Rainy Days with Cohost Author Anna J

Welcome To Lex Between The Lines

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Hey y'all, hey, you are watching and listening to Lex Between the Lines. I am your host, Lex, and I ain't even going to lie today. We're not gonna stay in between the lines. There's just no way that I can. But once we get it started and talking, you will see why. Because I have so many questions, and I hope this lady don't um disconnect me because I'm now y'all know I'm nosy as hell. But I am going to let her introduce herself. So tell us about yourself, about your writing, how do we get to this story?

SPEAKER_03 0:37

Okay.

Anna J Goes Full Romance

SPEAKER_03 0:38

So hey, it's your girl Anna J. I am a uh multifaceted author. I write across many genres. Um, Rainy Days is my recent, it's my first romance, my first time stepping into the romance um lane. I enjoy book, I must say. Um, y'all know me for my woman, his wife, the aftermath, what happened to Zanaya, the hunt. Um, so in that thriller space, that's probably what y'all used to. But I gave y'all a softer side of Anna J, you know? I'm in my in my soft girl era right now. So it's on the papers.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

We definitely, we definitely can see you in your soft girl era. Anna, first of all, I want to know what are the readers saying? Were they shocked?

SPEAKER_03 1:31

I was shocked. I was shocked. Um because I didn't know I had it in me, child. I was, you know, I I opened up my mouth too soon and jumped on, like, oh yeah, I'll definitely do that. And then I'm like, girl, did you just sign up to write a romance? Like, what the? Is that what you do? And I said, you know what? I'ma just write romance the way I see romance. I'ma write, you know, what I whatever one in a romance. Like I usually do on my projects. And we got rainy days, and everybody is like, well, where do I find Reggie? I don't know. I hope we all have one out there.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

Reggie's character was so I I would w wish everybody would find him of Reggie because his character was so soft.

SPEAKER_03 2:24

He and he was but masculine at the same time, right?

SPEAKER_02 2:27

Yes, and he wore his like he communicated clear.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

That's okay and he put himself out there.

SPEAKER_03 2:39

And because Reggie knew what he wanted, you know. I feel like when you know what you want and you get the opportunity to get what you want, it's nothing that can keep you from having it. So when they bumped into each other, he was like, Did you send her? He had to talk to Big G about it. Did you? You sent this one? Because baby, she smelled like peaches, okay? So let me know what I'm doing here.

SPEAKER_02 3:09

Now she smells like peaches.

Faith And Real Life On Page

SPEAKER_02 3:18

So can we classify this as like uh almost a Christian romance or a Christian love story?

SPEAKER_03 3:25

You know, I don't know. I don't know if it's that per se. Because I I mean, I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm not good with classifications. I just write what I write and I let the readers figure it out. I write what I write and I let y'all argue over what it is. So, you know, this it mirrored my life though, because that's just where I'm at. I've I've been in this space for years, but I had to um I had to get divorced to actually really stand in it. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

You ooh, you read my mind because I was finna say, Anna, this story was so intimate, I feel like we were reading part of somebody's real life story.

SPEAKER_03 4:10

Y'all was reading the life story, it the life story through Anna Jay's eyes, though, because everybody you know was my story, her story, and the truth. So you know they say it's three sides to every story. So it's it's my it was my life the way I saw it happening, the way it was playing in real time for me. So when I when I decided to do the project for a long time, I was just kind of sitting on it because I didn't know what to write. And and I and I cried a lot, I cried a lot, I prayed a lot, all of the things. And then I was just like sitting here one day and I said, All right, God, like what do I want in romance though? Like, you know, I'm out here, I'm I'm back single again, you know, I'm about to be at the time I was 48, I just turned 49, and I'm like, you know, I'm starting over. What did what does second chance look like? And if I had a second chance, how would this thing look for me? And I just wrote my wishes down. If I if you hear me, this is it right here.

SPEAKER_02 5:06

Okay, let's let's back it up. The character development. Which character were you? Were you Reggie or were you Brooklyn?

SPEAKER_03 5:15

What I did was I split myself between the two. Okay. I I split my ex between the two, Demi and Darren. So, you know, because I'm a I'm a I'm a little bit, I am, I am a girly girl, I am very feminine. However, I do have a dominant treat. So I saw a lot of myself in Reggie, but I I see myself completely being Brooklyn, complete. So if I'm in a safe enough space to do it, I gotta be in a safe space to live like that.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

So how did you intertwine your faith with between Brooklyn and like did you prey on this story? And to the like, how was that? Because I did not see the okay, when when you put out and said that you were gonna write a love story, and I was like, it's energetic. That's gonna be some kind of like she's gonna write thriller, like there's gonna be some kind of twist and stuff to it. But as I'm reading it and I'm reading, like it almost was like faith-based. So I said, how did she intertwine this with these characters? Like, how was that process? What did it look like?

SPEAKER_03 6:20

I mean, that's how I live. I I literally wrote how I live my life. Like when I tell you having to live through all of that for all of the years that I lived in it, and and like really like having to start over, and I'm I'm in this house and I'm like, shit, I'm in here by myself. This is crazy. I haven't been by myself in a long time. You start to lean on your faith, you start to lean on what you know. Mustard sea-size faith is really all you need. Because a year, a year ago, before I wrote this story, I was in it trying to figure out how I was gonna live without it. And then when I got to live without it, I was like, Oh, I didn't know this was gonna be like this. So now you gotta live through that part too. And it's really about knowing, you know.

SPEAKER_02 6:59

When you say you didn't know it was gonna be like that, how was it like?

SPEAKER_03 7:02

It's very quiet, it's very quiet. I didn't even realize how quiet I was until I had to be in the quiet, and quiet is very loud. So, you know, I'm in this house, I'm with this dog and this cat, and I'm like, dang, like it's another, it should be another person here because that's what I signed up for, and it's not so and of what you finna do. And I I I am gonna get married again. I guarantee you I'm gonna get married again. I don't know who's gonna be. I don't know if his name is Reggie or not, but I already talked to Big Staples about it. So now I just gotta hold up my end of the bargain, whatever that looks like. And it's like just you know, just really leaning on, you know, what I know about God and what I know for sure for certain that's been done for me. Because I promise you, I don't know how I'm figuring this out. But I ain't late on nothing, I ain't worrying about nothing, I got extra. Who else could be doing it?

SPEAKER_01 7:53

You got overflow.

SPEAKER_03 7:55

Girl, abundant, and who knew? And I'm learning how to be stress-free. I'm learning to be, I'm I'm learning that it's okay for me to be soft. I don't I don't want to be the boyfriend. I did that already. So I'm learning to be soft and I'm learning, I'm slowly learning how to trust him. So we'll we'll just see how it goes.

SPEAKER_02 8:16

So the traits that you put in, Reggie, I know you say you separated them a bit for yourself, but when you made that list for Brooklyn and like what she was looking for, is that kind of what you're looking for right now?

SPEAKER_03 8:26

Yeah, yeah. Because I need somebody that, I mean, like it's it's hard when you're not equally yoked. I need somebody that pray. We we can get as nasty as you want on Saturday, but we're gonna be giving a guy, we're gonna give G some on Sunday morning. We got somewhere to be. We can you can tell me any wall in this house all week, but you got to know on Sunday we gotta go thank this man for all of the things that we've acquired. Okay. I want somebody that when they start their day, they asking God, they they they they don't play about me for real, though. They include you in their prayers, yeah. Like God cover her while she out, you know what I mean? Cover her mindset, cover her heart posture, cover her surroundings, make sure she's good, and then you check on me at 12 o'clock, baby. You alright? How's your day home?

SPEAKER_01 9:18

Yeah, why not? So, yeah. This book was so that there was the requirements.

SPEAKER_02 9:30

Yeah, and uh I don't I like I'm almost speechless because I was not I was like I was not expecting okay, love story.

SPEAKER_03 9:44

Nobody knew that girl, I but I'm not gonna lie to you, it it shocked me too how how vulnerable I was able to be because I was trying to decide, like, you know, if I was just gonna put it all on the table or if I was just gonna keep this a fairy tale. And those of us that know, like people that's reading this book, they probably be like, oh my god, Anna did such a great job. This was so romantic. Oh, but people that know me and know that know that. And they like, oh shit, she done she done spilled the sea. Like, what the she done put, but on the flip side of all of that, you know, I mean, there's mercy on the other side, there's grace on the other side. God has always been there on the other side, so I just had to show up for the party.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

Was it hard to write this? Knowing that you like coming from writing thrillers, and then I know you're still in the works of a few things um around Dylan's story, like the copycat. Was it hard to switch over to this? Yes, very.

SPEAKER_03 10:38

I was trying not to hide bodies in the pages because there were so many instances where I could have just took someone out. Easy.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

I thought you were gonna do it. I go, I go even lie. I was like, oh, we're gonna take him out.

SPEAKER_03 10:48

No, oh Darren's. Yeah, we yeah, Darren, Demi, the friends, you know what I'm saying? I wanted to, but um, I was just trying to stay true to what romance is supposed to be while making it my own. I'm never ever ever gonna follow protocol. You gotta know that by now. I'm gonna always do what I want to do. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:14

This almost realized it wasn't fiction. Like it was too, it was so you know, when I read fiction, I be going in for unrealistic, because you know, you be trying to escape stuff. But this was like this was like real.

SPEAKER_03 11:30

I mean, it was you know, it is for somebody.

SPEAKER_02 11:35

So I was looking for some over-the-top little story, like Anna, like you took me, like I don't think you understand.

SPEAKER_03 11:42

It was like you go a date night, right? That never ended. Yes. Ciao.

SPEAKER_02 11:51

So one of my questions was what relationship, what kind of relationship advice will you give yourself um knowing like the past you and what you've

Red Flags And Boundaries After Marriage

SPEAKER_02 12:01

been through? Like, what would you tell your future self? Like, as opposed to things you would take or what love looks like?

SPEAKER_03 12:11

Um, I would tell my future self to not ignore those red flags because a lot of the times it's the potential. I'm a Virgo, I'm a fixer, I'm a problem solver, naturally. That's just how we are as people. Like we are the superior sign, like one. So for me, when I meet people, and just people in general, when you tell me your problem, now is my problem too. And now we're fixing it. And that's probably like my most toxic trait. It's always in in putting myself in something that I don't have my business being in. Uh, I it's like it's just something about me. They always want to make things right. So my future self would know to mind her damn business. Everything's gonna need to be fixed, Anna. You are not a superhero. That's what I would tell my future self. And when in and not necessarily the first sign, but that second time, that second sign of that red flag, it's like, all right, baby, abortion. Because sometimes the first time, that for that first red flag could just be me and being parent. But the minute I see something, then I'm like, oh, I don't like that. I say it. So it's like I am not holding my tongue these days. Something don't feel right, and I don't feel good about it. I even I either unghosted you and blocked you immediately all the way through social media, your mama house, all day. Or I'm like, you know what? This ain't working out well.

SPEAKER_02 13:34

So before it even goes anywhere or get tangled too much.

SPEAKER_03 13:39

Because I'm already seeing the signs, I'm already seeing that pattern, and I'm like, I ain't like that the last time, so I'm damn sure you're gonna like it this time. Let me just go ahead and end this. We can be friends, maybe not really. If you see me in the streets, you don't know me. T I wrote that. That's from the booker tip. Like if you see me.

SPEAKER_01 13:56

Did you just give tip a book?

SPEAKER_03 13:59

If you see me in these streets, baby, you don't know me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:04

What's one thing that you believed about love before you got married or before? I'm not gonna say heartbreak, but what's one thing that you believe about love that you no longer hold that stance on?

SPEAKER_03 14:19

Love is very tricky, I will say. Um, I just think you just have to be careful about who you give it to. Like you can't just give love freely. Love is reciprocal. And if you're not, if you're always on the giving end and it ain't looking how you need it to look coming back, you gotta be cognizant, you gotta pay attention to that. Because um, you know, my ex wasn't always a horrible person. She wasn't, you know, I mean, like she just wasn't. You know, like in it initially it was great. The first four or five years, it was great. You know what I mean? She was attentive, she did all of the things. She paid attention, she listened to my ramblings about books, and when I wanted to start other businesses, she was she was supportive. So she wasn't a monster. However, you know, I mean, as time went on, and we weren't growing at the same rate, we weren't moving at the same speed, we weren't connecting at the same time.

SPEAKER_02 15:19

Was that the turning point? Did she feel like she was getting left behind?

SPEAKER_03 15:24

I no, no, that I couldn't even write the turning point. I couldn't even write the turning point. But um, no, actually, I think I did write the turning point.

The Divorce Turning Point Story

SPEAKER_03 15:33

Um, it was just like a little situation. We had been trying to um, we had been trying to have a baby for some time. And you know, when a same-sex couple is different, you know, you gotta jump a whole lot of fiery hoops to get what you want.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

You know, I know.

SPEAKER_03 15:48

Yeah, and I want to say, like, it wasn't even long after like the last thing that we took. This is like now we 80k in and the last process didn't take. And like, you know, I just felt like you know, this man showed up, and I'm like, who the hell is this? And why are you talking to him about us? And where did where did he come from? Why is he here? They had it was a whole it was a whole family built without me. That's when I was like, oh, you super selfish, huh? So that's for me, that's when it started to kind of like, because I realized in that moment that what I thought we wanted wasn't the same as what she wanted. And it was like a any means necessary kind of thing. And I'm like, you really bought a man, you brought this whole man home. And then I'm looking at because he, I don't know. I think I really feel like he thought that we were desperate for a kid, and he was going to whoop the whim. I said, Oh, you trying to hump on both of us? Like, what's going on with that? So at that point for me, it was kind of like like the selfish tendency tendencies were happening, but that solidified it. And then I I don't think we ever recovered from it because everything that happened after that was like, damn, like you really don't give a damn about me. You stayed with her after that? Yeah, we were, yeah. That happened, I want to say maybe 2019. We just got divorced last year. So I stayed with her after that, you know what I mean? Because it's supposed to be through sickness and health, but I I never wanted to lead a relationship without exhausting all the possibilities. So the the counseling, the therapy, just trying to get myself together, and then hoping she would get herself together, and she never did. And then I started going to church. I want to say, I went back to church about maybe three years ago. And I'm just talking to God about it. And like we sleep in separate rooms, and finances is crazy and all of the things. And I'm like, Lord, this can't be like this cannot be it. Like, come on. Like, this is not what I prayed about. And I and I said, I remember this was last summer, this is right before I filed for divorce. And I said to him, I said, like, I don't know how I'm gonna do this by myself. He said, Girl, you're already doing it by yourself. What are you talking about? He said it clear, you're already doing it by yourself. What are you talking about? I said, Oh, all right, well, let me get this paperwork rolling. Let me go in down some people, get the stamp. And it was tumultuous, it was horrible in this house. It was crazy. I hated to come home. I was working crazy hours because I hated to come in the house. And then we the divorce became finalized in October, and she bought her new the new girl that she had been with all that time, bought her here to help her pack herself.

SPEAKER_02 18:35

Literally D me. Literally D me. What the world?

SPEAKER_03 18:40

And they packed the room up, and that was on December 13th. Not a day after my birthday, the day after your birthday, girl. So here I am two weeks before the new year, before the new year's coming in, Christmas is coming in, I'm alone. New Year's is coming in, I'm alone. She just rolled out two weeks ago. And I'm just like, wow, this is a lot.

SPEAKER_02 18:59

Anna, hold on, Anna. Because what the hell kind of conversation was had. Did you know she was bringing them over into y'all's face that you shared?

SPEAKER_03 19:09

No, I did not. Because a lot of things had happened like days before that. So um I never forget December 11th. I had got to work that morning. And I paid my last car note. Last car note, car is free. I'm done. I ain't paying for this draw no more. And I left out of work and my car got hit. I paid my last car note that morning. I left out of work, the car got hit. All I could do was stand there. Because I said, You gotta be kidding me. I get the banged up car home, the car smashed up, is outside. Friday comes. And I typically, um, I typically work from home, but at that moment I was in the office for whatever reason. And the morning started out with, hey, can we talk? To it being, let's just say, like, the law was involved. It was crazy. It was crazy. And then like my mom came because I'm talking to my mom about it. And she said, Well, I don't want you to be anybody yourself, I'm just gonna come. I'm like, all right. And then the next morning, I left out. I got a phone call. Hey, I'm on I'm on the way to the house to come get the stuff. I said, Okay, I got here, they got here. And I was like, Oh, okay. The room is in the middle upstairs, that one. You go and help her. Thank you. Hopefully, y'all can be out of here in about a half hour. Can I have my keys? Have a good life.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

But y'all weren't divorced at y'all weren't divorced at this point.

SPEAKER_03 20:35

We're divorced in October. Yeah, we were divorced in October, but because I'm kind, I was like, you know, get your money together, get your chips up. You know what I mean? I don't hate you. We're just not compatible anymore. Get your money together. But homegirl thought, you know, she was going to be living free under this roof. Yeah, I found out yeah, because she had been talking to somebody long before, you know what I mean? So that was part of the reason that was part of the reason too. So it was like, all right, like But I ain't, you know, I'm not I'm not a monster, so I'm like, you know, I know you I know you gotta get your coins together. Get your coins together. I don't, it's okay. Like, we already in separate bedrooms. You ain't gonna give me nothing. Get your coins together, save your money up, and then you can you know find you a little spot and be free. But unfortunately, it didn't work out that well.

SPEAKER_02 21:31

My flavors are gasted, baby.

SPEAKER_03 21:33

It was a lot, it was hard, baby. But if I could, I couldn't even a lot of I mean, like literally, I wrote a lot of this stuff in the book, but like when I say it's years of things that like well, you'll see because there's other books coming, so you'll get the meeting.

SPEAKER_02 21:48

We got more, we got more romantic love stories coming with we have more stories like this coming.

SPEAKER_03 21:54

We do because um in rainy days, you meet Gabby. Gabby has a story. So, you know, we just want to keep it.

SPEAKER_02 22:04

That was one of my questions. Because how I get how because it was, I was like, Did I miss a book? Because it said how get what Gabby went through with her relationship and how that. And I was like, dang, did I miss, did I miss one before this? And then I thought about it. I said, I bet.

SPEAKER_03 22:17

Ori was a mess, honey. So you get we get you get more, you know. And also, so you'll when you get Gabby's story, you're going to meet another young lady. Her name is Andrea. And you'll get her story also. So I'm gonna I'm gonna wrap this up in about three books. And I'm just gonna tell y'all my life story in these three books, and then we're gonna get back to Killing and Dylan.

SPEAKER_02 22:40

So Anna, how did you feel when you wrote this? Were you did you feel like a weight lifted, like telling a part of your story?

SPEAKER_03 22:54

Girl, I felt like, well, I wasn't gonna put it out. That was the first thing. So I wrote the book, right? I wrote the book. I call April. And I was like, girl, this book is horrible. She said, What you mean? I said, I hate it. I don't like the story. It ain't making sense. It's it's it's all you know, it's all emotional, it's like extra emotional and all of this stuff. I said, so what I'm gonna do is I said, I um I had already committed to the project, I already got the book cover, I got already got everything. I said, so I'm gonna just print the 25 books for pages in the city. And if you're lucky enough to get a book at Pages in the City, you'll have the story. I wasn't gonna put it on Amazon, I wasn't even going to put it on KDP, I was gonna print the books through Barnes and Noble. It was just gonna be under the radar. And if you got it, you got it. She was like, Ann, are you tripping? I said, No, I'm not. I said the story is horrible. I said, first of all, I don't even write romance. What the hell am I doing here? And she was like, All right, let me read it. So I give it to Toya, I give it to the think tank, you know, and everybody like, girl, is this what you came up with? I said, yeah, this is what I came up with. It's horrible, right? They like, bitch, no. It's amazing. It's amazing. So they it took some, it took some convincing, but after I read it for myself, like the 50th time, I was like, all right, I'm I'm gonna just go ahead and put it in the atmosphere and see how it goes. And then y'all got it. And everybody like, oh my god, I need a Reggie. And I'm like, oh, okay, do y'all, me too. So I said, who wrote this?

SPEAKER_02 24:24

Who is this? I felt like it should have been a pen that a cook. I said, who wrote Anna J.

SPEAKER_03 24:29

This is my uh my thriller, erotica. That's me. Yep, that's me, the same girl that Rosania.

SPEAKER_01 24:40

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

I'm telling you, I was looking for, I was like, she's gonna eat something, it's gonna be something. I was like, okay, the plot twist, it's gonna be something in here. But the plot, even the the plot twist. Oh, and that broke my heart. Like, I'm up here, like mine too. Kleenex, like, where is the Kleenex?

SPEAKER_03 25:02

Because I was thinking to myself, like, what could happen that wasn't like in my thriller bag, you know? Like, what could happen to them that wasn't that was that was bad enough, but it would still stay in that bubble? And Darren been acting the fool the whole damn book, so I said oh, this is perfect.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

I was sick of him. Oh, I was sick of him.

SPEAKER_03 25:28

Yeah, he was annoying child, he annoyed my soul. Yeah, Brooklyn annoyed my soul too though, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:36

Oh, she did, because I was like, girl, put your pride to the side.

SPEAKER_03 25:40

Yeah, but no, but she's me all day, like I am that in real life, like people that know me know me, and I am that. I I'm writing her, and I said, girl, you are you gotta get us together. Like, I am so Brooklyn all day, just overthinking all over the place. Like this man outside your door, sis, and you made him wait hard.

SPEAKER_01 26:03

Explain this man was boo-hoo and when you know a man to boo hoo and come and chase you down. Yep. Yep, that's it.

SPEAKER_03 26:16

I wanted to show you that in chapter one. That's that Virgo thing, because we start to see them flags, and we're like, oh, outta here. Have a good one. And it wasn't, she didn't even give her the chance for a flag to fly. And that's how we are. She's saying once you hurt me, everything is like, I'm already like, oh no, you were you wore purple today. I'm dead. You know, so that's something that I have to work on about myself, you know what I mean? Because I know, like, I got control issues, so I had and because I can't, I haven't been able to live in a soft space. I've never been in a soft space, so it's hard for me to just be in a soft space with somebody because I'm waiting for that other shoe, so I could pick it up and bust you in your hair with it. So it's a learned behavior. Yeah, clean your clock. So it's a learned behavior, and I'm working on it, I'm praying on it, I'm talking to God about it, talking to my therapist, you know. A lot of women, I'll guarantee you, it's a lot of women like me. Because we've been dealt such crazy hands, it's kind of hard to just like when we find that person, it's kind of like, do we believe that this is really what it is? Because I've never had a person to stay consistent like that. Like you initially, of course, in the beginning, it's the honeymoon stage, we feel each other, everybody, you know, but it starts to die down there for a lot. It's hard to keep up a facade.

SPEAKER_02 27:42

Do you think the chemistry sometimes overshadow the incompatibility?

SPEAKER_03 27:47

I think sex overshadows the incompatibility. That's why they couldn't do it.

SPEAKER_02 27:53

So they be I wasn't mine. I was gonna say they beat.

SPEAKER_03 27:58

I mean, it claws is a cloud, orgasm. I have you thinking that's the best man you ever had in your life, especially if you ain't had one in a while. And they think you yeah, they have you thinking that's the best thing since licoric. And they come to find out you don't even like we bread. And this nigga's weak bread. So, you know. You just gotta let things kind of like like really get to know a person. People don't date anymore. We already humping on dates on the second date, if not date one. You understand what I mean? So it's like if you are serious about what what God asked you to do, you gotta take all of that out of it. You gotta take all of that out of it. Yeah, I think you fine. I think you fine, okay? You really got the whole however how often do you talk to God? You know, how often do you have a list?

The List For A Safe Love

SPEAKER_03 28:53

You have a list, Anna. Yeah, I got to. I had to write it down, make it plain. You gotta write it and make it plain.

SPEAKER_01 29:01

What's some of the things on your list?

SPEAKER_03 29:03

My whole my thing is the the top of the list is you know your relationship with God. That's at the very top. Because never mind praying for me. Do you pray for you? You talk to him about you. I need somebody that's already making moves. Like you already, you, you, I'm a I'm one of those people, I'm gonna probably be in college forever. I'm back in college right now. So I'm not saying that you gotta be a forever scholar, but you gotta be a forever learner. You gotta wanna know, you gotta wanna know new things. You wanna grow, you gotta like how are we better than we were 10 minutes ago? Virgo treat. So, you know, are we elevating? Because I don't I can't keep stopping what I'm doing to come pick you up to carry you forward. Oh I came from your rib, not your backbone. So, are we walking this together and all? Oh, that's a word, and I just need somebody that's serious about it. I am very submissive when when I can be. I have to know that I'm in a safe space though. And if you can't provide there for me, and now I gotta be the boyfriend, I can't even do this with you. I'm sorry, not really, and that's just where Brooklyn was at. She said, Listen, like I already had Darren, I already went through things. She moved out, and that man ain't even know till almost midnight. How your spouse ain't home, and you ain't worried about it until almost midnight.

SPEAKER_02 30:30

And how you don't realize that stuff been missing over.

SPEAKER_03 30:33

How you don't realize that she's going. That was the hurt piece. And now you want to be in these streets acting a fool about me, boy. Bye. So I want some, yeah. My requirements is that you talk to God about your self-service because I need to know that your connection is good so that when you talk to him about me, we can hear him clearly. How you wanna go to him about me and he don't even know who you are? He's asking you who you are when you come to him about me. Where you been at, son? So make sure your connection is good so that our connection can be good. And then, you know, financially, I want you to have your own.

SPEAKER_00 31:08

Because if we want to build together, I gotta know that you can build. That's the first thing, Bob.

SPEAKER_03 31:15

And then, um you know, what's your what's your relationship like with your family? You don't talk to none of your siblings, because that was another thing that was an issue. Like me and my siblings are like super close. Me and my family are fairly close for the most part, and that just wasn't the dynamic for that. So it was a lot of jealousy there, especially with my sister, because me and my sister are like we're tight.

SPEAKER_00 31:36

And it that was like it was a thing, you know.

SPEAKER_03 31:40

So your mom made good potato salad, I want to eat some of it. When was the last time you see them? So that's the whole thing. It's just really the family dynamic, the love dynamic, us really getting to know each other, and um, and I can just be me because I'm a crappie, so I need to be able to do that and not be judged.

SPEAKER_02 31:57

That's where a safe space comes in at. Like I have to be able to be vulnerable with you.

SPEAKER_03 32:02

Exactly. And that's my thing. I need to be able to build a safe space for someone because you because you're safe, you're gonna have to build a safe space for me too. It's not about just me. I want you to be able to do the same things I'm doing. You having a bad day at work, come here, let me fix that for you. You understand what I mean? What happened? Let's talk about it, let's go through it. All right, let's talk to God about this, let's see how we're gonna go about it tomorrow because we can't go back and work the same way we were today. Let's fix it. Let's try to work on it, and it's not gonna always be Peachy King. Let's talk through the problem. I don't want to go on Facebook and see no subliminal message. You want to get knocked in your throat, write a subliminal message about me on Facebook.

SPEAKER_00 32:40

Do it.

SPEAKER_03 32:42

We haven't we haven't followed each other on in on the internet in years because of stuff like that. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 32:49

So you haven't you haven't had any communication with her since you guys have parted?

SPEAKER_03 32:54

Oh child, no, we we tried to we tried to communicate afterwards. We tried to communicate. Um and I promise.

SPEAKER_01 33:02

Did y'all try to be friends?

SPEAKER_03 33:04

We we tried. We tried, and that was worse. That ended bad, it was worse than a breakup, than a divorce. It was one of those situations where like, girl, you should have just kept moving. Because we I really thought that we could have you know have the conversations and talk about it, and maybe let's start over as friends because we were friendly at one point, and then one day I it just and I was like, oh, and we and it was it hurt more the second time than it did when she left like in December, and now I'm picking myself back up again.

SPEAKER_00 33:38

I'll never do that again. Like once it's done, it's over.

Keeping Your Cup Full

SPEAKER_02 33:53

I was gonna say when women read this, what would you like them to take away? But this wasn't just for women. I feel like it just wasn't just for women, especially when you gave Reggie's point of view and how he grew from the relationship. He did well, because he was already he was already ready to love and you know, he was ready to be a man and be a husband. So that's why I was like, I was gonna say, what do you want women to take for from this? But what do you want men and women to take from this as they read this?

SPEAKER_03 34:27

I want both men and women to really be truthful with where they are at in their in their time, in their life. Like if you're just if you're not in a dating stage, it's okay to say that. If you're not in a getting to know me stage, it's okay to say that. Like, don't go messing up nobody else's shit because you're confused about where you're trying to be. Don't give nobody hope. Don't don't treat me like a husband. You're not don't treat me like you and my husband. And in all of this time, you're still trying to figure out who you want to be. Like, just leave me the couple, like leave me alone, you know. And I think for women, we just have to really take that time because I what I found out, like a lot of people, I don't know how people do it, how they go, like they they left a relationship in January and they in the relationship in January. How? Like Eric, the book of Badu said to put them bags down. You're carrying too much stuff. You can't hurry up, you gonna miss your show bus. You can't carry, you can't run because you got all these things. Put some of this stuff down, like really take the time. Like, I I know for me for the past couple months, I've really been taking the time to figure out who was Anna, just me by myself, because Anna has been a sister, a wife, godmom, foster parent, supervisor, manager, um, all of these things to all these people. And I was way at the bottom of the cup. So much so that by the time I got to myself at the bottom, there was nothing there but dried up Anna. I had given away everything that I had to everybody that I love. And the people that I was pouring into, many of them weren't pouring back. So now that I'm when I'm at this drawing, now I'm at the bottom of this barrel and I'm like, goddamn, the top is real high. How do I get back up here? How do I get back up there and produce overflow? So that's just basically where I'm at. So when I can't give everything I have to someone, I I can give you the overflow, but I can't give you my full cup.

SPEAKER_00 36:14

I gotta keep my cup full. I can't dip below the line. And I need your cup to be full too, so that you ain't dipping up below your line either. And we can give each other the overflow because he pours in abundance. That's just what it is.

SPEAKER_01 36:32

It's like a self-help classification.

SPEAKER_03 36:35

Like that's what it is, and that's that was when I'm writing this book and I'm creating the playlist and I'm listening to these songs, and I'm in here boohooing and carrying on, and God cry so many nights. It was crazy. But it was healing at the end because I felt I felt relief. Like I felt like when he when Gabby said, Girl, call that man. I said, There is a God. Come on, come on, Gabrielle. Everybody needed Gabby. Yes, talk some sense into this girl, you know. And and I like Gabby because she was going through her own thing, but she still was she still had enough to get because Gabby had a full cup. So she was going through her thing and she had enough to give her friend.

SPEAKER_02 37:15

Wait, so Gabby is going through her stuff while she so Gabby's going through something right now while she's still listening to her friend?

SPEAKER_03 37:21

Yeah, it's happening simultaneously. So, like, you know, she's trying to figure out her thing, but you know, she got Brooklyn that's going through this thing. And um, yeah, but that's what that but that's what friends do. So when the next book starts, it kind of you start with Gabby. You start with her. We're gonna backtrack a little bit before um Brooklyn met Reggie when they're both still single, and you'll get to see the progression. So we're not telling Brooklyn and Reggie's story, we're telling Gabrielle's story, but you'll see where she was and then where she's going with Hanif. You'll meet them in the next book.

SPEAKER_02 37:59

So, do we have a timeline of when to expect Gabby?

Sequels Festivals And Staying Independent

SPEAKER_03 38:04

Yeah, so in my mind, in my brain, I'm thinking that I would like to debut it at the Pure Romance Book Festival here in Philly next year. Okay. I think that's in May, something like that. Yeah, so I think I'm gonna debute it there. Um, and I got a couple other things dropping as well. So I'm I didn't forget about my thriller bag. The bag is still there, the bag's still lit. Um I got a collaboration coming for y'all next year. Um, we got some good things coming.

SPEAKER_02 38:37

So where would they see you next in person?

SPEAKER_03 38:41

Uh license to thrill. I will be a license to thrill in October. And I'm so excited because the love I have for that BWW group, Kenya, and Tanita. Well, I see Tanisha all the time. So, you know, I harass her every time I see her. JR Mason, a lot of these people I'm getting to meet, like we talk almost every day. We tell each like the secrets that we hold for each other is crazy. And I get to finally like lay eyes in person on these people. Man, a time about to be had. So yeah, I can't. Is this gonna be your first time like seeing like JR and Tony and Kira? First time seeing, yep. The only person that I've seen in person several times is Tanisha, and I and I've seen Octavia. Um, but Octavia won't be there, of course, but and I've met um Olivia Renee in person. You know, we all wrote vengeance together to meet them in person, but yeah, I'll be seeing Kira for the first time, Tony for the first time, uh J.R. Mason for the first time. And I just me and her have been talking about some things for the past couple days, so yeah. Um, Jenny and everybody, you know, I mean, Kenya Ma's dying. Like, I get to see all these people in person, finally. So, like, yeah, it's like a real, like a little reunion, you know.

SPEAKER_02 40:02

I'm so excited, especially because it's literally right around the corner.

SPEAKER_03 40:05

It's right, didn't it come quick? Like it's so quick, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:11

Gosh, like you said, a time is gone, and then history is about to be in the making, like all these black thriller authors in one space.

SPEAKER_03 40:20

Yeah, um, I've met K Powell a couple of times. We did a few events together. While I met her at Chocolate City, but then I saw her as a reader at Pages in the City, loved up on her because the town that hates us was crazy work. Um, yeah, so it's is being able to see um all of us in the same room, it's it's gonna be good.

SPEAKER_02 40:42

I cannot wait. Is there anything else you want us to know that you have coming up or that is dropping soon?

SPEAKER_03 40:50

Um, no, I'm just, you know, I'm outside. I'm in the streets. Um, you know, I'm a I'm an independent author, so I am taking my liberty in, you know, writing my books the way I want them written and taking my time with them, which is why you get the kind of books that you get, because I don't I don't have a deadline. I take my time and let them things marinate. You know, I I I'll read it a million times and I make sure like I'm I'm catching everything and all the points in the story make sense, which is why I'm able to um give the quality of work that I give, because I have the time to do it. So I don't I don't feel rushed these days. You you're gonna get the book when it comes out. Not another day. You can get it when she gives it because you're gonna get it when you get it, yeah, not a day before. So there's that.

SPEAKER_02 41:29

I love that for you.

SPEAKER_03 41:31

I I love it for me too. Because for a long time I felt pressured to produ to produce, and although I've been I've done it successfully, I feel like I'm writing my best work because I can take my time to do it. Like my last, yeah, the hunt, what happened to Zanaya, vengeance, rainy days.

SPEAKER_02 41:53

Are we gonna see rainy days? Are we gonna be able to hear this on audio?

SPEAKER_03 41:58

Yes, I would love to. That's something that we're thinking we're in talks about now. I will I want all of this stuff in audio, honestly. So, yeah, we're gonna see, we're gonna see how it goes.

SPEAKER_00 42:11

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:16

Like Zanaya, oh Lord Jesus, my girl, yeah.

Backlist Thrillers And Reader Reactions

SPEAKER_03 42:21

It was such a saying, and it's it's so funny because um people are starting like to go to my back catalog because a lot of people that's just now meeting me don't know that I've been writing for like 25 years. I've been doing this for a long time I know I don't look as old as I am, but I'm you don't right. So I've been writing my oldest book. My oldest book is 22 years old. My woman, his wife.

SPEAKER_02 42:43

I was gonna say, didn't it come out in 2004? Was that your debut? That was your debut book.

SPEAKER_03 42:48

Yep. So like they're starting to get back into that bad catalog, and people are now reading Snow White for the first time.

SPEAKER_02 42:54

I was just gonna say, that's what I'm going in next because I've been seeing people talk about Snow White.

SPEAKER_03 42:59

Listen, listen, journey story. That book was before his time, and that's what I told April. I said, when I wrote that book, like it was it was before his time. So and we and we've read Zanaya. So like imagine reading that and then reading you won't be like, yeah, I'm just I'm gonna just stay ready. I'm I'm ready for the phone call. I'm ready for the I'm ready because I already know you're fit to take me up one side down the other. Yeah. Here we go. I'm scared to check my inbox because when I say I've been getting, yeah, people they on my top right now.

SPEAKER_01 43:37

I can only imagine.

SPEAKER_03 43:40

Yeah, yeah. Journey's story was sad. Zanania's story was sad too. But I ain't gonna ruin it for you. Just know get your cigarettes back out. Go on, get you another pack. Go on get you. Go on, get you another pack. Bust them joints out because you're gonna need them. And I'll just I'll be ready for the phone call. I'll be ready for the you know whatever happens next. It's an amazing story. It's it's sad though. I'm I'm I I can definitely if I can't do nothing else, I can give you a sad story.

SPEAKER_01 44:15

I'm not even I don't even think I'm ready then. Because what?

SPEAKER_03 44:19

I don't think you are either. And like from what I'm but what I'm hearing, because you know me, I grip you from the beginning, page one. And all I keep every every message I've gotten, she was nine years old, and she was, and that's all I got for you, Anna.

SPEAKER_02 44:42

I'm gonna be in the inbox because I'm gonna go ahead and I'm gonna go ahead. I'm supposed to be arc reading. I'm gonna go ahead and be jumping in between because what?

SPEAKER_03 44:52

Yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot. Jesus, uh that's what I love about writing. I love being able to pull these kind of emotions out of people because when I'm writing these books, I'm in those emotions when I'm writing it. So the fact that y'all can clearly sit in a room, the same room I was in when I was writing, y'all can y'all in there. Y'all, y'all can see it, y'all can feel it, y'all can, y'all, all of the feels, y'all, y'all can y'all got it.

SPEAKER_02 45:17

I'm kind of scared, Anna, because the the way I've been seeing, and I've been trying to click off of them, but I've been seeing like people talking about the snow white, and I'm just like, I'm kind of well, I'm kind of scared. Because everybody was like, I think what they were comparing it to Zanaya, and they were like, this one may be a little bit. I'm like, how can something be harder than what happens to Zanaya?

SPEAKER_03 45:39

It is. And my it is, it is, it is. But I like that I can um, I'm glad that y'all can see the pictures I paint. I'm glad vividly. Exactly. Because that's how I see it. It's a movie for me.

SPEAKER_01 45:53

It is.

SPEAKER_03 45:54

So I'm glad that y'all can y'all get it. You know what I mean? It's it's it's it's fulfilling. If every time I think I don't want to write anymore, I get an inbox, and I'm like, all right, let me go ahead and finish this too.

SPEAKER_02 46:05

So look, while I'm here, in exchange, we got a date on copycake. What's this looking like?

SPEAKER_03 46:12

That's that's another one that's dropping next year. So I I am actually done dropping for 2026.

SPEAKER_02 46:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 46:17

We did we did um what happened to Zanaya? Well, we celebrated the hunt again. What happened to Zanaya? Uh we did vengeance, we did rainy days. So I'll see y'all next year. Yeah, I'm I'm I'm gonna probably I'm slated to do at least three next year.

SPEAKER_01 46:37

Three next year.

SPEAKER_03 46:39

Yeah, yeah. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 46:42

At least I'm gonna keep worrying you. When is this cut? I know, next year. Start looking for next year.

SPEAKER_03 46:48

Yeah, start looking for next year. Cause I like to be able to just like I want my I want that think tank. I want us to fully make sure that this thing hit in the way it needs to hit before the public gets it. I'm not I'm not ever gonna though, y'all. Just sit down, get some cool lead, get you a little bag of chips.

SPEAKER_02 47:08

We patiently wait until until it comes out, we finna hit this backlog. It's plenty, it's plenty.

SPEAKER_03 47:15

It is plenty back there. Yes, it is. So um Snow White is the one that everybody's reading now. If you like a little domestic kind of situation, you can get into um exposed when good wives go bad. I got some things back there. You know, you like it a little ghetto, you like a little, you know, I mean, you can do the double cross series, you can get money chicks. It's it's some stuff back there.

SPEAKER_02 47:39

We got variety.

SPEAKER_03 47:41

We got, yeah. Yep, yep. Emotives is out. If y'all want something that is just like a re-release, erotic snapshots is out, you like a little erotica, you know. I got things, I got things for y'all to do, so it's never a shortage to hold us over until next year and to the news, the new new example.

DMs Voice Notes And Where To Follow

SPEAKER_02 48:00

Let us know where we can follow you, Anna.

SPEAKER_03 48:03

So, across all social media, I am author and j or annaj author. Yep, you can find me in these streets, and I like inboxing, I love a DM.

SPEAKER_02 48:13

Or a voice or a voice note or a voice. JR got me, got us do a voice notes.

SPEAKER_03 48:18

Yes, I love a good voice note because baby Ebony hit me the other morning. I just finished no white early this morning, and girl, I already knew I was in four time. I love it, so for sure. Definitely reach out.

SPEAKER_01 48:31

I'm definitely gonna be in your inbox.

SPEAKER_03 48:34

You are page one. I'm gonna see you at four percent, like everybody else. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:39

At four percent.

SPEAKER_03 48:41

Yeah, that's what they hit. They just said, How am I only four percent in? That I got that so many times. I snatched edges page zero. And mind you, back then I wasn't doing no um no warnings.

SPEAKER_02 48:56

I just it was out there in the streets, so I think y'all are real courteous right now doing warnings because I've never like reading books back in the day, there were never warnings.

SPEAKER_03 49:05

We can do that. You just open up the pages and you got what you got. And I'm about to go back to that because like listen, you you reading it or not, like so. Yeah, it's it's a time though. I think I think you're gonna enjoy journey and call it. I really do. It's it's um, yeah, you'll be fine. Just get your cigarettes out.

SPEAKER_02 49:24

Deeper fan. I bet they'd be like, I'm just gonna be like, give me the box of the candy cigar, just give me a box of them because I know they're sick of me coming to him.

SPEAKER_03 49:34

Buying two at a time, yeah. Just buy the whole case, just order me a case, sir.

SPEAKER_02 49:38

Yes, oh Jesus, thank you for coming on, Anna. Thanks for and I am pretty sure they're gonna get tired of seeing they're gonna get sick of seeing you because soon as I finish, Snow White, Anna.

SPEAKER_03 49:54

Anna, come in. Yes, listen, I is I'm I'm excited for it, and I'm I'm glad that you enjoy rainy days. I was like I said, I was very nervous about it because I don't typically write that kind of story, but I also always tell myself that I can write any kind of story, so that was like me challenging myself. Like you said, you can do it. Let's go.

SPEAKER_02 50:14

And you could, it was so different from any of your other books that I've read from you. Like it was it wasn't shockingly good because I know your pen don't ever miss, but it was just a different story from you, yeah. And like I said, it was very intimate. I felt like I was peeping in on somebody real life.

SPEAKER_03 50:33

I and that's good because that's how I wanted it to read. But I'm I'm trying my hand at a couple things coming up, like the sky's the limit. Any, um, whatever God says I can do when I talk to him about these things, he's like, Yeah, go ahead, you can do that. All right, let's go. You know, that's just where I'm at so yeah, we'll see how it goes.

Final Thoughts And Goodbye

SPEAKER_02 50:52

So until next time, which I'm pretty sure about next month, I'll be reaching out again. So I can bring so I can bring you back.

SPEAKER_03 51:01

You a license to thrill. Yes, yeah, host of the century.

SPEAKER_02 51:07

Hello, yes, hi, carpet host and moderator.

SPEAKER_03 51:17

Yes, yes, yes. We are so excited to have you. This is good, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:22

Oh, we might get to I be oh, we might get to a one-on-one, chop it up at a little we you know, I'm a little side conversation. I'm gonna get with you on that because that'll be perfect. Yep, I'm definitely gonna be in touch. I hope you have the most amazing day.

SPEAKER_00 51:39

Thank you. You as well.

SPEAKER_02 51:41

Thank you. Bye Anna.

SPEAKER_03 51:44

Yeah.