Attica Lundy is quickly becoming one of the most creative and influential minds in romance today. Lundy is the author of "A Quiet Time." Her freshman book has garnered her praise from gay and straight audiences alike. Intricately written, Lundy's readers experience that which has never been written before: an unprecedented, intriguing, never-told-before, love story which captivates the reader's attention from 'word one.' The destined-to-be-bestseller has received raving reviews. Recently, eMediaCampaigns! sat down with author Attica Lundy. We discussed what inspires her most, her love for writing, her future projects, and of course, her latest release, "A Quiet Time." EmediaCampaigns!: Welcome, Attica Lundy. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to meet with us today. Attica Lundy: You're welcome! Thank-you for the opportunity. EMC!: Your book is nothing short of spectacular and has received raving reviews. However, before we talk about it, tell us about your background and how you became interested in writing. AL: I attended school in East Point, GA. Initially, I would write in my diaries and journals as a means to 'vent' about issues. But when my middle school and high school teachers began to notice that all of my writing assignments were above average, I realized I had a gift. Of course, poetry has always been my first love, and I still write it every chance I get. I'd also have to say that the writings of various authors and musical artists made me interested in writing, and inspired me to become an author. EMC!: If you had to summarize what your book is all about in a few sentences, what would you say? AL: A Quiet Time is a story about a woman's journey of the heart, her destination being true love. It's about the feelings that come along with relationships. It's also about true friendships and how they come into play when you really need someone who only has your best interest at heart. And it's from a woman's perspective. The joy, sorrow, anxiety, and fulfillment that comes along with searching for; being in, losing, and finding love. A Quiet Time has humor, mystery and romance. It's unique in that it's not the typical hot and steamy romance novel, though it does have those attributes included. EMC!: What kind of feedback have you received? AL: As soon as I wrote the book in 2000, I had a panel of ten proofreaders review it, from different backgrounds. That is, they represented different races, different religious backgrounds, different sexual orientations, and different educational levels. I received all positive reviews. I presented it again in 2006 on the MySpace fan site. My book is listed at http://myspace.com/aquiettime I did this when I was ready to publish it. Once again, I got excellent reviews. The fans couldn't wait for it to be published! And, of course you, Fran Briggs did my first press release-and gave me a terrific review! EMC! A Quiet Time is getting wildly popular. Did you have any idea your book would take off as well as it has? AL: Actually, I knew it would take off well. I mean, most GLBTG (gay/lesbian/Bi-Sexual/Transgender) books often deal with the politics of being in that lifestyle such as pride, rights, and discrimination, but this book has avoided all politics and deals solely with the 'inside story' of what it feels like to be loved (It deals with) feelings, emotions, family, and love relationships. A Quiet Time is one of those books that once you pick it up, it's hard to tear away from. I knew it was a story that had to be told. I loved how you defined it in my first press release: 'The untold American love story.' That is so what it is! It defies all stereotypes of homosexuality, and that's why it's doing so well. EMC!: Did you create your characters from scratch? AL: No, not really. The characters in essence are all of us. Gay, Straight, Black, White, Male, or Female. The main characters, though displayed as lesbians, are really anyone that you would meet in your everyday life. Anyone that reads this book will be able to relate to the characters in some way. It's everyone's story. EMC!: Most writers are fond of at least one character in their work. Do you have a favorite? If so, who is your favorite character and why? AL: My favorite character is Jennifer. She has the ability to separate her emotions and be fair. She is what I'd consider a true friend and I love that about her. EMC!: What or who inspires you -- imaginative or otherwise? AL: Wow! I'd have to say that my children inspire me. And of course, friends and family inspire me. I get a lot of ideas for story lines from them. I'm always inspired by true life stories ... everyone has them. It's fun to take bits and pieces here and there and create a story line. Believe it or not, I'm inspired from love songs, also. But I'd have to say that I'm most inspired from God; through him all things are great. I love just saying that, and knowing that writing is a gift from him makes me want to write more and more. EMC!: Who are some of your favorite authors, and what books are you reading now? AL: One of my favorite authors is Nancy Friday. She's the first author I can remember reading from. It was her book, My Mother/My Self. When I read My Mother/MySelf, I knew I wanted to become an author. I love anything that Maya Angelou writes, and also Terry McMillian. And, I love to re-read Agnes of God by Leonore Fleischer. I read that book over and over again. Currently, I'm not reading any books; but believe it or not, I'm reading lyrics to love songs. There are some great stories there! EMC!: You have said that 'Though my characters are lesbians, even as a partner in a heterosexual relationship; I relate to them.' Can you explain what you mean? AL: Well, the story is a love story and the main characters are lesbian. But lesbians, as you know, are women, so I automatically relate to them. Breaking it down, though, I've been in love before -- I'm in love right now! I know what it feels to have your heart broken and to hold on to some ounce of hope, hoping that the person you love will feel the same for you. And I know what it feels like to have to move on to the next chapter of your life. I know what it feels like because I've been there -- done that, and may possibly be there again. Who can't relate to that? EMC!: The story line is brilliant. Was it something that you had to engineer? Or did it just flow from conception? AL: The story was an easy one to tell. It flowed so naturally, it scared me. But yes, I had to engineer it carefully. I purposely didn't want it to be the stereotypical lesbian/gay romance novel. I wanted it to go beyond the gay pride issues and politics that so many of our gay sisters and brothers go through. I wanted to step away from that and just tell a human story. That was the hard part. But after the story line was conceived, I just told a basic love story. It's funny; after all of these years of writing, I've never had something come from me so easily. It was like breathing; inhaling and exhaling. I breathed the words in, and exhaled them onto paper from my pen. EMC!: It's not uncommon for readers to miss the essence of what a book is relaying. What has been the biggest single misconception people have had about your book? AL: Initially, I believe people think the book is going to be about sex. A lot of romance novels are like that, so I can see why they'd think that. Once they read it though, they see that it an entirely different type of story. It is just a basic love story. Anyone that has ever had a romantic love relationship -- gay or straight -- will identify with the characters almost immediately. Again, it's everyone's story. EMC!: Attica, what is the most powerful advice that you can offer to the aspiring writer? AL: My motto is, 'If you can't invest in yourself, nobody else will. If you don't believe in yourself, nobody else will.' My most powerful advice for any writer is to see your writing as a gift from God, and (then) embrace it. EMC!: One of the most interesting things about "A Quiet Time" is that it appeals to many diverse groups. Did you consciously set out to do this? AL: Yes. It was my sole intention to make the characters 'everyday people.' I wanted my readers to be able to set aside the fact that the characters are gay, perhaps embrace the idea that it's a simple love story, and not allow the sexual orientation of the characters change its core idea. It's not about the fact that they are women who love other women; it's about the fact that everyone deep down (inside) needs someone to love, and someone to love them back. EMC!: When are you most happy? AL: I'm most happy when I'm in a peaceful environment; mostly when I'm sleeping. I enjoy my dreams immensely and look forward to the next 'episode.' My dreams flow like movies. EMC!: What's next for Attica Lundy? AL: I would love to write more love stories and also children's books. I'm currently working on a Spoken Word CD -- sort of like, Floetry's style. Also, I want to write articles for magazines. EMC!: Thank you, Attica Lundy. It was both an absolute honor and pleasure speaking with you today. I am believing nothing but the best for you in all of your endeavors. AL: I thank you, Fran for the opportunity. I really had fun with this interview. Hope to see you soon. On assignment with eMediaCampaigns!, Fran Briggs interviewed Attica Lundy in January, 2007. MEDIA CONTACT e-mail: aquiettime website: http://www.myspace.com/aquiettime ADDRESS: Attica Lundy PO Box 960164 Riverdale, GA 30296 U BOOK DETAILS Title: A Quiet Time Author: Attica Lundy Publisher: Xlibris Paperback $15.70 ISBN 1-4257-4266-1 Hardcover $27.89 ISBN 1-4257-4267-X Release date December, 2006 Orders http://xlibris.com/ Fran Briggs may be contacted at http://www.franbriggs.com . Click here to view more of their articles. Want to hire this writer? Crystal clear, content-rich and compelling communications should be the mandate as it pertains to your business or organization. Fran Briggs is an accomplished and award-winning writer. She is one of our best and is available on a contract basis to dynamically put your vision into words. Areas of expertise include short copy, press releases, investigative reports, radio spots, publicity, public relations, website content, and editorial. Write franbriggs Fran is also an author, peak performance coach, motivational speaker, and the President of The Fran Briggs Companies, an organization dedicated to the personal and professional development of individuals and groups around the globe. Ms. Briggs is a dynamic keynote speaker and specializes in personal empowerment trainings. Her audiences include national corporations, non-profit organizations, youth groups, faith-based organizations, schools and universities. She presents content-rich, immediately applicable powerful modules in an engaging, tell-it-like-it-is style. For more information including how to book Fran for speaking engagements, visit http://franbriggs.com