Synithia Williams - A Heart to Heal Interview

Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

Shayla Monroe fled her hometown of Helena, South Carolina, after a shocking situation broke the heart of the only guy she’d ever loved. Years later, after losing her job in Atlanta with her name once again shrouded in scandal, she has nowhere to go but home.

 

Now a devastatingly handsome and well-respected man, Devin Jones became a successful doctor as a way to forget Shayla’s betrayal. When she returns as infamously as she left, he plans to put aside old feelings and treat her as any other person in town. But after looking into her soft brown eyes, the feelings he thought long dead quickly rush to the surface.

 

Ignoring rumors, disapproval from family and friends, and promises to avoid each other, the two become friends … then lovers. Devin wants all or nothing, but Shayla, haunted by her past, is afraid their relationship will damage what’s left of her reputation. Can two broken hearts survive the fight against past and present demons to heal and find love?

Purchase Link:  Kindle

Hi Synithia, Shayla and Devin. Thank you all for taking time out of your schedules to chat with me. First of all, Synithia, congratulations on getting a contract with Crimson Romance and then having three books published in a little less than a year. That’s pretty incredible. If you all don’t mind, I would like to start by asking Synithia some questions.

Synithia: Thank you for having me here today, Kim! I’m very excited about meeting new readers and look forward to chatting with you.

Awesome. I hate to use the word lucky, because I think it’s a lot more than that… But how excited and amazed where you to find out that you were being offered a contract after only trying to get one for such a short amount of time?

Synithia: I still can’t believe it! I mean, I prepared myself to work for years to find a publisher and it’s rather unbelievable that I have not one but three books out there. I’m still waiting to wake up from this dream.

As I mentioned before, you have three books under your belt. Are they connected to each other through any of the characters (people, because they’re real)? And if they are, can they be read as standalones?

Synithia: They are connected, but they can be read as a standalone. When writing my first book, You Can’t Plan Love, I knew I had to find the perfect women for my hero’s brother and best friend. From there I came up with the ideas for Worth the Wait and A Heart to Heal. Although all three guys are in each book, each story focuses on the main hero and heroine.

You did an interview with Every Woman. In the interview you said, “Love isn’t easy, so I don’t make falling in love easy for my characters. They all have flaws, some that are hard to overcome and don’t always make my characters likeable. I think this realism is the reason people like my novels. The best compliments I get are from women who can relate to my heroines or when they say my heroes are realistic. But even though I show how hard love can be you will get a happy ending.”- I have to admit I LOVE that. Do you look at REAL life (not necessary your life, but life in general) to get your inspiration?

Synithia: I do. I pay attention to the way my husband and his friends talk about life and relationships. I’m in an office full of men and I hear how they deal with relationships and I think it’s helped me write believable male characters. For my women, I want them to be strong but also acknowledge when they’ve made mistakes in a relationship. I’ve been married for eight years and I have a lot of married and single friends. No one’s situation is all hearts and sunshine. Love and relationships take a lot of work so I want to make sure I show that in my novels.

In You Can’t Plan Love, Kenyatta was an environmental consultant and Malcolm drove a hybrid. In Worth the Wait, Tasha recycles and grows her own vegetables. In having your characters learn from your day job, do Shayla and Devin do anything with the environment in mind?

Synithia: I thought about it, but they’re relationship was so…complicated I spent more time concentrating on that than adding another “green” layer. But I couldn’t stay away from it too long, the book I’m writing now surrounds a family that owns a waste hauling/recycling business.

(Smiles) Since I mentioned Shayla and Devin, could you please introduce them and tell us about them?

Synithia: Of course. Shayla and Devin are the latest couple to find love in my third novel, A Heart to Heal. Shayla and Devin grew up together in their small hometown of Helena, SC but unfortunate circumstances kept them from getting together. Shayla left Helena to attend Spelman College in Atlanta. After college she worked for a public relations firm, but had to leave abruptly; hence her return to her hometown.

Devin stayed in South Carolina and became the town’s only black doctor. He’s well respected by the residents and everyone treats him like family. Though Shayla worries about how their relationship may affect his reputation, he could care less.

Okay Shayla and Devin, you guys are now in the hot seat. Without giving away what originally drove you from Helena, Shayla, how bad was whatever it was that you did to Devin?

Shayla: *groans* It something that broke my heart as much as his. I betrayed him…and have beat myself up for years for not using better judgment. Even though I’ve learned more about the events surrounding what happened, I still wish I could have done something differently to avoid the entire situation.

Devin, how hard was it for you to get over Shayla and come out on the other side?

Devin: I never got over Shayla. She was the person I trusted most and she hurt me. Knowing what I do now, I regret the way I treated her after it happened. I couldn’t get close to another woman afterward. I didn’t realize how much I avoided relationships until she came back to town old feelings stirred up.

I’m not exactly sure how big Helena, South Carolina is, but I understand you guys had to deal with rumors and disapproving family members and friends when you guys reconnected. Was all of that difficult and did it help to make you guys closer?

Shayla: The people in this small town love a scandal. Unfortunately, I often end up in one. I know how much Devin is admired, so yes it was…is hard for me to believe that we can survive the rumors.

Devin: I don’t care what people think. We’re both adults, we understand fully what happened when we were younger and I don’t see a reason to continue to deny what we feel.

Wow. What did you guys learn from that situation and about each other?

Shayla: Don’t drink at parties.

Devin: Always ask for the truth, instead of jumping to conclusions.

Do you guys think love is better the second time around and that all of the past pain and suffering was worth it to get to this point?

Shayla: I’ve dated a lot of losers since leaving Helena. I’m not ashamed of my past, but I am ashamed of the way I let my past lead me to make bad decisions. Still, those mistakes helped me realize what real love is. I’ve got that with Devin.

Devin: I never really got over Shayla. I’ve finally gotten what I wanted.

So what’s next for you guys?

Shayla: I’ve got a new job! Thankfully! I’m ready to start building a life with Devin.

Devin: I couldn’t say it better.

Great. Best of luck you two. Okay... Now I want to get back to the lady behind you guys. Synithia, you’ve been really busy. You’ve mentioned working on another series earlier. Do you plan on taking a break?

Synithia: I’m always thinking of new book ideas. I have a new series out on query right now and am working on the first book in a different series. But until my new series finds a home I will take more time to catch up on watching Netflix . (smiles)

JUST FOR FUN:

You like tea pots, so I’m going to assume you like tea…. Favorite tea?

Tea. Earl Grey. Hot. Just like Captain Picard.

I drink that almost everyday! Summer or Winter?

Spring

Planner in life or fly by the seat of your pants?

A bit of both, depending on the situation. (This drives my husband crazy)

Me too. Favorite Movie?

So many, but I’ll go with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Iron Man or Spiderman?

Iron Man…okay really my favorite superhero is Aquaman.

Aquaman?? Really??

Yeah, weird I know.

Didn’t see that one coming. Thank you very much Synithia. Is there anything else you want to add about yourself or your books?

Thank you for having me! The interview was fun! I hope your readers want to learn more about Shayla and Devin and pick up a copy of A Heart to Heal.

Synithia has loved romance novels since reading her first one at the age of 13. It was only natural she would begin penning her own soon after. It wasn’t until 2010 that she began to actively pursue her dream of becoming a published author. She completed her first novel, You Can’t Plan Love, in the fall of 2010 and sold it to Crimson Romance in 2012. When she isn’t writing, this Green Queen, as dubbed by the State Newspaper, works to improve air and water quality, while balancing the needs of her husband and two sons.

Connect with Synithia Williams: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Other connected books: 1.  You Can’t Plan Love 2.  Worth the Wait