I’m a sucker for romantic suspense and when I first heard about Dominique’s books, I added them to my TBR. I read the full length novel in the series—Homecoming Chaos—not too long ago and it had me hooked from the first page. The family dynamics, the tension and drama, the various characters we meet along the way and of course, the romance between Jamie and Nick—I was all in. I really enjoyed how much of the ‘suspense’ part of the genre we got, because this reminded me so much of my favorite crime thrillers that always kept me at the edge of my seat.
With a medical background and as a kidney transplant survivor, Dominique took her time to start publishing her books. But it started long before this when she would craft stories with her cousins, following young characters in a neighborhood solving mysteries and going on adventures. The detail with which they built their world fascinates me too, even if the stories did end up dusty in an attic somewhere. All of this to say that this is exactly the journey that she was meant to take.
Now, I can’t wait to read the two novellas that accompany this one and see what else Dominique has in store for us!
BEING AN AUTHOR
Who or what inspired you to write?
I have always been an enthusiastic reader. Breakfast in my childhood home was a slow process, as I would read any object on the table—newspapers, cereal boxes, milk cartons, anything with words. Taking away my books was an effective punishment.
As part of this interest, my cousins and I created a neighborhood of preteen and teenage characters who had adventures and solved mysteries. We drew out this neighborhood, identified where everyone lived, and created character profiles for each one. We were well ahead of our time and wrote many unfinished stories, which ended up in the attic as we got older. After this failed experiment, I still nurtured thoughts of writing my own stories one day.
Becoming an author was an early dream pushed aside by practical thoughts and fears. Hence, I decided to take a more surefire route of going to medical school and residency. While I didn't write my own stories, I spent time writing in a medical and educational capacity.
A health crisis awakened the desire to write again. And with the ability to self-publish, I could see a path to getting my words and stories out of my head and into a bound book others could read and hopefully enjoy.
What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author?
I enjoy the creation portion of writing. I enjoy creating a character from scratch or creating a story about the characters I created. It's fun to figure out plot points and whether what you want to do in the story makes sense or would it strain credulity. I find the process to be very exciting.
The worst so far has to be the marketing process. It can be difficult to put yourself and your product out for people to make a judgment on. And knowing that judgment is part of the process doesn't always make it any easier! Also, as a self-published author, the marketing effort depends on me, the author. There are so many ways that you can try to get the word out about your book or get your book in the hands of your readers and what works one time may not work the next time. The effectiveness may not be the same. My husband says that you can always spend more money on marketing your books. I have to juggle between paid marketing sources and unpaid legwork marketing. It is a lot of work and tends to move slowly.
Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?
I published my first novel, Homecoming Chaos, in November of 2023. Because I started my writing career at an older age, I self-published and didn't really explore the traditional publishing route. I plan to make this into a series and didn't want to wait until someone else gave my book a yeah or nay!
What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?
Continue to practice your craft because you are still a writer, even if you don't have anything published.
If you decide to publish, there are different ways to get that done, and everyone might need a different path. Don't let anyone put you down for picking the path that works for you, but if you decide your chosen path isn't for you, it is never too late to change.
Try to build a community of other authors—many are interested in offering advice or their experience to help you on your journey. Many are also great for venting when you have setbacks or bad days.
Be ready to put in the work for marketing. It won’t be fast, but that groundwork for building your brand and increasing exposure can pay dividends over time.
Money may be limited when creating your book. There are a lot of places to spend your money. For me, I think the most important places would be developmental editing/editing and cover. Other areas such as formatting, copyediting, and marketing can be completed using free programs or swaps with your author friends.
ROMANCE AS A GENRE
Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?
I selected the subgenre of romance of romantic suspense/mystery romance.
I have spent most of my reading life reading mysteries and thrillers—starting with Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. My first attempt at writing stories when I was eight years old focused on trying to create a coherent mystery story. So, writing mysteries was always part of my goal. Once I created the character of Jamison, having a romance incorporated into the story seemed like the next logical step.
Without the backdrop of the mystery at the lab, Jamie and Nick's meeting in Homecoming Chaos would probably be like many meetings between a man and a woman who are attracted to each other. But the murder changes the dynamics. Nick is very interested in Jamie. However, he is also very dedicated to his job. His nickname is "the Bulldog" after all. Jamie feels guilty about her previous actions, sees her family in danger, and plunges in to make it right. With her mother throwing bombs into the mix, it increases the romantic tension between Jamie and Nick.
I hoped to convey that the relationship between them was not just an attraction—that there was a potential for more. I think they are very similar in many ways with a strong sense of right and wrong and willingness to push a few boundaries to get the right answer. Their interactions have some edge because of the pressures related to the investigation, but it's obvious to others watching them that there's some sexual tension as well.
My favorite things about the genre I selected is the ability to combine several genres into one story. It adds some variety and room for the unexpected.
If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?
I think I have a few straight mysteries in my head as well.
What are your most and least favorite tropes?
My most favorite tropes are enemies to lovers, damsel (or dude) in damsel, and insta-love/lust.
My least favorite tropes are the pregnancy trope and the miscommunication trope.
If you write closed door romance, why did you choose that and what are your favorite ways to build tension between the characters?
Homecoming Chaos is a closed door romance. There are make-out scenes and lots of innuendo and sexual tension between the lead characters. I took some liberties since I was writing a condensed timeline romantic suspense story. The story starts on Friday and ends on the next Wednesday (the leads don’t actually meet until Friday night/Saturday morning), There was not enough space in the story as constructed to have a sex scene or even a closed door one. However, that will be rectified in the novella coming soon.
I like to set the stage for the sex scene and leave room for the imagination. It just works best for my writing style.
YOUR BOOKS
What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?
I don’t think any one thing inspired my stories. I have read so many mysteries and thrillers and watched so many mysteries, thrillers, and romances that there are lots of little pieces of stories and knowledge floating around in my head. It’s fun to put them together in unexpected ways!
Can you briefly tell me about your books?
For the Model MD/CHAOS Universe, the stories generally will follow my lead character Jamison Jones Scott as she tries to regain control of her life. She suffered some tragedies as a teenager that affected both her relationship with her family and her self-esteem. Not being mentally healthy led to several poor decisions—including an ill-fated engagement. Each story looks at her progress in owning her own happiness—which includes Nick—in the face of family resistance and unexpected mysteries and crimes. Who knew she was going to turn into a mystery magnet?
A side note: Other members in the family may get a feature novella if I feel there is a story for them. I am currently working on one for her brother Jon and his romantic woes.
Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?
Of course, it’s Jamison. She is a messy and dramatic version of me. I am amazingly boring compared to her—no one wants to read about me!
If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Oh, this is hard. I have done this in the past, but I keep changing my mind. Right now, we have:
Jamison: Amber Steven West
Nick: Daniel Di Tomasso
Margaret: Vanessa L. Williams
Gregory: Laurence Fishburne
Jillian: Javicia Leslie
Jon: DeVaughn Nixon
How much of yourself do you put into these characters?
The relationship between Jamison and Margaret (her mother) is a significantly more dramatic version of my relationship with my mother. My mother was nowhere this cruel and picky, but we had some clashes as I grew up.
What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?
I want to have a nuts and bolts discussion between Nick and Jamison about whether they want to become parents. It ties back to many of the issues that Jamie had as a teenager, and she hasn’t fully put them behind her. Or she may think that she has, but really considering having children? I think that would be a challenging story to write.
I want to write a few mysteries/thrillers. I would consider writing a romance, but I am not sure I’m ready for that yet!
Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?
Romance and some kind of crime or murder
What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?
For the next novella I am writing, I first started out with a location for the story, then the idea of adding her old career came into the mix, then the possibility of adding a little mystery popped into my head. Each additional idea got me more and more excited about the potential story!
When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?
I would like my readers to enter my characters’ worlds and enjoy the journey for a few hours. And maybe help widen the reach for BIPOC books.
AUTHOR’S CHOICE
Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks
Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense
Single or Dual POV
Standalones, series or standalones in a series
Open door, ajar door or closed door romances
Music or silence when writing
Plotter, pantser or plantser
Water, tea, coffee or….wine?
Cold or warm weather
Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?
Illustrated or photo cover?
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