Welcome to Author Wednesday. Today I welcome Geryn Childress, author of several children’s book and the recently released historical romance, Lou & Jigger (True Love is Inseparable series).

Welcome, Geryn. I’m happy you could stop by and chat today. I love to find out when authors first know they’re writers. Tell me about your discovery.

I  discovered my talent by mistake. My mother was the most talented writer I knew, so maybe it was in my genes. One day while taking care of the kids, I  noticed some of the silly things they were doing and saying to each other. Then it was like a light bulb went off in my head. I thought, “Hey! That would make a great book!” and the rest is history, as they say.

When did you discover this career was going to stick?

As soon as I started writing my first children’s book I knew this was my calling in life. It was very strange because I just knew. When my first book became a best seller on Amazon there was no turning back, and I was hooked. The thing that really let me know I was on the right path in life was when the kids would laugh and laugh at my books. They kept asking to hear the stories again. They have the final call.

 You write both adult fiction and books for children. Is there a particular theme that emerges in all your writing?

My message is simple:  enjoy life.  I think adults can complicate things too much. The majority of children book authors are always focused on trying to convey this message or that message to kids through their books, and I think most kids find them rather boring. I know I did and do. So the books I write for children are strictly for the entertainment of both the child and the parent.  I want adults to have just as much fun reading my books as their child. I try to show that it’s OK to laugh and be silly sometimes.

 Do you have any particular writing rituals?

After cooking dinner, I put the kids in bed. I usually tell them some ridiculous story that I make up about an imaginary super hero I call “Super Negro.”  After the kids have their “Super Negro” story, I go downstairs have a glass of red wine, and then I write.

 Who has most influenced your writing?

Other than my kids, it’s my mother Marilyn Childress.  She lost her battle to cancer in 1998 but still is my guiding angel. I often summon her spirit when I write, and it’s like she’s in the room me helping. I definitely wouldn’t be a writer if it wasn’t for my mother.  I’m standing on the shoulders of a giant.

That is very sweet. I sometimes feel that those who’ve gone before drive me forward in my writing as well. Now that you’ve written a novel and children’s books, do you have a form of written expression you’d like to try?

Glad you asked that question. I typically write children’s books, but I’ve recently branched off into other genres.  The book I’m promoting today is my first attempt at writing a historical romance, called Lou & Jigger.  I heard about Amazon’s Kindle Singles platform and wanted to write a short story specifically for the program to test the waters. I’m happy to say it’s become a best seller on Amazon. I still have about two weeks before they let me know if the book is accepted as a Kindle’s Single so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

About Geryn Childress: Geryn was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and shortly thereafter moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, with his mother and older brother. He played a doctor on the television show Angels Of Mercy with Blair Underwood and Vivica A. Fox, and started his own production company, Melanin Productions. In 1993, he moved to Paris, France. He spent the majority of his teenage years in Pontiac, Michigan, which he still considers his hometown. In 2011, he teamed up with The Water Project, a charity that builds wells in poor communities throughout Africa. He is truly thankful for the all ways God has blessed him.

His current work Lou & Jigger is set in the deep American South during the early 1900s. Lou & Jigger is currently being made into a screenplay. The work of fiction takes the reader on a journey into life growing up in the deep South of Sheveport, Louisiana

Links

http://childresschildrenbooks.com/about/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Geryn-Childress/402496639841021?ref=hl

http://www.amazon.com/Geryn-Childress/e/B00BHU1T66