Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a reluctant author of 6 books (mostly novellas). Growing up I never aspired to be an author, I never even kept a diary or journal. That all changed about five years ago when I realized I was in love with a time, place, and people that I felt needed to highlighted and their stories preserved. I started writing just for my family but it grew into a larger audience, and I couldn’t be happier.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“For Their Convenience … ten days out of a lifetime” Book 1 Bridge to Freedom, is about a domestic day worker and her husband a Pullman porter. Both jobs, in the Black community, were legacy jobs, a bridge from slavery to freedom and were passed down from one generation to the next. It’s an opportunity to look into, for ten days, the lives of this couple, their extended families, and their community, reaffirming that imagination is no match for reality.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I jot down notes, all over the house at all hours, as they come to me and then before I go to bed I gather them and place them in a basket. In the morning I review what I’ve jotted down and determine if it fits for my current project or if it stays in the basket until it fits.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Elizabeth George, Maeve Binchey, Rosamunde Pilcher, Toni Morrison
What are you working on now?
“On Closer Inspection … ten days out of a lifetime” Book 2 Bridge to Freedom takes a look at another ten day period in the lives of the same couple. Book 1 was from Violet’s perspective, this one will focus on her husband, Everett.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still figuring that out – Awesome Gang?
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t underestimate the need for understanding your audience and a good marketing plan. It is not enough to just write a book, publish it and wait for the magic to happen. You have to create your own magic.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Nobody is as interested in the success of your books as you are.
What are you reading now?
Becoming, Michelle Obama
Sign My Name to Freedom Betty Reid Soskin
Fresh Water Road Denise Nicholas
Preparing for a Black History Program I am creating.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing whatever catches my fancy and making sure that everybody who might be interested has a chance to decide whether or not they want to read what I have written.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Shell Seekers
Anything by Elizabeth George prior to 2009
Where the Wild Things Are
Daughters of the Dust
Author Websites and Profiles
Tina Jones Williams Amazon Profile
Tina Jones Williams’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile