Q&A With Seressia Glass 

Seressia Glass is the author of over twenty-five novels which are in contemporary & paranormal romances and in the urban fantasy genres. Her paranormal series Shadow Chasers and Sons Of Anubis are steeped in Egyptian mythology. Seressia’s contemporary romance novels are The Love Con, No Commitment Required & coming out on December 12th Game On. 

Q: Seressia, would you like to tell the readers of the blog and I about your upcoming release Game On and where the idea for Game On came from?

A: Game On is about Samara Reynolds, a Black female gamer who reviews video games and calls out those that lack diversity, and Aron Galanis, the CEO of a gaming company whose flagship game gets put on blast. After uncovering the problematic representation, Aron immediately sets things right and hires Samara who is a professional diversity consultant. As they work together they move from adversaries to friends then lovers. But not everyone is happy about it.

I knew I wanted to write another nerd romance, and gaming seemed the natural follow up to The Love Con. While writing this I spent a lot of time on the old bird app participating in discussions on representation, seats at the table, and own voices. Those discussions impacted me quite deeply and it was a natural step to create a character that felt more strongly than I did about representation.

Q: When did you know that being an author was your calling in life?

A: I started writing as a child, mostly to supplement my reading habit and for extra credit in English and French classes. I even began a fantasy story about three sisters who had to protect the realm, inspired by A Wrinkle in Time. But it wasn’t until I won a “Living the Dream” essay contest for the first MLK, Jr holiday in Atlanta, that I realized how I could touch people with the words I wove together. It took another fourteen years, but I eventually realized my own dream of being an author.

Q: I love mythology, fairytales, & legends. What made you want to write Shadow Chasers and Sons Of Anubis? Is Egyptian mythology one of your top favorites out of all the mythologies out there?

A: It is. I’ve been fascinated with ancient Egypt and its mythology since childhood. I’ve attended lectures and exhibits at Emory University’s Michael C Carlos Museum and watched every documentary about that aired. And frankly, I was getting quite tired of Euro-centric myths and beasts. So my shapeshifters were jackals who were sons of Anubis and witches who were daughters of Isis. I wanted to do an urban fantasy series with a heroine who looked like me and is a modern-day worshiper of Ma’at, and a 4,000 year-old Nubian who is a modern-day worshiper of Isis. When I get back to the series, I’d like to show more of their worship rituals using some of the ancient texts.

Q: What is your advice to anyone wanting to become a great author as you have?

A: While writing is mostly a solitary endeavor, you still need a support group around you. Critique partners, writing friends, and non-writing friends, people who will be there when you need to bitch, when you need to celebrate, and when you need to brush off disappointment and go back to your desk.

Read widely in your genre and without when you’re actively writing. Continuously hone your craft. I’m always looking for workshops, retreats, or conferences that will help me grow my talent and my business.

And above all don’t give up. Hopes and dreams are fragile things, so we have to wrap them in hard work and determination.

Q: Are you currently writing your next book now? If so can you reveal any details?

A: I’ve got a couple of ideas that I’m playing around with but nothing is set in concrete right now. I’ll fiddle with each, then go with whichever one I can’t stop thinking about!

Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to any of your books? The entertainment industry needs new original content ASAP. Whether they do have the rights or not, who would be your dream cast for the characters you created? 

A: I think Tom Holland and Zendaya would be great for Aron and Samara 

Q: Would it be fair to say that the fictional worlds and characters you created are loosely taken from real people and places? 

A: The majority of my books are set in and around Atlanta, so there are some landmarks that people will recognize.