Trisha R.
Thomas was born and raised in San Diego, California. She
received a Bachelor of Science from California State
University, Los Angeles in 1988 with a major in Business
Administration and Marketing. After graduating, she owned
and managed a bridal design boutique, which grew into two
stores, one catering to brides and the other for pageant
and prom. After moving to Virginia, she made a career
change and taught Language Arts, which reignited her
passion for literature and writing.
Her books include
Roadrunner,
Would I Lie To You
and the top-selling
Nappily Ever After,
which was an Essence, Billboard, Detroit Free Press,
Blackboard, and Denver Black Pages bestseller.
Nappily Ever After was optioned by Halle Berry and
Universal Pictures for adaptation to film. Her
newest book is titled
Nappily Married, and
will be followed by
Nappily Faithful in
early 2008.
Trisha R. Thomas lives in Los Angeles, California.
Urban Reviews: Tell us
about Nappily Married. Trisha R. Thomas:
Venus is married to a wonderful man, a
gorgeous home, a beautiful baby girl. She's a stay-home wife
and mother content until her ex comes along and offers her a
dream PR job. Of course her husband doesn't like the idea.
But Venus is too headstrong to turn down an opportunity to
get back into the fold. Her ambition puts her head to head
with the woman who stole Clint from under her nose four
years earlier. She's determined to get back what she's lost
but the line becomes blurred as to her goal, the career or
the ex-boyfriend. I can't wait to hear how people feel about
the ending of this one.
Urban Reviews: The
second book in this series was titled Would I Lie To You.
What made you decide to go back to the "Nappily" title for
this novel and the upcoming book Nappily Faithful? Trisha R. Thomas:
What a great question! Nappily truly
describes Venus and her state of mind. Her decision making
comes from a place deeply rooted in her upbringing,
self-esteem, and past experiences. So many readers had
gotten comfortable with the association of Venus and
"Nappily", it was like trying to change who she was when I
separated her from the original title, so it made sense to
go back.
Urban Reviews:
Speaking of Nappily Faithful, can you give us a sneak peak
of what we can expect from that title and when it will be
released? Trisha R. Thomas:
Venus has to face Airic and his
evangelist wife who think they'd be better suited to raise
Mya, their child he hasn't seen in three years. This is the
biggest fight Venus will ever face having custody of her
daughter challenged. She's made a lot of mistakes including
a really huge one that Airic is using against her.
Urban Reviews: Did
you set out to make this into a series? Trisha R. Thomas:
No. I had only one goal when I first
wrote Nappily Ever After, and that was to finish it.
I wrote on it for a solid year, then the editing
process took another year because I had three different
editors who came and went seeing it to the next level but
never completion. So it just seemed to take forever. But you
know how they say things happen for a reason. All three of
those women were from a different race and culture, and they
all gave me a piece of them to understand. Then the hair
issue became bigger than straight versus kinky. I still get
email from around the world, countries I didn't even know
existed, telling me how the book helped them deal with
self-esteem issues. That's the amazing part.
Urban Reviews: Can
you tell our readers how you started your literary career? Trisha R. Thomas:
Writing was always my second nature. A
friend who I've known since ninth grade reminded me of the
stories I use to write, scribbled on lined paper. I'd
forgotten that I loved to write before real life set in,
college, student loans, bills, rent...kids. Once I got back
into the swing of it, I couldn't stop myself. I was writing
every spare minute of the day. Forgetting to pick up the
kids from school became a real problem.
Urban Reviews: What
changes in the literary industry have you personally seen
since your debut novel? Trisha R. Thomas:
When I first was published seven years
ago, there were probably five notable black contemporary
writers on the bookstore shelf. They paved the way and
opened the doors. It's amazing how quickly the market grew
and became a lucrative and viable goal. When I was in
college, I didn't
dare believe I could write for a living. Now, it's truly
possible to earn a living as a writer.
Urban Reviews: Are
you working any other upcoming projects? Trisha R. Thomas:
I'm working on more Nappily stories of
course. Venus has a long and exciting life. I'm also working
on one independent of Venus that's been thumping around in
my brain forever and won't go away.
Urban Reviews: Do
you have any favorite authors or books? Trisha R. Thomas:
My favorites are many for various
reasons. Tananarive Due. She's the only author I can
honestly say, I've read everything she's written. I'm a
reading junkie. If I don't have a book to read I go crazy.
Urban Reviews: What
do you want the world to know most about you? Trisha R. Thomas:
I love to write. I simply love a good
story. I feel completely blessed and lucky to be able to do
what I love.
