Lex.Btw.TheLines...
Lex.Btw.TheLines...
Unveiling "Lola Unmasked": Diversity, Inspiration, and BookTok Bonds with SK Presley
The episode illuminates the challenges and triumphs of writing diverse characters in romance fiction. With insights from authors SK Presley and Ashley, the discussion touches on representation, emotional journeys of characters, and how personal experiences shape narratives.
• Exploration of the inspiration behind creating Frank and Lola as relatable characters
• Importance of diverse representation in literature
• Insights into the emotional realities of authors facing reader feedback
• The art of crafting cliffhangers that leave an impact
• Future plans for character development in upcoming books
outro
Hey y'all. Hey, you are watching and listening to Licks Between the Lines and of course I am Licks. Let's get into these trigger warnings. First thing I'm going to say is I try to stay in between the lines. Sometimes just sometimes I occasionally crawl. Still, my mouth is foul. So there will be explicit language, there will be talk of sexual content, Because we like the spice and we like the smut, so take that as you will. And if you are still with us and you are into it, then we're going to go ahead and get to our co-hosts. I'm so excited I am going to let them introduce themselves. So we're gonna start with.
Speaker 2:Hi guys, my name is SK Presley. I am one of these beautiful three co-hosts here and I've got three books out. I'm gonna start with the most recent and work my way backwards, because we are here for Lola Unmasked, part One. She's purple, she's beautiful. She part one she's purple, she's beautiful, she's thick, she's giving.
Speaker 2:She's got flowers, she's giving, she's giving. So it's Lola Unmasked. And then we have the Pain we Nurture. I know it's a little shine. I'm sorry, but the Pain we Nurture is about a beautiful redhead who enters into a smectual contract with her billionaire. What would you call him, ashley? A benefactor?
Speaker 3:um, yeah, here's the pain I love a beer.
Speaker 1:It's always a billionaire romance. It's a billionaire romance yes, and it's a.
Speaker 2:It's a. 50 of Grey meets Good Girls. You know Good Girls with Rio and Elizabeth.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Yes, I based Rio and Elizabeth. Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:He gives very get in the car. Elizabeth energy yes get in the car, elizabeth, yes, yeah, he gives us very much that energy.
Speaker 1:Definitely bumping it up.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yes and um, but we're here for this beautiful, this beautiful girl here, lola unmasked, and so I only have the three pieces of work. But Lola unmasked is just one of three. So over the course of probably around nine or ten months, I'm going to be releasing the other two and then, um, I have more books coming out. I have at least three more books written by, completely written, ready to go.
Speaker 1:So I'm just excited right now because not only is there one more book coming, but there's two more books coming, yes yes, yes, and I have to tell you why, though I have to tell you why I'm gonna let.
Speaker 2:I want to. I want ashley to introduce herself real quick, because she's a beautiful. Okay, y'all, because Lola Unmasked 1 was actually just Lola Unmasked, there wasn't three parts to it. And then I started talking with one of my beautiful beta readers. I call her Mama T. She's like a second mama to me. I met her here on TikTok and we've just gotten so close, and she was like I love Frank. Frank is a character in here. He's an older guy, about 70, 71 years old, wonderful neighbor. Everybody needs a Frank. She was so enraptured by Frank, and other people started talking about Frank and how much they love the story, and I'm like, okay. So it was just so much condescension to the first book that I was like, okay, let me give you a book too. And then book two, it just wasn't, like their story wasn't done and people wanted more Frank. So I was like, okay, I'm going to give you more Frank. So Frank the elderly neighbor gets a whole love triangle in the third book, frank gets you, get more of Frank.
Speaker 1:Not old man Frank.
Speaker 3:Old man Frank.
Speaker 2:You're gonna get more of Frank. Yes, you do, because when I got into writing, I said I wanted representation for all, and I really meant that. I want to represent people of all colors, people of all ethnicities and cultures and even ages. Like you have people who are inities and cultures and even ages. Like you have people who are in their like 70s and 80s and 90s, who love reading smut books, but they can't see themselves represented in these books because everybody writes characters that are like 18, 19, maybe up to 24, 25, 26.
Speaker 2:You don't really see women, especially women. You don't really see women who are in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s depicted in these books. And so I was like I'm gonna do my little bit. I know I'm just a small fish in this little itty bitty pond, right, we? Not a small fish? What Big fish? I'm a big fish. I'm a big fish, okay, in this pond, but I'm gonna do my damnedest to make sure that, whenever anybody reads my books, that they can say you know what, grandma, I have a book I think you might love, or to their niece, or to their whoever, their coworker, whoever. I really want people to be able to see like themselves in any book that they pick up, like there's got to be a piece of work that I put out where people can read and they can go oh man, like I see myself in them, like that was really important to me.
Speaker 1:So that's gonna bring me to one of my questions. I'm gonna let ashley introduce herself and that's gonna bring me into my first question that I want to ask. Okay, hi, you are I'm ashley.
Speaker 3:Okay, hi, I'm Ashley and I'm just very happy to be on this lovely panel, if I can call it that. I am Ms SK Presley's beta and arc manager. I am also one of her friends like literally we talk every day, all day long, just all day long, and I am also what I like to call a baby author, because I'm starting to write and that's because this person right here got sick of me giving her all my suggestions and said hey, why don't you write on?
Speaker 1:your stove.
Speaker 3:I mean she was more gentle about it, it, but pretty much that's what she told me. So I am embarking on my first uh first book and, even though I am not complete, I have like another one coming off because, talking to uh sk, who is my writing mentor, we actually figured out the end of the book and because she is a cliffhanger queen, it's a cliffhanger, it's a doozy.
Speaker 2:It's a doozy. It is a doozy.
Speaker 3:I think I've only told one other person and they were like dude, I'm ready for you to write that book now you haven't even finished writing the book. I think that is going to be a doozy.
Speaker 1:Actually, I just want you to know that I done already penciled you in so that I can go ahead.
Speaker 2:Okay, this is where I need to step in and say ma'am, you have a goal for getting that book done by your birthday. So, lexi, pencil her in for the fall of next year, because she will be done.
Speaker 3:I will be done and I am getting it done and I try to every what. I love her because she keeps me. She even gave me a book cover, so she was like here, here's a book cover, and we happened to find the perfect cover for my book.
Speaker 1:How did y'all find each other? Did y'all find each other on TikTok?
Speaker 3:Okay. So yeah, yeah, we found each other on tiktok, the first book. She uh, the first book, she showed. Well, it's a second book, this one, the pain, uh, the pain we nurture. She was looking for better readers. I was new to the whole book talk like I had done a few videos. I had mostly played around with it, but I had just gotten to the point. You know I would lip sync, lip sync a lot where you know I find sounds and I would do it and maybe add a book to it. But then I got to the point that I started saying, um, what I like, or giving a little more details into books, because I realized we all, especially on booktops, if you have a library, a TBR, you have these long TBRs and you don't get to them because when you read the back of the book it's details.
Speaker 3:But sometimes you need just a little bit more to make you want to pick that book up.
Speaker 3:And so I had done that with multiple books, where I'm like, why wait, it's so long to start reading this book and I said, if I need that, maybe other people need that. So I started doing that and I happened to see a video where an author was saying hey, I need, I need art readers and everything like that. And I was like, well, what is the art reader? I don't really know what art reader is, but I was like I'll read your book, no problem. So I ended up like Jesse, sliding in your DM. It was like I'll read, I'll read yeah, she was like okay.
Speaker 3:And so she was like here you go, send me off all the stuff, the uh epub, and was like I'm still writing, like I thought the book was already out she was still writing the book when she sent it to you she's like I'm still writing it and so she's like things might change and I started reading, and from chapter one.
Speaker 3:She's the reason why now I have to make sure my chapter one catches you, because you know I'm a mood reader, so if chapter one doesn't catch me I'm like, oh, we'll put this down for later.
Speaker 3:So chapter one caught me and I was like I need to know more about Colin and Olivia. And then I was reading, I was reading, I was reading and what most people don't know is, with the pain we nurture and the pain we allow, when she started writing it, the first part of the pain we nurture had a different ending. It was much longer. So I had read things and it left off at a certain point and I was happy because I was like I, I can't, you can't end the book. I told her, I think I told her I'm so glad you didn't end the book at this particular point and she said, yeah, she's, I don't think I could have done that. And then she had to come back and change it and then end up ending it at the point that I was like, oh, they're gonna kill you, yeah so it's a duo, is it?
Speaker 2:it's a duo yeah because it was a publishing thing, amazon would not let me publish it at that, at that size, and it was the only other spot like within that towards the end of the book.
Speaker 1:But I was like uh, yeah, no wait when you say Amazon wouldn't let you publish it because of the size, what do you?
Speaker 2:mean. So there's like size and formatting, like so you have to have a specific page number for like your size book and the formatting and everything, and you can't go above that. You can't go above it. And they had, like just recently changed for my size book, um, how many pages you could have, and it just it wasn't working. Like I couldn't change the size and I I so I had to leave it the way it was and then just take like I think it was the last four chapters. I had to move it into the second book, yeah, but it ended up working out. But I was really upset over it Because I I am so particular about how I want my books to read, about how I want like sentence structure and sentence placement and everything.
Speaker 2:I'm very, very particular. So I really structured my book just around like like for about three or four main scenes and that last scene that I had to like take out and put into the second book. I feel like messed up, like my flow, I guess, and so it made it a little difficult for me to write the second book because then I felt like I had to move some things around in the second book. But anyway, it ended up working out fine. But when people read that first book they're like what the fuck? Like? What's wrong with you? What are you thinking? Why would you do that? Are you a messed up human being?
Speaker 3:you know, it's the thing it was so funny because by this time so we had ended up, we end up. We just ended up talking, talking back and forth on TikTok about that. I did my video and I said, oh, this is my first arc. So then she was like, oh, this is your first arc. And so we're talking back and forth, and back and forth and the thing that Sarah doesn't tell you is you know how some people say is a, you know, a duet, or it has three books. By the time she releases the first book, she has pretty much written all the books.
Speaker 2:This is not normal for most authors yeah so I've got about nine, I've got about nine books written and I already have three out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, listen when you wrote lola and first of all I didn't know it was gonna be a second, but when I finished, like when I got to the end, I kept on saying, like, like, at 90 I'm like there's no resolution there's no resolution there's, and then I'm like a few pages left and I'm like it's too much going on. So how she like how we about to do this, did they ending?
Speaker 2:I curse you these oh, you guys, do you know how many people, especially when they got to like certain chapters, and you know there's two characters in this book that you don't expect to pop up with a chapter and I have had had people get a hold of me on Instagram, get a hold of me on TikTok leaving me voice messages on there crying.
Speaker 2:I'm literally hearing people crying. They're like I just got to chapter 16. And I'm just like, oh fuck, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, what are you doing? What are you doing Because I feel like you and I, I feel like you and I I feel like she's not.
Speaker 1:And I got to the end and then I thought about it Because I didn't realize that you had sent me an ARC. And so I went to go and look I said this fucking book. I didn't even know yet what the fuck I said I got to Because people be sending me stuff a lot, so I didn't realize know yet what the fuck I said I got to because people be sending me stuff a lot. So I didn't realize that the book. And then when I went back and read the message, because I was just I'd be excited when y'all let me tell y'all something I get so excited when authors reach out to me Y'all be making me feel like I'm the shit. I was like what you are, you took your time, you are, you thought of me to send this to me and I automatically bumped it like stop what I was reading. And I started, I downloaded it, started reading it, and so when I got to the end and then I went on kindle and I was like what the fuck?
Speaker 2:there? I was like it ain't even on kindle.
Speaker 1:So I went back to the mess and I had actually messaged you like and I had did a video like where the fuck is, part two, and then I went back and then I was like this shit, I don't even know yet yes, girl, I know yeah and one thing about me is I'm gonna beg, and so you know I was like can I get book two? Because what?
Speaker 3:yeah, that's how it was with. Now imagine that, but just a little bit worse wait, it was worse yeah, and the pain we nurture, yeah and so she was like how long should I wait? I was like you should not wait that long at all, because they're gonna be ready to come get you first of all. You get that cliffhanger, and that's already a sore spot for people. Now I'm going to go bump this up.
Speaker 1:I got a few arcs and I got an alpha and a beta read. But it's not going to take me long with those at all. But I'm going to bump this up because you said it's worse than this cliffhanger on.
Speaker 2:Lola. No, it's worse. It's not even a comparison. I did really leave you guys on a cliffhanger, but we're going to be honest. Yes, you did, I did it. You have not. I did it girl.
Speaker 3:You're like where's your heart, when is it you really Do you have?
Speaker 2:a heart.
Speaker 3:I told her. I said let me tell you, the only reason I'm in time right now is because I already know what's going to happen. I said for those who don't know what's going to happen, they're going to kill you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I have people. No, I have people threatening. I literally have people like, probably more playfully, but I have people threatening to like, find me.
Speaker 3:They're like if you don't get book two out, yeah, Doesn't show how long do I?
Speaker 2:not at all. It was bad, yeah, yeah, you should have said something.
Speaker 3:I've read books where authors are like I know, I know, I left you on cliffhanger. I'm like don't, don't the fact that you acknowledge it don't make it better. I left you on cliffhanger. I'm like, don't, don't the fact that you acknowledge it don't make it better right.
Speaker 1:I just want to rewind it, because she said she did not leave us on the cliffhanger. I really didn't do I need to reiterate what a door closed and old boy came in. Frank came in with a gun and he ended.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know that's just a sneak peek in the part two, though that is. That really is Part two. Part two. Part two is wild.
Speaker 1:I didn't even know that there was a part. I didn't even know that there was a part two. This was before I knew there was a part two.
Speaker 3:She really needs to put part two coming soon. But sometimes people do that just because they're like okay, so yeah, yeah, she does it.
Speaker 2:Part two is for pre-order. You can actually go pre-order part two right now.
Speaker 3:It's been beta read and arcs will come out after the 15th. We'll discuss that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, come out after the 15th. We'll discuss that. I don't have an official ARC release date because, depending on what feedback I get from the beta readers, I'll not rewrite but I might change some things. It just depends.
Speaker 1:I'm about to go in right now and put in for my.
Speaker 3:ARC. Don't worry, I got you.
Speaker 2:You got to contact her. Yeah, you gotta contact her.
Speaker 3:You gotta contact her, so I got you we have on presley land discord yeah so let me tell you we uh. So I started off as her art reader. Then I became her beta reader because she was like oh, I have books. And when she said I have books, she always real casual, I have, she was real casual, I have books. She had like 15 books, I have books. I'm like okay. And then, most recently, I know you've heard us talk about the King Dynasty and I know that's really near and dear to my heart because I operate Literally.
Speaker 3:She spoon fed that to me every night. I would, uh, I joke with the beta readers now. When I first started this, then I said I I get to tell you guys to check your emails and for those who don't know, when miss sk is feeding you a book, that's when she texts you check your email. So everything comes on there and I have literally read and talked to and everything like that and she's good, she'll. She'll ask like hey, does this flow? Does it make sense? So yeah, by the time you get art, you have gone through her going over it over and over again, rewriting it as yellow matter and saying why are you rewriting that?
Speaker 1:that was good let me tell you something to be a bet. Your at. Your alpha and beta readers are phenomenal because the book is like chef kiss like and I think that's so a lot of people don't know about alpha and beta readers and that they are free, that you don't have to actually pay for them look this look, no tea, no shade but yeah, but you don't have to pay for them.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the only thing is and that was one of the things we said to the beta readers is I get you're excited about having the book, but we need you to be honest you need to be honest. Don't just say, oh, it's good because you're happy to have the book. Be honest, this doesn't make sense.
Speaker 1:Say, hey, this doesn't make sense and I have been on some teams where I have given my feedback and people have jumped down my throat and I'm like yeah, I ain't changing my stance.
Speaker 2:I love constructive criticism. I love, I think, me personally. I love it. So for lola one, I actually only had three beta readers. I had Tracy I mentioned her earlier. I had Tracy and I had Ashley and I had Jessica, and those were my beta readers and no one else had really read it until I was ready to give it to them. And then they got to read it. But as far as like people offering me like actual feedback and like really working with me on the book, that was them.
Speaker 2:And when it came to like the editing process, I worked like almost exclusively with Tracy over making sure like there was no typos, there was no, like nothing, like I want to make sure this book was as perfect as I could get it, because what happened with the pain we nurture? I'm not trying to like call out Amazon or nothing, okay, but what happened with the pain we nurture was I had had it edited and then I put the pain we nurture up and then I ended up having to go in and change some things. But what you can only go in and change something like 22% of a book before Amazon like flags you and then they, they like get rid of your book or they make you re upload it as a different book and you get they get rid of all your reviews. It's almost like a whole new book and I didn't want to get dinged. It's my first book. I didn't want my account to get dinged and then them telling me like, oh, you can't upload any books. You know, because Amazon is really like nitpicky about stuff like that.
Speaker 2:So when I uploaded the second round, I accidentally uploaded an unedited version of this book. So there's going to be typos. There's like even a spot in this book where, like, the paragraph is in there twice. It's like crazy, but it still reads well. But book right here almost flawless, almost flawless. And this book right here, flawless, except for amazon's misprints. Let me tell you. Let me tell you what happened. Okay, it does not look like this whenever you format it and whenever you turn it in, but look, do you see that?
Speaker 1:Are those chapters?
Speaker 2:Here's the contents and then there's like an extra empty, like an extra empty, like chapter numbers with no chapters. It doesn't look like that whenever you upload it. So I had to go back in and like re upload it and the hardback it shouldn't print like this, but my first couple hardback books that I got the author copies for it looks like that and it shouldn't look like that. So sometimes things are like Amazon's fault and and other times it really is our fault. But I'm going to be honest I think most of the time when you see books that have like misprints and things like that, it really is Amazon.
Speaker 1:Now, does Amazon correct it when they do things like this, or do they give you like a credit? Because I know they don't give you grace when they like they don't give you grace.
Speaker 2:Absolutely not. So what I usually end up doing is I just re, I just re-upload the manuscript and then. So when I got um, when I got the orders again, it looked better. But now I'm just worried because you know, sometimes they'll glitch. They'll glitch like when you order um, the pain we nurture. This is the og cover, and I changed the OG cover to the new cover and it took like months for it. They didn't even catch it. So it had been uploaded for months. But when people were ordering the pain we nurture, they would. Either it was a wash up on whether they would get the OG cover or whenever they would get the new cover. So Amazon was still printing the old cover too, even though for my yeah, even though for months I still had, like, the new cover on there. It's, it's insane. But I'm glad that you know we have a platform to be able to self-publish. But, man, I feel like they could treat us a lot better than what we're treated.
Speaker 1:I do, yeah, I do I hear so many stories of amazon and them, um, taking down reviews over small little eras and stuff. And that's another reason why I want to start the podcast and stuff, because I'm going to start reaching out to them to kind of bridge the gap on, like, what can we do to save these author reviews, to get them back, so that people because sometimes people do not go back and post the reviews like we asked, you know, like you asked them to and stuff. So how can we go back or how can we work together to bridge those gaps and stuff, so that, yeah, yeah, it's beneficial for both of us. So we're gonna wait just for a second, we're gonna take a quick commercial break and then we will be right back and we are going to get into the questions for lola Amask, with Miss Escape Presley, 30 years of experience.
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Speaker 1:All righty, so we are back from commercial break. Thank you, guys for sticking with us and staying in tune. We are about to get into the questions for Miss SK Presley. The first one that I want to ask is what does the process of writing diverse characters look like? Like within different age groups, ethnicities? What does that process look like? Or are the characters based off of people we know?
Speaker 2:So not, the characters aren't always based off of people we know, or so not, the characters aren't always based off of people we know. Sometimes, I mean, I take a lot of inspiration from books and tv shows and even other people. So, um, I am a diverse, I'm a, I'm a bipoc, so I mean I write diversely. Um, I write, I try. I told myself, going into this, into my author journey, that I wanted to do representation for all. So, you know, as I release more works, you're going to see, you know, you're going to see all different types of cultures, you're going to see different ages, you of work to be better and more diverse, I always want to put a little something in there that you wouldn't even expect. So in the Pain we Nurture. So in this one, my main character, my main male character's best friend, is Muslim, and so we touch on it's not so much a tease, but like we touch on their brotherly banter and how the character his name is, jonathan, always asks is it halal? Because he wants to make sure that everyone's respecting his cultural preferences and maybe providing a little bit of education on what that is. I have a few Muslim friends myself and you know they read a lot and and they never. They tell me all the time we don't really get to read.
Speaker 2:You know these types of books, you know, with us in them, so I try to like always make it to where you know. If you pick up my book, lexi, you'll see yourself somewhere, you know. Same thing with Ashley, mean, I wrote. So these first couple books, you know, features Latina characters. But I also have African American characters in here that's going to get their own books. I mean, there's a whole, the series has a whole friendship group and so we're going to touch on, you know, latina, we're going to touch on Caucasian, we're going to touch on Muslim, we're going to touch on on African American, I mean, and that's just like within this one series, you know, and I have a question with all of these cultures are you using, like um, brenton's point of views to um to create the characters?
Speaker 1:are we researching or how does that process? What does that process look like?
Speaker 2:it's a mixture. It's a mixture of both. So I like to research, but then I also, if I have a friend who's in that culture, I also like to reach out to them and be like, hey, can you give me a more like personable, you know point of view on like what something like this would look like. Or, you know, can you read this to see, to make sure that I am. You know I don't ever want to hurt anyone's feelings. You know, by trying to help, you know represent, I don't ever want to hurt anyone's feelings, you know, by trying to help. You know represent. So I want to know, like, from your point of view, what does this look like? Is there something that I could change? Is there something that I can do different? Or is there something I can do more? Can I put more of something? And I always try to make sure that you know I try not to do too much. You know, like some characters can do too much. But I love when I do my character descriptions. I mean I write, you know she has, like you know, a beautiful ethnic nose. Or you know her hair texture is a certain way. Or you know her skin is a certain way, or she speaks a certain way, like it's her accent thicker, it not thicker. You know, I try to really give people um, like when they envision my characters. I want them, I really want them to have something to pull from. I try not to make it super, super vague. I know there are other authors who I'm sorry, my child is just doing a lot. Stop, okay, just give me a second. Give me a second, okay, I me a second. Okay, I'm so sorry, that's okay. So I really do my best to try to like, give you enough to like. Let you know like, hey, like I am writing diversely, but I don't want it to be like this is the main focus, but I do want you to know, like, if the, if the main character is Latina, like I'm not just going to mention it like one time in the beginning, like there's going to be other things that like remind you. You know what I mean, um, and I feel like.
Speaker 2:I feel like sometimes you know I get that there are authors who you know they purposely write very um, like in a way to where you can picture yourself as the main character, and I understand that and I completely respect authors who do that. I haven't done that so far in my work. That's not to say that I won't create a book where it's like, okay, I'll let you put yourself, like we're going to be completely, you know, unanimous, I'm not going to give too much, and you can put yourself into that character's shoes. For me, part of the fun is like I want to be able to pick up a book and be like, oh my gosh, there's a girl there with like wavy, you know, curly hair and she looks like me.
Speaker 2:And I want to see myself you know what I mean my daughter. I'm not necessarily my books, but I would like my daughter to pick up a book and see herself as the main character. I'm'm sorry, guys. I want her to be able to be like, oh my gosh, that main character, like she's beautiful and loved and she looks like me, like there's nothing wrong with wanting representation in books at all At all. So that's my process.
Speaker 1:When you said you wanted your daughter to look, I was gonna say, yeah, I was sure. For the same, like your say, like your book your book?
Speaker 2:no, not in my book not in her book maybe when she's 60, 70, 80 years old, maybe wait a minute now, when I'm not around then she can read the book.
Speaker 1:Yes, are any of your characters based off of, like anyone, like your best friends or anybody in your personal life, or they just come straight from, they just come to you?
Speaker 2:so in Lola and Masters a? Um, she has a neighbor who's like a grandfather figure, um, his name is Frank and I completely based him off my dad. I mean, mr Presley is all in this book and in the next two books, so his whole, his characteristics, his traits, his mannerisms, the way he speaks, like it's literally like my father regurgitated out onto the page. And sometimes my dad will say stuff and I'll look at him and I'll be like, did you really just say, like, did you not hear yourself speak? Or something Like, what are you even talking about right now? And he tries so hard, guys, but you know it. Just so I really did my best to try to like implement, um, like really implement that. And frank, and when I read the book, you know it really makes me think of my dad and, um, I'm a daddy's girl, I have a good relationship with him, so I like to see him represented in here.
Speaker 2:And as far as some of the other characters in here, I mean I based like for the pain we nurture and the pain we allow. I base the characters like off of Rio and Elizabeth, off of good girls. So I mean, I draw, I drew my inspiration off of that Going forward with some of my other books. Yeah, like I might have pulled traits from like certain people that I wanted you know in there, but I don't want to say that I just specifically like said, oh, like I'm gonna look at Ashley, I'm gonna put Ashley in this book exactly like Ashley is. I haven't done that yet. I might later on in some books, but I think like I'm still so new to this, like it's mostly just my imagination going can this work? Will this work? Like I don't know. Let me write it down and we'll see if it works. And so far, like people have been loving what they've been reading, so I hope I can keep it up.
Speaker 1:I've definitely been loving what I've been reading.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I'm going to say something and I just want you to understand that this comes from you and you set me up for this. You opened this door.
Speaker 4:And I walked through it, ok.
Speaker 3:Frank is based off of your dad, right, Mm-hmm. So in book three will you write that for?
Speaker 1:me Wait, ashley, because you privy to some shit that we're not privy to, so we're not even going to talk about that you wrote that about your dad. I'm real jealous right now. I just want y'all to know that I'm real jealous right now because what?
Speaker 2:girl, if you read book two, I'll give you book three.
Speaker 1:Still on book one and she talk about book three. But I absolutely love Frank in book one and it was. There was a scene I was like Frank is nosy as fuck. How did he miss him creeping around the house? But then when you rolled around and you said it, I said I fucking knew he seen it. Why the hell you ain't saying that, frank?
Speaker 2:when you seen this man creeping around this house and stuff. I guess he just know good people, he know good people. That gets addressed, yeah, that gets addressed in book two, because, because hudson has a, he has a thought where he's like I knew, he knew I was out there, like I knew, he knew you know, but he just didn't say anything and they never talk about it. That's the thing, though. It's just like that kind of like understanding, that unspoken understanding that you know two people can have, and it's like we don't got to talk about it, but we see each other, you know. That's. That's Frank and Hudson's relationship.
Speaker 1:I had another question, but I want to know where did Lola come from?
Speaker 2:OK. So I was scrolling on Pinterest and I saw, saw this beautiful woman. I mean beautiful. I'll send you the picture whenever we get done. I think you probably have seen the picture. You had to, because I put her in some of my tiktok videos and I stopped like literally dead stop. I was like, oh my god, based the whole character off of her, don't even know what the woman's like or nothing, but just saw a picture of her and I was like this this is Lola.
Speaker 1:Because I was like this lady named Athena. Who the hell is Lola? Who the hell is Lola?
Speaker 3:Okay, let me tell you about being friends. This is being friends with SK. It is SK writing books and sending them to you. And then one day you get a phone call and it starts like this and goes don't be mad at me, and I'm like what the hell?
Speaker 1:what did you?
Speaker 3:do. What did you?
Speaker 1:do that, I would be mad at.
Speaker 3:So I started a new book. I said why would you think I would be mad at this? I started a new book and I'm like, okay, so what is it about?
Speaker 2:and then she starts saying and she gets really excited and you know, then it's now, it's out now and now it's out yeah, and people and people love it and I'm actually, and I don't I don't know why I always say I'm surprised, because I really am. That you know, I think there's always that fear as an author that you know, you, when you, I really poured my heart and soul, like my blood, sweat and tears, into this book, I'm telling you, and there's always that fear that people aren't going to like it, you know, and it feels like, because it's your creation, it's like a baby, right, like you spend all this time growing it and and everything, and then, and then you have to like, remove it from yourself and give it to the world to like, critique and to like, maybe not like love, maybe not love, tear it apart, you know, and there's always that fear like, oh man, like I don't know if, like, somebody out here is going to like, hate it or are they going to take offense to it and I didn't mean it that way, or, you know, or maybe they love it too much and I wind up like that author off of misery. You know if anyone still knows what that movie is, you know, after 30, 40, you know, but, yeah, um, writing is just so. I mean, you really do tear a piece of your soul out and leave it in between the pages of a book. You really do that kind of answer.
Speaker 2:My, I was going to ask you really do tear a piece of your soul out and leave it in between the pages of a book? You really do?
Speaker 1:That kind of answered my. I was going to ask you how do you disconnect from your characters, but it seems like you don't disconnect from. Look at Ashley's like she does not disconnect from her characters.
Speaker 3:That's why we have Presley Land. Presley Land is not just Discord, it is just her books, because I don't know if it's okay to say or not, but she's going to connect all her books. Yeah, she's going to be impressed. You know that.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's going to be like you're going to do world building where the characters I freaking love. When books interact, I eat that shit up what?
Speaker 2:Yeah? So when you're reading King Dynasty, you know they're going to make like a reference to Frank in there, like one of the characters is going to make a reference to Frank and Frank is actually going to get a novella. I haven't started it yet, but Frank is going to get a novella.
Speaker 3:So Frank's novella started off as a joke and we kept joking about it and I said I told her. I said if we don't stop joking about it, you're going to end up writing it.
Speaker 1:And she didn't. Wrote Frank a novella.
Speaker 3:And she's going to write Frank a novella, and I can't oh God, I can't wait.
Speaker 2:Yep, Yep yeah.
Speaker 3:Go ahead.
Speaker 1:No, I was going to say I'm so excited Like I don't know how much I love the Frank character and I was going to slide in your DMs and beg for like an extended epilogue or something to where it is, because I know his wife died. And then, like I'm nosy as heck I know some of these authors be like this bitch is getting on my fucking nerves. I be wanting to write and be like so Frank's wife died. They live in this house the whole time. When did Lola move in? How did he introduce himself?
Speaker 2:How did he become?
Speaker 1:so fatherly.
Speaker 2:You're going to learn about that in book three. You're going to learn about that in book three. You're gonna learn about that in book three. Sometimes it's not always what things seem. Yeah, frank has a whole history.
Speaker 1:It's great and the gun cabinet and like Frank is, but like Frank is about it, when he came in the end and he bust in the door I was like what the fuck is Frank?
Speaker 2:yeah, I know, I know, I know Frank don't play, he don't play at all, and you're going to see that in book two and he's funny, he's got a sense of humor.
Speaker 2:He just says off the wall stuff and he acts off the wall and everything but a lot of his. You see more of his character in the second book and just that um, that seriousness and like really what he used to do as a job really comes out and um, but book three, oh, you're gonna see it. You're gonna see it. You're gonna see a part of book three like it's. I cannot wait for book three. Like I want book two, like I almost feel like, so tempted to just go ahead and publish book two just so that, like in a few months, I can publish book three, because look at me.
Speaker 2:I'm like do it, do it, do it I know, I know, and book three is just like it's some, it's some good work. I will say that I really shocked myself with some of this. Right, I really do. Um, and I've had um who really helped me with book one and book two. Um, book three is really like an ode to Tracy, I would say. But book three I really want people to kind of think. Think about, like maybe, how they write and how they read. So like for me, I do a lot of plot, like I have spicy stuff short, like in my books, like they're spicy okay, but I want that story to be just as like titillating as the spice.
Speaker 2:I don't want you to just like get off on the spice, I want all spice and no plot yeah, I want like it's like soup, right, like you know, the onions is like something, the meatballs is something like, the, the potatoes is something like, and it all gets conjured up and it's like a beautiful thing at the end, you know. But that that's how I write. No shades to people who who do write smut.
Speaker 1:I mean there's a and I was gonna say sometimes I be liking, I was smutting, no spice, so I ain't gonna even put it out there, like I only read stuff like that. That's okay.
Speaker 3:No, sometimes you need a good one-handed romance, you know it's good to get that book that has the layers where it's like, and I know personally, I've read books that I thought were going to be all smut and then there's the layers and you're like oh wow.
Speaker 3:I love the layers because that's what makes it stick. It sticks with you, not that smut doesn't stick with you, because you know it does, but yeah, but the layers really stick with you. And, like someone has told SK before you're, you're building book boyfriends and husbands where you're looking at them and you're saying, yeah, I would love, oh, my God.
Speaker 1:She's stating unrealistic expectations.
Speaker 2:Yes, Is it though? Is it? I don't know.
Speaker 3:I tell people all the time I say I know, on book type we're supposed to be like, oh, let's see, if I really had that man in real life, I put him in jail. I don't want to lie to y'all. I wouldn't, I wouldn't. Yes, okay, so you stalked me, but now you know what I like so and now you're devoted just to me. So I don't know what to tell you. I wouldn't, I wouldn't.
Speaker 2:Listen, I would take a Hudson all day, every day.
Speaker 3:Give me a Hudson all day, every day, give me a Hudson, give me a Colin are we gonna get Hudson's like background of like what happened, cause I girl. I told her, look. I told her. I said not only can you, should you do it, I said, but you have the perfect name, cause it's Lola and Matt and you could call it Hudson under the mask. Oh, that's good, yeah, because I'm like he's always trying to, you know, conceal it and if you go under the mask you get to see all the dark.
Speaker 1:I think we're prepared for all the dark and we keep seeing glimpses of him and then you keep hinting at stuff that happened in the past, but you don't fucking tell us. I was like what the fuck?
Speaker 3:happened. Just one free quote and you can literally end it with him seeing lola for the first time, and that would just be like all the psychos wait.
Speaker 1:So what happened with the last woman he was with like? Did she leave him? Did she die?
Speaker 2:he goes into it. He goes into it with lola. They have a conversation about it in the second book I was gonna say what book this is in the second book. It's in the second book, yeah, but you get teased, you get t.
Speaker 2:I don't throw it all at you at once, but there is a scene in book two where it's like I thought I might have went too dark. I was like geez, like but but but Hudson, hudson, my character was like no, that that's, that's right, and so I left it at that and it's, it's really. It's dark. The second book is dark. So you know how there's like some placeful moments, there's like sweet moments in Lola wine. I mean, there's not a lot of that in book two. It really is different. And then in book three we kind of transition into, we have more of that sweetness and more of that stuff. But, like in book two, like we got to take care of dominic, so it gets dark, you know.
Speaker 1:So you're gonna get frustrated, I think I'm so ready for Dominic to be dealt with. I can't stand his bitch ass let me tell you I called her.
Speaker 3:She can tell you I called her. After reading the first little bit of Dominic I said so how long we gotta deal with him, cause I'm not a fan of him and I want him to die slowly.
Speaker 1:I want him to die, don't make it quick. I want him to die, I want him to suffer and I want every detail.
Speaker 3:That is so funny. That's why we got the whole frank novella, because I tell her all the time. I said, let me tell your books, bring out that side of me, because in king dynasty I was like her ex has not suffered enough. I feel like he needs to suffer more.
Speaker 2:I, I feel like more. Her ex was like a non-issue. He just needed to be removed over to the side. He didn't even need all that. Now, dominic got the work.
Speaker 3:You know what I'm saying. Dominic had to be handled in that book. Christopher still needs to be handled. Doesn't have to be like Christopher. Whatever escape has the crap that Christopheropher fooled, okay, it's still not what.
Speaker 2:This is where we get the world meshing. You just gotta let me do it. You gotta let me do it. Ash, I was just like I was so so okay, so I can't remember.
Speaker 2:I don't know why I'm drawing a blank but um hudson and um dominant, not dominicic, hudson and Frank have a conversation. It's in book two. I'll give you a little sneak peek. They have a conversation where they discuss what should happen to Dominic and Frank asks Hudson. He goes have you ever been hunting before? And Hudson looks at him and he's like no, sir, and he's like well, and he's like have you? And then Frank starts rattling off 16 bucks in 1996, 32 bucks in 1998, 52 bucks.
Speaker 1:Now, frank remembered the numbers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, he starts rattling them off and then he goes and he was like you're going to be just fine with one buck, so we're going to call frank's. Novella is gonna have to do something about bucks, so I don't know if we're gonna call it frank's island of bucks or something. It's gonna have something to do. But frank is gonna be the handler where everyone who's pissed off or they got some issue with whoever they're with it, get dropped off to frank's island and Frank takes care of them. I love it.
Speaker 3:I freaking love it yeah yeah, that was a joke, and now she's making it a reality.
Speaker 2:I'm making it a reality and we're gonna see Christopher be dropped off with Frank Christopher from King's Dynasty you know what I was so concerned.
Speaker 1:I was like when I start doing these, I want to give just enough information. But I was like I know it's going to be spoilers and stuff, but I like how all of these, we're not giving spoilers, but we're giving just enough to you know where you can still enjoy the book if you go and read it. And then, once you get to it, hopefully you'll be like oh, this is what they were talking about. But we haven't given like any. I was so worried. I was like are we going to be spoiled? I'm not going to be spoiling this for people who maybe want to go and catch it, but I'm in this direction.
Speaker 2:That's why, like when I do write, my books are so in depth and they're so detailed that when I do give you like a couple of, it's not gonna feel like when you read my books. It's really not gonna feel like it, because there's so much like there's so many layers to it. That is what I do give you. At the end. It's just gonna seem like nonsensical. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:So where it may seem like it's a big thing, it's not I want to give y'all one of my favorite scenes.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm ready, yes.
Speaker 1:When she is, not when she is. Knife down to the table. Yes, I fucking melt it. I melt it. Yes, ma'am. Okay, we all you know people be having nice things here and there, but girl yeah, that was a pretty and then we get a not safe for work art. Like did we get that?
Speaker 2:not yet I pay. I listen it's.
Speaker 1:It's being commissioned as we speak, yeah I said where the fuck am I going to put this in? Because I got kids and my wife already. My wife already be side eyeing me on some. She like what the hell is this? I said I'm going to start doing, I'm going to start reading some girl on girl stuff and getting the art for it. Maybe you will be she really going to start reading some.
Speaker 2:Girl on Girl stuff and getting the art for it. Maybe you will be. She's really going to be like hey, did you get to the Girl on Girl scene in my other book, the one that I was talking about, the Water Sacrifice Did?
Speaker 1:you did? You read that I did. But which one was the girl with her and her friend? Oh no, I know what the hell you're talking about. Look my mind like like when the servant girl well, can we call her servant girl, because you know people be like well the type of book it is you know when? When the helper girl came in because you know bitches be tripping. When the helper girl came in and he was like dude. Yeah, I know, my face was red as a tomato.
Speaker 2:No, I bet it was. Oh, I bet it was. I was like what, yeah, girl, that was a pretty spicy book, girl, that was a pretty spicy, but that was a pretty spicy, but yeah, and in the woods when they got stopped when and I was like they have to do this in front of everybody and he's gonna take her for the everybody.
Speaker 1:But I love listen some of this. That's why I don't like reading and telling people, um, that I know like in, I say in the real world, but like in the real world what I read, because I love primal play, knife play and people be like primal play, what, what is that? Don't worry about. If you don't know what it is, don't worry about it, right, because it's gonna take it is. Don't worry, right, because it's gonna take you too far. I'll be like, and when I say stuff like that, I'll be like they'll be like what are you reading? I'm like, well, what are you reading that you don't know what primal play is?
Speaker 3:my thing is. Let me tell you something I said before I started this journey of, like, really reading. I said I did. I said I did not realize just how vanilla I was until I started reading books.
Speaker 2:Like whoa people do this.
Speaker 3:I was like reading things and going yeah, I find that very attractive. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like, I think, I like that, I like that.
Speaker 1:Man when I first started reading dark romance. Man when I first started reading Dark Romance. First of all, I delved into it at a young age because my uncle's trifling girlfriend who turned wife gave me this. I really hope my family don't watch my shit, because I was talking shit on the last one too and I spilled some tea that I probably shouldn't have spilled.
Speaker 2:so I pray my mom and them do not get a hold to these okay, my mom's reading Lola, and she messaged me and I said I said no. I said no, no, oh my god, I said no, please don't, please, don't read this oh my god, my mother is reading lola and I was like I, sorry.
Speaker 2:And I didn't tell her. She just found, I don't know. I think so, jess, my PA she posted something on my Instagram and she didn't realize that when I had been posting stuff on my Instagram I unclicked for it to be posted over to Facebook because it's my private Facebook, like with the people I used to go to church with my grandma, all my family, all my old co workers, some new co workers, like so she anyway. So she saw I had a new release that I've been like trying not to. I've been keeping under wraps, you know, because those scenes in that book I don't want my mom looking at me like it's just weird. You know, like your brain book. I don't want my mom looking at me like it's just weird. You know, like your brain works like this. Yeah, my brain works like this, you know, but the things and you know what they do in lola, I just talked about the knife scene, I know, and that was just one little so let me tell you, I have no sympathy for her.
Speaker 3:You don.
Speaker 2:I have no sympathy for her you don't have no sympathy for me.
Speaker 3:I'll tell you why I laughed in her face and I was a bitch about it. She was because, as I started writing, I told her. You know, when I first said she was like you should write, you should write, I said I can't. She was like you should write, you should write. I said I can't. And she was like why? I said, well, first of all, I could never release it under my name, right, and she was like why? I was like first of all, I don't need people to know, especially in my family, that I have these kind of thoughts, right, because y'all don't understand that I have these kind of thoughts, right, because y'all don't understand they will read the book and be like Ashley and I'm like yeah yeah, oh it'll be easy, everybody does it, don't worry about it, it's no big deal.
Speaker 3:But then when her mom starts reading the book, then it's a big deal. But then when her mom starts reading it, but then it's a big deal.
Speaker 2:I was like no, let me tell you why I thought I was safe. Let me tell you why I thought I was safe. Okay, because she still has not paid. Made it past page 39 in the pain we nurture. So I thought, okay, she's not gonna read anything else. If she's not gonna read that one, she's not gonna read the other stuff. So I gave myself permission to go full out that part is so dirty wait.
Speaker 3:The sad part is it's really not because it still got some kind of hinge to it now. When she writes right now we keep talking about King Dynasty it's actually at least two books, and the one she has now is the Heir but when she writes Despair, oh man, despair, that's gonna be, my most unhinged piece of work.
Speaker 1:I'm just waiting on your mama to get to the part in Lola Amaz where she in the store and he is watching her shop for her goodies. And she get home and the bag is like what I know, chapter seven.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's chapter seven. That's chapter seven. Yeah, I just I.
Speaker 3:I want to hear this. I can't wait. I wish I could be a fly on the wall.
Speaker 2:I'm going to have to say hang on, mom. We got someone that's been dying to hear this conversation.
Speaker 1:She should do a reaction video. I need mama to start recording herself reading it oh my.
Speaker 3:God, this is about to go down. It is going to be a thing because, yeah, sarah can write a thing.
Speaker 2:Sarah can write a thing, thank you, when she gets to where Hudson gives Lola her own horse stall in book two, I'm going to have to relocate to another country. I'm going to have to relocate.
Speaker 3:Wait, that is so easy. Do you think your mother is actually gonna read book two?
Speaker 2:she might, I don't know she gonna read it.
Speaker 3:Maybe she likes it. Maybe that's why you ain't heard from, because I'm sure by now she's been got the chapter seven maybe she closed it up and be like let me, let let her mind my business. Let me let her do what she do, she might she might, or she's sitting over there with it wide open.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, oh my God. No, I knew there was something wrong with her, I knew it. I mean, you kind of just pulled it out there.
Speaker 3:I'm just saying you didn't pull this out of the air.
Speaker 2:No, you pulled it out of my imagination you know, but I will say this.
Speaker 2:But I will say this I haven't read a lot of dark romances, so I felt like when I started my writing journey, um, I didn't have a lot to pull from like as far as like inspiration from like other authors and things like that. Because, like I I admittedly admit that I don't I'm not a huge reader. I used to be, but I was so like I was busy with school, grad school, you know, being a homemaker, work, full time worker, all that stuff. I just didn't have the time. So I went through a lot of you know, am I doing this right? Am I doing this right? Like, are people gonna like it, is it not? I was thinking that, like, maybe I was writing too tame, like you know, or is anybody gonna like? Like how I wrote this particular scene? And you know, I went through a lot of like and I still do go through imposter syndrome because, you know, everybody wants to, everybody compares themselves to other people at some level.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And, and I went through a lot of that and and I still do, you know, because I want to be on par, like, with my counterparts, you know. But at some point I had to let some of that stuff go Because, like, even if, like, I wrote the way some of these other authors wrote, like, then it wouldn't be me, you know, like I don't want to be them. At the end of the day, I want to be me.
Speaker 2:So I had to let go the the fear of like whether I was doing this right or not doing it right or or anything. And I figured you know I'll find my tribe like people will read my books and you know either they'll like it or they won't like it, and I'm slowly developing a readership that you know I'm really thankful for. I really appreciate, you know, I appreciate everybody's advice, all the support that I get from everyone, even you, even Ashley, like I can't go one day. I mean Ashley disappeared for a few hours the other day and I thought my whole world was falling apart.
Speaker 3:I was like Ashley you know, but I always tell her it only takes that one book. I said because there are authors who I have started reading and I have all their books, but I did not necessarily read their first book. And so much later I might have picked up one book from there, fell in love with that one book and then bought all their books.
Speaker 1:That was that's me.
Speaker 3:Yeah. That's how I was with one book for people to pick up, and it might not be the same one. It might be lola for someone else. It might be um king dynasty for other people it might even be something you haven't done. And then they're like what else has this author written?
Speaker 1:and go and read your whole catalog.
Speaker 3:Yeah, now I'm buying all of her stuff because I like the way she's writing and these characters speak to me, and then, especially, you connect them. Oh, if you connect them, then I need to know oh, you talking about this couple right here. Well, what happened in their story?
Speaker 1:you know, yeah, thank you, thank you, thank you oh child when I say I can't wait because I already got my hands on the lola, a mask and the water sacrifice. And the water sacrifice I had to be like.
Speaker 2:It was different, wasn't it? It was very different.
Speaker 1:It was and I was like oh Okay, we started out slow and then it started to pick up, and then I was like oh, oh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it just kept going and going and going.
Speaker 1:Yes, and then it was at the water stream and I'm like, so you just go watch her, yeah, in this. And I could just picture like the because, the culture and stuff.
Speaker 1:So I could just picture like what they were wearing and he was just staring and then him, yep yep yeah man I worked so hard on that book, oh my god yes, and then for the mama and daddy to slip something in their drink wait what? And I was like, oh, we did it. They try to figure out what's going on and stuff the mom like, oh, we did what you know I was back in the day there was not all this.
Speaker 2:You know, they were so free, like years and years and years ago. I mean they're free. They didn't have all this modesty and all these rules about stuff, you know, and I really tried to emulate that in the book.
Speaker 1:You did, because I felt like I was in that time. I had to go Google some shit. I was like what the fuck is this?
Speaker 3:It's okay, ever since I started reading dark romance, I had to Google a lot of shit, yeah like a wigwam.
Speaker 1:I may be saying it wrong. I said what the fuck is a wigwam? Yeah I had to go google like what the fuck is this?
Speaker 2:and then I was like, oh, oh yeah, and that was really like I wanted, man, man, like I really, and that's what I wanted. I wanted people to read something different and, if they didn't know, go Google and maybe learn something that they didn't know before.
Speaker 1:I love books like that you know so. But yeah.
Speaker 2:But I'll probably end up, you know, re-releasing that book when I feel a little bit.
Speaker 3:You know better about it. I think that the books you write are really great. It does not surprise me that you are a brat, so that's why you're most of your female characters are brats.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And so that's when you're like, can you believe that I'm a brat? I'm like, yeah, I sure can that words, but there were things oh, hang on, let's catch her up.
Speaker 2:We took, we took a test, we took a test to find out on the on the spectrum of like what would you call it? Like a bdM?
Speaker 3:you all took a BDSM test yes we all did as we took the test, we realized okay, so let me explain. So this is how it happened for me, the reason I was interested in it because we have this male friend and I jokingly started calling him sir and then I realized that like and I mean, like I would be like, oh, thank you sir, and stuff like that, and then I realized I kind of liked it. So I was like I was like, yeah, like I chose, I chose.
Speaker 2:I just sent. I just sent my results to you, girl what was he saying?
Speaker 3:why you were calling him sir he allowed me to call him sir and he, yeah, I got good girls, of course. And now the other thing is this good girl makes me blush. Oh my God. We have a group of narrator friends and they know if they want me to blush They'll be like oh, you've been such a good girl. I'm like, stop playing with me.
Speaker 3:Because you know my reaction to that I love being called a good girl. And then, like we're just joking, and so it was the three of us and we would all call him different things, like we had one friend call him Demon Daddy and Sarah would call him. What did you call him? Sarah, master, nova, master, yeah, Master Nova, and I would call him Sir, and he actually, before we even took the test, he broke it down down the reason that we did it, and we're like damn, I mean you're gonna help me pull out my your paper?
Speaker 3:and so then we were talking, he was like, hey, he had to talk to my friend, one of our friends. It was like she had taken the test. But then we talked to me about it. I told them I'm gonna take this test.
Speaker 2:And then I took the test and I was like well, dang, it makes a lot of sense now, yeah, and it just be it snowballed to where like and I sent you my results, lexi. So if you're interested in taking the test yourself, you might learn a thing or two.
Speaker 3:The thing is, it's not even a sexual thing. Some things you were just learning about yourself, Like I, ended up getting a 91% voyeur. You know what I mean. Like you know, likes to watch.
Speaker 4:I know what a voyeur is, you know, likes to watch. Yeah, I know what a boy he is.
Speaker 3:And so I realized just even in my every day when I'm on youtube I like to watch people react to movies, so I'm like all day. And then I got really high and um sub. And it was so funny because I was talking to them one day about we have this other friend, that's really big, she has a great big personality. And I was telling them don't worry, I'll get quiet because I don't want to fight with people over control for attention, I'll just let them have it. And I'm going through it and I was like, damn, that's such a sub thing to say so now we all tease each other when we do something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but we do something, that's like you know. But I understood like even in my everyday life it's like, man, you're not a bitch, you're just a brat you're right.
Speaker 3:It's so funny because I'm surrounded by brats and I got 0% brat, so I'm not a brat at all, but what I am is also a brat trainer. I have a little brat trainer in me and I have a little switch. So it's a trip because I'll deal with them. And so I'll be like yes, yes, yes. And then there comes a point where I'm like Sarah do such and such and such. She'll be like well damn, that's the switch in you coming out. I'm like I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it happens sometimes.
Speaker 1:A little, oh, my goodness.
Speaker 2:It's funny, we all just tease each other.
Speaker 3:We just tease each other all the time. It's really a lot of fun, but I realize that a lot of Sarah's FMCs are brides. They are when they deal with they're brides and I'm like that's just like, can you believe? And we were like yeah, yeah, we can't believe. Yeah, we can't believe.
Speaker 2:oh, my goodness, I know. I, for I learned a lot about myself and and it is nice to have that friend group where you can like authentically be yourself and you don't have to like hide who you are, you know, or maybe because, like, I wasn't necessarily hiding, I think I just didn't understand a lot of like, maybe, my personality, you know and how that that would come across and like why I would say things or do things or whatever.
Speaker 2:And now they call me out on it every time, every single time, like like a few days ago when I found out that there was a group chat that I wasn't a part of. Oh my god, okay, so first of all in our group.
Speaker 3:So in our group there is six of us, but I know that we all kind of you know how you end up breaking off and you're like, oh, we need to talk about this. We go over here to this group chat and we'll talk about it, and then we need to talk about this. Well, it's seven, I think, now and we'll talk about this group chat, and so that's even like last night.
Speaker 3:we had a girls chat that was going on while I was in two different chats, while we were in another chat with this one guy yeah and that's so. We're talking about the situation going on and then sometimes it spills over, because it will say things like. I will say things all out. I'll just be like no, and the person who messaged will know what I'm talking about. But everybody else would be like what are you talking about?
Speaker 1:yeah, absolutely not did everybody meet on book talk and just kind of form together? Yeah yeah, I freaking love book. Like book talk can be like the best thing when it's good, like it's like one of those things when it's good, it's good.
Speaker 3:And then of course you know yeah, and I love our diverse group because you have your narrators, you have your readers and you have your narrators. So we have narrators that get on and they do.
Speaker 2:You know, they do they, we know they're fun and everything you know, yeah, like I think I sent you that poem and one of the one of the women narrators um you did yeah, yeah, one of the women narrators and we all do our best to support each other.
Speaker 2:I mean, um, I used to be real deep into poetry and I broke off, I stopped, you know, writing all together and then when I got back into writing, it was books. And now I'm starting to get back into poetry and so, um, you know the narrator, so be like, well, I'll read your poem or I'll read your poem, and so, like, you know, we all kind of like it's like we're scratching each other's backs, you know like.
Speaker 2:I give you pieces to narrate, you get it out there and you know, you bring my piece to life and I get to see that and everything and um, and it hits so different like it's one thing to write it down on like a piece of paper, but it's a whole nother thing to see it brought to life.
Speaker 3:It's, I think about it what I love about this is never anyone's taking advantage of each other, so even that when she's saying I'll do that. So then we all discuss money with each other about different things, and I love when we have those times that we're saying okay, well, give me this so I can send you money, and they're like no, and we're like what do you mean?
Speaker 4:no, no, you're gonna give me that no.
Speaker 3:And they're like yeah, no, I'm not going to. And they're like but you are, and so we fight over we literally fight.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you don't need to give me. I think one time I did. I was like, hey, because one of our narrators, he also plays a guitar and he's going on live and we've been. We were encouraging him. You know, ask for it because you are good. So if people want requests, tell them, send you something to your, get them used to doing it. So I was like, hey, can you sing the song? Um, and I sent him the song and I was like and give me your cash out? And then he responds and goes, oh yeah, I'll do that song and I love that song. And I'm like, okay, that's wonderful, give me your cash out right.
Speaker 2:But he didn't real. But she they did. She didn't realize I had this cash app.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he kept going, I want it. He kept like ignoring the cash app, part yeah and so, finally, sarah is on the phone with me and she goes. I have this cash app and I go.
Speaker 2:Never mind, I got it we all try I mean we try our hardest to support each other, and sometimes that means money and sometimes it means making videos and reposting and you know, going over into like book groups and like you know posting your work and and things like that. But our network is so it's so supportive. Like we have a woman on TikTok. Tiktok, um, her, her tiktok handle is nugget and thorn nugget and thorn something.
Speaker 2:there's like something at the end that I can never remember and she gets like she has these events where she gets the narrators and the authors together for like little snippet pieces, so she just did a 24-hour. Uh, tiktok, um live TikTok live TikTok where narrators and authors.
Speaker 2:It was a huge undertaking. Narrators and authors got together and got to hear their work spoken, and then all the gifts there was like giveaways, there was donations. She did this for charity and she's going to be doing another event for Halloween, and so I'm going to be writing a Halloween like a Halloween piece that's going to be narrated as well, and then I think she's going to be doing another one for Christmas, yeah, and then she's actually hosting a convention in 2026 called Nugget Con, so we're all going to be going to Florida. I've already put my deposit down on a table and, as far as I know, that's going to be my first book signing is in Florida in 2026. Oh, snap, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, but next year.
Speaker 2:But next year we me and Jess and Ashley have been planning a sort of like a bookish retreat where we all kind of get to meet each other and we're trying we're thinking about trying to get into some bookshops do some signings, if that works out, but we're trying to plan that for next year you guys should look at the book hotel.
Speaker 1:Have you heard of the book hotel? No, uh-uh, you have to go. They're on instagram and they're on tiktok. I'm gonna tag you in it and it's like a little um. It almost looks like a b&b, a bed and breakfast, and it's like book inspired. The rooms are, um, I want, is it in, is it in tennessee or is it in pittsburgh? It's in tennessee or pittsburgh? I had screenshotted because I told my wife. I said I'm gonna send it to my wife and ask her for a little retreat there so I can do some content and stuff there, or she can, of course, she can come with me, but it's so freaking cute but it's like a book hotel, like a book little B&B.
Speaker 2:I know you said you're gonna, you're gonna send this to me, but I'm gonna write it down too. Yes, so anyway, that was like my little way of inviting you if you want to come next year yeah, no pressure no pressure, but we're just all going to. Okay, so it is, if you want to come next year.
Speaker 3:No pressure, no pressure, we're just all going to. Okay, so it is a bookish retreat, but really it is our chance. Well, some of us only live 45 minutes away from each other, so they see each other. I'm not bitter at all about that. Not at all. I hope they see this and they know that I am bitter about it because they keep bringing it up.
Speaker 1:Because they keep bringing it up?
Speaker 3:They keep bringing it up every 15 minutes and they only have 35 minutes to wait for me.
Speaker 2:Some of us are salty that some of us get to meet each other before other people yeah, now, when Jess asked me to come up
Speaker 2:there, yeah. And when Jess asked me to come up there maybe to see her, I was like, oh, 11 hours away, I think I could do that in the car. And jess is like no, you can't, no, you're not gonna go see her. I was like, well damn, I was gonna say I don't know why I keep thinking you live in Tennessee, girl. I'm about to say I think you're super close to me, I can come see you, but nah, you live in Louisiana.
Speaker 3:Where are you?
Speaker 2:Sarah, st Louis.
Speaker 1:St Louis. I've drove to St Louis before. Oh, that's another story, that's a trip. All those little drops and those.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, that sounds horrible. Yeah, no, so the curbs the country going to be it.
Speaker 3:Next year will really be a chance for us all getting together in person and act the way we act. That's why, if you see us and we're talking about and we're acting crazy, this is the way we are now. Like sarah was saying, it's not so much that you can't be yourself, it's just you're unfiltered. You know that part can be unfiltered. I don't have to say hey, if I say this will people get upset, which also kind of spills over into our everyday world. Because someone asked me hey, have you had something delicious to eat on? And I paused, have you had something delicious to eat? And I paused and I was on the call with them and I say, see, I know how I would answer it if it was y'all and I was like but I can't answer it like that with this person Because we were like, girl, I tell someone, if everybody ever got a hold of our messages, they would be like what is wrong?
Speaker 2:They were like what is wrong with them? We would be in. So, oh my god.
Speaker 1:That's why I say I keep my real world people from my book world people because if you, if people, if someone wants to tell you about me in real world, they'll be like well, the people who don't really know me, who me being passing or some clients they'll be like oh, she's so quiet you never know she's in a room. She's always on her phone. I'm always on my phone reading. People just assume that I'm doing business, but I be on my phone reading.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:But the people who know me know I have like no filter, like you literally never know like what's going to come out my mouth.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, right. You got to watch out for us quiet girls. They would never Not with you. Not with you, but in my real life.
Speaker 2:I'm like I am, I'm shy, I'm like, really, just like I keep to myself, you know, so it's all good. My mom just sent me a she I got so confused and scared. You know how mom I got so good. She said you're going to jail and I was like, oh, going to jail. And I was like, oh, my mom is so funny, my mom is so funny. But moms can give you that panic can't they?
Speaker 3:yes, of course, of course they can. That's a good job man.
Speaker 1:My mama told me when she had messaged me and she was like hey, I found you on TikTok and I was like which one? She was like you got more than one.
Speaker 2:I said well, which one did you find me on?
Speaker 1:So she found me on my other one. So when I went and looked at her name, when I went and seen her, I accepted her on my Alexis Shireel, my business, my spa one, but on my Alexis Twin Lines I went and blocked her.
Speaker 3:You blocked her, yeah girl I learned how to block. My godmother is following me on my other six sides. You know, and I call that my family page. You know I talk about my kids. You might see my kids. You know what I mean, but when I get over on my book talk page it's thirst traps.
Speaker 2:She's doing the 30, is it 30 or 31? Thirst traps of September.
Speaker 3:I'm just going to call it thirst traps of september. Now I'm just gonna call it september, uh, thirst trap september, because I have, I had gotten all these thirst traps and what I noticed is, when I react to them because I have that quick wit on the on the thing people like them. Yeah. So I was like, since I have all these thirst traps, I'm just going to spend all September reacting to them.
Speaker 2:Girl, she got some good ones too. She got some good ones.
Speaker 1:I'm going to have to go and watch.
Speaker 3:Girl, you should. I sent them to one of my friends and she was like girl. She said how do you think? I said I don know, I thought they would just turn on the camera. They were juggling because they were like they watched me make a tiktok, like I put them on my ipad and I have my phone set up with my ring light and they sat there and watched me just do it like that. And they were like how do you do that? I said because I don't care what comes out of my mouth when I'm on TikTok what they gonna do nothing, not a.
Speaker 1:Thing but filter you sometimes. Sometimes TikTok be hating and they will filter you.
Speaker 3:That's why I use TikTok appropriate words and I found ways around it. Oh yeah, sarah laughed at me when I was like if he's gifted?
Speaker 1:and she was like no, you didn't say gifted.
Speaker 3:I was like well, I was trying to think and that was the best word. But that is also why, when my godmother found that page, I was like block, block, block.
Speaker 3:You can't be on this page no, you can't be on my bookshelf because I don't filter myself here, I don't I just I go for it if it looks. If you put one of them, the guy put a. You know he did the and I was like if you need a neck for that necklace, I volunteer a tribute oh my goodness, oh my goodness, volunteerist, volunteerist, tribute volunteer to tribute, volunteer to tribute. You need a neck for that necklace. I got one right here.
Speaker 2:There, it is right there oh my goodness, her tiktoks are so much fun I don't do tiktoks like that. But I I you know, I try, but I'm not near as confident yet it's actually.
Speaker 1:where can we find these TikToks?
Speaker 3:Give us the info All right, my TikTok name is A-Mazing, which is just my name. So my name is Ashley Mays and we were joking around one day and I was like Ashley Mays, a-maze, and so I just put A-Maze and then I-N-G. Reader 85. So A-Mazing, reader 85. So, amazing, reader 85. You'll find me on TikTok and you will see all the craziness. That is me. It is one take. You might hear me stumble over words. I will take pauses, especially when I'm trying to describe things in books and, like you said, be TikTok appropriate. I have used things because, because you know, I've been trying to figure stuff out. Girl, if I don't understand it, I don't understand it. So I get on there. I'm like, hey, y'all, I don't understand this, explain this to me. And people like, oh, I gotta answer this. I'm like, do you, though? Because I don't think you do, so this is just my personality, which is ironic because, like everyone says, I'm not quiet.
Speaker 3:Like if you met me just on the street, I would sit back and let you talk. I would sit back and let you. You know what I mean. But when I turn on that camera and I press record. You get this.
Speaker 2:That's what you get she a whole. She a whole different beast. Yeah, a whole different beast. And you can find me at sk presley.
Speaker 3:Author on tiktok and instagram and facebook yeah, and the funny thing is, if you find one of us, just go in the comments and you'll find the other one you'll find the whole tribe.
Speaker 2:You'll find the whole. Yeah, you'll find all nine, ten. I don't even know how many of us now, yeah, just go through the thing.
Speaker 3:And then, oh, presley, land on discord. If you are joining, you join, press the line on discord and we keep it popping over there. You know, with our songs of the days and our and our uh selfie brags and our we have a good time yeah. I know we have fun over there, yeah, so.
Speaker 2:It's ran by a pretty stringent, amazing PA, but she keeps us all in line over there.
Speaker 3:Even though it's my server, I gotta go underneath, jess, I'm not even she the main one and we all try to test her because I do. You'll see things that should be like really, really like in our song of the day. It's one song per day because we didn't want people to flatten it out, spam it, yeah, and I was like I'll do things like well, technically it's 4am in London, so I'm going to get this song up so I can put this song up and it'll get deleted.
Speaker 2:It'll get deleted. You can put it up, it'll get deleted though it'll get deleted and she's not playing.
Speaker 3:She doesn't play.
Speaker 1:That's why we have just said that's why we have just said yeah, you said, now it's gonna be I hate that she couldn't join us today.
Speaker 2:I know I know she was. She wasn't happy about that.
Speaker 1:Trust me, we're going to have to do another one and bring her back. We can.
Speaker 2:One where I'm not choking half the death at the beginning.
Speaker 3:I'm not even going to comment on that. I'm not walking through that door. Come on, Ashley. No, I'm not. I promise to be a good. Chris is the one that walks through doors. I don't have to walk through every door.
Speaker 2:I know it. But you guys, I'm going to have to call it quits. It's been fun though it has.
Speaker 1:I thank you guys for joining us and for joining me and coming today. Thank you, thank you for having me. You are welcome until next time. We hope that you subscribe and that you follow and make sure that you are following SK Presley and Amazing Reader 85. Yeah, and until next time, bye.