Author Aja is back with the final installment of The Enigma Series. I recently spoke with her about Slick.
Tell me about your latest book.
Slick is the third and final installment in The Enigma Series. Sarai “Slick” Lewis is the daughter of the creator/leader of a criminal enterprise, Elijah “Smoke” Lewis, featured in Smoke, the first book of the series. In the third book, we get a resolution to a story arc and also see how Sarai manages to overcome her greatest life challenge.
Why did you decide to write it?
I had no choice but to tell Slick’s story as she was Smoke’s problem child and the one most misunderstood. She needed something only I could give her by completing what I had started. I’m so happy I did.
What do you want readers to learn from the story?
We all need help. The strongest, toughest, and most resilient of us still need help. And when we have people who love us, we need to trust ourselves enough to know when to reach out to them and ask for that lifeline before we fall apart.
What do you want readers to learn from your life?
Oh goodness. I spend every single day of my life living it. That’s it. I simply live. I know life is a journey, not only a destination so when things are happening to me, I make it work for me. I’m eternally grateful for my ability to embrace transformation better than when I was younger. So, if you can learn from that, I count myself blessed to have been an example of how.
If you could pick another profession, what would it be and why?
I truly can’t imagine another profession I’d choose with the same amount of enthusiasm. This is really for me. Ask me in another decade, Chandra!
When did you fall in love with the written word?
In the beginning. No seriously, lol. I fell in love in utero. My mother read to me every day, and I was born loving to hear her read stories to me. The only thing that changed was that I started writing my own stories in the first grade, and I loved how it made me feel.
What’s something readers would be surprised to know about you?
I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m all heart about this. I know there are people that have studied the business of this thing, and they have that figured out and built successful careers too. I admire them and wish to be more like them, truly. But for now, I just feel my way around and create from my heart and do so in a way that others can enjoy, and it works for me in that those that hear my heart enjoy my way of sharing it. I also have some great people in my corner that help make me look good. One day I’ll grow up, though! I can wish, right?
What books have you read lately and loved?
Come on now! I just released two books less than two weeks apart from each other. I have read nothing! I wish.
What books are you excited to read?
I will be reading the other books in the Baes of Juneteenth series to see how my girls got down because I know they got down good. Then I’ll catch up with Stephanie Nicole Norris’s Clarks series because that woman can write! And finally, catch up on Beverly Jenkins’s Blessings series, so I’m ready for her event in December. If you’re coming to that, please talk to me. I’m there as a fan girl of Ms. Bev, so I’ll be relaxed and ready to have a good time meeting people.
What’s next for you?
I have a short story coming that I promised readers a few months back, but when I started writing it, I realized it would be best coming after Slick was released. It is a story that brings The Soulmates characters and The Enigma characters together. Two sets of siblings finally meet. It’s titled It’s Time. And I probably have people side-eyeing me because they’ve been waiting. I get it. I got you! LOL
Also, readers/listeners can expect to see the rest of The Enigma series in audio in the future. I’m waiting for production to begin on them, and once I have a release date, I’ll share.
Do you have anything you would like to add?
It’s always a pleasure to visit you on your blog, Chandra. And I appreciate you caring about my contribution to Black fiction! Many thanks!
Use the Black Fiction Addiction affiliate link to purchase your copy of Slick.
To learn more about Aja, visit her website or connect with her on social media. Instagram: Instagram.com/ajathewriter
TikTok: tiktok.com/@ajathewriter
Twitter: twitter.com/ajathewriter
Facebook.com/ ajathewriterbooks
Website: www.ajathewriter.com