I believe (and I’m most likely wrong) I connected with Tember Sapphire through Threads and a few of our common author friends. Not to mention the fact that everything about her debut, She’s a Keeper, sounded so good that I was downloading it as soon as it was available. We’re now friends and in an author chat together, because that’s how all indie authors should always bond and spend time.
Tember’s stories are full of powerful, badass and amazing women and the equally wonderful men that worship at their altar. Tapping into her Caribbean roots, Tember’s given each of these characters something so magical, it’s difficult to look away. Her books are made up of the perfect combination of sports and a beautiful culture, giving you a glimpse into Tember’s own world.
While she recently released the third book in this series—She’s an Anchor— Tember’s already sneakily put the fourth one up for preorder! You can read the first three books right now in Kindle Unlimited.
BEING AN AUTHOR
Who or what inspired you to write?
My love for writing stemmed from my love for reading. Growing up I loved writing essays and short stories in class. English Literature was my favourite subject at school and I currently have an associates degree in it. Seeing all these great stories out there is what inspired me to take the plunge. I wanted to see more stories with characters who look like me, act like me so I decided to write them.
What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author?
The best is definitely getting positive feed from readers who enjoyed my stories. The worst is marketing. Trends change so quickly that it’s hard to stay on top of it when you’re a one woman show.
Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?
I believe self-publishing would’ve been the best way to put my stories out there in their most authentic form. My stories go beyond romance. I share my parts of my culture in them like my language, food and country and I didn’t want that to be affected or dimmed.
When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?
I read or binge one of my favourite shows.
What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?
Just write, the edits and everything else will come after
Don’t try to please everyone. Write the story your heart is telling you to. Tune out the noise. There will always be someone who doesn’t like what you write but write it anyway because your audience is out there.
Don’t compare yourself to others. We all have different journeys.
Believe in yourself. Your story is yours to tell and no one can tell it the way you do.
You will see a lot of advice but take it with a grain of salt. This isn’t a one size fits all industry.
ROMANCE AS A GENRE
Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?
I love love, I’m a hopeless romantic so that was an automatic pick. My favourite thing is that no matter what challenges they go through they will get their happy ever after.
If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?
Maybe women’s fiction or fantasy.
What are your most and least favorite tropes?
Honestly I’m a mood reader so I love anything when the time is right.
What are some tropes you want to write in the future?
I want to write about mental health or disability rep.
If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?
I felt it suited my characters and who they are. I let my characters inspire me. Whatever I feel suits them is what I write.
YOUR BOOKS
What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?
My published stories are heavily based on my real life. As a woman in sports I wanted to show that representation in fiction. I got the idea for the series around January 2023. I actually had the general idea for what each book would be about before I started writing.
First, I chose the main female characters who I wanted to be sisters from the Caribbean then I chose the sports I wanted to explore. I did not want to limit the book to athletes and ensured that two out of four of the sisters are involved in sports in another capacity like a sports agent and sport biomechanist. Each book can be read alone but the sister will make appearances.
Can you briefly tell me about your books?
She’s A Keeper is a second chance childhood best friends to lovers football romance (soccer) between Jazmine and Lionel who are both football players. The book is divided like a football game to show the dual timeline, in the first half we see the characters as they grow up and fall in and out of love. The second half we see them find their way back to each other.
She’s A Grinder is a fake dating best friend’s brother hockey romance between Catherine, a sports agency executive and Tijjani, a hockey player. Catherine believes her career comes first but her family pressures her to settle down as the oldest sibling because her youngest sister is about to get married. On the other hand, Tijjani just lost his agent and is facing pressure from his family because he decided to play hockey instead of going to college. They’re exactly what each other needs.
She’s An Anchor is a secret baby one night stand athletics romance between Marie-Louise, a sprinter and Alexandre, her one night stand turned rival’s coach. Marie-Louise and Alexandre first meet in She’s A Grinder during Jazmine’s bachelorette party. She goes home with him and a few weeks later she’s pregnant. Fast forward five years later she’s at the Summer Games, her first one since becoming a mother and she runs into Alexandre who’s now coaching her rival. Coaching was never in the books for Alex but when his father has a medical emergency he has to fill in. He’s always vowed against relationships and kids because he was abandoned by his mother as a child but all that changes when he runs into Lou again.
Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?
I love them all honestly (the politically correct answer) but if I had to choose though I would say Catherine In She’s A Grinder.
If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Lionel: Jalen Hurts
Tijjani: Trevante Rhodes
Catherine: Tia Mowry/Tracee Ellis Ross
Jazmine: Keke Palmer
Marie-Louise: Teyana Taylor
How much of yourself do you put into these characters?
A lot. My characters do have a few of my character traits in addition to my involvement in sports. The female main characters are also Saint Lucian like I am.
Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?
Men who fall first and culture.
What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?
A few more books in the She Can Play series and some spin-offs. There are some non-sport romances in the pipeline too!
When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?
I hope they feel inspired. Especially for readers who look like my characters. I want them to see themselves in my characters and know that no matter what they go through there’s always a happy ending.
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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