Urban Reviews:
Tell our readers about That One Moment.
Terese Lorae
Smauldon: To me, That One Moment is about
self-discovery. All the characters in the book are strong and
solid in their own way, but each of them also has a certain
level of insecurity and uncertainty that I believe is a common
bond we have as women, and as people in general. The book
follows four women as they navigate through life and try to be
happy. Lia, Jas, Dee Dee and Rena deal with everything from
infidelity to racial identity issues to death. I think it's a
pretty well-rounded story.
Urban
Reviews: Where did the idea for this story come from?
Terese Lorae
Smauldon: Honestly, I read a book many years ago
about four women and said to myself, I can do this so much
better. The writer had a good premise, but when it was all
said and done, there was no message. I was left wondering what
the point was of everything. And I really couldn't relate to
any of the characters. So I decided to write a story
especially for women of color, that would give them something
to think about as well as entertain.
Urban
Reviews: What was it that made you want to try your hand
at writing?
Terese Lorae
Smauldon: I don't think I chose writing, I think
writing chose me. I've been creating stories and characters
since the third grade and haven't stopped since. It's truly my
first love.
Urban
Reviews: Describe the day you found out that Urban Soul
would be publishing your manuscript?
Terese Lorae
Smauldon: It felt like a long time coming! I wrote
this novel six years before it was actually published so when
my agent called me with the news it was like, "Okay, I can
stop holding my breath now." There was also a part of me that
was nervous because as I said, I wrote That One Moment
years prior and I had grown so much as a writer since then. I
didn't think it truly reflected the "2009 Terese." Aside from
that I was more ecstatic. My dream had been realized.
Urban
Reviews: What things did you do to help prepare yourself
for the release of your debut novel?
Terese Lorae
Smauldon: I kept reading and kept writing. I didn't
want to become comfortable with this one success. I kept
pushing myself to create more and experiment with different
styles and genres. I have at least four novels that I'm
working on right now because I have so many ideas and so many
questions I want to ask the world through my characters. I
also tried to connect with other first-time authors and learn
about the publishing process as a whole. It's a very tough and
competitive business.
Urban
Reviews: What was your biggest challenge when it came to
actually writing your novel?
Terese Lorae
Smauldon: The block! Writer's block killed me
sometimes. My favorite part of writing a novel is the
dialogue, so when it was time to do descriptions, background
information and explanations, I had to really focus and push
through it. Many times my agent would ask me to add more
detail or break something down that seemed too broad, and it
was struggle for me. It's something I'm trying to improve.
Urban
Reviews: Do you have any upcoming projects that we can
look forward to?
Terese Lorae
Smauldon: Yes! The sequel to That One Moment
is in the editing stages and I'm really excited about where
the ladies take the reader this time around. I had to change
some of the more serious plot-lines in the first book, so I'm
glad that in the sequel I was able to go a little deeper with
the characters. I'm also writing a novel especially for the
lesbian community that I plan to self-publish next year.
Urban
Reviews: Do you have any favorite authors or books?
Terese Lorae
Smauldon: One of my favorite authors is Harlan
Coben. I love mysteries and his books combine great suspense
and thrills with lots of laughs. Erica Jong's book, Fear of
Flying, is a classic to me. She's a writer's writer and I
can definitely appreciate her passion. Derrick Bell has
written some amazing books about racism and my favorite has
been Faces at the Bottom of the Well. Finally, Nikki
Giovanni...just love her!
Urban Reviews:
What do you like to do outside of writing?
Terese Lorae
Smauldon: Let's see...I'm a karaoke fanatic. I give
relationship advice to people on a website called
allexperts.com. I'm working on becoming a substance abuse
counselor and I'm also an AIDS/HIV advocate. Not many people
in our community want to talk about the realities of sex and
its potential consequences. So I guess at the end of the day I
want to provoke some thought and inspire people by the things
that I do.
Urban Reviews:
Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself
or your novel?
Terese Lorae Smauldon: I hope that people, women
especially, really go after their dreams in a major way.
Realize who you and who you want to be and if the two don't
match, make them match. That One Moment is essentially
about an experience, a thought, a person...a something in your
life that helps you realize yourself in a way that you didn't
before. I've had a few and that's why I've chosen this path.
What's your moment? |
