What made you get into writing?
Unlike most authors, I didn’t grow up saying I wanted to be an author. One day I was in the
Microsoft Network playing spades and met a guy online who at first sent me poetry, then it was erotic poetry, then it was an erotic short story saying the wonderful things he wanted to do to me. I sent back ten pages detailing all the points he was missing. I used the stories I penned to him on the internet as chapters 16-22 of my first self-published novel, More Than Enough. My minister, Rev. Renee Sesvalah Cobb-Dishman, encouraged me to continue writing, detailing the sexual abuse that I experienced at the hands of my father. Those counseling sessions with her ended up being the basis for my second novel, She Touched My Soul. I’ve been writing steadily ever since.
What made you want to write a novel titled, Every Woman Needs a Wife?
Every Woman Needs a Wife is a book I threw together at the last minute trying to get a book deal at Book Expo America in 2005. Tee C. Royal was one of the first editors and it was her observation of the cover that changed one of the characters from Black to White. I wrote it in a night club (actually a hole in the wall), four Fridays in a row from 8 p.m to 6:00 a.m., (my brother was the DJ at the time so he was my ride home). The book stemmed from a conversation with a friend who said that women needed to turn infidelity in their favor, and later a short story that I wrote to grab the attention of an audience attending the African American Book Club Summit. I self-published Every Woman Needs a Wife, gave away free copies at BEA and gained the interest of two publishers. I went with an imprint of Simon & Schuster as they offered a contract to me and my son, (NAACP Image Award Nominee, J. L. Woodson, www.jlwoodson.com, on the same day (they were faxed to the hotel during the RAWSISTAZ Affair 2005. I knew it was an opportunity to promote both of us at the same time and the gamble paid off. I landed on the Essence Best-Seller’s list, the Black Expressions Best-seller’s list, the Wal-Mart Tour where the book was a year old, but still became a top seller, and it is now required reading at an Indiana University.
Do you have any other novels coming out soon?
The Pleasure’s All Mine, a spin-off of Every Woman Needs a Wife, comes out in April 2010. I’m excited about this piece as it is a lighter, funnier, more fast-paced read and it answers what so many people were looking to happen in Every Woman Needs a Wife. I’m re-releasing She Touched My Soul later this year. It will be the 10th anniversary of the release for this novel. Folks can visit www.naleighnakai.com and join the mailing list so they can get updates. I’m currently writing Slaves of Heaven and should be finished by the end of February. I have three novels in different stages of the editing process right now–The Pleasure’s All Mine and She Touched My Soul are both with a final editor; Wife-in-Law is with a developmental editor. All this is happening between my day job at a law firm, as well as taking on publishing consultant clients to help authors get from A to Z in the publishing world without spending a great deal of money. www.macrompg.com
Hi Naleighna:) I love your name…very unique! I read Every Woman Needs a Wife and enjoyed it. Will The Pleasure’s All Mine be a stand alone novel or will readers like myself need to go back and refresh their memories of EWNAW?
Hey Lissa,
Glad to see you have something new coming out in April. As always you are so honest and that is refreshing~ BE PEACE~
angelia
Hey Lissa! I’m looking forward to the April release, so definitely keep us posted. I’m sure the route you’ve taken with your work has given you a well-rounded view of the industry that will definitely help you in future years.
-Tee
Sharon, thanks for writing. The Pleasure’s All Mine is a spin-off of Every Woman Needs a Wife, not a sequel.
So, no, you won’t have to read it again to refresh. It will stand on its own.
Angelia, great to hear from you. I’m excited about this new project! I love it even more than Every Woman Needs a Wife, and so do the reviewers who have tackled it already (one of them is Dee Dee of SexyBBW Book Club).
Tee, thanks a million. If you hadn’t pointed that one element out in Every Woman Needs a Wife, I’m not sure I would have made the changes that made it successful. Thank you so much again for all you’ve done.
What a great story…!
Congratulations on your continued success. Barron slam-dunked that new cover!
Hey Lissa,
This is a wonderful story. I am so glad you shared it with us. And, you are a very busy woman. I can’t wait to read The Pleasure’s All Mine.
Lissa,
You are such an inspiration to all of us up and coming writers! The new cover is AMAZING and I can’t wait to read it!
Thanks for all of your help and guidance.
Pia Washington
Co-author Shades of Love, coming March 2010
Linda, thanks a million.
D. J., thanks for the kudos. I love what he did for your covers! Remember the time ….LOL!
Brenda, it’s great to hear from you. I think you’ll really enjoy The Pleasure’s All Mine. I had so much fun writing it. Email me offloop and I’ll send the synopsis to anyone who’s interested.
Pia, how are you? Thank so much. I can’t wait for your book, Shades of Love, to release. All those interviews with successfully married copies sharing their secrets to a great marriage is sure to be a winner.
Lissa, congratulations on your new baby. Yeah, the cover is talking!
Minnie, thanks so much for stopping in. And thanks for the congrats.
Lissa,
What is the exact release date for your book “The Pleasures all Mine”? I’m trying to figure out if our book club will be able to target it for Aprils meeting.
Hi Naleighna:) I love your style of writing, I have done nothing but ramped and raved about your book “Every Women Needs A Wife.” I have recommended that book to every and any one that will listen and is a reader. That book was the best I’ve read in a long time. I was wondering when you’d be coming out with another book and you slipped by me with “The Pleasures All Mine.”
I will be purchasing this book immediately. And I know the Old Man won’t be pleased because once I get the book he will be cut off until I finish reading the book, however long that takes. (lol) Keep doing what your doing because as far as I am concerned “YOU GOT MY VOTE.” 