Soraya Naomi - Danger, Passion and Forbidden Love
Soraya Naomi enjoys stories with a lot of passion, a touch of danger and a dash of forbidden love. The books from her Chicago Syndicate series contain all of these elements and it is not surprising that the series has become wildly popular as a result. As our author of the day, Naomi chats with us about her characters, how she uses humor in her books and how she would like to have lunch with Stephen King.
Please give us a short introduction to For Logan
It's a standalone contemporary mafia romance. When Logan meets Rosalia, who’s ten years younger and talkative, his carefully scheduled plans to initiate into the most powerful Chicagoan mafia are disrupted. What starts as a forced acquaintance turns into an illicit affair where risks are taken and bonds are broken, and Logan and Rosalia learn that love can be disastrous.
For Logan centers around an illicit affair - what is it about forbidden love stories that fascinate you?
I adore love stories filled with conflicts that disrupt the path toward a happy ever after. Forbidden love can give an author a great premise to build a suspenseful story. Also, I’m a Shakespeare fan, and of course, Romeo & Juliet is one of my favorite stories.
Why did you decide to use the world of the Mafia as a backdrop for your story?
Actually, the Chicago Syndicate has been in my head for a couple of years, and I wanted to create a world with the anarchy of The Godfather/ The Sopranos, but the intense love of a Shakespearean story.
Your books are titled "For Fallon", "For Luca" and now "For Logan." Why did you name them this way?
For readers, it’s easily identifiable who the lead character is. In the Chicago Syndicate world, there are a lot of characters but only a handful of key figures. As the series continues, new or other key figures emerge.
Your characters are very relatable - what are some tricks you use to make your characters come to life?
A lot of observing the people around me. When I see certain memorable traits/movements/way of speech, I write it down or store it for later. This helps a lot in humanizing my characters.
You put your characters through very difficult circumstances - why do you pick this approach?
Because I love conflicts and suspense and steam. I try to write a mix of these elements in each story, hoping to give my readers a unique ride.
Do your characters ever make comebacks in subsequent books?
Yes, quite often.
In For Logan there are some hilarious scenes where there is a lot of banter between the main characters. Why do you find humor important to help tell your story?
I needed to balance out the dramatic scenes with joyful scenes to maintain an overall feeling of ‘hope’ with the reader throughout the story. It’s also a way to humanize my characters, and hopefully, make them likable.
Tell us a bit about your writing habits. Do you consider yourself a disciplined writer? Do you have a favorite spot where you write?
I’m not a disciplined writer at all. Quite the opposite, actually. I work best with deadlines – ever since I was a student and ten years later, that hasn’t changed. I can work for weeks on an outline and then write ten chapters in a couple of days. Or I can work for days on one chapter.
My favorite spot to write is with the laptop in my lap on my couch. It’s the worst position to sit and write according to doctors, so I try not to do it, but it’s still my favorite spot.
How did the idea for this novel originate?
Originally, Chicago Syndicate was going to be a duet of only For Fallon and For Luca. But after For Fallon, Adriano became popular and I decided to continue with the series. Nowadays, I check which character is most requested by readers, and then I decide on the next book.
If you could have lunch with any author, who would it be and what would you eat?
Stephen King, and I would want him to pick the restaurant! (and I’ll just eat whatever is on the menu)
How do you force yourself to finish what you're doing before starting the next project when the new idea is nagging at you?
I don’t have that. Once I start something, I finish it. When I have ideas, I simply write them down in my notebook. Then, when I finish my current book, I go through my manuscript ideas to choose my next project. However, the last two years, I’ve been only working on the Chicago Syndicate series.
What are you working on right now?
For Henry, Chicago Syndicate #6
Where can our readers interact with you or discover more of your work?
Sign up to Soraya’s newsletter to keep up to date with release dates: http://eepurl.com/b0MS85
For more information about the novels and author:
WEBSITE – www.sorayanaomi.com
FACEBOOK – www.facebook.com/sorayanaomi.author
FACEBOOK PROFILE – https://www.facebook.com/soraya.naomi.77
FACEBOOK CHICAGO SYNDICATE READER GROUP – https://www.facebook.com/groups/chicagosyndicate/
TWITTER – www.twitter.com/Soraya_Naomi
INSTAGRAM – www.instagram.com/soraya_naomi
READER GROUP - https://www.facebook.com/groups/chicagosyndicate/
AMAZON AUTHOR – http://tinyurl.com/jwadol3
