Preslaysa Williams is an award-winning author who writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction with an Afro-Filipina twist. Proud of her heritage, she loves sharing her culture with her readers. She is currently earning her second graduate degree, a MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University. She holds an undergraduate degree in Spanish Language & Literature from Columbia University. She is also a professional actress, a planner nerd, an avid bookworm, and a homeschool mom who often wears mismatched socks.
SS: Can you share a bit about your background, Preslaysa?
PW: I grew up in New Brunswick, New Jersey. I grew up in an urban, low income area. When I was four years old, my mother enrolled me in a Catholic school down the street. I attended Catholic schools until my senior year of high school. My father is Black, and my mother is Filipino. They worked hard to provide for me. They sold costume jewelry at different flea markets in the state. I learned how to mentally calculate sales tax and give change at the age of five. I loved reading as a child. I was an avid bookworm, and I spent hours in the public library with my mother.
SS: Have you always been driven to write? Or did you begin writing in response to a particular stimulus?
PW: I haven’t always been driven to write. My desire to write came as a result of becoming a new mother. I was at home all day with a newborn, and I needed a creative outlet. So I started to write a novel. I had no idea what I was doing, but I loved having a space of my own to create. I think Virginia Woolf was right in saying that women need a room of one’s own.
SS: Do you have a day job? If so, is it a distraction, or does it add another element to your writing?
PW: My day job involves homeschooling my children. Homeschooling has caused me to be more diligent about my writing time because I have to be present while my children are learning.
SS: How long have you considered yourself a writer? Did you have any formal training, or is it something you learned as you went?
PW: I considered myself a writer once I finished my first (very messy!) manuscript. I completed that manuscript in 2010. Shortly after I finished, I joined the Romance Writers of America and became a member of their PRO Community of Practice. When I started out writing fiction, I mostly taught myself through craft books, attending writing workshops, and going to writers conferences. It was mostly hit or miss. I would be really good at writing dialogue, but then I wasn’t so great at story structure.
SS: Regardless of genre, what are the elements that you think make a great novel? Do you consciously ensure all of these are in place?
PW: A sound story structure makes a solid novel. I consciously ensure the main story elements are in place by outlining my stories in advance.
SS: What are you working on at the moment?
PW: Right now, I’m editing and revising my thesis novel for my Masters in Fine Arts. It’s a dual timeline story that takes place in the present day and the antebellum South. I love this story. It’s my most ambitious story to date. I’m also brainstorming a contemporary romance. I’m not sure what this story is about yet! I’m getting there.
SS: What works best for you: typewriters, computer, dictation, fountain pen, or longhand?
PW: I prefer a mix of writing at the computer and writing longhand. The computer is more efficient, but it can also be a distraction. I have an internet blocker on my computer, but I don’t use it. Or I’ll try to work around my self-imposed internet blocker! Longhand helps me become viscerally engaged in what I’m writing, but it takes longer because I’ll eventually have to type my writings into a computer. I believe that whenever I handwrite, it’s more efficient because ultimately, I don’t waste time on the internet.
SS: Are you looking to entertain or illuminate?
PW: I want to do both. I want to give my readers an entertaining story while also illuminating them about some aspect of life.
SS: Do your books carry a message? If so, what would you say it is?
PW: My books deal with discovering one’s identity and place in the world. There are also threads of redemption and healing. Finding one’s identity and place in the world stem from my personal quest to do so as a Black and Filipino woman. The redemption and healing aspects stem from my spirituality.
SS: What are you currently reading?
PW: I’m reading Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim. It’s a contemporary women’s fiction with magical realism. The writing is so lyrical and poetic. I love it.
SS: Have any new writers grasped your interest recently?
PW: I really enjoy Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series. Her writing is so engaging and hooks me in as a reader.
SS: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
PW: I became a plotter when I wrote the book which eventually became my debut novel, Healing Hannah’s Heart. Prior to that I was a pantser, and it caused me lots of rewrites and heartache. I will never write a novel by the seat-of-my-pants again!
SS: What was your first recognition/success as an author?
PW: My first recognition as an author occurred when I won my first writing contest in 2015. I was pre-published at the time. I won first place for a category romance novel which I had written, and I was thrilled. Prior to the win, I set a goal to win a writing contest. It felt surreal to see that dream realized after so many years of work.
SS: Are there any books on writing you find particularly useful and would recommend?
PW: Story Genius by Lisa Cron, Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni & Browne, The Story Grid: What Good Editors Should Know by Shawn Coyne.
SS: What are common traps for new authors?
PW: A common trap is thinking your writing has to be polished on the first try. This expectation of perfection in the first draft really debilitated me in the past. Now I see writing as an experiment that gets better with each draft.
LIGHTNING ROUND:
When writing, are you a night owl or morning person? Morning Person
Pantser or Plotter? Plotter
Book you’re currently reading: Natalie Tan’s Book of Love and Fortune by Roselle Lim
Your favorite guilty pleasure: Snapple Iced Tea (Lemon flavor)
Your favorite genre of romance: Contemporary Romance
Who’s your favorite women’s fiction author? Terry McMillan
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Healing Hannah’s Heart is available through:
