Greetings, my readers! Well, its Writer Wednesday, and this week, I’d like to introduce you to Mahogany Star, author of “Where Secrets Lie” We talk a bit about her inspirations, and her forthcoming novel “Summer’s Heat” releasing in 2017.
Polite On Society: Who is Mahogany Star?
Mahogany Star: It’s interesting you should ask. I’m a wife and mother who works in a senior position as a Healthcare Administrator. At my day job no one knows what I do. It feels similar to the Clark Kent/Superman persona, almost like living a double existence. Clinical Director by day and writer of erotica and urban contemporary fiction by night. I don’t think anyone who works with me would ever expect that I write what I do, especially the genre. I’d like to think of Mahogany Star as the everyday woman the epitome of the juggler, who balances career, family and pursues whatever it is that’s her personal passion.
POS: Where are you from?
MS: I was born and raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. I’m from the pre-gentrified Bed Stuy. I was raised in the Sumner Housing Projects by my maternal grandmother. I currently live on Long Island, NY.
POS: How did you get inspired to write the character Summer?
MS: Summer was inspired by the concept of women who take an by any means necessary stance in order to get out of their situation. Sometimes that stance may not be ideal to others especially when it comes to sexuality, but Summer also represents the girl who turns into a woman who really doesn’t care what others think. She’s focused on survival. As women we sometimes worry too much about what things look like from the outside to other people and that’s unfortunate.
POS: What inspired you to be a novelist?
MS: Life. When I look back I’ve been writing forever. I’ve been keeping journals off and on since I was about nine. Always liked to write my thoughts down but becoming a novelist was something that was in fact inspired by life. Where Secrets Lie was born out of me kind of facing the realities of living. I was a few years into my marriage, a few of my closest girlfriends were a few years into their marriage and after having a ladies night one evening and exchanging stories of infidelities and secrets I realized wait a second, this is not exactly how it was supposed to be, lol. Then Where Secrets Lie was born.
POS: While we await “Summer’s Heat” in 2017, tell us a bit about your current work ‘Where Secrets Lie’
MS: Where Secrets Lie is actually my first novel, it was published in 2007. Where Secrets Lie Pt. 2 came out in 2015. I’m currently working on a collection of short stories called Sex Degrees of Separation which should be ready for release December 2016. I’m really excited about that collection of erotic short stories, it’ll be a nice hot read for those cold winter nights.
POS: If you had to give an aspiring writer one tip, what would it be?
MS: Don’t stop writing! People ask me all the time how do you start? I always tell them just start writing you can always go back and modify anything you’ve written. The hardest part is just getting started. Also I’d say network as much as you can. You learn so much from other authors who have been successful, it’s really inspiring and gives you the motivation to keep going.