book, but I knew that main character was every aspect of my mother. I didn't want anybody messing with that. I didn't trust enough to let that go into somebody else's hands, if you will.

[00:13:03] Okay. And so then in retaining that, not only editorial control, but control of the entire shop was from imprints and copyright. And of course, the profits and the money. How has your self-publishing experience been? You mentioned that you're like releasing a book a year, so it's always working and grinding. It's always working. It's always grinding. You know, the marketing process is probably the biggest grind of all.

[00:13:33] So after the first book, I did it all myself. Second book, I got even better as a writer. Did it all myself. That third book, I realized I need a team. So I can write the book. I can actually even edit to a certain degree, but you absolutely have to outsource certain things. And I think editing is a big part of outsourcing. Cover design, also a big part of outsourcing.

[00:13:56] So I worked with designers, I worked with an editing team, and then I hired a marketing team that could help me push everything, you know, towards what a real brand was as an author. I think that was my evolution. I went from writer to author, of course, to now publisher. And now I have a brand that I'm working through. What to you is the difference between a writer and an author? Oh, I had to learn this. And you tell me if you agree with the definition, but a writer is not published.

[00:14:24] An author has crossed the line of having published work out there. I've heard that definition before. I had a similar conversation about it with Jason Reynolds a few months ago. So, yeah, I think people take author as, you know, that's when you're engaging with the industry and commerce and capitalism. And so you're really professionalizing the vocation of writing.

[00:14:50] But I would also argue perhaps maybe all authors are writers, but not all writers are authors. I agree with that. Yes, I'm an author, but I would just define myself. Like people would say, what do you do? I'm a writer. Period. I have work that's published. I have work that's just in my notes. I have work that's just in drafts. But I'm always a writer.

[00:15:16] In terms of, as you just mentioned, talking about loving romance and really writing in that genre and, of course, incorporating your travel. We're here today to talk about Tempest and Tulum. What was the spark for that novel? Oh, Tempest and Tulum. You know what? Interesting. Nobody's ever asked me that question, and I'm glad you did. The spark for Tempest and Tulum. The characters started before the book, before the idea of the book.

[00:15:45] They were characters that were in the first two novels that I wrote. But the spark for the story, an MMA fighter, a black woman MMA fighter, was the movie The Woman King. I learned, and I cannot think of her name, and I really want to give her credit. But the young lady who played the main character in the movie The Woman King, The Daughter, she's an actual martial artist. And I found her social media.

[00:16:15] I said, she is a badass. And I was like, this is the first time I've ever seen a black woman martial artist at my big old grown age. And I said, why not? Why not write this story? So she was the spark for the main character of who Delia in Tempest and Tulum actually is. Her fighting skill. But then I also wanted to write in reality. Like, yes, she is a badass in the ring.

[00:16:43] But what might spur someone, a black woman, to become a martial artist, right? But then also, what kind of challenges might she have in her own community, in her own way of thinking that might hinder her from greatness? And so this story, Tempest and Tulum, even though it's a love story, it's about the growth of this young woman elevating beyond guilt and shame. And you have to read the story.

[00:17:10] If your audience hasn't read, you have to read it to know what she's guilty and shamed about. But she's trying to elevate and she's literally fighting for her life to transcend this event that happened to her. Sometimes. Yeah. Sometimes she's fighting. Listen, sometimes she's definitely getting beat up. Yes, like she fights sometimes. Thank you.

[00:17:35] Because, yes, she is, when I say perfectly imperfect, she might be the definition of what that means. All right. So then we're here. Can you read something from Tempest and Tulum? And then we can talk further about the story between Delia and Okia. Absolutely. Tempest and Tulum, a wanderlust romance novel by Cher Terace, tells the story of Delia and Okia.

[00:17:58] An architectural assistant by day and MMA fighter by night, Delia is swept up in the seedy underworld of street fighting. Meanwhile, Okia, the head of security for one of Delia's company's projects, forces himself into her life. First as her colleague and then as her coach. As they prepare for Delia's championship match, they both try to fight the feelings they can't help from growing between them. So I'm going to read a little bit from chapter two.

[00:18:28] And I think it's a perfect place for a reader to kind of understand not only what this main character is about, but where the story might go after this encounter she experienced. What the fuck was that, Delia? I chastised myself between an uppercut and a jab to the body bag. I was pommeling. How the fuck did I let? Kick. A rando hem me up in a hallway and damn near choke slam me.

[00:18:57] Knee, knee, right hook. My silly ass. I continued to strike, kick, punch, and curse the bag, trying to figure out for the life of me, how had he gotten the best of me? And I didn't mean in a fight. Who was I kidding? What fight? I'd attacked an absolute stranger. The better part of me felt guilty for attacking him. But why wouldn't I? He'd followed me down a dark hallway, passing the men's restroom completely by.

[00:19:27] My thoughts went back to that night, 10 years ago, when I didn't protect my little sister. I was triggered. I just knew he was up to some debauchery. He was the same Tom Ford clad, handsome guy that I caught one too many times staring at me from across the room. Handsome men can be weirdos too. I didn't know who he was at the time of our interaction. But what warm-thighed woman could forget his broad, athletic frame?

[00:19:57] Or the serious, no-nonsense eyes of a man who was totally sure of himself. And the glistening black waves of his low-cut Caesar perfectly tapered into a precisely cut beard. Sheesh and ideal smear at the same damn time. Under different circumstances, I'd want to lose my fingers in that thick mass of gently waving hair as I pulled him in for a kiss. But fuck all that. I didn't care. How fine he was. Fight or flight kicked in.

[00:20:26] So I swung on him. What made the entire ordeal worse? I went back into the party, hell-bent on telling my boss, Rian, that the same strange man had followed me to the restroom. This was a work event for us. When I found her, she was chatting it up with the exact motherfucker I was about to tell on.

[00:20:46] I tried to slink back into the crowd unseen, but she saw me and called me over, loudly, causing him and her husband to turn around, all eyes on me. He and I locked eyes again, and damn if there wasn't a mischievous smirk playing at the corners of his lips as he recognized me. Turned out, my stalker was head of the security detail that apparently wasn't announced in the memo about the party.

[00:21:14] And he said nothing, just reached out a perfect gentleman's hand, which I stared at for way too long, focused on the thick veins that meandered across the smooth darkness of his skin. When I finally gave him mine to shake back, he grasped it gently, quietly stating in a deep, rich British accent, Pleased to meet you, Miss Augie and McGee. Your boss has spoken ever so highly of you.

[00:21:39] He didn't say a word about our silent fight correction, my silent attack on him. The whole ordeal had me in the gym at the ass crack of dawn, punching this body bag as if I were exercising demons. I tried to tell myself that I needed to punch this bag until I had a clear understanding of how this man had thrown not a single punch, yet was able to pin me against a wall by my neck.

[00:22:05] He might as well have chokeslammed me because I was rendered totally incapacitated. By the time I was 10 minutes into my exorcism by punching bag, my utter embarrassment had subsided. Now, I was trying to rid my body of the memory of his long, thick, that pressed into my belly while he had my ass pinned between a literal wall and his hard place. Thank you.

[00:22:34] So the novel opens with a prologue where we won't spoil what happens, but the events in that prologue are the catalyst for Delia to pursue MMA fighting and training. She wants to just to be able to protect herself. And so in chapter one, she's at this party. She's dressed down in this red dress looking fly and fabulous, headed to the bathroom. And then she spots this man who becomes a love interest, Okio,

[00:23:03] who we now know is head of security from the section that you read. She doesn't know that. And she literally swings at him. I was like, are we fighting? What in the world? I was like, what is happening here, right? You know, I'm used to a romance novel with a meet cute. It's in an office. It's on a subway. Oh, we're sharing a taxi. Something, you know, meet cute-ish. Like where you're cute, they're cute, and we're going to meet.

[00:23:31] Not you in a town for a suit. I'm in this like couture dress. And now I'm about to beat your ass. She swung on. Ma'am, why did you want to open the book that way? Listen, I was thinking to myself, I want to see her drop down in a spin move in this red, fabulous, floor-length gown. And I don't know what that was, but you also have to understand who Mr. Okio Bomb D is, right?

[00:24:00] Ex-MI6, savvy, sexy, Tom Ford clad wearing, very stoic bodyguard type, right? So in my head, I, again, I knew Okio before I knew this story. I knew Delia before I knew this story. I had to think about who is going to get this man's interest.

[00:24:22] What kind of woman would it take to get him to step outside of his character as an ex-MI6 agent? And what better way than to get swung on? But not only is he an ex-MI6 agent, he's also, he's African. His backstory is that he's one of the child soldiers and that he escaped with his family and he's experiencing tragedy in his life as well.

[00:24:49] And so you have these two characters, main characters, who are not looking for love. They are coping with their demons as best they know how. Delia is choosing to fight hers out or, more accurately, let others beat her to absolve her of her guilt as if she's doing this physical penance. Yes. And Okio is very reserved and not open.

[00:25:17] He likes to let off some steam in certain ways, but, you know, he's not, he's not letting anybody really get in. And yet they penetrate each other. And it becomes a matching of wits and intelligence, but also of strength. Of strength. Where they are allowed to actually be weak with one another because the other person knows how strong they really are. Was that something that you were writing toward or wanting to do intentionally,

[00:25:46] as you talked about earlier, like you didn't want to write stories about the maiden and the prince charming or the princess and being swept up in the castle? Yeah. Like I said, perfectly imperfect. I consider myself perfectly imperfect. Right. I don't do everything right. I don't say all the right words all the time, but I am equally as deserving of love as the soft life girl or, you know, the pillow princess or the passenger princess. Right.

[00:26:14] And so Delia, even though she, I mean, she almost is leading this double life, right? During the day, first of all, her family is rich. Let's, let's be clear. She's not from struggle. She's, she is a very affluent, very smart, if you will, young lady who just happens to have gone through a very traumatic thing in life. And so I wanted to write Delia's story as never read a book by his cover.

[00:26:43] She is layered and she is full of death, but from the surface, you would not know that. And Okio just happened. I think you use the best word possible. He penetrated her layers and was able to see through what she allowed nobody else to see through. And then you also hit the nail on the head. She is an excellent fighter. But she's so riddled with guilt and shame. She won't even try in the ring.

[00:27:12] She'll practice hard, but wouldn't even try to get beat up. That's her way of atonement. And so this multi-layered, multiple flawed young lady, I wanted to tell a love story about someone deserving love, even when they don't believe they do. And that's evident. Like she doesn't believe that she deserves love. She doesn't believe that she deserves good things. She's like holding herself back in her career.

[00:27:36] And everyone around her in her professional space sees her potential for what she could be if she stopped holding herself back. Exactly. And yet she feels as if the people who should notice her the most, her family, her sister and her mother specifically, have shut her out and shut her down. And that's part of why she has closed herself off because she feels ostracized.

[00:28:02] What was the inspiration for taking all these different layers of insecurity that I think as Black women we can feel at different times in our lives and making that the catalyst for someone to really want to get to know her, to build her back up? I think, first of all, I feel a way about the trope, the notion of the strong Black woman, right?

[00:28:27] I feel like that was a big part of what I was trying to kill off in this book with Delia. You know, you said the people who she wanted to notice her the most kind of wrote her off in a way. So externally, you know, she had to put up a front. She had to at least act like she had her life together when actually emotionally she's falling apart, right? She tried therapy.

[00:28:55] The therapy kind of didn't work for her when it mattered the most, which allowed her to create her own belief systems about her own self-worth, right? And again, everybody around her sees it. She thinks she's doing a good job of covering up. But people are also still treating her like the strong Black woman, like, oh, well, you know, nobody's checking on her, right?

[00:29:17] And so this guy, Okio, who also has his demons, has his own nightmares that he's still dealing with, I think, like recognized the like, right? And it just so happened that he's this dark chocolate sexy thing that's undeniably. And has a British accent.

[00:29:45] So that might have played a little bit into him being able to penetrate, right? But, you know, she penetrated him as well because as much as he's closed off and very focused on his work and security and working for the family that he does and making sure that everybody in that circle is okay, he seeks her out.

[00:30:10] He seeks her out and infiltrates himself and into her life in a way that she doesn't want. And it's not something that you see often, I think, in romance novels or even in life where the man is so smitten and besotted that, you know, he's like, no, no, no.

[00:30:39] She's going to notice me and I'm going to do everything I can to be in her orbit, right? In her orbit. Right? Like, I'm just going to, I'm going to be in the mix some kind of way. She's going to see me, right? And so in writing that determination into Okio, what was it that you were trying to, I'm going to go out on a limb and say, give men permission to do in the pursuit of the women that they are infatuated with?

[00:31:09] Listen, you, so many layers to that question. First, let's talk about romance novels. I feel like they're so geared towards the woman, a woman reader's satisfaction, right? I wanted this book to be as equally satisfying for men who might find it as women who might read it, right?

[00:31:30] To that end, I needed Okio, first of all, as that character spoke to me way before this book even started, he was going to be strong, a strong male archetype. I wanted to say alpha male, but he turned out to be a sigma male. Like he blazes his own trails. He does not need affirmation from anyone. He is capable. He knows he's capable and he's the lone wolf type, right?

[00:31:59] And I started studying sigma males. And so if you think about the James Bond series, if you think about Fight Club and Brad Pitt's role, epitome of a sigma male, right? And I needed that to kind of play out on the page for Okio. But at the end of the day, everybody has a mother. Everybody has a father. Everybody has a soft spot, right?

[00:32:25] And so I wanted to also show glimpses of the fact that even though a man can be a total lone wolf, blazing, whatever you want to say. Okio would unalive somebody if it needed to happen. And when it needed to happen, he probably wouldn't have any remorse about it. But we all got soft spots. And I wanted to show that vulnerability in a strong male character like him.

[00:32:49] And I wanted men to be able to really relate to that, but also know that you can put your crown down. There is somebody out there who is worthy of you putting your crown down. And so, yeah. And that goes both ways for both Delia and Okio. And I want to ask this question because, you know, the dating and relationship space is all over the internet. People are always talking about it. There are lots of opinions.

[00:33:18] And, you know, I was interviewed an author yesterday about the difference between a romance novel and a love story. Because romance can really be fantasy, whereas a real love story may give you more of the real grit of life and relationships. How do you see or do you see your novels as an intervention in the dating and relationship discourse, specifically between Black men and women? Oh, my gosh. Yes.

[00:33:49] I actually had a conversation not too long ago with someone. And I want my stories to be rooted in reality. And, yes, all of us need to understand that we can have the fairy tale. But we also need to know that the fairy tale takes a lot of work. And you got to kiss a lot of frogs to get to that print sometimes. But even in kissing those frogs, there's value.

[00:34:14] And so I want to tell those stories, again, rooted in reality and tell the real story of what love, the hard work that goes into real love is. Right? And, again, it goes back to none of us are perfect. The vitriol that's being told across the internet, I think that's what you were alluding to.

[00:34:33] Some of the things that are being said really leaves a gap or a chasm where it's hard for us as Black women, Black men, to even get across that chasm, to even start talking to each other. And so my stories, even though they're not the frou-frou love stories that you might find on the shelves everywhere in bookstores, they are indeed love stories, but they talk about the real work that goes into it. So there's no fantasy, no fairy tale, but there is definitely satisfaction in the happily ever after then.

[00:35:03] You talk about satisfaction and wanting to have satisfaction for both your male readers and your female readers. What do you hope they take from this story of Okio and Delia? Work through your stuff. That's just it. Be able to work through your stuff, but also be able to be vulnerable enough to get help, but to also seek help in the person that you love. And so what are you working on next? Oh, I'm so excited. I'm writing a cowboy romance right now. Yes.

[00:35:32] Ode to Black Cowboy Culture in South Georgia. It is a parallel second chance romance, so you're getting two love stories in one. The two main characters, they are later in life as the book starts out, but they were high school love interests who were pushed together by, again, life's challenges in many cases. And they had a teacher that was their biggest fan. And that teacher dies, and that's what pulls them back together later in life.

[00:36:02] So you get their 17-, 18-year-old love story happening in parallel with their 47- and 48-year-old love story. So we're hitting both sides. Plus, again, we're celebrating Black cowboy culture, line dancing. I mean, it's going back to South Georgia, but the story starts in Paris. Yes. I love that. It's South Georgia cowboy culture, but we're going to start in Paris with this. We're going to start by the Apple Tower on the city of life.

[00:36:32] And yes, we're going to figure out how to get them there. I'm almost done with the story. We have a release date of, I want to say end of June. It might go into July, but I'm trying to release it in time for the Cowboy Carter concert, as well as the Bill Pickett Rodeo here in Congress, Georgia. Okay. Yep. Well, before I let you go for the morning, let's do a speed round in a game. What is your favorite book? Oh, Betty. Oh, Lord. You said speed and I'm going slow.

[00:36:59] I'm going to say Friends and Lovers, Eric Drumdickey. Who is your favorite author? Eric Drumdickey. What is your favorite TV show? Right now, The Pit. What do you think is the best book to movie or book to series adaptation? Tia Williams. Is it The Perfect Find? Yeah. I love that. I loved it. But, but, but, but, but.

[00:37:26] I cannot wait for the Skyland series by Miss Kennedy Ryan to actually be put on the big screen or the TV screen, rather. Okay. If Tempest and Talluling were to get the screen treatment, who would you want to play Delia and Okio? Oh, you know what's so great? I've already thought about this. I don't know the young lady's name, but do you remember the show Dear White People? Mm-hmm.

[00:37:54] The main character on the show, not the movie. Logan Browning. Thank you. Logan Browning for Delia. And then for Okio, the vision I've always had in my head for him was the, and again, I'm horrible with names, but the butler, Jeffrey on the New Bel Air. I know who you're talking about. I don't know his name. I don't know either. Oh my gosh. Okay.

[00:38:20] If money were no object, where would you go, what would you do, and where would you live? Oh, wow. That's easy. If money were no object, right now, this might change, I would move to Kenya. I would have a little compound in Kenya, and I would be there, and I would write, and I would go to the Maasai Mara often. And I would probably use that as my springboard to be around the world, but I would live in Kenya. Name three things on your bucket list. To go to Italy.

[00:38:51] To get married one day. What's the third? To be able to not work. To not work and just enjoy, because I don't consider writing or traveling work. I would just want to do that. That's the top of my bucket list, to be able to write and travel the world. So you want to get rid of that W-2 job. All right. What brings you joy? Oh, you know what?

[00:39:21] Self-care. Self-care at this stage of my life brings me joy. Being able to do nothing, to look up at the sky if I just want to, to go get a pedicure, you know? Those little things. It doesn't take a lot. Just somebody to notice me sometimes is enough. Yeah. And what brings you peace? I've hit the point in my life where I'm financially stable, financially secure. And I worked really hard at that. So that has brought me so much peace. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

[00:39:50] And so our game is called Rewriting the Classics. Classic is however you define it. Okay. Name one book you wish you would have written. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. That's the most beautiful love story I feel like I've ever read. Name one book where you want to change the ending and how would you do it? Oh, I have to say for Miss Love Belvin, she has a series. I can't think of the name of the series, but I feel like the series was a little too long,

[00:40:18] so I would have just nixed the whole last book. Right. And then my messy question, name one book that you think is overrated or overtaught and why? Sorry, Miss Tia. The June book, the Seven Days in June. Seven Days in June? Yeah. Really? Yeah, I didn't. Okay, so let me explain. I have parents that were on drugs, and I almost have a zero tolerance for drug addicts.

[00:40:48] Let me put it that way. And I know there's a story behind these beautiful characters, but for me mentally, it's hard for me to find the redeeming character. I don't know. It's interesting that you say that because as you were telling me about the book that you're working on, the parallel love story, that's the book that I immediately thought of was Seven Days in June because she has the main characters, Shane and Eva, as teens. And then they meet again later in life, and they're going back and forth in their writing careers.

[00:41:17] And so that was immediately what I thought of for your Paris Cowboy Carter romance. I know, like, I know. I really wanted to love that book. And again, I'm sure it's a great book. Please, please don't take my words to say that that book is not a great book. It's just for me, yeah, I cannot find the redeeming qualities of these characters. To each his own. My final question for you today.

[00:41:44] When you are dead and gone and among the ancestors, what would you like someone to write about the legacy of words and work that you left behind? She put it all on the table. She put it all on the floor. She did it. She lived her life. She did her thing. And she laid it all out for us to read, review, and get a reflection of what it is to live among the stars. Big thank you to Cher Teres for being here today on Black & Published.

[00:42:13] You can follow Cher on the socials at Cher underscore Teres underscore author on Instagram. And Teres is spelled T-E-R-A-I-S. And make sure you check out Tempest in Tulum. Out now, everywhere books are sold. You can get a copy of the novel from Mahogany Books and get 10% off your first purchase using code BLACKPUB at checkout. That's B-L-K-P-U-B.

[00:42:42] That's our show for the week. If you like this episode and want more Black & Published, head to our Instagram page. It's at Black & Published, and that's B-L-K-& Published. There, I've posted a bonus clip from my interview with Cher about how she's helping other writers achieve their publishing goals. Make sure you check it out and let me know what you think in the comments.

[00:43:05] I'll holler at y'all next week when our guest will be Ariel Vinson, author of the YA romance novel Under the Neon Lights. I find love and writing about love to be so powerful. But I was like, I don't want the gentrification and the community building to get buried. And so one of my editors is a romance girl. And she's like, listen, he's there. They're there. This is a great relationship. We got to bump up the romance. Where's the swoon?

[00:43:30] And so she was able to help me understand what I wanted this romance to look like while also helping me understand what the other relationships in the book should look like and how they should all be on people's footing. That's next week on Black & Published. I'll talk to you then. Peace. What's going on, family? This is Derek Young. And Ramonda Young.

[00:43:59] Owners of both Mahogany Books and the Mahogany Books Podcast Network. We really want to thank each and every one of you for listening to this episode. And if you enjoyed what you just heard, drop us a review and rate us on whatever platform you download podcasts on. We truly appreciate each and every one of you for supporting us and making us your go-to for Black books. And we look forward to connecting with you all sometime in the future. Thank you again, fam. And always remember, Black Books Matter.