We sat down with Felicia Malone to discuss her new novel Ruth’s Awakening: A Love Story and her inspirations as a writer.
Tell us about Ruth’s Awakening: A Love Story.
Ruth’s Awakening is my debut novel that’s been seven years in the making. Ruth’s Awakening: A Love Story allows the readers to take a journey of self-discovery alongside the protagonist Michelle Hope as she navigates the hurdles of life while searching for true love. Michelle is in a crisis of faith all the while caring for an ailing grandmother, career-demands, and loneliness. Things seem to be spiraling out of control when a long lost beau arrives. Is he the answer to her prayers or the final straw?
What was it that inspired Ruth’s Awakening: A Love Story?
I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was 12 years old. I was reading Zora Neal Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. I love the ability of a writer to take you to another world. That story takes place in Florida and a different time period. You really get engrossed in this world and you’re almost like a time traveler. I grew up on the west side of Chicago and that was not the most pleasant of places so books were a way to escape for me. It gave me hope that there was a world outside of what I saw every day and what I experienced every day. That desire to create is the most in touch with God you can be.
I wrote the story to bring life to the stories of countless faithful church girls like myself who are awaiting their Boaz, hence the reference to Ruth in the title. The good girls, the faithful one, the duty-bound women who put others before themselves. These women still hope for love and a happy-ending even in the midst of doubts and overwhelming trials. I write for these women. I do interweave the stories of some spicy friends. I write for these women too. The church ushers with a past. (Wink).
Who would you compare your writing style with?
I have taken a few creative writing classes and I have been told that I have a unique style. I would say in terms of being descriptive it would be a little bit of Zora Neale Hurston. Their Eyes Were Watching God is my all-time favorite love story. This book is an homage to her inspiring the writer in me. In terms of really exploring the heart of a woman and inspiration of a woman it would be Isabel Allende and Toni Morrison.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
Zora Neale Hurston, Isabel Allende, and Toni Morrison are my favorite authors. Those women take you into another world. I can get lost in those stories.
What is on the horizon for you in 2015?
I am working on part 2 of Ruth’s Awakening: A Love Story. I am developing a YouTube show and continuing my fitness journey with Get Fit With Fe my Facebook accountability group.
You can learn more about Felicia Malone by visiting her website below and following her on social media.
Website: www.feliciamalone.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Ruths-Awakening-A-Love-Story/731544343562093
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Taluazoeapple
Personal Blog: www.talulazoeapple.com
Photo Credits: Photo’s courtesy of Felicia Malone by Melvin Saunders
This is her debut novel, a great love story. Pick it up.