Today I am speaking with Petula Caesar.

Hi Petula! Welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews! It is so good to have you with us today. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule. The readers would love to hear something about Petula Caesar.

Why don’t you begin by telling the readers about your book, Lipstick and Other Stories?

Lipstick and Other Stories is a short story erotic anthology. It is a collection of ten short stories I wrote over a five-year period. The stories range in style and content. Some stories are verbal ‘snapshots’ if you will of a character’s state of mind. Many have the traditional romantic ‘happily ever after’ ending. Some are very reflective and resolve themselves in ways that may not exactly be ‘happy’, but give the reader something to think about. I’ve been told by reviewers that my poetic leanings show in my writing, but I think that’s good considering what I write about. It's gotten very good reviews so far, including from Fallen Angels Reviews (thanks so much for that)! It’s gotten four stars from Romantic Times Magazine, which makes it "compelling", and has gone over pretty well with everyone that's reviewed it. I greatly appreciate all the love and support and the validation of my work.

What is a typical day like in the life of Petula Caesar? And do you prefer being called Petula or Tula?

Tula is what most people call me. People only say Petula when they’re mad at me, so when I hear Petula I don’t answer. As for my day, it goes a little something like this...

I get up first to get showered and dressed. I get my two kids off to school. I do any grocery shopping and errand running early…thank goodness Wal-Mart opens at 6 a.m. Then I sit down to deal with e-mails and web stuff. Usually out of my emails come other tasks, so I prioritize that stuff and work on it. Next I do any other web related stuff I have to attend to, usually research for this or that. That can be pretty time consuming, but when I’m done, then I write. At least two hours, maybe more. I do freelance PR writing (press releases, speeches, copy writing and such) and I’m a staff writer for a local publication called ‘Mic Life Magazine’ (www.miclifemagazine.com). It covers microphone culture in my area…spoken word poetry, comedy, live music, hip-hop, any performance art that uses a microphone. Usually during the day I write for ‘business’ (the PR and magazine writing) and at night I write for ‘pleasure’ (the creative stuff – ! my stories and poems). Throughout the day I get calls from friends, clients, other writers, my editors, and those calls may cause me to re-organize my entire day, depending on what’s going on. Once my kids are home from school, I do the mommy/housewife thing for the next few hours to the exclusion of pretty much everything else…cook dinner, talk to them, go over homework, see what’s going on in their lives. Then I tend to the house…wash stuff, clean stuff, vacuum, do laundry, etc. Once I get the kids and the house settled, I get back to the computer and do it all again…e-mails, web stuff, and writing. At least once a week I go out to some spot to relax and hang out with my friends. Usually it’s to hear poetry and music, sometimes I go out to dance. Sometimes I have to cover stuff for the magazine, or I go out to meet with people I’m interviewing. On weekends I usually don’t write at all…that’s my time off. I spend as much time with my kids as I can. Some weekends I have spe! cial events to attend, and occasionally I hang out with my deejay frie nds and watch them spin and just enjoy the music. If nothing much is going on, I sleep. I can sleep anytime, anywhere. Sleeping is a hobby of mine that I don’t get to enjoy much…can you tell?

What is your favorite part of a book to write?

I think I most enjoy constructing my stories. When I’m writing a story, I have a destination in mind…a place I want the story to go. There are some definite stops along the way that I want to make, and some stuff I’m willing to play by ear. I don’t just write my stories, I build them, and I think I most enjoy the design phase. Also, I enjoy writing the ending. I get such a thrill out of writing those last few paragraphs that tie things together and wrap things up.

Can you tell us a little about your other upcoming works?

The thing I am most excited about right now is that I will have a short story appearing in an upcoming erotic short story anthology put together by Zane, who is the queen of African American erotica. The anthology is entitled “Caramel Flava”, and will feature stories that include characters of Latino/Hispanic descent. My story is called “Es Lo Que Es (It Is What It Is)”. The book will be released by Simon and Schuster in mid-August of this year. I will also have some erotic poetry appearing in Clean Sheets, the most popular online erotic magazine on the Internet (www.cleansheets.com)! I am deep in the midst of writing my second collection of short stories. It is untitled right now, but for the moment I call it “Lipstick Volume II” because I have to call it something! And I’m always submitting my work here and there, so you never know where it might turn up!

What does your working space look like?

It depends on how the work is going. If my writing is going well, my desk is neat, my computer monitor is lint and dust free, my pencils are sharpened and my legal pads are at the ready. When I’m frustrated or experiencing writer’s block I take it out on my desk! I ball up pieces of paper and throw them, I toss things around, I get up and pace the floor. I move the speakers around. Then my desk looks horrible.

When did you decide to take "pen in hand" and write with the intent to publish?

About three years ago. I always intended to publish but didn’t do anything about it. I had been writing these short stories for a while and all my friends would say “you should really try to get these published”. And at first I’d say “no, who’d want to read them?” But one day I woke up and said, “why don’t I find out who might want to read them?” I fine tuned them, put them all together in this book, submitted them to my current publisher, Phaze, and they accepted them. Since then every time I write, I am already envisioning the work being accepted for publication, and I submit very carefully…I make sure my work ‘fits’ the publisher/publication I’m submitting it to. Honestly I’ve been lucky - my writing hasn’t gotten rejected a lot, but I’m just starting out. I’d like to think its because I’m just that good…LOL

Do you have any bad writing habits?

Sure I do. Even though I write short stories, I write long. I love words, and the first thing I do once I’ve written a few paragraphs is edit, because I know I’ve gotten carried away. I don’t know if this is a bad habit, but because I also write poetry, prose always works its way into my fiction, which isn’t always bad, but sometimes it’s not appropriate, and I have to weed it out. And sometimes I’m not the most disciplined writer; I just get lazy. I was always told that you should write everyday, but there are days when I don’t.

What would we find on your bookshelf?

Well I have entirely too many bookshelves so we’ll just do the biggest one in my bedroom…

Annie Proulx, O Henry, a bunch of thesauruses and dictionaries because I love words. Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, The Iliad, a couple of books by Cornell West, a Greek Tragedy anthology, a couple of books on astronomy and astrology, some volumes of “The Best of American Poetry”, a book called “The History of Sex”, two illustrated copies of the Kama Sutra (different versions), and a book on tantric sex. Some Judy Blume books, Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women”, a volume of Robert Frost and Edgar Allen Poe, and some erotica anthologies (Susie Bright, etc.). A collection of poetry by black poets like Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. A copy of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf”. A few short story anthologies from around the world. The Canterbury Tales. A complete set of Charles Dickens. Some old copies of Penthouse Variations. The Art of War. The Prince by Machiavelli. I have a book called “The World’s Greatest Love Stories” that is old as! dirt that I am crazy about…its a bunch of short stories from different writers from different countries and centuries. A lot of them are quite romantic and erotic. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Roots. Gone With The Wind. A bible I got when I was a kid with gold foil edged pages that I love. Oh, and a book that has my all-time favorite short story in it…”The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson.

What do you do when you need to relax?

I go out and listen to poetry. I get on the microphone once in a blue moon. I dance too, and just talk to and hang out with my friends. Socializing is very relaxing for me.

Do you have a website other than http://www.tulabooks.com/ that you would like to share with your readers?

I have a little corner on My Space. It’s http://www.myspace.com/tulalove. I’m still trying to really get the hang of My Space, but I’m learning. I also have a little page on my publisher’s site at www.phaze.com. You have to go to the Phaze page to order and download the e-book.

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

The name is Petula Caesar. P-E-T-U-L-A C-A-E-S-A-R. You WILL see it again, and you’ll be able to say you remember me from when it all began…

For Fun: What is your favorite month, Petula?

I love the summer, so definitely August (the month I was born!)

Your desired place to travel?

The South Pacific – haven’t been yet, but I’m working on it.

And your favorite song?

Gosh…I have so many I wouldn’t know where to begin! Music is a passion of mine, so asking me to pick one song is like asking me to pick my favorite child…it depends on how I feel at the time. Recently I’ve been playing a lot of Latin music…I’ve been listening to ‘Represent Cuba’ by Orishas featuring Heather Headley (it was in the movie ‘Dirty Dancing – Havana Nights’). I love Queen, so ‘We Are The Champions’ may qualify as an overall all time favorites. But then again I can’t ignore my old school Hip Hop, and my classic R and B…and oh my house music! And I must have my classic ‘80s rock…Tainted Love, Air Supply, Rick Springfield…what was the question again????

Thank you so much for sharing time with us today, Petula. Anyone interested in reading more about Petula and her amazing books, please visit her website to read more about her exciting works. It has been a pleasure Petula, and I wish you the best with your writing.

Interviewed by: Linda L