How would you describe LaConnie Taylor-Jones?

Oh, my, did you have to start off with THAT question? LOL!!! No seriously folks, I’m straight up, no chaser. Life is simply too short to play games. Everyday I strive to be true to my word and just in my dealings.

When did you know you wanted to write?

Readers may not know this, but, I’ve been an avid romance reader since I was a junior in college. However, for twenty-seven years, I was content to remain a reader. I never considered writing until the spring of ’03. I was in bed reading a novel that was horrible. It was pass midnight and I think my husband was tired of hearing me whine about the book because he said, “Honey, if you can write a better book, do it, but baby, turn out the lights.” I took him up on the challenge and I’ve never looked back.

Do you have a special time or space to write?

Absolutely!! It’s when I stumble down the stairs, groping in semi-darkness for my best friend, the coffeepot. The illuminated numbers indicate one o’clock in the morning. The duties of wife, maid, cook, chauffer, doctor, business owner and referrer have ended.

It’s the right to time for me to write!!

Tell your fans about When I'm With You? What or who was your inspiration for this work?

When I’m With You is a story that shows the damage caused by an abusive relationship, how the person who’s abused suffers, how to trust again, and why one has to FFF: forgive, forget, and move forward. The inspiration for this story came from my experience as a health educator. For the last fifteen years, I’ve taught health education primarily to African American women in community-based settings. Often times, before I can lecture on the risk factors associated with chronic diseases disproportionally impacting African Americans, I have to deal with the soci-economic deterrents women face. Unfortunately, abusive relationships top the list.

Your website is beautiful--and very sexy! In browsing your site, I noticed that you have new book coming in Spring 2008. Tell us a little about it.

When a Man Loves A Woman hits store shelves April 1st and is the sequel to When I’m With You. The premise of this story is betrayal, not just any kind of betrayal, but the ultimate unfaithfulness no woman should ever have to go through. Readers will see how a woman’s life that was once shattered is made whole again.

In your bio, you mentioned that you are a health educator and very active in your community. Tell us about your community services organizations and projects?

First, let me give a big shout out to all my Sorors in the house!! I’m an active member of the Contra Costa Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

I’ve always been driven by a passion to provide a platform for optimal health, political and educational opportunities for the African American community. So eleven years ago, I began working with the African American Community Health Advisory Committee (AACHAC) and Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) and School Site and Special Education task forces with my local school district.

In your bio, you also shared that you are a wife and mother of four. How do you balance your time between family and your other activities? Do you have any advice for other family women who are itching to start their dream but just haven't found the time?

Trust me, trying to juggle the responsibilities of wife, mother and consultant can become challenging on any given day. Then add writer to the mix and the most sane person in the world can go into such a discombobulated state they’d seriously contemplate making ‘the call’ to the nearest mental institution – LOL!! The key that makes everything work in sync is prioritizing and knowing my limitations. Also, I’ve learned to say No without feeling guilty. No doesn’t mean never. It simply means not right now.


What advice can you give aspiring authors?

The first tip I’d give is to prepare. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways: reading books from authors published in the genre you’re writing in, taking courses or workshops, entering contests, and if possible, speaking with published authors in your targeted genre. Once you have a workable draft of your manuscript, join a critique group and above all, accept constructive feedback. All of these things will help in the end so that you’re providing a quality product for agents and editors to review.

A couple of books I’d highly encourage writers to purchase are: Building Better Plots by Robert Kernen and Writing Novels that Sell by Jack Bickham.

What can your readers expect from you in the future?

My readers have totally embraced the Baptiste Clan and I want them to hold on to their seats. I recently sold the third saga entitled, If I Were Your Woman, which hopefully will make the ’08 production schedule. Also, there are two other Works in Progress as well. With all of this, I plan to stay pretty busy in 2008.

Tell us something interesting about yourself that you wouldn't normally expose when first meeting someone (we call this the sistah-confession to help break the ice between newbies and vet-sistahs :)

With one big baby (hubby) and four grown-up (kids) living in my house, I can’t cook!! For me, cooking is a necessary evil, so my family has come to LOVE Honey’s special meal: PB&J, fruit and a tall glass of milk.