Hello
SASSE Readers, let’s welcome Stacy-Deanne (Dee-Anne) to our SASSE World. Pull
up a chair and tell me if you prefer a Dunkin Donut or a hot Krispy Kreme donut
for our little chat.
Stacy:
Thanks for having me! I’ve never had a Krispy Kreme. I love donuts but don’t
eat them. In 2011 I changed to a healthy lifestyle so no donuts for me. LOL! I
recently had some after not having any in years and because I don’t eat a lot
of sugar or fried foods, they actually began to make me feel sick. It’s amazing
how your body changes when you stop eating bad foods. You literally can’t take
it. I have a sweet tooth so it can be hard sometimes to fight cravings, but
being healthy is the most important to me. Also, I have lost a TON of weight
and don’t want to go back to where I once was so I can live without the donuts.
LOL! I’ll take some grapes and peanuts though. *smiles*
SASSE:
Tell the readers a little about yourself. How did you get into writing?
Stacy:
I’ve been in the industry since 1997 when I was 19. So I’ve been writing
professionally almost twenty years! I’m single with no kids and live in
Houston, Texas. People always told me I was a good writer when I was in school
but I never wanted to be a writer until I was 19. I always had a great
imagination and loved making up stories. The writing bug hit me when I got my
first computer. I was able to just sit there and write down all my thoughts and
I started writing stories. Once I’d written the first one I knew I wanted
writing to be my career.
SASSE:
What was the first romance book you ever read? What was your first impression
of the genre?
Stacy:
Hmm. When I was a child and teenager I didn’t read much romance. I was always
into literary stories and mysteries. Mysteries are my favorite genre so I love
romantic suspense especially. I guess I’d have to say it was one of Kay
Hooper’s romantic suspense novels. I’ve read so many that I can’t even remember
which one I read first. It was either her or Linda Howard. I used to be
obsessed with Linda Howard too. LOL!
I
loved how Linda and Kay mix suspense into many of their romances and have such
deep characters. Before reading them I assumed all romances were like Harlequin
books.
SASSE: I don’t believe I have ever seen an IR Amish
story before. It is an original breath of fresh air. Can you explain to the
readers about Outside Woman? How did you
come up with this story line?
Stacy:
Yep, the fact that it’s different is why I did it. I strive to be different and
bring something that either no one else has or that hasn’t been overly-done, to
the table. I don’t follow trends or what might be popular. I write stories I
enjoy, whether the idea is popular or not. I never want my books to blend in. I
always want readers to know with me they will get a different experience, or at
least something they don’t see over and over. I like to venture into storylines
you don’t see in IR especially all the time. I also like to put a twist in my
storylines or within my characters. I think writers should always come up with
fresh stuff and switch things up.
Outside
Woman is about a black woman, Thea, who is running from the law and she holds
up in an Amish community. She is taken in by Elijah Roth, who is Thea’s uncle’s
childhood friend. While there she meets the allusive Jacob, Elijah’s son, and
gets dragged into the Roth’s family’s issues and helps them even more than they
help her.
I
came up with this story like I do all my stories. It simply started with an
idea. I also find the Amish lifestyle interesting and fascinating so I wanted
to write about it. I also hadn’t seen it done interracially so that was another
plus.
SASSE:
I can’t wait to read this book. I have already pre-ordered my copy. Will it be
a series?
Stacy:
Thanks for the support! Someone else asked about a sequel too. LOL! I hadn’t
planned on writing a series but who knows? Honestly right now I prefer writing
standalones. I’ve gotten burned out on writing series. I have two romantic
suspense series going now and I’ve grown tired. I still love the characters,
but I like how with standalones I can jump from storyline to storyline. It gets
complicated writing a series, especially a long one. I find myself being bored
after a while and if I am bored with the series, I know it’s time to wrap it
up. Standalones keep things interesting for me because I can jump from
storyline to storyline and embark on new adventures with new characters.
SASSE:
Was there a challenging scene or aspect of this book that was difficult to
write?
Stacy:
Honestly, nope. I enjoyed writing each scene and once I started, the story just
flew by. Nothing became hard for me emotionally or anything. Sometimes in my
stories, that does happen, but I didn’t have any scenes that made me feel that
way in Outside Woman.
SASSE:
If you could think of a show readers should watch to get them ready to read
this book what would it be?
Stacy:
There isn’t a show I would suggest
because all the Amish shows on today seem to be reality shows. I would say the
movie Witness from 1985 with Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis would be a good
comparison. Ford is a cop who has to live in McGillis’ Amish community to
protect her son who witnessed a murder. Any film with an outsider in an Amish
community would be good to watch to get more insight into Outside Woman.
SASSE:
If Hollywood called and asked to make this series a movie…BUT they wanted you
to pick the people to star in it, who would you ask to direct it, play the hero
and play the heroine?
Stacy:
I love Ron Howard as director. He’d turn it from a romance to some big epic
story like Far and Away. LOL! That might be cool. To star as Thea, I’d say
maybe Kerry Washington. She reminds me of Thea with the crinkles, etc. To play
Jacob, maybe Ryan Gosling or Leonardo DiCaprio. I’m a huge Leo fan. Since
Washington and DiCaprio have already been in a film together, it would be cool
to see them as love interests. Leo is a bit older than Jacob, but he favors him
and he can pull off any character.
SASSE:
Thank you Stacy, this has been just fantastic to sit back with you and learn a
little more about you and your writing.
Stacy:
Thanks for having me. I appreciate it!
Learn
more about Stacy-Deanne
Stacy-Deanne (pronounced Dee-Anne) is an interracial romance and
interracial romantic suspense author. She is an award-nominated/bestselling
author and winner of a 2013 Swirl Award, which recognizes excellence in
interracial and multicultural books. Some of her books have received high
praise on USA Today’s HEA blog.
While running from the law, Thea
ends up in an Amish community inhabited by Elijah, the childhood friend of her
late uncle. Not knowing the real reason she’s showed up, Elijah agrees to let
her stay with his family temporarily. However, Elijah has two rules that cannot
be broken.
First, Thea has to adopt the Amish lifestyle and respect their culture. Second,
she has to stay away from Elijah’s son Jacob, who has been shunned by the
entire community. Thea has no problem with the first rule, but from the moment
she sees Jacob, she realizes Elijah’s second rule is impossible to
follow.
Jacob is just as infatuated with Thea and refuses to turn his back on her, even
after he finds out her secret. When Jacob decides he must leave the community,
will Thea run from him or with him?
