Fallen Angel Reviews would like to welcome Phaze Author, Trinidad West. Trinidad is the author of a “Sparkler” titled Promise. Thank you, Trinidad, for answering a few questions for us.

Is there a particular moment in your life where you sat down and said you wanted to be an author? If so, tell us about this revelation.

I don’t remember that there was a moment. Writing is just something that I’ve always done. I feel better when I’ve been writing. It’s a great antidote to stress for me.

You have been writing since you were ten years old. Did your stories have a similar theme or were each of them different?

I guess you could say that lately I’ve been writing “love conquers all” type stories. I don’t know that love really does conquer all in the real world, but I think it makes a lot of things bearable that might not be otherwise.

Do you outline your stories or do you just write as you go?

I start with a skeletal synopsis, but I don’t usually end up following it all the way through. Sometimes I even lose it. I’m sure I’d write faster if I knew exactly where a story was going. It would eliminate a lot of the struggling, but then again, my first ideas about how a story should go aren’t always the best.

Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind Promise?

Very simply, it came from a daydream about a fabulous younger man. I originally envisioned a woman starting over in a new city and being befriended by a slightly older woman and later meeting her son. I’m not sure how it evolved into Promise.

Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?

I’ve read about authors who say their characters take on lives of their own, almost to the point where the characters speak to their author and determine the course of a story. How fabulous to have your characters doing the heavy lifting of the writing process for you! I like to think I create life-like characters, but they don’t take on an existence of their own off the printed page.

What would you like to accomplish with your writing career?

How kind of you to call one publication a career! I’ve always felt compelled to write, but I won’t pretend that what I really want is to publish and get paid for it. I get a nice sense of accomplishment from the act of writing, but that only goes so far. I’d love to reach a point where I can call it a career and not feel like the time I spend writing is an indulgence. At this point, when I’m writing, there’s always the sense that I should be doing something more tangibly productive.

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?

If anyone thinks it’s easy, they’re crazy. There are certainly days now and then when a story just pours out onto the keyboard. This is most likely to happen for me when I’m writing dialogue. Usually, though, it’s a real chore, but one that I really want to do. That’s the paradox a guess. We want to write---we have to to stay sane---and yet we’ll clean the kitchen in order to put off sitting down to start writing. Go figure!

You find yourself stranded on a desert island, what things could you not survive without?

Beyond the basics needed for survival, I think I’d probably be really unhappy without anything to read, especially if I was by myself. The escape from reality that books offer is almost magical. And they give you something to think about even when you’re not reading. What happened during that period of time that was glossed over between Chapters 5 and 6? What happened to these people next?

Do you have any indulgent behaviors one might find surprising? What’s your favorite comfort food?

I’m afraid my indulgences are pretty mundane. A glass of wine in the evening. Too much left-over Halloween candy. (We know no kids ever come down our dark cul-de-sac. Why do we insist on buying such a big bag of just-in-case candy?) Oh, yeh, there are also the stupid, mind numbing, computer games like Bounce Out and Bejeweled. I might get more done if it weren’t for those, but I consider them as a alternative to meditation, which I’m really bad at. My mind will just not be emptied.

What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

I enjoy doing needlework (cross-stitch and crochet), but I’m not very good at finishing projects. My daughter is taking piano lessons, which makes me want to return to that. I haven’t played for about 20 years. And, of course, reading. Reading e-books is especially an indulgence because they actually have to be paid for---no library check-outs here.

Are you currently working on any writing projects? If so can you tell us about them?

I’m actually nearing the end of an erotic novel that involves magic and long-lost love and a couple of very stubborn main characters. I even know exactly how I’m going to end it!

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Hmm. Well, thank you, of course, for this interview. I was surprised and pleased when I first discovered the on-line community of reviewers and readers of erotic e-books. It’s such a rapidly growing business and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.

Thank you, Trinidad, for answering my questions. For those who have not had the opportunity, please go over and check out Promise. You will not be disappointed.

Interviewed by: JoAnn