August 19, 2025 • 49 mins
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Farrah Rochon joins us to talk about her writing journey, craft, and navigating her success in publishing. We'll celebrate her upcoming release Pugs & Kisses.
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(00:01):
Hello and welcome to the author spotlight with Kenyagori Bell and myself, Moni Boyce.
Today, please help us welcome New York Times and USA Today bestselling author FarrahRashad.
We are so excited to have you here with us.
I'm so excited to finally be here.
Yay!
So we always kind of love to have people kind of start us off on like how their journeygot started in the publishing world.
(00:29):
It's only an hour, so I'm going to try to make a Yeah, it's been while now.
So yeah, I mean, started, my first book was published back in 2007.
know, publishing has changed so much since then.
But I basically went the same route that everyone goes.
(00:50):
RWA was very big at that time, and I do credit them for helping me to navigate.
I joined it in 2002 and back at that time, they, you know, all you had was basicallytraditional publishing or you had to put a lot of money into self -publishing and sell the
(01:11):
books out of your car.
So I know I had to go traditional back then.
And it took me like five years from when I joined RWA started, you know, I was writing mybook.
I was.
looking for an agent, which I never thought I would get.
I ended up getting my agent who I'm still with to this day on the strength of one simplequery letter with nothing else attached.
(01:37):
And yeah, started five years after I started, I got my first contract.
was such a, I still remember it was like $2 ,000 for this one book contract.
And I thought I'm rich, I'm rich.
Yeah.
so green, but it was so exciting.
(01:57):
And that was with Dorchester Publishing.
If anyone wants to know what happened with Dorchester Publishing, just like Google it andhave yourself a glass of coffee or a glass of wine, depending on what you're in the mood
for, and read.
You'll see how I was pretty much baptized by fire into this business, starting withDorchester, because they kind of blew up a few years later.
(02:22):
But that was my, you know, that was my route.
I had five titles with Dorchester, three standalones and two anthologies.
And then I got on with Harlequin and was with them for years.
Yeah, I did, I think 16 titles with Harlequin.
(02:43):
That's kind of how it started.
you know, I did the hybrid thing and then I did only indie and then went back totraditional again.
This is your 17th, so it's like a long stretch.
can kind of done everything in it, but wouldn't trade it.
Wouldn't trade it because it's been pretty, pretty cool.
(03:04):
That's awesome.
Well, we are going to give you your flowers now because your books are amazing and lasting17 years.
I don't think people understand sometimes how, you know, I mean, cause you see people comeand go in this industry.
Um, it is definitely not for the faint of heart.
You know, you have to be able to withstand and endear some things.
And so just, mean, for you to be here and then also as an author of color, like it's anamazing story.
(03:30):
I,
Love that we were able to have you here to talk about everything.
you.
Yeah, it is.
I've seen a lot of friends that I just wonder like, what is she doing now?
You know, why isn't she publishing?
Yeah, you have to be able to pivot.
That's been my, that's the thing I remember the most of, you know, an author who told methat years ago.
(03:51):
Yeah.
So you made the transition from, did you write at one point for Kimani?
Okay, so you were one of the ones who successfully transitioned because I noticed theydidn't pick up everybody who came from Kimani over to the other.
So were you writing for both lines at Harlequin?
(04:12):
no, I only did Kamani.
I actually left by the time they got rid of the Kamani line.
I actually bought myself out of my contract.
I did it.
that's where I came to your book.
(04:34):
Let me tell you why, because that's where I came to your books, because imagine being induring that time, aspiring to be an author, and you see these Black books that are Black
romance centered and then.
And they were all over the place heat range.
Because you was rolling the dice.
(04:57):
You were like, because I'm a high heat, mid to high heat kind of reader.
I do love the angst of people who write closed door and everything.
was like, Kimani was like, they had a little bit of everything in the midst.
(05:17):
That was my issue.
That was one of my issues with Kamani and with Harlequin and why I kind of left and kindof got in trouble and had, you the person.
Yeah, I did.
Well, I ruffled feathers a lot.
I'm a really nice person.
I really am.
(05:37):
But I'm also my mother's daughter.
And I do not get this from you.
You've been hiding this from me.
I did not get this from you.
You have settled down a lot then.
sunshine and light not really if you piss me off I'll let you know that you piss me off Iknow what my one of my biggest issues with harlequin and that Kamanee line was the fact
(06:05):
that as long as you were black that's all that mattered I
So it wasn't like they were looking for good writers, it was just like, need blackwriters.
They still, I mean, it was still good writing.
It was still even towards, you know, when they actually started getting more writers in,because I remember the year I came in, they would only bring on two writers a year.
(06:30):
I got in with it was myself and Kimberly K.
Terry, another author who I'm like, where is she?
She wrote such great books.
But
Once indie publishing took off and so many Black writers showed them that, we can writetoo, they started combing the Black list, you know, Black romance list and finding
(06:53):
writers.
But my issue was like Kenya said, with that heat level, you had Desire, you had HarlequinPresents, you had all these other lines, and a lot of them were based on heat level.
And I remember the thing that got me in trouble that got me that phone call from the headof the New York office was they used to put out these things in the stores, these little
(07:19):
newsletter type booklets every quarter.
And I would take them.
I am, I still have the one that got me in trouble because they had this big heart and ithad different colors like
hot red and then it went pink and softer pink.
And they pointed to it based on the heat levels of the line.
(07:43):
It was like around Valentine's day, this cute way to tell people, whatever heat level youlove, we have a line for you.
And I put it on Twitter that what's missing from here?
Kamani.
Because there are so many different heat levels.
You would get closed door to like extremely hot.
(08:05):
And it didn't matter.
All of their other lines, especially contemporary, basically were based on heat level.
That's what, know, and Kamani was just like, as long you're Black, you're fine.
They actually told a good friend who is a historical romance writer that she needed tosubmit to Kamani.
(08:27):
Kamani did not publish historicals, but it was a story with Black people.
my god.
told her she needed to, cause she sent it to like the Harlequin historicals or whateverthe other one.
And yeah, it was basically as long as the characters are black, you get shoved in Kamani.
And Kamani did not get the same type of promotion.
(08:49):
Others, whoo, y 'all bringing back the memory.
And I'm talking now.
us all the tea.
I love the tea.
Okay, I'm for the mess.
So please drop it all.
teacher overflowed when it comes to OJC and Harlequin because, but it's true.
it's, know, they just did not, they didn't try to grow the line.
(09:12):
It's like, okay, we have this line.
We have these very loyal readers because I did find a lot of my audience through Kamani.
They are very good at helping people.
get discovered because people would just buy the books because they were the Kimani lineand they didn't care about the author.
They wanted their Kimani books.
(09:33):
So lot of people discovered me there, but they were fine with these voracious Blackreaders who they knew would buy these books.
They didn't try to grow it at all.
And yeah, I've got a lot of stories of things that just kind of just bothered me with it.
(09:56):
And once they got rid of Kamani, yeah, they brought in, they kind of put some of thewriters into the other lines.
And I'm happy that those writers got that, but I was, I got out before.
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
I actually signed against my agent's wishes.
(10:16):
Every bad thing I've done in my career, it's when I've gone against what my agent advisedme to do.
I'll just say that.
But I signed a five book contract and by book two, I told him, I gotta get out of this.
I could not write anymore.
Cause I was hybrid at the time and I was making so much more on my indie books.
(10:37):
And it felt like I was just throwing my time away.
writing that.
Harlequin, but making more by myself.
So yeah, I bought myself out of that contract and I went full indie for like three yearsbefore coming back to traditional publishing with the Boyfriend Project series.
I was doing fine.
(10:58):
I was doing much better by myself than I was with Harlequin.
Yeah.
books, so it's Deliver Me, the Holmes Brothers, is that indie?
Those were actually my very first books with Dorchester.
Yeah, I got the rights back to them.
(11:21):
So my indie books I did, I have a few standalones, like the Rebound Guy was a standalone.
I did another one like Mr.
Right Next Door, I think is the name of it.
And it was with a...
It was actually a group of us who got together and did this series at a adult summer campthing.
(11:45):
It was a very deep series.
really loved that book.
But my Maplesville series, which was actually tied to my Harlequin books in a way, thoseare all indie.
And then I continued the Holmes Brothers, because the original for Dorchester were thefirst three books.
(12:07):
okay.
eight books in that series because people kept asking for them and it was like there's alight bulb that went off when I realized that wait I actually can because people would say
you know aren't their homes cousins or something you can do something and I was likeactually I can do something because I now own those books and I was like guess what I'm
(12:33):
gonna find some homes cousins and that's
So I...
pull them out the woodwork.
Yeah, that's what I do.
I'm like,
And it still sells well.
The one thing that drives me kind of crazy is that I've gotten the rights to a lot of my,almost all of my Harlequin books.
(12:58):
And I still have my Buy Your Dream series that I have yet to republish myself, because Ijust simply do not have the time.
Yeah.
Those books I will eventually because it's a six book series that is you know, sitting onmy computer at this point But yeah, had I know I'm missing some of the books that I've
(13:22):
self -published cuz I did like little novellas here and there that's the great thing withself publishing, you know, you could be so agile and And I was I was doing well
But then I saw what was happening in traditional publishing and how they were finally, youknow, giving black authors actual money.
(13:47):
And then I just came up with an idea that I just felt was way too big for my very nicelittle indie audience.
It's like.
Well, tell us about this big idea and how that whole, not the whole process, but how youpitched that and brought that to the masses.
(14:11):
Yeah, well, that was my Boyfriend Project series.
I actually had a couple of series that I thought, OK, this may, if I wanted to go back totraditional publishing, this series would work.
One of them, I just actually talked about it with a publisher.
(14:31):
But the Boyfriend Project series, I've mentioned this before, back when the first bookcame out, that I got the idea.
from being up late one night on Twitter and just watching this person live tweet aboutthese two people in an airplane that were kind of like, she could kind of like see them
(14:53):
falling for each other, you know, all of this.
And I was just like sitting there scrolling and I'm like, come on, get the next one.
Cause it was, she created like this whole story.
I'm like, just making that up.
Cause these people are just in the, you know, they were like a couple of seats.
ahead of her and she's like, she's smiling.
He's laughing.
This is so cute.
But it was more about just this viral, because she had like all of us in a chokeholdwaiting for the next tweet about them.
(15:22):
And I just thought this is insane how something can go viral and people just glom onto it.
So that's where I got the idea of having the book center around something going viral thatbrings the three together.
And that's, you know, I just decided, okay, they're going to be dating the same guy.
(15:43):
And that's kind of always how my ideas start.
But as I began doing like all of my insane plotting that I do for some people, you know, Ijust thought, wait, this is like what they always tell you is high concept.
(16:03):
Because I'd gone to all of these workshops about, you know, get high concept and all that,and it never really made sense to me until I got a story that was high concept.
And I still can't explain it, but I knew at the time this is what they're talking about.
And I just, told my agent, okay, I think it's time for me to go back to traditional.
(16:28):
publishing, of course he was very happy.
Because I had been at it for three years since he had to sell a book for me.
And yeah, we did.
We went out with it.
Actually, there was a Biddymore, which was the first time I'd ever had that.
Yeah, it was between Forever, who I ended up with, and Berkeley.
(16:51):
Because if you remember, Berkeley at the time, they were the ones publishing all of theauthors.
They had Jasmine Guillory, she had just started with, you know, they had a lot of theauthors of color, but forever didn't.
And that business side of my head, you know, said, wait, do I want to be one of like sixor seven that they had at the time?
(17:17):
the one.
And of course, I was like, you know, I'll be the one.
So that's why I went with Forever.
Thankfully, there are a bunch of us now at Forever, but at the time, they did not havethat many authors of color on their list.
So that was just a strategic move on my part.
(17:39):
And it made sense.
I so practical for a romance writer, really.
It's like,
you
My head is not in the clouds and all that stuff is all this.
I'm gonna have to talk to you because man, I am very delusional
Hello.
I'm like, let's bring it, Naimo Simone's my best friend.
(18:03):
She's like, let's bring it back down to earth, babe.
Let's touch some grass.
You're way out there, okay?
I need to dream more because I am way too practical with everything that I do.
And I don't study the industry as much as I used to because I used to just focus on it wasall like the practical side of the industry.
(18:28):
And the writing was the separate part.
I'm with that, you know, I'll have fun with the writing, but I know that this is abusiness and I just that's just how my brain works.
Yeah.
I definitely can relate to that about studying the business and understanding it.
Because that's a lot and it's always ever -changing and I feel like if you don't somehowyou miss something.
(18:52):
And not just talking about trends but just from the business side of how publishing worksand things like that.
I think that's important.
Yeah, but it can it can drive you out of your mind because it's also there's so much aboutit that you can't control.
That's my biggest.
%
(19:13):
But what you're showing us is that you can also write these incredibly engaging, fun booksand still be savvy about business.
And I think a lot of times, like I see people complaining about like the marketing or theydon't want, especially where you are in charge of your own marketing on the indie side and
(19:40):
it all falls to your
feet and I'm like, you know, and that's one of the things that I don't have a problemwith, even though, you know, you get tired, but you are, you are explaining very well how
you can carve a way for yourself to be able to do both because it's not like you, are sopractical that your books don't, that it bleeds away from your muse or whatever.
(20:04):
So talk a little bit about when did you first realize like, this is something
I want to be a writer and a romance writer at that.
How did that happen?
Well, I started writing in college because I was supposed to be a psychologist.
(20:24):
I have a couple of degrees in psychology.
But I also, love to read, it was more serious books at the time, know.
Serious, yeah.
I wasn't reading romance, but my sister made me read a romance.
(20:44):
So I would sneak them every now and then.
And not from my family, like from, I would sneak them when I was like at school.
Cause I went to Xavier University in New Orleans.
So people were reading all these highbrow books.
And that's what I thought I needed to read.
And that's what I thought I needed to write.
You know, we were still reading popular fiction, but it was like John Grisham.
(21:07):
That was, I love John Grisham.
I would read the Oprah books only because I liked very few of them, but that's what peoplewere reading and talking about.
I know, I know they were all so depressing, but that's what people were, you know, talkingabout.
So that's what I read.
But my very first book, I started writing in my sophomore year college.
(21:31):
It took me all of college in my first year of grad school to get through it.
But it was like this.
It was like this mystery suspense legal thriller.
I know nothing about law.
When I tell you, but I'm going to write this legal thriller.
They had 17 points of view.
(21:53):
I remember the desk in the sergeant's office.
Isn't that a point of view?
Cause he like slams the folder and the desk thought, ouch.
You know, think about that.
The desk a point of view.
That's where I was.
It was a good story.
I contend to this day it was still a good story.
(22:15):
it was, it was.
And honestly, my mom had not found it, printed.
I probably would not be writing today, because I kept it to myself.
No one knew I was writing.
And that's how I actually got into romance.
(22:35):
I started reading romance.
got on.
The book that my sister gave me was Judith McNaught, one of her books.
And she doesn't write anymore.
People would read her books now and probably hate them because they're old school, youknow, 80s, 90s.
my favorite.
She's Judith McNall and it's really one of her is the whole premise of my book of Delord.
(23:01):
So I love her so much.
It is, and I know that people would, you know, the heroes are horrible and I don't carethough.
They are my own.
But they had bulletin boards at that time.
The Simon and Schuster had a bunch of bulletin boards for like Julie McNaught, JulieGarwood, all those people.
(23:25):
And I would go on the bulletin boards.
I met a bunch of people.
I've been friends with them for over 20 years now.
And some of them came to my house and we were talking books and my mom told them, oh,know, Farrah writes books.
And I was like, what are you?
(23:46):
And my friends all just assumed that I was writing a romance when I thought I was stilllike somewhat of a romance snob, if you can believe it at that time, because I thought,
why would you think I'm writing romance?
Those aren't serious books.
And then they were like, but that's what you read.
And it was like, again, another light bulb.
(24:08):
yeah.
I really like reading those romance books.
So why wouldn't I write them?
And it took me like six months to write my romance, my first romance, because I had somuch more fun writing that romance compared to the serious books.
Yeah.
Exactly.
(24:28):
And I just, was very quick.
found RWA at that time.
Actually, my first time meeting those girls in person was RWA in New Orleans.
They had all come down for it and we finally got to meet.
And then by that next year, I was at my first RWA conference in Denver and never missedthe conference for 18 years after that.
(24:54):
Not even knowing what RWA was when I met the girls that year in New Orleans.
I just knew they were coming down for a trip to New Orleans.
They didn't even tell me what they were there for at the time.
So that shows you how quick my life changed.
It all because of my friends just assuming after my mom let it, know, spilled the beansthat I was not going to go.
(25:19):
And then just assuming I was writing romance, was just like, well, yeah, why not?
story.
You're a great storyteller.
mean, you would be amazed at how many writers can't tell a story verbally.
It's just, you know, it's how it happened.
(25:40):
That's my, I mean, it is my story.
It's my story of how it came about.
Very topical.
and I will say that I know all the craziness and everything that's gone on with RWA, but Irealized even through a lot of these interviews, a lot of us kind of started out.
I'm still part of RWA.
And it's funny because I remember my first conference was Denver in 2018, I want to say?
(26:05):
Yeah, 2018, 2019.
One of the two.
But I remember you were one of the first people I met.
I I hadn't written anything yet.
Well, I'd written something, but I was not published.
I knew absolutely no one.
And I remember being so just like, where am I?
And seeing you in the hallway and you helped me get to one of the workshops.
(26:26):
You were such a sweetheart.
And that was one of the things I loved being there, because I was coming from the filmworld.
And it's not so nice.
People are not always very welcoming or want to help you.
And just being there and being part of these women, because I mean, for the most part,it's women in the romance genre.
(26:48):
But I just remember how welcoming everybody was.
you were one of the people I definitely remember just being so helpful and warm.
And I was not used to that.
was like, why are they helping me more than you want?
That's interesting that you know it's funny the parallel because I went my first one was2002 and you could count on your hands how many black authors there were there I I mean
(27:22):
there may have been 10 of us and
I wasn't staying at the conference hotel.
I had no idea that like our meals were included.
So I would go to the workshops and go back to my hotel and eat like cheese crackers andstuff because I was And yeah, that's one of those the evolution of RWA's inclusiveness it
(27:49):
was a lot better towards the end
than it was when it first, they were seriously like me and Christopher.
truly count on my hands, the number of black authors that were there, not many at all.
Phyllis, Phyllis Bourne was another that was there.
(28:12):
There was very few of us, very few.
And then it's, it, and I always like, uh, RWA is the whole reason why I'm even an author,because I went to that first meeting, here in Alabama, and those ladies is met Naima, and
(28:36):
we have been friends ever since, ever since then, and, and then, but
even though that was just me, her, and then later we had a few more other Black members,they did everything they could to support me and push me into the pathway of writing and
(28:58):
still support me to this day.
So I'm always grateful to like our Southern Magic chapter of RWA and what they did for me.
And I, you know, we all mourn the fact that
what has happened.
I hope we can, because we do need a, we do need a romance trade organization with power.
(29:22):
All these disparate groups, that's not, that's not, we need people to say, okay, kickingwriters off of their, them, Amazon is locking some, some Black indie authors out of their
account here recently.
And, you know, somebody to stand up.
(29:42):
for us, you know?
RWA that could go that a lot of people don't realize just how much power they had.
When it came to publishers, Amazon, they had a contact.
remember Facebook as well.
They had an issue with Facebook.
(30:05):
And yeah, I was on the board for five years and I did not realize the power that theorganization had until
I saw the inner workings and we do need a trade association to help.
I would hope that we can eventually, that RWA can maybe, you know, build itself up againout of this and reorganize and just get it right this time.
(30:32):
But it will take, it will take a long time to get back to what they were.
It's just, it's just very unfortunate.
what happened, because they do.
think a lot of authors, a lot of us just all met our writing friends through our.
I do appreciate that Steamy Lit.
(30:55):
It's the one new thing that has started that kind of gives me those RWA feels in a waymore than any other event that I've been to.
So I loved it.
really, this.
was, listen, I am, I don't know if you, I always talk about the Becca Syme class, thestrength for writers class.
(31:20):
And she talks about this woo thing, the winning others over.
Like my woo was like off the charts, Moni.
was like, Farah saw me.
was, I was, I was in Nirvana.
Whatever paradise is, I was there.
whole, like it was.
(31:40):
And it was so many writers of color, different genres.
They did such a great job.
And I was like, please let me come back.
I know I misbehaved.
You know!
Well, is, they've done, I've been so impressed both years and adding this, the day forindustry, that's why it just felt more like a conference where they took pitches, they had
(32:12):
workshops.
It just felt good.
It felt like what I'd been missing in these last four or five years has been gone.
that is nice, but it...
It's also not a trade organization.
We need a trade association for authors to something to stand up for themselves.
(32:35):
Maybe eventually.
Yeah.
I know switching topics just a little bit, because I know how much you love Disney.
And I was very curious because I saw the two books that you're writing or have written,Fate Be Changed and Almost There.
How did that come about that you were writing these like alt stories for Disney?
Yeah, that came about a few years ago as well now.
(32:56):
It's been a...
Oh, I can't remember 2021 or maybe 2020.
I can't remember now.
Time means nothing.
But a fellow romance author who writes for their Star Wars.
And I can say her name now because it's Zoran of Cordova.
(33:17):
I don't think it would get her in trouble.
But she learned that Disney was going to start this series about
the princesses, but it would be adult romance.
And she just thought, you know, you have to write the Princess Tiana book for all thereasons, know, my niece was Tiana at Disney.
(33:40):
I'm a big Disney fan.
So my agent and I, told him I must do this, but we, have to tell him, you know, a littlebirdie told us we can't tell him how we found out about this because they're very
secretive.
So we just put together this entire package.
of, you know, we sold me to them and they actually said, we don't want to have anyonewrite this book because we're not sure how long this series is going to last.
(34:08):
They were just going to try it.
but it just so happened that
They had been looking for a Black writer to write the Princess Tiana story for theirTwisted Tales YA series.
And the editor who is over that series had just read The Boyfriend Project because, sothis was in 2020, because it just come out early with Book of the Month.
(34:35):
And I think it was her book of the month pick.
So she had just read it like a week or so before.
Kind of like Kismet that I end up in her inbox.
Right.
And they said, you know, would you write YA?
like, yeah, I've never done it before.
But this is Disney.
(34:56):
I'm going to.
And that's how it started.
And I have been having so much fun.
because it's just like stretched my creative muscles in ways that I just never thought.
All those years at RWA, whenever I saw like a workshop on writing paranormal or writingfantasy or, you know, I said I historicals, that's too much research.
(35:26):
That Tiana book was basically a historical paranormal.
you
Everything I said I wouldn't write was in that one book and the one with Meredith is evenworse because it's 10th Century Scotland.
I have, yeah, so much research and it's just, it's everything I said I would never writeand I have had so much fun writing.
(35:51):
say, must be a dream because I know how big of a Disney lover you are and now you'reactually writing some of the stories.
Like, that's amazing.
I get to play around.
I almost say I get to play around with Disney characters and they can't sue me becausethey passed me.
You're
that.
I think, because aren't they about to do a movie?
(36:12):
Are they doing a movie for a lot?
Are they planning a live action for the Princess Tiana movie?
I have no idea.
They don't tell me anything.
just tell me the rest of the book and they're about it.
But they did.
have another book for them coming after fate be changed?
Yes, actually I just, in January we just revealed the cover I have Bemused, which is anorigin story of the Muses from Hercules.
(36:48):
Levergillies.
is, the cover is the most gorgeous cover I have ever had.
wish they were on my, you have to go and look up the cover.
The cover is gorgeous.
my god, I can't wait to see that.
It's basically it's an origin story.
They're teenagers.
It's like the Muses are teenagers.
They have no idea that they're goddesses.
(37:10):
It's not a part of the Twisted Tales.
This is my first standalone for them.
But it's basically how they discover that they are the Muses.
cannot wait to read that.
fun.
For someone who loves Greek mythology, because I do, know, in high school, I remember thatwas my favorite things was when we studied Greek mythology.
(37:33):
So getting to play around with the Greek gods, as well.
It's just it was so much fun.
It was so much fun.
So yeah, they are the best part of the movie Hercules.
We have to all acknowledge them.
Yeah.
they do.
So they're teenagers.
(37:54):
They're teenagers in my book and they are it's just I loved it.
It is so much fun.
I'm hoping everyone loves it as much as I do.
Because I tend to really like the books that I really like.
People are like, yeah, that was good.
And the ones that were like, you know, I don't really like that book.
That's the one that everyone talks about.
So it's just like.
(38:15):
I was like, maybe I'm looking at too much.
That's a funny thing.
You have your own little favorite amongst your own books.
then with mine, with my heroes and people like, I love this guy.
And I was like, yeah, but this one was a little bit so much better.
(38:37):
I poured my heart and soul into this psychopath over here.
Exactly!
I'm always like, really?
And then I have to remember, wait, wait, wait, you can't show favorites.
Your books are like, so you know I write dark romance and people are always like, well,need a, I love, I write dark romance and I love urban romance.
(38:59):
And people are like, I need a palate cleanser, a break from all this murder and mayhem.
And I'm always like, get a Farrah Shun book.
That's the perfect, that's the perfect palate cleanser.
If you just want a lovely love story, like it has humor, has, you know,
A Strong Family Connections, all of the beautiful things that just with that you a swoonworthy romance that is Boyfriend Project, all of those books.
(39:27):
And then now that you're writing YA, you know, I could actually share those with mychildren.
so how do you are you going to stay in the YA world?
Do you love it so much that you're like, this is my this is my happy voice.
I probably, yeah, I will.
(39:48):
As long as they continue to publish me and they do, again, they're very secretive so Ican't discuss future projects, but do have projects, I think, scheduled out until 2027.
Nice!
at least three, at least another one that we're waiting on the contract.
(40:11):
So I do have projects and they're very good at scheduling things way in the future so thatI can, you know, like.
I love it too because you're kind of like the epitome of that, you know, when everybody'slike, find something you love and get paid to do it and you're potentially doing that.
so much.
Is your niece still, is your niece still Princess Tiana?
(40:32):
She is not, I know, broke my heart.
I'm still trying to get over it, but I am happy for her.
But yes, after 12 years with Disney, she actually left, she left the company completely inMay.
there's one, Monnie and I were talking before about me going to Disney this year.
(40:55):
I had to go out there for her last, you know, her last hurrah.
So back in May I went out there to see her in the parade.
12 years is a long time!
12 years is a very long time and I was, I was heartbroken.
I didn't want her to know, but she knew.
(41:15):
But it was time for her to go and she's much happier now.
She just got a new job.
She actually just started this week at her new job that's an actual career.
So it's like, thank you God.
You put her where she needed to be.
I still think that she's not just me.
But I mean, you know, it's okay.
I've got an annual pass.
I've got, you know, it's not like I needed her for like her discounts, which I remember.
(41:40):
like, I'm like, well, too bad for you.
I just liked that she was there and I, she's not there anymore, but.
I remember showing my daughter, who was younger at the time, was like, do you see thisDisney princess?
I know somebody who knows her.
(42:01):
I love how you're name dropping to your child, I know.
was like, you know Princess Tiana?
I was like, I don't know her, but I know her aunt.
So that was, and it's just so beautiful, the correlation with your niece being a princessand black girls being able to see themselves in her and you writing the princess story and
(42:27):
black girls being able to see themselves in your writing.
and all the Black women who have been able to love and enjoy your books, you're doing agreat thing, Farrah.
Yes?
Yeah, yeah, I used to go around on Instagram looking for, you know, people would post onInstagram.
(42:49):
So when she first started, that was like every single day, I would go just stalking onInstagram people's pictures with Tiana to see if I find her.
Because you would see the little black girls would just, you know, their faces would lightup and I just.
Yeah, I'm going to miss it.
do miss it, but I'm happy that we had it.
(43:12):
I still have I have a folder on my phone of all those pictures that I stole from Instagramof her just making a little Black children, you know, making their day.
So I can always go back to those.
I love it.
Well, can you talk about what else we can expect to see from you if not in the rest of2024, but maybe in 2025?
(43:33):
Well, yes, I do have, like I said in January, The Muse is coming out.
I do hope everyone loves it and enjoys it.
Again, go look at the cover and just marvel at it.
And then I have the next book in my series with Forever.
(43:54):
The first book was Pardon My Frenchie.
It's a brand new series that...
It's set in New Orleans in a doggy daycare.
Yeah, and it's all about the doggy love.
I'll be honest, I had way too much fun.
I'm a big dog lover as well.
I'm happy mine has not barked.
(44:16):
But the part of my Frenchie is book one and book two, Pugs and Kisses.
I just want to know.
cute!
Pugs and Kisses will be out, I think we're going to be in August instead of June.
I think they pushed it back because life has been crazy.
(44:39):
I was like, I'm gonna need a little more time.
Thank goodness for my editor forever for putting up with me.
But I think that we decided, they did show me the cover.
They're gonna reveal it in November.
but it's adorable.
It again, you know, in New Orleans and with this series, I really tried to showcase theNew Orleans that I know because whenever you read a book set in New Orleans, people are
(45:08):
like, it's the French Quarter and that's it.
So yeah, one thing with this series, a lot of it is set in other neighborhoods in NewOrleans.
And with this current, the new cover, they're like Uptown.
on St.
Charles Avenue and they just did such a great job capturing that, know, they did a greatjob.
(45:32):
So I can't wait until the cover reveal.
But yes, Pugs and Kisses, which if you can't tell, the heroine has a That will be out nextyear.
And I have another Disney book.
They haven't given me the release date, but I think it comes out next year.
again, I can't say anything.
I don't even know.
(45:52):
I know it's not.
secret police getting you.
We'll wait.
I just know the book is done and I just sent them the dedication for it.
So, but I don't have a release date.
That's kind of how it is with Disney.
They're like, you give us the book, please.
We'll take care of everything else.
And I'm just as surprised as everyone when it like pops up on Amazon or something.
(46:15):
I'm going look to see when that comes out.
We'll see.
But that's, yeah.
let everyone know though where they can follow you so they can make sure they stay up todate on like seeing your book covers and the release dates and everything like that.
Yeah, well, of course you can always start at my website that I really do need to update.
But it's FarrahRashawn .com.
(46:36):
I think I'm just missing one cover.
Instagram is kind of my happy place these days.
So I do, I post a lot there.
I'm on TikTok, kind of forced to be there.
am...
not good at it.
My niece and nephew call me cringy and they're right.
(47:00):
I'm there.
And I'm on Twitter, but you know, it's an election year.
So don't don't follow me on Twitter.
No!
Are you on threats at all?
Because I know a lot of people migrated over to threats.
I'm on threads.
I don't post as much.
just like to go, the tea that you talked about, I like to go and get the messy tea.
(47:21):
That's where all the tea is.
So I'm darker.
only reason I'm on there is for like, because gets, because on Thras is like, you gotmore, you have more characters for people to have more bad takes.
Somebody, Ashley, somebody was like going back to your statement about making good moneyas an indie and somebody said,
(47:47):
the poor little indie authors, they're so low on the totem pole.
I was like, listen, buddy, we will make more money than that.
I like, what?
And I was like, let me just get off of here.
It's so crazy.
what you're talking about.
know a lot of the Indian authors who, yeah, husbands have been able to quit work and, youknow, they're like paying college.
(48:09):
Yeah, just let them have their little bad takes.
They do that with romance in general.
it's like romance authors are just going to the bank, depositing all their money, so letthem do that.
But yeah, I am on threads, but again, as a lurker.
I mean, I am on Facebook as well, but that's mostly just for my private Disney groups andtravel groups.
(48:32):
I just go in there to do like my private groups, but I'll post stuff there.
Instagram, Instagram is my, that's where I have my most fun as an author on Instagram.
And I also put my trips in my Broadway.
It's like, you get more of me.
Yeah, follow me there.
Well thank you so much for giving of your time to sit down and talk with us.
(48:53):
We really, really appreciate it.
It was so great.
This was the best.
we finally got to do it.
We've had to reschedule so many times.
I'm just so happy that we finally got to do it.
Well, thank you.
And everyone, make sure you give her a follow.
Go to her webpage, get on her newsletter so you can keep up to date.
(49:15):
You're welcome.
I hope you have a good day.
You too.
Hello and welcome to the author spotlight with Kenyagori Bell and myself, Moni Boyce.
Today, please help us welcome New York Times and USA Today bestselling author FarrahRashad.
We are so excited to have you here with us.
I'm so excited to finally be here.
Yay!
So we always kind of love to have people kind of start us off on like how their journeygot started in the publishing world.
(00:29):
It's only an hour, so I'm going to try to make a Yeah, it's been while now.
So yeah, I mean, started, my first book was published back in 2007.
know, publishing has changed so much since then.
But I basically went the same route that everyone goes.
(00:50):
RWA was very big at that time, and I do credit them for helping me to navigate.
I joined it in 2002 and back at that time, they, you know, all you had was basicallytraditional publishing or you had to put a lot of money into self -publishing and sell the
(01:11):
books out of your car.
So I know I had to go traditional back then.
And it took me like five years from when I joined RWA started, you know, I was writing mybook.
I was.
looking for an agent, which I never thought I would get.
I ended up getting my agent who I'm still with to this day on the strength of one simplequery letter with nothing else attached.
(01:37):
And yeah, started five years after I started, I got my first contract.
was such a, I still remember it was like $2 ,000 for this one book contract.
And I thought I'm rich, I'm rich.
Yeah.
so green, but it was so exciting.
(01:57):
And that was with Dorchester Publishing.
If anyone wants to know what happened with Dorchester Publishing, just like Google it andhave yourself a glass of coffee or a glass of wine, depending on what you're in the mood
for, and read.
You'll see how I was pretty much baptized by fire into this business, starting withDorchester, because they kind of blew up a few years later.
(02:22):
But that was my, you know, that was my route.
I had five titles with Dorchester, three standalones and two anthologies.
And then I got on with Harlequin and was with them for years.
Yeah, I did, I think 16 titles with Harlequin.
(02:43):
That's kind of how it started.
you know, I did the hybrid thing and then I did only indie and then went back totraditional again.
This is your 17th, so it's like a long stretch.
can kind of done everything in it, but wouldn't trade it.
Wouldn't trade it because it's been pretty, pretty cool.
(03:04):
That's awesome.
Well, we are going to give you your flowers now because your books are amazing and lasting17 years.
I don't think people understand sometimes how, you know, I mean, cause you see people comeand go in this industry.
Um, it is definitely not for the faint of heart.
You know, you have to be able to withstand and endear some things.
And so just, mean, for you to be here and then also as an author of color, like it's anamazing story.
(03:30):
I,
Love that we were able to have you here to talk about everything.
you.
Yeah, it is.
I've seen a lot of friends that I just wonder like, what is she doing now?
You know, why isn't she publishing?
Yeah, you have to be able to pivot.
That's been my, that's the thing I remember the most of, you know, an author who told methat years ago.
(03:51):
Yeah.
So you made the transition from, did you write at one point for Kimani?
Okay, so you were one of the ones who successfully transitioned because I noticed theydidn't pick up everybody who came from Kimani over to the other.
So were you writing for both lines at Harlequin?
(04:12):
no, I only did Kamani.
I actually left by the time they got rid of the Kamani line.
I actually bought myself out of my contract.
I did it.
that's where I came to your book.
(04:34):
Let me tell you why, because that's where I came to your books, because imagine being induring that time, aspiring to be an author, and you see these Black books that are Black
romance centered and then.
And they were all over the place heat range.
Because you was rolling the dice.
(04:57):
You were like, because I'm a high heat, mid to high heat kind of reader.
I do love the angst of people who write closed door and everything.
was like, Kimani was like, they had a little bit of everything in the midst.
(05:17):
That was my issue.
That was one of my issues with Kamani and with Harlequin and why I kind of left and kindof got in trouble and had, you the person.
Yeah, I did.
Well, I ruffled feathers a lot.
I'm a really nice person.
I really am.
(05:37):
But I'm also my mother's daughter.
And I do not get this from you.
You've been hiding this from me.
I did not get this from you.
You have settled down a lot then.
sunshine and light not really if you piss me off I'll let you know that you piss me off Iknow what my one of my biggest issues with harlequin and that Kamanee line was the fact
(06:05):
that as long as you were black that's all that mattered I
So it wasn't like they were looking for good writers, it was just like, need blackwriters.
They still, I mean, it was still good writing.
It was still even towards, you know, when they actually started getting more writers in,because I remember the year I came in, they would only bring on two writers a year.
(06:30):
I got in with it was myself and Kimberly K.
Terry, another author who I'm like, where is she?
She wrote such great books.
But
Once indie publishing took off and so many Black writers showed them that, we can writetoo, they started combing the Black list, you know, Black romance list and finding
(06:53):
writers.
But my issue was like Kenya said, with that heat level, you had Desire, you had HarlequinPresents, you had all these other lines, and a lot of them were based on heat level.
And I remember the thing that got me in trouble that got me that phone call from the headof the New York office was they used to put out these things in the stores, these little
(07:19):
newsletter type booklets every quarter.
And I would take them.
I am, I still have the one that got me in trouble because they had this big heart and ithad different colors like
hot red and then it went pink and softer pink.
And they pointed to it based on the heat levels of the line.
(07:43):
It was like around Valentine's day, this cute way to tell people, whatever heat level youlove, we have a line for you.
And I put it on Twitter that what's missing from here?
Kamani.
Because there are so many different heat levels.
You would get closed door to like extremely hot.
(08:05):
And it didn't matter.
All of their other lines, especially contemporary, basically were based on heat level.
That's what, know, and Kamani was just like, as long you're Black, you're fine.
They actually told a good friend who is a historical romance writer that she needed tosubmit to Kamani.
(08:27):
Kamani did not publish historicals, but it was a story with Black people.
my god.
told her she needed to, cause she sent it to like the Harlequin historicals or whateverthe other one.
And yeah, it was basically as long as the characters are black, you get shoved in Kamani.
And Kamani did not get the same type of promotion.
(08:49):
Others, whoo, y 'all bringing back the memory.
And I'm talking now.
us all the tea.
I love the tea.
Okay, I'm for the mess.
So please drop it all.
teacher overflowed when it comes to OJC and Harlequin because, but it's true.
it's, know, they just did not, they didn't try to grow the line.
(09:12):
It's like, okay, we have this line.
We have these very loyal readers because I did find a lot of my audience through Kamani.
They are very good at helping people.
get discovered because people would just buy the books because they were the Kimani lineand they didn't care about the author.
They wanted their Kimani books.
(09:33):
So lot of people discovered me there, but they were fine with these voracious Blackreaders who they knew would buy these books.
They didn't try to grow it at all.
And yeah, I've got a lot of stories of things that just kind of just bothered me with it.
(09:56):
And once they got rid of Kamani, yeah, they brought in, they kind of put some of thewriters into the other lines.
And I'm happy that those writers got that, but I was, I got out before.
Mm -hmm.
Yeah.
I actually signed against my agent's wishes.
(10:16):
Every bad thing I've done in my career, it's when I've gone against what my agent advisedme to do.
I'll just say that.
But I signed a five book contract and by book two, I told him, I gotta get out of this.
I could not write anymore.
Cause I was hybrid at the time and I was making so much more on my indie books.
(10:37):
And it felt like I was just throwing my time away.
writing that.
Harlequin, but making more by myself.
So yeah, I bought myself out of that contract and I went full indie for like three yearsbefore coming back to traditional publishing with the Boyfriend Project series.
I was doing fine.
(10:58):
I was doing much better by myself than I was with Harlequin.
Yeah.
books, so it's Deliver Me, the Holmes Brothers, is that indie?
Those were actually my very first books with Dorchester.
Yeah, I got the rights back to them.
(11:21):
So my indie books I did, I have a few standalones, like the Rebound Guy was a standalone.
I did another one like Mr.
Right Next Door, I think is the name of it.
And it was with a...
It was actually a group of us who got together and did this series at a adult summer campthing.
(11:45):
It was a very deep series.
really loved that book.
But my Maplesville series, which was actually tied to my Harlequin books in a way, thoseare all indie.
And then I continued the Holmes Brothers, because the original for Dorchester were thefirst three books.
(12:07):
okay.
eight books in that series because people kept asking for them and it was like there's alight bulb that went off when I realized that wait I actually can because people would say
you know aren't their homes cousins or something you can do something and I was likeactually I can do something because I now own those books and I was like guess what I'm
(12:33):
gonna find some homes cousins and that's
So I...
pull them out the woodwork.
Yeah, that's what I do.
I'm like,
And it still sells well.
The one thing that drives me kind of crazy is that I've gotten the rights to a lot of my,almost all of my Harlequin books.
(12:58):
And I still have my Buy Your Dream series that I have yet to republish myself, because Ijust simply do not have the time.
Yeah.
Those books I will eventually because it's a six book series that is you know, sitting onmy computer at this point But yeah, had I know I'm missing some of the books that I've
(13:22):
self -published cuz I did like little novellas here and there that's the great thing withself publishing, you know, you could be so agile and And I was I was doing well
But then I saw what was happening in traditional publishing and how they were finally, youknow, giving black authors actual money.
(13:47):
And then I just came up with an idea that I just felt was way too big for my very nicelittle indie audience.
It's like.
Well, tell us about this big idea and how that whole, not the whole process, but how youpitched that and brought that to the masses.
(14:11):
Yeah, well, that was my Boyfriend Project series.
I actually had a couple of series that I thought, OK, this may, if I wanted to go back totraditional publishing, this series would work.
One of them, I just actually talked about it with a publisher.
(14:31):
But the Boyfriend Project series, I've mentioned this before, back when the first bookcame out, that I got the idea.
from being up late one night on Twitter and just watching this person live tweet aboutthese two people in an airplane that were kind of like, she could kind of like see them
(14:53):
falling for each other, you know, all of this.
And I was just like sitting there scrolling and I'm like, come on, get the next one.
Cause it was, she created like this whole story.
I'm like, just making that up.
Cause these people are just in the, you know, they were like a couple of seats.
ahead of her and she's like, she's smiling.
He's laughing.
This is so cute.
But it was more about just this viral, because she had like all of us in a chokeholdwaiting for the next tweet about them.
(15:22):
And I just thought this is insane how something can go viral and people just glom onto it.
So that's where I got the idea of having the book center around something going viral thatbrings the three together.
And that's, you know, I just decided, okay, they're going to be dating the same guy.
(15:43):
And that's kind of always how my ideas start.
But as I began doing like all of my insane plotting that I do for some people, you know, Ijust thought, wait, this is like what they always tell you is high concept.
(16:03):
Because I'd gone to all of these workshops about, you know, get high concept and all that,and it never really made sense to me until I got a story that was high concept.
And I still can't explain it, but I knew at the time this is what they're talking about.
And I just, told my agent, okay, I think it's time for me to go back to traditional.
(16:28):
publishing, of course he was very happy.
Because I had been at it for three years since he had to sell a book for me.
And yeah, we did.
We went out with it.
Actually, there was a Biddymore, which was the first time I'd ever had that.
Yeah, it was between Forever, who I ended up with, and Berkeley.
(16:51):
Because if you remember, Berkeley at the time, they were the ones publishing all of theauthors.
They had Jasmine Guillory, she had just started with, you know, they had a lot of theauthors of color, but forever didn't.
And that business side of my head, you know, said, wait, do I want to be one of like sixor seven that they had at the time?
(17:17):
the one.
And of course, I was like, you know, I'll be the one.
So that's why I went with Forever.
Thankfully, there are a bunch of us now at Forever, but at the time, they did not havethat many authors of color on their list.
So that was just a strategic move on my part.
(17:39):
And it made sense.
I so practical for a romance writer, really.
It's like,
you
My head is not in the clouds and all that stuff is all this.
I'm gonna have to talk to you because man, I am very delusional
Hello.
I'm like, let's bring it, Naimo Simone's my best friend.
(18:03):
She's like, let's bring it back down to earth, babe.
Let's touch some grass.
You're way out there, okay?
I need to dream more because I am way too practical with everything that I do.
And I don't study the industry as much as I used to because I used to just focus on it wasall like the practical side of the industry.
(18:28):
And the writing was the separate part.
I'm with that, you know, I'll have fun with the writing, but I know that this is abusiness and I just that's just how my brain works.
Yeah.
I definitely can relate to that about studying the business and understanding it.
Because that's a lot and it's always ever -changing and I feel like if you don't somehowyou miss something.
(18:52):
And not just talking about trends but just from the business side of how publishing worksand things like that.
I think that's important.
Yeah, but it can it can drive you out of your mind because it's also there's so much aboutit that you can't control.
That's my biggest.
%
(19:13):
But what you're showing us is that you can also write these incredibly engaging, fun booksand still be savvy about business.
And I think a lot of times, like I see people complaining about like the marketing or theydon't want, especially where you are in charge of your own marketing on the indie side and
(19:40):
it all falls to your
feet and I'm like, you know, and that's one of the things that I don't have a problemwith, even though, you know, you get tired, but you are, you are explaining very well how
you can carve a way for yourself to be able to do both because it's not like you, are sopractical that your books don't, that it bleeds away from your muse or whatever.
(20:04):
So talk a little bit about when did you first realize like, this is something
I want to be a writer and a romance writer at that.
How did that happen?
Well, I started writing in college because I was supposed to be a psychologist.
(20:24):
I have a couple of degrees in psychology.
But I also, love to read, it was more serious books at the time, know.
Serious, yeah.
I wasn't reading romance, but my sister made me read a romance.
(20:44):
So I would sneak them every now and then.
And not from my family, like from, I would sneak them when I was like at school.
Cause I went to Xavier University in New Orleans.
So people were reading all these highbrow books.
And that's what I thought I needed to read.
And that's what I thought I needed to write.
You know, we were still reading popular fiction, but it was like John Grisham.
(21:07):
That was, I love John Grisham.
I would read the Oprah books only because I liked very few of them, but that's what peoplewere reading and talking about.
I know, I know they were all so depressing, but that's what people were, you know, talkingabout.
So that's what I read.
But my very first book, I started writing in my sophomore year college.
(21:31):
It took me all of college in my first year of grad school to get through it.
But it was like this.
It was like this mystery suspense legal thriller.
I know nothing about law.
When I tell you, but I'm going to write this legal thriller.
They had 17 points of view.
(21:53):
I remember the desk in the sergeant's office.
Isn't that a point of view?
Cause he like slams the folder and the desk thought, ouch.
You know, think about that.
The desk a point of view.
That's where I was.
It was a good story.
I contend to this day it was still a good story.
(22:15):
it was, it was.
And honestly, my mom had not found it, printed.
I probably would not be writing today, because I kept it to myself.
No one knew I was writing.
And that's how I actually got into romance.
(22:35):
I started reading romance.
got on.
The book that my sister gave me was Judith McNaught, one of her books.
And she doesn't write anymore.
People would read her books now and probably hate them because they're old school, youknow, 80s, 90s.
my favorite.
She's Judith McNall and it's really one of her is the whole premise of my book of Delord.
(23:01):
So I love her so much.
It is, and I know that people would, you know, the heroes are horrible and I don't carethough.
They are my own.
But they had bulletin boards at that time.
The Simon and Schuster had a bunch of bulletin boards for like Julie McNaught, JulieGarwood, all those people.
(23:25):
And I would go on the bulletin boards.
I met a bunch of people.
I've been friends with them for over 20 years now.
And some of them came to my house and we were talking books and my mom told them, oh,know, Farrah writes books.
And I was like, what are you?
(23:46):
And my friends all just assumed that I was writing a romance when I thought I was stilllike somewhat of a romance snob, if you can believe it at that time, because I thought,
why would you think I'm writing romance?
Those aren't serious books.
And then they were like, but that's what you read.
And it was like, again, another light bulb.
(24:08):
yeah.
I really like reading those romance books.
So why wouldn't I write them?
And it took me like six months to write my romance, my first romance, because I had somuch more fun writing that romance compared to the serious books.
Yeah.
Exactly.
(24:28):
And I just, was very quick.
found RWA at that time.
Actually, my first time meeting those girls in person was RWA in New Orleans.
They had all come down for it and we finally got to meet.
And then by that next year, I was at my first RWA conference in Denver and never missedthe conference for 18 years after that.
(24:54):
Not even knowing what RWA was when I met the girls that year in New Orleans.
I just knew they were coming down for a trip to New Orleans.
They didn't even tell me what they were there for at the time.
So that shows you how quick my life changed.
It all because of my friends just assuming after my mom let it, know, spilled the beansthat I was not going to go.
(25:19):
And then just assuming I was writing romance, was just like, well, yeah, why not?
story.
You're a great storyteller.
mean, you would be amazed at how many writers can't tell a story verbally.
It's just, you know, it's how it happened.
(25:40):
That's my, I mean, it is my story.
It's my story of how it came about.
Very topical.
and I will say that I know all the craziness and everything that's gone on with RWA, but Irealized even through a lot of these interviews, a lot of us kind of started out.
I'm still part of RWA.
And it's funny because I remember my first conference was Denver in 2018, I want to say?
(26:05):
Yeah, 2018, 2019.
One of the two.
But I remember you were one of the first people I met.
I I hadn't written anything yet.
Well, I'd written something, but I was not published.
I knew absolutely no one.
And I remember being so just like, where am I?
And seeing you in the hallway and you helped me get to one of the workshops.
(26:26):
You were such a sweetheart.
And that was one of the things I loved being there, because I was coming from the filmworld.
And it's not so nice.
People are not always very welcoming or want to help you.
And just being there and being part of these women, because I mean, for the most part,it's women in the romance genre.
(26:48):
But I just remember how welcoming everybody was.
you were one of the people I definitely remember just being so helpful and warm.
And I was not used to that.
was like, why are they helping me more than you want?
That's interesting that you know it's funny the parallel because I went my first one was2002 and you could count on your hands how many black authors there were there I I mean
(27:22):
there may have been 10 of us and
I wasn't staying at the conference hotel.
I had no idea that like our meals were included.
So I would go to the workshops and go back to my hotel and eat like cheese crackers andstuff because I was And yeah, that's one of those the evolution of RWA's inclusiveness it
(27:49):
was a lot better towards the end
than it was when it first, they were seriously like me and Christopher.
truly count on my hands, the number of black authors that were there, not many at all.
Phyllis, Phyllis Bourne was another that was there.
(28:12):
There was very few of us, very few.
And then it's, it, and I always like, uh, RWA is the whole reason why I'm even an author,because I went to that first meeting, here in Alabama, and those ladies is met Naima, and
(28:36):
we have been friends ever since, ever since then, and, and then, but
even though that was just me, her, and then later we had a few more other Black members,they did everything they could to support me and push me into the pathway of writing and
(28:58):
still support me to this day.
So I'm always grateful to like our Southern Magic chapter of RWA and what they did for me.
And I, you know, we all mourn the fact that
what has happened.
I hope we can, because we do need a, we do need a romance trade organization with power.
(29:22):
All these disparate groups, that's not, that's not, we need people to say, okay, kickingwriters off of their, them, Amazon is locking some, some Black indie authors out of their
account here recently.
And, you know, somebody to stand up.
(29:42):
for us, you know?
RWA that could go that a lot of people don't realize just how much power they had.
When it came to publishers, Amazon, they had a contact.
remember Facebook as well.
They had an issue with Facebook.
(30:05):
And yeah, I was on the board for five years and I did not realize the power that theorganization had until
I saw the inner workings and we do need a trade association to help.
I would hope that we can eventually, that RWA can maybe, you know, build itself up againout of this and reorganize and just get it right this time.
(30:32):
But it will take, it will take a long time to get back to what they were.
It's just, it's just very unfortunate.
what happened, because they do.
think a lot of authors, a lot of us just all met our writing friends through our.
I do appreciate that Steamy Lit.
(30:55):
It's the one new thing that has started that kind of gives me those RWA feels in a waymore than any other event that I've been to.
So I loved it.
really, this.
was, listen, I am, I don't know if you, I always talk about the Becca Syme class, thestrength for writers class.
(31:20):
And she talks about this woo thing, the winning others over.
Like my woo was like off the charts, Moni.
was like, Farah saw me.
was, I was, I was in Nirvana.
Whatever paradise is, I was there.
whole, like it was.
(31:40):
And it was so many writers of color, different genres.
They did such a great job.
And I was like, please let me come back.
I know I misbehaved.
You know!
Well, is, they've done, I've been so impressed both years and adding this, the day forindustry, that's why it just felt more like a conference where they took pitches, they had
(32:12):
workshops.
It just felt good.
It felt like what I'd been missing in these last four or five years has been gone.
that is nice, but it...
It's also not a trade organization.
We need a trade association for authors to something to stand up for themselves.
(32:35):
Maybe eventually.
Yeah.
I know switching topics just a little bit, because I know how much you love Disney.
And I was very curious because I saw the two books that you're writing or have written,Fate Be Changed and Almost There.
How did that come about that you were writing these like alt stories for Disney?
Yeah, that came about a few years ago as well now.
(32:56):
It's been a...
Oh, I can't remember 2021 or maybe 2020.
I can't remember now.
Time means nothing.
But a fellow romance author who writes for their Star Wars.
And I can say her name now because it's Zoran of Cordova.
(33:17):
I don't think it would get her in trouble.
But she learned that Disney was going to start this series about
the princesses, but it would be adult romance.
And she just thought, you know, you have to write the Princess Tiana book for all thereasons, know, my niece was Tiana at Disney.
(33:40):
I'm a big Disney fan.
So my agent and I, told him I must do this, but we, have to tell him, you know, a littlebirdie told us we can't tell him how we found out about this because they're very
secretive.
So we just put together this entire package.
of, you know, we sold me to them and they actually said, we don't want to have anyonewrite this book because we're not sure how long this series is going to last.
(34:08):
They were just going to try it.
but it just so happened that
They had been looking for a Black writer to write the Princess Tiana story for theirTwisted Tales YA series.
And the editor who is over that series had just read The Boyfriend Project because, sothis was in 2020, because it just come out early with Book of the Month.
(34:35):
And I think it was her book of the month pick.
So she had just read it like a week or so before.
Kind of like Kismet that I end up in her inbox.
Right.
And they said, you know, would you write YA?
like, yeah, I've never done it before.
But this is Disney.
(34:56):
I'm going to.
And that's how it started.
And I have been having so much fun.
because it's just like stretched my creative muscles in ways that I just never thought.
All those years at RWA, whenever I saw like a workshop on writing paranormal or writingfantasy or, you know, I said I historicals, that's too much research.
(35:26):
That Tiana book was basically a historical paranormal.
you
Everything I said I wouldn't write was in that one book and the one with Meredith is evenworse because it's 10th Century Scotland.
I have, yeah, so much research and it's just, it's everything I said I would never writeand I have had so much fun writing.
(35:51):
say, must be a dream because I know how big of a Disney lover you are and now you'reactually writing some of the stories.
Like, that's amazing.
I get to play around.
I almost say I get to play around with Disney characters and they can't sue me becausethey passed me.
You're
that.
I think, because aren't they about to do a movie?
(36:12):
Are they doing a movie for a lot?
Are they planning a live action for the Princess Tiana movie?
I have no idea.
They don't tell me anything.
just tell me the rest of the book and they're about it.
But they did.
have another book for them coming after fate be changed?
Yes, actually I just, in January we just revealed the cover I have Bemused, which is anorigin story of the Muses from Hercules.
(36:48):
Levergillies.
is, the cover is the most gorgeous cover I have ever had.
wish they were on my, you have to go and look up the cover.
The cover is gorgeous.
my god, I can't wait to see that.
It's basically it's an origin story.
They're teenagers.
It's like the Muses are teenagers.
They have no idea that they're goddesses.
(37:10):
It's not a part of the Twisted Tales.
This is my first standalone for them.
But it's basically how they discover that they are the Muses.
cannot wait to read that.
fun.
For someone who loves Greek mythology, because I do, know, in high school, I remember thatwas my favorite things was when we studied Greek mythology.
(37:33):
So getting to play around with the Greek gods, as well.
It's just it was so much fun.
It was so much fun.
So yeah, they are the best part of the movie Hercules.
We have to all acknowledge them.
Yeah.
they do.
So they're teenagers.
(37:54):
They're teenagers in my book and they are it's just I loved it.
It is so much fun.
I'm hoping everyone loves it as much as I do.
Because I tend to really like the books that I really like.
People are like, yeah, that was good.
And the ones that were like, you know, I don't really like that book.
That's the one that everyone talks about.
So it's just like.
(38:15):
I was like, maybe I'm looking at too much.
That's a funny thing.
You have your own little favorite amongst your own books.
then with mine, with my heroes and people like, I love this guy.
And I was like, yeah, but this one was a little bit so much better.
(38:37):
I poured my heart and soul into this psychopath over here.
Exactly!
I'm always like, really?
And then I have to remember, wait, wait, wait, you can't show favorites.
Your books are like, so you know I write dark romance and people are always like, well,need a, I love, I write dark romance and I love urban romance.
(38:59):
And people are like, I need a palate cleanser, a break from all this murder and mayhem.
And I'm always like, get a Farrah Shun book.
That's the perfect, that's the perfect palate cleanser.
If you just want a lovely love story, like it has humor, has, you know,
A Strong Family Connections, all of the beautiful things that just with that you a swoonworthy romance that is Boyfriend Project, all of those books.
(39:27):
And then now that you're writing YA, you know, I could actually share those with mychildren.
so how do you are you going to stay in the YA world?
Do you love it so much that you're like, this is my this is my happy voice.
I probably, yeah, I will.
(39:48):
As long as they continue to publish me and they do, again, they're very secretive so Ican't discuss future projects, but do have projects, I think, scheduled out until 2027.
Nice!
at least three, at least another one that we're waiting on the contract.
(40:11):
So I do have projects and they're very good at scheduling things way in the future so thatI can, you know, like.
I love it too because you're kind of like the epitome of that, you know, when everybody'slike, find something you love and get paid to do it and you're potentially doing that.
so much.
Is your niece still, is your niece still Princess Tiana?
(40:32):
She is not, I know, broke my heart.
I'm still trying to get over it, but I am happy for her.
But yes, after 12 years with Disney, she actually left, she left the company completely inMay.
there's one, Monnie and I were talking before about me going to Disney this year.
(40:55):
I had to go out there for her last, you know, her last hurrah.
So back in May I went out there to see her in the parade.
12 years is a long time!
12 years is a very long time and I was, I was heartbroken.
I didn't want her to know, but she knew.
(41:15):
But it was time for her to go and she's much happier now.
She just got a new job.
She actually just started this week at her new job that's an actual career.
So it's like, thank you God.
You put her where she needed to be.
I still think that she's not just me.
But I mean, you know, it's okay.
I've got an annual pass.
I've got, you know, it's not like I needed her for like her discounts, which I remember.
(41:40):
like, I'm like, well, too bad for you.
I just liked that she was there and I, she's not there anymore, but.
I remember showing my daughter, who was younger at the time, was like, do you see thisDisney princess?
I know somebody who knows her.
(42:01):
I love how you're name dropping to your child, I know.
was like, you know Princess Tiana?
I was like, I don't know her, but I know her aunt.
So that was, and it's just so beautiful, the correlation with your niece being a princessand black girls being able to see themselves in her and you writing the princess story and
(42:27):
black girls being able to see themselves in your writing.
and all the Black women who have been able to love and enjoy your books, you're doing agreat thing, Farrah.
Yes?
Yeah, yeah, I used to go around on Instagram looking for, you know, people would post onInstagram.
(42:49):
So when she first started, that was like every single day, I would go just stalking onInstagram people's pictures with Tiana to see if I find her.
Because you would see the little black girls would just, you know, their faces would lightup and I just.
Yeah, I'm going to miss it.
do miss it, but I'm happy that we had it.
(43:12):
I still have I have a folder on my phone of all those pictures that I stole from Instagramof her just making a little Black children, you know, making their day.
So I can always go back to those.
I love it.
Well, can you talk about what else we can expect to see from you if not in the rest of2024, but maybe in 2025?
(43:33):
Well, yes, I do have, like I said in January, The Muse is coming out.
I do hope everyone loves it and enjoys it.
Again, go look at the cover and just marvel at it.
And then I have the next book in my series with Forever.
(43:54):
The first book was Pardon My Frenchie.
It's a brand new series that...
It's set in New Orleans in a doggy daycare.
Yeah, and it's all about the doggy love.
I'll be honest, I had way too much fun.
I'm a big dog lover as well.
I'm happy mine has not barked.
(44:16):
But the part of my Frenchie is book one and book two, Pugs and Kisses.
I just want to know.
cute!
Pugs and Kisses will be out, I think we're going to be in August instead of June.
I think they pushed it back because life has been crazy.
(44:39):
I was like, I'm gonna need a little more time.
Thank goodness for my editor forever for putting up with me.
But I think that we decided, they did show me the cover.
They're gonna reveal it in November.
but it's adorable.
It again, you know, in New Orleans and with this series, I really tried to showcase theNew Orleans that I know because whenever you read a book set in New Orleans, people are
(45:08):
like, it's the French Quarter and that's it.
So yeah, one thing with this series, a lot of it is set in other neighborhoods in NewOrleans.
And with this current, the new cover, they're like Uptown.
on St.
Charles Avenue and they just did such a great job capturing that, know, they did a greatjob.
(45:32):
So I can't wait until the cover reveal.
But yes, Pugs and Kisses, which if you can't tell, the heroine has a That will be out nextyear.
And I have another Disney book.
They haven't given me the release date, but I think it comes out next year.
again, I can't say anything.
I don't even know.
(45:52):
I know it's not.
secret police getting you.
We'll wait.
I just know the book is done and I just sent them the dedication for it.
So, but I don't have a release date.
That's kind of how it is with Disney.
They're like, you give us the book, please.
We'll take care of everything else.
And I'm just as surprised as everyone when it like pops up on Amazon or something.
(46:15):
I'm going look to see when that comes out.
We'll see.
But that's, yeah.
let everyone know though where they can follow you so they can make sure they stay up todate on like seeing your book covers and the release dates and everything like that.
Yeah, well, of course you can always start at my website that I really do need to update.
But it's FarrahRashawn .com.
(46:36):
I think I'm just missing one cover.
Instagram is kind of my happy place these days.
So I do, I post a lot there.
I'm on TikTok, kind of forced to be there.
am...
not good at it.
My niece and nephew call me cringy and they're right.
(47:00):
I'm there.
And I'm on Twitter, but you know, it's an election year.
So don't don't follow me on Twitter.
No!
Are you on threats at all?
Because I know a lot of people migrated over to threats.
I'm on threads.
I don't post as much.
just like to go, the tea that you talked about, I like to go and get the messy tea.
(47:21):
That's where all the tea is.
So I'm darker.
only reason I'm on there is for like, because gets, because on Thras is like, you gotmore, you have more characters for people to have more bad takes.
Somebody, Ashley, somebody was like going back to your statement about making good moneyas an indie and somebody said,
(47:47):
the poor little indie authors, they're so low on the totem pole.
I was like, listen, buddy, we will make more money than that.
I like, what?
And I was like, let me just get off of here.
It's so crazy.
what you're talking about.
know a lot of the Indian authors who, yeah, husbands have been able to quit work and, youknow, they're like paying college.
(48:09):
Yeah, just let them have their little bad takes.
They do that with romance in general.
it's like romance authors are just going to the bank, depositing all their money, so letthem do that.
But yeah, I am on threads, but again, as a lurker.
I mean, I am on Facebook as well, but that's mostly just for my private Disney groups andtravel groups.
(48:32):
I just go in there to do like my private groups, but I'll post stuff there.
Instagram, Instagram is my, that's where I have my most fun as an author on Instagram.
And I also put my trips in my Broadway.
It's like, you get more of me.
Yeah, follow me there.
Well thank you so much for giving of your time to sit down and talk with us.
(48:53):
We really, really appreciate it.
It was so great.
This was the best.
we finally got to do it.
We've had to reschedule so many times.
I'm just so happy that we finally got to do it.
Well, thank you.
And everyone, make sure you give her a follow.
Go to her webpage, get on her newsletter so you can keep up to date.
(49:15):
You're welcome.
I hope you have a good day.
You too.
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