If author Vanessa Miller is dreaming, don’t wake her. Otherwise, you might miss the latest installment of her Dreaming of Love series, which we’re chatting about today.
Tell me about your latest book.
My newest book is Once Upon A Dream. This book is an inspirational romance about Tamara Davison and Jonathan Hartman. These two first met in college. Now, over a decade later, they are back in each other’s lives and experiencing a love connection… however, they both are dealing with forgiveness issues. They will have to forgive and learn to trust again, if their love will survive.
What inspired you to write it?
I believe I was given the gift of writing from birth. In other words, my writing is a gift from God, so I give that gift back to Him by writing books that give my readers a better understanding of God’s grace and His love. So, I am inspired to continue writing every time a reader writes a review of my books and they talk about the God in my books rather than just the person who wrote the book.
When did you fall in love with the written word?
I was eight years old, sitting on my grandmother’s porch with my father one summer night. My father was a natural-born storyteller. That night he told me a story, as I listened to the story, I was imagining something beautiful, but as the story ended, I discovered it was about a rat. At that moment, I fell in love with the idea of turning something so hideous into something that becomes beautiful. I think God was giving me that little nudge to write redemption stories that summer night as I sat on the porch with my father.
What’s the best part of being an author?
That I get to write about God’s grace and that the readers seem to get what I’m trying to put on those pages. I love talking to my readers and meet with them as often as I can.
What’s the hardest part of being an author?
The waiting game. With self-publishing, once you finish a book, you can upload it and start selling it the next day if you want. But when you have a book with a traditional publisher, it can take about eighteen months from the sign of the contract until the book releases. So, the whole time you’re just in wait mode… You have this book that you want to share with the world, but the wheels grind slowly in publishing—even though you wrote it in 2020, it won’t be available to the public until 2022. But it is what it is.
What books have you read lately and loved?
All She Wants by Rhonda McKnight and Chasing Christmas by Terri Blackstock. I’m currently reading an ARC [advanced reader copy], The Other Black Girl. I wanted to read this book because it’s about the publishing industry. I’m not finished with it but I’m loving it… that’s the book nerd in me.
What book(s) are you most excited to read next?
Next up for me is Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson and Island Queen by Vanessa Riley. I’ve had both of these books in my to-be-read pile for a few months. But I get to read them this month. I’m excited!
Who would you cast in a movie to play your main characters?
For Tamara it would be Zoe Saldana. For Jonathan Hartman, it would be RonReaco Lee (who also had a role in the Guess Who movie with Zoe Saldana).
What’s next for you?
I’m playing the waiting game right now. I have a book (which I believe is the best book I have ever written) titled Something Good, that releases in March of 2022 with my new publisher, Thomas Nelson. So, I’m in revisions and working on promotion ideas for the fall for that book.
Do you have anything you would like to add?
I would just like to thank the readers who have spent any amount of time reading my books and telling others about my books. I appreciate every one of them and am so thankful that I get to do what I believe I was born to do…which is write books that touch the heart and soul of my readers.
Use the Black Fiction Addiction affiliate link to purchase your copy of Once Upon A Dream.
To learn more about Vanessa Miller, visit her website or connect with her on social media.
Website: www.vanessamiller.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author-Vanessa-Miller-106334304622871
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/vanessamiller01