We had the good fortune of connecting with Ghiselle St. James and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ghiselle, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I needed an outlet to use my talents rather than my degree. While I love my regular 9-5, it didn’t require me using my talents as much. I needed a creative outlet and this business provided me with that and then some! I also wanted to use what I’d been blessed to do to bless someone else, and what better way to use one’s talents?

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been an Indie (self-published) author for the past eight (8) years with 7 books published through Amazon. I write erotic romance with a mixture of humor and suspense thrown in it. I have been writing creatively since I was 9yrs old, starting out with songs and then going on to short stories. I started dabbling with the romance genre when I was about 14yrs old, though surprisingly, I hated reading. My creativity ping-ponged between song lyrics and storytelling for a few years until, finally, in 2013, the writing bug took hold and would not let go. I met my editor, Charlie, on Goodreads after I posted a story I’d been working on and he encouraged me to develop it into a full-length novel. With his help, I published my first novel in March 2014 and I haven’t looked back since.

Being an author isn’t easy, but being an Indie author is even harder. It takes money and time to really get your brand out there. With my 9-5 job, I am always strapped for time, so maintaining a social media presence which helps to promote my books has been the most difficult part of my journey. Having a street team that can help to promote my books, however, helps me to overcome that challenge. I’ve also made great friendships in the book world with fellow creatives who have helped me over the years with book covers and teasers. Also, getting some things done on my own has saved me a lot of money and has given me loads of graphics practice. Along the way, I’ve learned that no man is an island and it is important to have community on this journey.

As for my brand, I am a fun-loving individual who has overcome many personal hardships in life, and that is a theme that is present in many of my novels. My brand reflects me in a way where much of me comes out in the characters and stories. I love s*x (talking about it, researching it, having it…LOL) and I love how s*x helps to connect people. As such, I write about it and talk about it on my podcast, Bible, Cufflinks and Stilettos, thanks to UMERADIO giving me a place to speak about it candidly. I want people to see how beautiful s*x is and come to embrace it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Jamaica, so the country itself is an adventure! I’d take my best friend rafting on the Rio Grande before taking them to Boston in Portland to get some good jerked pork and jerked chicken. The next day I’d take them to Dunn’s River Falls to climb the falls. The following day we’d go to Mystic Mountain for an adrenaline rush with their many rides or to see the view of Ocho Rios from up high. I’d also take them horseback riding to see the St. Ann countryside and possibly do some mud-buggying at Yaaman Adventure Park along with a tour. We would also do the Appleton Estate rum tour which is a must for drinkers.

An important visit would be National Heroes Circle to show my best friend more of Jamaica’s cultural heritage, as well as visiting Bob Marley Museum whose music helped to put Jamaica on the world map. I’d probably end their week-long visit with a hike up the Blue Mountains, because my fat a$$ would have been dead by the time I got to the top. Lol! But a Blue Mountain hike would further showcase the beauty of Jamaica. It would also give us a chance to take in nature at its finest, and be a memorable camping adventure. While in the vicinity, we could go up to Mount James in St. Andrew and eat lunch at the food event, Street Food Saturdays. We’d get to eat in the midst of a river with good food, a view and music.

There’s lots more that we could do, but it couldn’t fit into just one week. Lol!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d really love to thank Coach Raquel of UMERADIO and Apostle Faith Walters for seeing something special in me when I probably didn’t see it in myself. I’d love to thank my family (my brother, Che, my sister, Nicky, and Dad, Tony, as well as my cousins) and my friends (Camellia, Nieci, Petagaye, Melissa, Michael, Rodre, Angelique, Chadia, Okelia, Stephanie Ellis) who continue to support me no matter what. I’d love to also thank my readers and fans and the friends I’ve made in the book world (Eva, Kari, Lynzi, Mel, Kristi, Steph Fields, Wonder Twin, my Talk Nerdy To Me (TNTM) girls, my street team, Geezy’s Sinful Saints, my editor, Charlie, authors Beth Flynn, A. Zavarelli, and a host of others) who have become anchors as I continue on this author journey. All these people helped, and continue to help, make me who I am.

Every step I make is in honor of my late husband, mother, mother-in-law and best friend who are unable to make this journey with me.

Website: authorghisellestjames.com

Instagram: instagram.com/authorghisellestjames

Twitter: @ghisellestjames

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Ghisellewrites

Image Credits
Cover Image for South Row drawn by artist, Samuel Silva. Cover image for Better Late Than Never from Depositphotos

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