Writing For Yourself With Chica: June Author Spotlight
June is known far and wide as Pride Month, and though several other things are celebrated in June (such as Juneteenth and Flag Day), Pride is widely celebrated in the literary community. This is due partially because of authors in the LGBTQIA community, partially because of readers in the LGBTQIA community, and partially because character diversity in literature is seen as a mark of a good writer.
Our June author spotlight focuses on an author that believes strongly in Pride Month. Pixie Chica is a romance author who specializes in both LGBT and straight relationships.
"Most of my books are 18+ with the exception of the Sweetville books," stated Chica. "Those may be enjoyed by older teens, but I do warn there are cuss words, so I refrain from advertising them [the Sweetville books] as YA books."
Becoming an author came naturally to Chica, who has enjoyed writing for as long as she can remember. "I've always written for pleasure," explained Chica, "but three years ago I found the insta-love genre and fell in love with it."
Insta-love (or Instant Love) is a genre that includes fast-paced plots, and love at first sight. It's fairy tales for adults, but without the influence of Disney or the Brothers Grimm. Insta-love can be found as a subgenre of all genres and as a genre in and of itself. There is fantasy insta-love, holiday insta-love, contemporary insta-love, and insta-love with elements of these genres.
"Unfortunately," remarked Chica, "there weren't many FF (Female/Female relationship) books with that [insta-love] vibe. So, I decided to publish one. From there kicked off my love for writing short reads that include all kinds of love."
Pixie Chica believes that love is love and that every kind of relationship should be respected. I've read so many of her books that I've lost track of the exact number I've read. I owe it to Goodreads and my Kindle for helping me keep track of which of her books I've read and which I haven't. It's one of my goals to read her entire published library.
In preparation for this spotlight, I read three of Chica's books back-to-back. They had been sitting on my TBR for a while or ones that just released and I couldn't wait to read.
When tempers flare and jealousy happens, the two women have to either work through their issues or go their separate ways, but while one seems more than willing to push away the other, the other has no intentions of going anywhere.
Sealed with a Kiss is a quick, but a great read.
Altered (Holiday Hearts #5) is another book I recently read by Chica.
Altered was more of a 3.5 for me, but I rounded up to 4 because as cliche as it sounds, it was me, not the book, that was the problem here. I could see this book being a solid 4 or 5 for others. I had a hard time getting into the story after some trickery was revealed.
The consent in here felt a little dubious, which made me uneasy. Otherwise, this is a great story and it was nice to read another tale from the world that Chica set up involving the Cupids, Hollows, and Clauses.
Being an insta-love, this story was short. It's the kind of story to read when you have only a small amount of time or when you want something to relax your brain.
Last Shot was super adorable and I love that it focused on an older couple (a couple in their forties). The older I get, the harder it is to relate to the 18-year-old characters in most books. Finding this book was like discovering a diamond amongst the coal.
When a jaded woman meets a love-sick man, things get out of hand fast for our main girl. After being hurt in the past, she's afraid to fall in love and even more reluctant to get married.
When Ernesto shows up, due to a blind date set up by mutual friends, she has to decide if she's going to let fear control her life or if she's going to give in to the feelings that Ernesto awakens in her.
I loved everything about this book. The plot, the characters, and even the setting. I could see Ernesto's taco truck sitting outside of the local bar, serving drunk patrons while the aroma of seared beef hung in the air.
I didn't want to put this book down and I was sad when it ended. I've now read two out of the three Latimer Ladies books and this was by far one of my favorites, not just in the series, but in all of Chica's library.
I believe that Chica's writing abilities could rival any traditionally published author in the insta-love genre. When asked why she picked independent publishing over traditional, Chica answered, "Mostly for the ability to write what I do. I get to do as I please without anyone telling me it's not what's 'in'."
"Anything [can be my inspiration] really," explained Chica. "The weirdest things will spark my inspiration but when it hits I just go with it. It can be the beach, a couple walking by, or a song. In fact, many of my books were inspired by a song on the radio."
According to Goodreads, Chica has written over 40 books. Each one focuses on a unique couple's love story. Chica stated that choosing a favorite book that she's written is hard, but, "from my LGBT books, I'd probably pick Love at Sunset. It had two fierce, but vulnerable heroines, and it took place in Key West, my old hometown. Out of my straight books, probably Ring of Fire. It's got drama, misunderstandings, and a secret baby trope. All my favorite things in a book."
"Hmmm, that's another hard one [question]," said Chica when asked who her favorite character that she's written is. "So, probably Ivy Valladares. Although I didn't have 100% control over that character due to it being in an interconnected series, she is very badass. Not only that, but she's also Cuban American like me."
As readers, it's easy to look at a book and forget that there was an actual human being behind its creation. We cherish books and love their smells and the way they feel in our hands, but we don't stop to think about how each letter was hand-picked by the author, how the cover was designed, how the table of contents was created, or how long it took to upload the manuscript so it can be printed, bound, and shipped out.
"Readers," stated Chica. "Be kind to authors. At the end of the day, we're baskets of nerves writing our hearts out. Mistakes happen, typos happen, even after rounds of editing. Don't forget there's a human on the other side of the screen. Keeping up with all the non-writing parts about being an author is hard," Confessed Chica. "There's a lot of behind the scene tasks to do in order to stay relevant. Marketing, posting, editing, reading other books to stay current with trends...it's a lot."
The behind-the-scenes are all worth it, as every author would tell you. Because in the end, you get to hold your book baby in your hands and cherish the fact that you have sent your voice out into the world.
"Finding my voice has been my favorite part of my author journey," Chica confided. "When I compare my first book with my latest, I'm so surprised with the growth I've done as an author. That's truly a wonderful sensation."
Finding your audience can be challenging for new writers. Especially if you have a book in mind but no age level. Something to remember is that if you write what's on your heart then your audiences will find you.
"To new writers and beginning authors," stated Chica, "I want to say write for you and no one else. There's an audience out there, you just need to find it." .
This was an excellent interview I have thoroughly enjoyed it especially many of the past Authors. I can't wait to see July's. By the way, Pixie, I love how you write Insta-Love stories in lesbian stories. You are excellent at what you write and keep on trucking.
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