An Author's Home | Carol Culver Rzadkiewicz

Interview with Violette Reid by Elrod Stanton

Violette Reid, author of The First Chronicle of Zayashariya: Out of Night

I had just completed an interview with author G. M. “Matt” Lupo at Stone Mountain, Georgia and was on my way back to Atlanta to check into my hotel, take a shower and change. I had arranged for yet another interview. My publicist had put me onto another up-and-coming Atlanta area writer by the name of Violette Reid, author of The First Chronicle of Zayashariya: Out of Night, which I would be reviewing soon.

I found the Café Sunflower on Peachtree Road, directly behind Houston’s restaurant in the Brookwood Square Plaza. Violette was already there waiting for me. I had seen photos of her on her web site, so I recognized her right away. She was about 5' 6" and was wearing a purple halter sundress with a purple flower above her left ear and black wedge sandals. Her hair was cut in a bob with the back short and the front right below her ears. When she saw me looking at her, her Cover Girl model’s face became wrapped around a big friendly smile. I introduced myself and sat down across from her. I noticed she was wearing a turquoise and lavender necklace and commented favorably on it.

The Café Sunflower has been serving vegetarian cuisine since 1992–so says the menu. The café had high open ceilings with pipes showing and orange and yellow hanging lights that looked like hot air balloons hovering overhead. Violette referred to it as cozy and bohemian. I wasn’t sure about the cozy part as it was one large open area, but it did have sort of a Andy Warhol New York art studio vibe.

After some small talk, we decided to order appetizers, get the interview going while we waited for our food, and then order the entrée when appetizer came. I didn’t know about her, but I was starving. To start with I ordered spring rolls consisting of shredded vegetables with a fruity dipping sauce and spicy mustard and a tall glass of unsweetened iced tea. Violette ordered spring rolls as well. As soon as the server left to fill our order I got into my purpose for being there.

ES: So, let’s get right to it. When did you first think about becoming a writer?

VR: I became interested in writing when I was about twelve. I dabbled in poetry a lot. Instead of having a diary, that was how I wrote down my thoughts. I did not really get serious about wanting to become a writer until I graduated from college. By that time, I had almost a thousand poems, about twenty short stories, a full-length work, which I turned into my first novel, and an overactive imagination.

ES: You’re a native of Atlanta and graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a B. A. in English. Was your intention to teach? Did you ever teach?

VR: I actually majored in English because at first I wanted to be a lawyer. I minored in education because I also considered teaching. Neither one of them held much of an interest for me, although after college I did begin working as a Legal Assistant. It was then I discovered I did not like the legal profession very much. Sometimes I still consider teaching, but I’ve been blessed enough, at least for now, being able to stay at home with my children and just write.

The appetizers arrived and we ordered our main course. I went for the tri-colored ravioli, stuffed with lite ricotta cheese and served with roasted shallot marinara, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and green beans. Violette order the faux sesame chicken and lemonade. Once the server had left with our orders, we continued the interview while we worked on our appetizers.

ES: I see from your web site [www.violettereid.com] that you have written a ton of poetry called Violette Ardor. Is that your first love?

VR: Poetry is my heart. It is my personal feelings. Being a very private person, it was very hard for me to actually make my poetry public. Truthfully, I only published the pieces that were not as sacred to me.

ES: Among the poems that weren’t too personal to you, how did you select the poems for your book? Is there a particular theme?

VR: I picked the ones that were my favorites and the favorites of my close friends and husband. The book is divided into different chapters, covering everything from God to imagination to lust, love, and life.

ES: You said you’ve written quite a few short fiction stories. Did you progress from poetry to short fiction to the novel? Or were you working on them all simultaneously?

VR: Yes, I progressed in that order exactly. The funny thing is that all of them are totally different. My poetry mainly deals with real life and relationships. My short stories are in the horror genre, and my novels are mainly supernatural and fantasy.

ES: How did you formulate the idea for Out of Night?

VR: Out of Night started as a novella in college. It was a writing assignment for a class. I got an “A” on it. I picked it up a few years later and read it over. It was then I decided to expand it into a novel.

ES: Is the name “Zayashariya” made up or is it based on some mythical or historical reference?

VR: It is actually a combination of my nieces’ names: Zaynnah, Ashley, Kashyra and Zariyah. Many of the characters have my family and friends’ names. Sometimes the names are combined or written backwards. It is just a way to include the ones I love.

ES: Does religion and religious faith play a big part in the themes of your writing?

VR: Not religion but, at times, the Belief in God does. God is very important to me. I play with ideas that include Him, but not to the extent my work would be considered a Christian fiction or spiritual writing. I try to appeal to the imagination and to raise a few eyebrows.

Our meals were delivered. The appetizers were good but only tickled my taste buds. The server gave me a unsweetened tea refill without my asking. That was nice. The ravioli looked great and as I soon found out, tasted great, too. I asked Violette how she liked her meal. She told me it was very good, as usual. We suspended the interview questions while we ate and chitchatted, exchanging stories and information about Atlanta and about my home area, the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Ocracoke Island. We took our time with dinner, enjoying every morsel.

When we were finished, I decided to have some dessert. I was going back to a hotel where late night cravings were not that easy to come by. Violette passed on desert but I couldn’t. I ordered a slice of raspberry chocolate mouse cake. It was delivered before I could blink. While I partook of the good and evil before me, I continued the interview.

ES: You have a page on your personal web site called Peach Publishing, which you bill as a quarterly entertainment newsletter. Tell me what Peach Publishing is all about.

VR: It is an entertainment newsletter that features poetry, articles, art, short stories and the like. Many people around the globe submit to it. It was a monthly newsletter, and I have been doing it for four years. Sadly, I have not done a new issue since December 2007 because I started back to school to work on my Masters Degree. I am also working on a new novel and I truly don’t have the time to work on it. Hopefully, I can get it back up and running soon.

ES: You also have a page on your web site dedicated to your art. Is there anything in the creative fields you don’t do? Tell me about your art.

VR: I love to paint. It calms me. I don’t know how good I am at it but I love to express myself through that medium. I have built myself quite a collection and I think I get better every day.

ES: You told me you were married with two children. How do you juggle the demands of a husband, two children and a house and still write and maintain your web sites and author promotion events?

VR: I write after the kids are in a coma. I try to occupy all the free time that I have.

ES: How about a softball question?

VR: Sure.

ES: Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books, fiction or non-fiction?

VR: My favorite fiction writer is Anne Rice. I love to read everything she writes. I like Terry Brooks, Dean Koontz and R. A. Salvadore, too. My favorite non-fiction is the Bible and anything that has to do with theology, mythology, ghosts and the supernatural.

ES: I hope you will read Hunting Ground when it is released and add me to your favorites. Have any of these authors influenced your writing style and/or your way of thinking about developing characters, settings, plot lines, story structure, etc., and if so, how?

VR: Not that I am aware of. I try hard to be different from other.

ES: Do you have another book in progress or on the drawing board? If so, care to give your readers any hints about what you’re up to next?

VR: Yes. It’s called Nephilim and it will be released next year. It is a supernatural thriller and is full of twists and turns.

After the food was gone, I wanted to give Violette a chance to have the last word.

ES: Is there anything else you’d like me to include in the interview, Violette? Last chance.

VR: Regularly check www.violettereid.com for updates, signings, and appearances. Pick up a copy of The First Chronicle of Zayashariya: Out of Night. I promise that it is a quick read that will heighten your imagination. Also, Violet Ardor: A Volume of Poetry. They both are available everywhere books are sold. Thank you so much for this opportunity, Elrod. Hopefully we will meet again soon.

Before we left the Café Sunflower, I noticed in the retail area that the café had a 200-page cookbook for sale, authored by the owner, Lin Sun. The book included recipes for things like stuffed acorn squash, carrot cake, mooshu vegetables and a lot more. At $30.00 it was pricey, but I like to cook and try new things, so I bought it. Besides, it would remind me of my great time at the café with Violette Reid. When we left the café, Violette offered her hand, but I told her that while I realized she was married, I preferred a hug. She gave me her beautiful big smile and we hugged away. All the way back to the hotel I was smiling myself. I’m still smiling.

To read a review by Elrod Stanton of Violette Reid’s new novel Out of Night, go to the “Book Reviews” page on An Author’s Home.

What follows are the details on Violette’s new novel, including her upcoming book signings and appearances:

The First Chronicle of Zayashariya:

Out of Night by Violette Reid

Fantasy/Science Fiction

Xpress Yourself Publishing, March 2008

Trade Paperback, 284 pages

ISBN 13: 978-0-9799757-6-9

10 0-9799757-6-X

Available at www.amazon.com.com,

www.barnesandnoble.com,

www.borders.com, www.chapters.com