Interview with Shayla Black, author of More Than Want You

What can you tell us about your new release, More Than Want You?

Set in Maui, it’s the first of a sexy new contemporary romance series about a dysfunctional group of siblings and how love leads them to their significant others and better selves.

I first had the idea for this book on a family vacation last summer to the island. It was totally inspiring. Then events in my life later that fall made me realize that while there are infinite ways to tell someone you love them, some of the most powerful don’t require words at all. I wanted to write about love so complete that mere letters strung together to make sentences weren’t an adequate communicator of those feelings.

Who or what inspired you to become an author?

It wasn’t any one particular person or event. Rather, I had a gradual understanding. From the time I was a pre-teen, I had stories spinning in my head. I wasn’t, however, a reader until college. That’s when I first found books that spoke to me and I realized I’d stumbled upon the perfect outlet for the characters in my head, shouting at me that they had a story I needed to tell. When I honed in on reading romances, was in my early twenties. I finally thought… Someone gets to write all these awesome tales of love, danger, sacrifice, joy, sorrow, and forever. Why not me?

What books are currently on your nightstand?

The Lost order by Steve Berry and the partially edited manuscript for book two in this series, More Than Need You, which will release June 13.

You’re hosting a literary dinner party. Which three writers are invited?

Jane Austen, Kathleen Woodiwiss, and James Patterson. The first because, in so many ways, she is the creator of the romance novel as we know it today. The middle because she penned the first romance novel I ever read, which also ushered in a significant shift in fiction market in North America (in particular) and made popular the sort of books I began reading in college. The last because his journey in publishing must be fascinating. He’s likely forgotten more about publishing than most of us will ever forget.

BAM. You’re a superhero. What’s your superpower?

To know EVERYTHING. My curiosity is sometimes a terrible thing, and I find myself watching documentaries about things like the possible collision of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies or the “magic bullet” in the JFK assassination when I should be writing. It would be awesome to know what happened to Jimmy Hoffa or what the world will look like in a thousand years.

What’s in your Netflix queue?

My most recent Netflix watches are The Big Short and The Crown.

What scene in More Than Want You was your favorite to write?

The go-to method I had for communicating beyond mere words between these characters was music. My heroine, Keeley, loves to sing, especially karaoke in great little island bars. So I was able to incorporate music into several scenes in the book, but my favorite is the end. The emotion of the scene dovetailed with the best music of the book, and it was a joy to write.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Two, really. First: Always be yourself. No one can do that better than you. Second: To quote “Galaxy Quest” the movie, never give up, never surrender.

Shayla Black is the author of the new book More Than Want You. 

Connect with Shayla:
Author Website