September Interview with Farrah Rochon

GB: Hi, Farrah! First let me say that I loved your novel Deliver Me . And I’m so glad you could spare a moment to do an interview on my blog. My first question is how long have you been writing and when did you make the decision to pursue it as a career?

FR: Gwyneth, it is a thrill to be your guest. Your blog is one of my favorites! As for your first question, I guess the pat answer is that I’ve been writing most of my life. Writing has always come easy to me, which made getting through my English courses in school pretty neat. However, it wasn’t until my college professor, Dr. Y. Dubois-Williams (granddaughter of W.E.B. Dubois) asked me “what’s the one thing in life you really want to do?” My answer: write a novel. I started my first manuscript that same day.

GB: Did you read a lot of romance novels before you started to write them? If so, do you think that helped you once you started writing them? If not, do you think that gives you a fresh approach to the genre?

FR: I had read a few romances while in high school and most of my undergrad years, but wouldn’t say I was an avid romance reader. I was into mainstream fiction. Then, my sister threatened me bodily harm if I did not read Judith McNaught’s Double Standards . I read it, and that was it for me. I’ve been reading romance ever since. That was about three years before I wrote my first romance. Being the perpetually single gal, I never thought I could write a credible romance, but apparently, I’ve learned a thing or two from those years of reading. (Smile)

GB: Ah yes… the things one can learn by reading romance…. So, what has your writing journey been like so far? Can you give us a sense of what it has been like for you since you got the call, held your first novel in your hands, etc.? Is it everything you hoped it would be?

FR: I actually got THE CALL via email, but the story behind it is the perfect example of how up and down this business can be. I had spent a great deal of time revising another manuscript for another publishing house, and was crushed when I received a rejection letter from the editor. This was the second set of revisions and I just knew they were going to buy that book. That night, I sent an email to my agent, letting him know about the rejection. The next day, July 13, 2006 at 1:16 p.m., my agent replied stating how sorry he was about the rejection, but he also had good news to share. He'd just received a call from Dorchester. They wanted Deliver Me . Talk about experiencing opposite ends of the emotional spectrum!

As for the first time I held my novel in my hands? I’m sure there are words to describe that feeling, but I’m just not that good yet. Maybe when I’ve grown as a writer, I can find a way to convey just how unbelievable that felt.

GB: One of the things I love about Deliver Me is that it is the mix of emotions the novels draws out of me. There were moments that were laugh-out-loud funny and moments that were just heartwarming and touching. Is that something you think a lot about when you are crafting your novels? What tricks of the trade can you offer for tapping into readers’ emotions?

FR: I had no idea the book would touch people the way it has, but from the emails I’ve received from fans, apparently, Deliver Me pulled quite a few heartstrings. It’s not something I think about when writing. I just write the story that comes to me.



GB: The other factor that I really adored about the novel is that it is set in a post-Katrina New Orleans and draws the reader into the world of a city and a people healing after the natural disaster. I know you are from New Orleans and still call the city home. Can you talk a little about why it was it important for you to deal with Katrina in your novel?

FR: The original manuscript was written a couple of years before Katrina hit, and my editor gave me the option of simply writing an Author’s Note stating that the story pre-dated Katrina. I decided to take the hard route of tackling Katrina because I knew the world’s view of New Orleans had changed as a result of the storm. Unfortunately, it is hard to think of New Orleans in pre-Katrina terms. My one caveat was that I would focus on the positive. I did not want the destruction and despair of Katrina overpowering my story. I also chose to change Deliver Me to a post-Katrina book because I knew I had two follow-up books that would have to address the storm (I was in the middle of writing the second book when the storm hit. Try writing through that kind of distraction!).

GB: You have two love stories going on in Deliver Me . And, I love getting my two for the price of one romance. So, thank you for that! Besides the romance of your lead characters, Monica and Eli, we also get the romance of an estranged-married couple. I loved their story because it shows that marriage is work and takes openness and honesty. And it also deals with a taboo topic in many African American communities, mental illness. Most of the time in romance novels we only get the whirlwind to happily-ever-after and no real glimpse of couples working through the things that often come up relationships. Did you add the estranged couple’s story to the novel for a reason? What did you hope to show by including their tale?

FR: I’m a huge fan of the two for the price of one romance, too. So, when I set out to write a single-title, I knew I wanted to incorporate a secondary romance. I chose an estranged married couple because I liked the idea of tying them in as patients of Eli, and, as you stated, showing that once the happily-ever-after occurs, there is still work that must be done in order to make a marriage last. I was a psych major in college and grad school, so it was natural to include a character who suffered from mental illness. It is a sensitive subject, especially in the African American community, but we all can admit to having “one in the family.” I think my family has more than its fair share, though. (Smile) I think mental illness is not addressed enough in fiction.

A lot of people don’t know this, but I was tempted to scrap Amanda and Jeffrey’s story from Deliver Me . During the three weeks I had to revise the story (which included changing it from pre-Katrina to post-Katrina), I had to do a major overhaul of the secondary storyline. I changed Amanda’s mental disorder from Major Depression to Bipolar with Psychotic Tendencies. It required a lot of research and took up a lot of my beauty rest. :) In the end, I’m happy I kept them in. They turned out to be fan favorites.

GB: Well, I for one am glad you didn’t scrap Amanda and Jeffrey’s story. Okay, time to get the goods… A little birdie tells me that those fine siblings of the fine and sexy hero from Deliver Me will be finding their own loves soon. I believe I heard a Release Me and a Rescue Me would be coming to stores in the near future. Can you confirm or deny these rumors and maybe tell us a little bit about what we can expect with these two hot Holmes brothers? Come on… we really need to know when we are going to be able to read more about those fine Holmes brothers… Okay, I really need to know… Please…

FR: I can confirm that Release Me will be in stores, although I’m still not sure what the release date will be or if the title will stick. Release Me features the youngest Holmes brother, ex-pro basketball player turned record producer Tobias Holmes. His heroine is his childhood friend Sienna Culpepper, who readers briefly meet in Deliver Me . I absolutely love Toby and Sienna’s story. It’s a classic case of your one true love being under your nose the entire time. Toby is just too blind to see it.

Rescue Me is the final book of the series. It’s Alex’s story. The widowed, single father is easily my most popular character based on the dozens of emails I’ve received from fans asking for his story. I just finished Alex’s book and am currently in the editing phase. My editor is still considering the proposal, but I’m confident Rescue Me will be picked up, as well. If you haven’t fallen in love with Alex yet, you will by the end of Rescue Me . He is the consummate romance hero. His story is chock full of the sigh factor. I’ve sighed more while writing this book than the other two combined.

GB: Both books sound divine… I love the friend to lovers plot so I know I will be all over Release Me . And I’m a huge sucker for the sigh-factor so I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed on Rescue Me . So, what are you reading right now? Any good reads you want to offer?

FR: I’m currently reading Sherrilyn Kenyon’s newest Dark-Hunter book, Devil May Cry . While on vacation I plan to read debut author Stefanie Worth’s novel, Where Souls Collide . My most anticipated book of September is the latest in J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Lover Unbound .

GB: You’re a reading girl I can relate to! I have fallen off on my Sherrilyn Kenyon reading. But at one time I devoured the Dark-Hunter series. I absolutely loved Stefanie Worth’s debut novel, Where Souls Collide . And as far as anticipating J. R. Ward’s next installment… my copy has been on pre-order for several weeks now. LOL. We’ll have to have a paranormal book chat one day. But until then… Do you have any advice you’d like to offer to aspiring writers?

FR: Prepare yourself for hard work. Writing is not an easy business, but if you’ve got a burning desire to get those stories out of your head, then go for it. Just be prepared to work.

GB: How can readers reach you if they wanted to?

FR: There is always somewhere to find me. I can be reached by email at farrah@farrahrochon.com. Through my website at www.farrahrochon.com, on MySpace at www.myspace.com/farrahrochon, or at my blog at www.farrahrochon.blogspot.com.

View the book Trailer for Deliver Me here: