Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Denise graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1996. She completed her B.A. in English at Wayne State in 2001 and her M.B.A. in Marketing at Davenport in 2006. With this training, Denise will seek to combine her sense of social responsibility with her love of the written and spoken word to influence future generations. Of her gift she says, “I can only describe my words as soulful. My soul is full of the glory of God, my ancestors` struggles, my present challenges, my forthcoming accomplishments and all that has made me the woman I am. With a soul so full, I have no choice but be a writer. I believe that in order to write something that touches the hearts of people, I must write something that comes from the heart.” Denise’s calling is to revolutionize the literary marketplace. She plans to do so by publishing her own work and creating a safe place where other artists can bring their talents to the table. The fulfillment of this purpose has begun with a poetry collection (A Glimpse of My Soul) and a novel (Prelude to Praise: A Word of Testimony).
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Prelude to Praise: A Word of Testimony and it was inspired by my own life. It is semi-autobiographical, though names and dates have been changed and some details have been invented to help the story flow better overall. I have been a Christian for more than half my life, but I have never read a piece of Christian fiction that felt real to me. I wanted to break that barrier with this piece that I’m dubbing inspirational fiction.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
For my latest book, as well as most of my longer works, I write by hand first and edit as I type. I think it helps me create a first and second draft all at once, but it often slows down the process and I can sometimes find it difficult to get through a scene or chapter.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The first author to make a very big impression on me was Octavia Butler with Parable of the Sower. She created a heroine that looked and sounded like me and people I knew and I was blown away by how much I could relate to what she’d written. I hope to one day have the impact she has had on science fiction readers in my chosen genre of inspirational fiction. There are also many other authors that I love and I’d hate to start naming them for fear of forgetting someone, but Ms. Butler was the first real influence that I can remember.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I have two projects in the works. I am currently revising The Learning Curve, a story of what happens when a teacher is falsely accused of sexual misconduct with a student and the drama that unfolds as her family seeks revenge. I am also about 75% done with the first draft of Seasons, an inner-city love story of four women looking for love that they must ultimately find within themselves.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I honestly think that word-of-mouth is the best method. I am not the most comfortable with promoting or selling myself, but people who have read my work often talk about how wonderful it is, so I simply ask them to tell others instead of me.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
For new authors, I would say what a veteran author once told me… write every day! When you’re working full time, going to school, raising a family, etc., this is never easy to do, but it is necessary. You will never make it if you don’t commit to working steadily at your craft.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Find something that you love to do, then find people who will pay you for it.
What are you reading now?
Right now, I am reading several books, as usual. Confessions of a Sociopath by M.E. Thomas, The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, The Complete Novels and Stories of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Cornel West Reader by Cornel West, and Black Voices: An Anthology of Afro-American Literature.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Aside from finishing The Learning Curve and Seasons, I am also working on more poetry. I would love to master the art of slam poetry once I’m able to memorize and perform some pieces on a national stage like the Women of the World Poetry Slam or the Individual World Poetry Slam that occur annually.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Since I’ve already mentioned the influence of Octavia Butler, I will use this space to talk about another text that I feel profoundly connected to: Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Angel’s Game. This book is a mystery wrapped up in a supernatural thriller wrapped up in a love story. Zafon fires on all cylinders here and I was engaged from the start in his tale of intrigue. What I didn’t expect, however, was to find spaces within the book that spoke to me spiritually and I was pleasantly surprised to have my beliefs both confirmed and challenged as a went along. The masterful text is certainly one of my all time favorites.
Author Websites and Profiles
Denise Ervin Website
Denise Ervin Amazon Profile
Denise Ervin’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile