In The Spotlight Today: Tissanie Simmons!
How old are you and where are you from?
Tissane: 33 and I’m from Elgin, il
How old were you when you realized you wanted to be a writer?
Tissanie: I’ve been a storyteller my whole life. I was the child my mom forced to tell funny stories in front of her friends. However, the past ten years I really wanted to put my stories to paper because there are way too many in my head.
Tell us more about your book! When did you start writing it and what difficulties did you face while writing/publishing it?
Tissanie: Exit 27A is story of a love triangle between the past and the future. Celeste, the main character has trouble trusting her intuition when it comes to love. As many women tend to go through at some point in their dating phase, I feel it’s a story worth telling. As I hear more and more relationship stories, I also believe love can found in the most bizarre places. I completed this book last year and published around my birthday. I decided to self-publish because I feel you have to do the monkey dance in order for publishers to recognize you. So, it wasn’t difficult at all.
If you could relate to any character in your book, who would it be and why?
Tissanie: Celeste is a nurse like myself. I think I most relate to her because I remember being in this same love triangle, again, as many women experience.
What type of books do you enjoy? What are two of your favorites?
Tissanie: I’m a hopeless romantic so I do enjoy a good romance novel. My two favorites would be Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and anything by Brenda Jackson.
Besides reading and writing, what else do you enjoy doing during your free time? Any other businesses?
Tissanie: I love sports. I played basketball in college and I now coach my daughter. I have been her coach since she was four. I enjoy it and it allows us to have quality time. I also love to play flag football.
If you could pick any song to describe your main character, what would it be?
Tissanie: “When it Hurts So Bad” by Lauryn Hill
Do you have any upcoming books in the works?
Tissanie: I am currently working on two books. One is called Dirty Thirties; a syllabus is expectations as women transition into their 30s. The other is a high school tale. It dives into the issues urban teens go through. I am also working on a screenplay for my first book, Generational Curse (Amazon).
Do you have any book specials/giveaways or events coming up?
Tissanie: I will be showcasing all my books at Soulful Chicago Book Fair July 15th. I’m super excited about it!
Where can readers keep up with you on social media? Post your usernames!
Tissanie: FB: Tissanie Simmons
IG: @tissaniesimmons
novels on Amazon.com
Children’s books on Lulu.com
Anything else you would like to share?
Tissanie: Its Tissanie. Like Tiffany with two ss’ remember the name because I’m ready to set the world on fire with my creativity!
Visit Amazon today to pick up a copy of Exit 27A! https://www.amazon.com/tissanie-simmons/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Atissanie%20simmons
Visit the submission page to book your feature today!
Follow Hardy Publications on Facebook!