Regina’s debut novel – Choosing Grace – came out back in January, so hopefully you have already read it. If not, but you’re a fan of historical fiction & especially the kind that takes place in the more recent past, please do yourself a favour and order a copy right now.
And in the meantime, read on to learn more about Regina, and how a TV show taught her to crystallise her dreams and what she has learned from Toni Morrison. And of course, follow Regina on twitter!
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you first get into writing?
As a child, my mother instilled in me a love of workbooks and reading. She would buy my sister and me academic workbooks all the time as a way for us to practice skills taught to us during school, so having lots of pencils, composition notebooks, and erasers around all the time was commonplace in our home.
I also loved reading. I read all the time, but it was Kristy McNichol’s character, Buddy, from the television series, Family, who made me believe that I could write. In one episode, Buddy has a school assignment on how she is going to leave her mark on the world. I don’t recall what Buddy’s response was, but it made me think about my life and leaving something behind. I decided right then that I would become a writer.
What are your favourite genres to read and write, and are there any genres or tropes you wouldn’t write?
My favorite genres to read are: fiction (LGBTQIA+, literary, historical, etc), poetry, suspense, mystery, memoir, science fiction, and young adult, to name a few. I have published poetry, fiction, and erotica. I’m currently working on writing a mystery novel, a novel about lesbian werewolves, a poetry chapbook, and some short stories. I would like to try my hand at writing children’s picture books and novels for elementary school children. I like to try new things so it’s hard for me to say I’d NEVER write something.
How do you get inspiration for your books and what’s your writing process? At what point do you let other people read your drafts and who are they?
Inspiration sometimes comes in the way of a sentence that gets stuck in my head. I sit down, write it out on a piece of paper, and a lot of times it just goes on from there. Sometimes, inspiration comes from something a character has whispered to me, or a situation that I have witnessed that makes me think of possibilities beyond that situation, or my need to write about a certain character or setting I have been to and/or pictured in my mind.
My writing process is often stalled due to my work which demands a lot of my time and creativity. That, coupled with the fact that I’m a major procrastinator, slows me down. But I’m always writing notes and ideas down on my phone or my Kindle or in the various notebooks I have around my apartment. Rarely do I begin a piece of writing on the computer. I enjoy putting pen to paper.
I’ve never really had a group of people read over my work before I put it out there except when I’ve attended workshops, residencies, or while getting my MFA. I tend to do a lot of editing when I write. With my debut novel, Choosing Grace, I had pounds of paper containing my edits. I would like to have that beta group that other writers have, but I haven’t found that as of yet.
Which three authors would you say influenced your writing the most?
Toni Morrison has definitely influenced my writing as she has done with so many other writers. She taught me to love language. I have gone through her books and have underlined so many sentences that just take my breath away.
I would also say, Henry Miller. Like Toni Morrison, I’ve read almost all, if not all, of his work and my vocabulary has improved greatly because of him. The man was a dictionary. His writing was raw and real. I read his work when I was in my early twenties and I would just crack up while reading it. He was definitely outside the box, but that was what was great about him.
I was also influenced by Rosa Guy. I love her book, The Friends. I can still vividly recall the Cathy family she’d written about. She was one of the first writers I’d read who had characters that looked like me and my friends. Characters whose lives I could really relate to.
And for something that is also very important to us & what we put a lot of emphasis on when blogging. What does ownvoices LGBT representation mean to you?
To me, ownvoices LGBTQIA+ means we are writing and creating works about our own experiences. It means that we are supporting LGBTQIA+ creatives and their works, sharing spaces, and putting our works into the world at large.
What’s one piece of advice you would like to give your younger self?
A piece of advice I’d give my younger self would be to be more focused, believe in myself more, and to stop procrastinating so much.
Summarise your most recent/next book in up to 5 words and a meme.
Black Lesbian Coming Out Story.
My meme would be something like: Not All Femme’s Wear Lipstick.
If (when!) your books were to be made into movies, who would you like to direct them?
If my book were made into a movie I would like either Lena Waithe or Shonda Rhimes to be the director.
If you could have dinner with one member of the LGBT community, dead or alive, who would it be?
This is a tough question since I only get to pick one person, but I would say Tracy Chapman. I love her voice, her music, her smile and her dimples.
Which of your characters would you most want to fight a zombie apocalypse with?
I would most want to fight in a zombie apocalypse with Ola. She’s tough and loyal.
Is there a famous franchise or simply a movie/TV show you’d like to be able to write for?
I would like to write for Lena Waithe’s show, Twenties. I feel like I have a lot to share.
Rec us some great LGBT books you’ve read recently!
I recommend the following books: If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan. I recently reread The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez – love this book (lesbians and vampires – yes!), Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta – excellent story. I would also recommend, The Paying Guests by Sara Waters – reread it many times. And of course my novel, Choosing Grace!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Regina’s poetry has appeared in print in the following magazines and/or journals: Off the Rocks: An Anthology of GLBT Writing Vol 14 & Vol 15, Sinister Wisdom: Black Lesbians We are the Revolution, Five 2 One, Promethean, Poetry in Performance 43, and Magma Poetry: Deaf Issue.
Online her poetry has appeared in the following: Indolent Press: HIV Here & Now Series, Silver Birch Press: Me as a Child Series, Promethean eZine, The Lake Poetry: December 2017, Switch Grass Review, and Mom Egg Review: Grief and Loss. She has poetry coming soon in the BAM anthology 42 Stories.
Regina’s fiction has appeared in Zane’s Purple Panties: Black Lesbian Anthology, Lambda Literary Anthology: Gaslight, and Girls Who Bite: Vampire Lesbian Anthology.
Regina is a 2014 Lambda Literary Fellow and a residency recipient at the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild. She was a featured reader at Calypso Muse Poetry and Fiction Workshop and at Women Writers in Bloom. She received her MFA from City College in New York.
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One Comment
Lassiter
I LOVE her!!