Q&A With Vanessa Miller

To my delight Vanessa Miller responded to my email and here we are doing a Q&A together which I’m ecstatic about. Vanessa Miller has written over fifty books, many of them are a part of a series & she’s written some standalones. Some of her many series is Family Business, Morrison Family Secrets, Loving You, My Soul to Keep. Her next standalone will be released on January 30th titled The American Queen. On top of being an author Vanessa is a entrepreneur, playwright and motivational speaker.

Q: Vanessa, would you like to tell the readers of the blog and I a little bit about The American Queen & where the idea came from for the book?

A:  The American Queen is my love project. I discovered this true story from Lisa Wingate. A Facebook friend of hers told her about The Kingdom of the Happy Land people and she suggested I research it and see if I was interested. Was I ever.

You see, The American Queen is about the only kingdom that has ever been set up on American soil… and they were black people right after emancipation.

Here is the synopsis:  

There is only one known queen who truly ruled a kingdom on American soil.

Transformative and breathtakingly honest, The American Queen is based on actual events that occurred between 1865 – 1889 and shares the unsung history of a Black woman who built a kingdom as a refuge for the courageous people who dared to dream of a different way of life.

Over the twenty-four years she was enslaved on the Montgomery Plantation, Louella learned to feel one thing: hate. Hate for the man who sold her mother. Hate for the overseer who left her daddy to hang from a noose. Hate so powerful there’s no room in her heart for love, not even for the honorable Reverend William, whom she likes and respects enough to marry.

But when William finally listens to Louella’s pleas and leads the formerly enslaved people off the plantation, Louella begins to replace her hate with hope. Hope that they will find a place where they can live free from fear. Hope that despite her many unanswered prayers, she can learn to trust for new miracles.

Soon, William and Louella become the appointed king and queen of their self-proclaimed Kingdom of the Happy Land. And though they are still surrounded by opposition, they continue to share a message of joy and goodness–and fight for the freedom and dignity of all.

The American Queen weaves together themes of love, hate, hope, trust, and resilience in the face of great turmoil. With every turn of the page, you will be transported to a pivotal period in American history, where oppressed people become extraordinary heroes.

Q: Since The American Queen is a historical fiction book, how long did it take for you to research and write the novel?

A: I seriously think I was moving on the strength of the Lord because I was able to research and write The American Queen in just six months. However, it did take another three months of rewrites and two editorial reviews.

Q: I read about you online and that your faith in God is strong. Do you feel as though God called you to write books? I feel as though God called me to blog.

A: I do. I truly see my writing as a ministry. I’m just trying to tell my readers about a great God who loves them and wants to wrap His arms around them, in their darkest hours.

Q: Your books have had rave reviews and they appeared on Essence Magazine’s Bestsellers List. How does it feel knowing that rave reviews about your books have appeared in that magazine? It sounds like a dream come true!

A: I am always excited for reviews and bestseller list, especially from Essence Magazine which has done such an amazing job of showcasing black culture. And I continue to look forward to more bestseller list for The American Queen.

Q: What do you enjoy most about writing Christian fiction? What lessons do you hope readers take away from reading your books?

A: It is a labor of love for me. I actually don’t think readers get the meat of my stories until they fully see how God is able to step in a character’s situation and turn their whole life around.

I truly hope that as readers see how God works in the lives of the characters, that they are then able to visualize how God can also handle the situations in their lives that keep them up at night.

Q: You are a entrepreneur, playwright and motivational speaker on top of being an author. How do you juggle being an entrepreneur, playwright, & motivational speaker on top of being an author?

A: Very badly. Lol

I find that I can only concentrate on one thing at a time. So, I compartmentalize my to do list. I work on a project, finish it, then begin working on the next project. That’s the only way I know how to make it all work.

Q: If it’s not too early to talk about it, are you currently writing your next novel, and is it another standalone novel, a part of your existing series or the beginning of a new series?

A: I am currently working on my next historical. The title is The Filling Station. This book is based on true historical events that occurred during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. It releases February 2025.