Tell us a little bit about you outside of being an author. Wow, that’s a good question…who am I? There are so many sides to me I can’t even begin to explain. It’s funny because people that know me seem to think that Seth St. James is my alter ego, so go figure!
I currently reside in Houston, TX. I own an independent publishing company called Dugger Publishing, LLC. I absolutely love Houston and I spend most of my time promoting The Green Eyed Butterfly building my company and writing. I am really more of a home-body. I love watching old movies and listening to all types of music. I am absolutely obsessed with Tupac and watching “The Color Purple”. I think I’m Shug Avery. I know its two different extremes, but I’m either calm or intense, there really is no in-between with me.
Tell us a little bit about your work in progress and/or your upcoming release. I spend most of my time promoting The Green Eyed Butterfly and writing the screenplay. I have a few ghost-writing projects that I’m working on; I just started working on a biography for Michael Sykes, Soulja Boy’s manager. I am also doing some consulting for a newly self publishing author named Edwin Haynes. Mr. Haynes book, You Have Permission to Succeed: Navigating your Road to Success, will be released May 3, 2010.
How many years of professional writing experience do you have? The Green Eyed Butterfly is my first professionally published project. The Green Eyed Butterfly launched my professional career. I have completed three other books including the sequel to The Green Eyed Butterfly titled The Legend of Seth St. James to be released in 2011. I am planning the December 2010 release of a Christian fiction novel titled The Mourner’s Bench: The Making of Honey Montgomery. My third book titled Beautiful Lies does not have a scheduled release date yet, but of course I’ll keep you updated.
Do you have an occupation in addition to being a writer? If so, what is it? Until three months ago I spent the last eight years as a social worker. I worked with abused and neglected children that were in the custody of the State of Texas.
What credentials establish you as an expert in your field or have contributed to your success as an author? I have a Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a minor in English from the University of Michigan. My experience as a social worker helped me to bring my characters to life in terms of the inbreed psychological, social and emotional dysfunction that each character possessed. I was born in Mississippi and moved to Detroit at the age of ten, so I consider myself to be a very well rounded individual who has encountered various experiences that has greatly influenced my writing.
About the Book
What was your motivation for writing this book? This may sound a bit strange, but the main character Seth St. James came to me and begged me to tell her story. I kept having dreams about the characters and the storyline. I kept seeing snapshots of scenes from the book in my head until I just couldn’t ignore them anymore. So, one day I sat down in front of my laptop and started writing. I wrote day and night until the book was complete. For quite some time it seemed that the book consumed me and all I wanted to do was bring The Green Eyed Butterfly to life. It was important to me to finish the book in order to prove to solidify the fact that writing is my true calling in life.
Tell us some of the factors that make your book unique. In my opinion my book is unique because it’s truly unpredictable. Just when you think you know what’s going on, you’re forced to second guess yourself and think again. Even though some of my characters seem a bit extreme, they speak to you in a way that makes you believe they’re real. I think that my book is universal, anyone can relate to Seth St. James and what she goes through in the book. The Green Eyed Butterfly is like a movie in print!
What is the single most important thing that readers of your book will be able to do after reading your book that they could not do before? The Green Eyed Butterfly boldly tackles the subject of abandonment, mental illness and the effects that growing up in the foster care system can have on some people. My desire is that people realize how their actions can affect the lives of future generations. Sometimes people keep things from their children because they think they are protecting them, but how can you protect yourself if you don’t know who the enemy is.
Is there local or regional relevance for your book? I absolutely love the South; it’s like my safe place, my comfort zone. Of course I live in Houston and I’m familiar with the area so it was easy to place Seth in Houston.
What emotions does your book evoke from readers? My readers have reported that they cried, laughed and were pissed off within a matter of minutes. The Green Eyed Butterfly evokes a plethora of emotions. One moment the reader is angry or displeased with Seth for some of the things that she does. The next moment you feel sorry for Seth for the secrets and emotional turmoil that she has to live with every second of the day. The reader will cheer her own and ridicule her at the same time. At some point in the story the reader will have mixed emotions about the characters because of their lineage and the situations that influenced their behavior.
Are there any controversial elements in your book? Yes, if you count prostitution, racism and murder as controversial.
If your book were for sale in a major bookstore, in what section would it be found? The Green Eyed Butterfly is so versatile that it can be placed in a number of sections including; Suspense, African American Literature – or however we are categorized now – Urban Literature or mystery.
What did you learn while writing this book? I learned that I am much more disciplined than I ever imagined. I learned to stop placing limits on myself. I learned that I should never ever use the word can’t. If I can sit down and poor my thoughts, emotions and energy into over 300 pages of fiction and make some people believe that it’s real then I can do anything. I learned that as human beings once we reach adulthood we plan our lives based on what our wants, needs and desires, but God has the ultimate say so. If He says you’re not going to be a social worker, you’re going to be a writer then that’s just fine with me.
What one thing about writing do you wish other non-writers would understand? One of the most difficult things to explain to people is how the characters are like real people to me. People think that I am crazy or strange when I explain that my characters speak to me in a way that I truly can’t explain. When a writer sits down and creates a character they have to know everything thing about that character in order to successfully bring him/her to life on paper. People don’t realize that sometimes I just can’t sit down and write. I have to be motivated.
What are three things you wish you’d known before you reached where you are now?
1) Never rush to finish a book. If you put unrealistic deadlines on yourself you will produce some misunderstood garbage.
2) Invest in an awesome editor
3) Marketing is everything. It really doesn’t do any good to have a great book, but no one knows about it.
How and why does your book differ from books of a similar topic? I think my book is truly unpredictable. The
Green Eyed Butterfly has a great balance, it covers a lot in one little story. The book has romance, suspense and drama. The book is multi- dimensional, it’s entertaining and it makes you think. The Green Eyed Butterfly has everything a reader is looking for.
What would you like your readers to take away from your book? I would like the reader to see that you can’t judge people by their exterior. People have so many different layers that we may never see. As a society we are so judgmental and we never try
If you could change one thing you did during your road to publication, what would it be and what would you have done different? I would have been more patient. I was so eager to see my book in print that I rushed the release. My first batch of books was horrible and filled with errors because I couldn’t wait to get it published. I have learned that good things come in due time and mistakes are very expensive.
What advice would you give an aspiring author? Don’t try and compare or pattern yourself after other authors. Everyone is unique and has their own special style of writing. It’s ok to take advice from other authors, but don’t let someone make a “mini me” out of you. Make sure you do your research on whatever you’re writing about. If you’re writing about a drug addict then you should do research on all aspects of drug addiction. This will help you to ensure that your story and your characters are believable. Don’t force yourself to write anything. You have to write when the inspiration hits or you will produce something that makes no since to anyone. Don’t be scared to get to know your characters. When they talk to you, you’re not crazy just extremely creative.
Where can readers learn more about you and your books? Readers can connect with me on Facebook, twitter and my website www.duggerpublishing.com. I can be reached via email at kdugger@duggerpublishing.com. I will also answer questions about the book via Skype. My Skype ID is kiffanydugger.
Please identify five recent books (with title and ISBN) that compete most directly with yours. I honestly don’t know. I must admit that I don’t read much fiction. Sometimes a writer can subconsciously adapt another writer’s style or idea, so I stay focused on non-fiction rather than fiction. I will have to ask someone who has read the book for a comparison.
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