Jade's Jaded Eden: Interview: Don Abdul

Hello beautiful people and welcome to another interview. I have the pleasure to have a charmer today, a sweet talker (and believe, it goes with a voice… hmmm… damn that voice!). Please welcome Don Abdul.

The morning, you are tea or coffee?

I am most certainly a tea person, Earl Grey in fact *Winks*

What kind of books do you write?

I write erotic fiction

Why did you choose this genre?

I chose this genre because affords me the freedom to push the envelope, break taboos, and explore issues of sex and sexuality in ways my readers can relate to.

When you write, are you keyboard or paper?

Definitely a keyboard writer, writing long hand is so last century in my book… sorry guys. LOL

Are you more motivated to write when the sun shines or when the weather is gray?

The weather really has very little to do with when I write, the motivation comes from within. Sure the weather influences what I write sometimes, like a dark and grey weather might probably have me portray my character(s) in a dark and gloomy situation… something like that.

Where do you find your inspiration?

I find my inspiration mostly in simple, even mundane everyday lives of normal people. I simply think, “What if there’s more to their lives than meet the eye?” My stories are therefore inspired by the wishes, aspirations and secret fantasies of these normal folks, and that is the basis of the interesting back stories in the lives of my characters regardless of their public persona. The inspiration for my last book (Checkmate) is especially consistent with this idea. It exposes the unspoken racial tension in the social dynamics of a supposedly racially liberal workplace and the delicate balances that had to be maintained in order not to upset the applecart.

When you start a book, do you already have the whole story in your head, or is it built progressively?

When I start a book, I already have the plot written down. I however allow the story to develop organically as I progress. It is quite interesting what could happen once the writing and layering is underway. My stories have been known to veer off in directions I could never have imagined at the beginning, and most often I’m pleasantly surprised where things end up. The twists and turns are a delightful discovery along the way. It makes writing that much more exciting for me. It’s like the little people in my head are full of surprises. LOL

How do you feel before the release of a book? Fear, joy? And after?

Excitement, anticipation, nerves but never fear. Afterwards I feel a sense of accomplishment and pressure to get back to my writing desk and work towards the birthing of the next book.

Between your first and last novel, do you feel a change? Do you write differently?

Yes, I believe there are changes between those two periods in my journey as a writer and author. I wouldn’t say I write differently per se, just that my writing has come of age. It has matured nicely and the narrative is not only filled with heat and passion, it is now also rich in substance as well. The characterization is deeper and the premise so much more plausible that it makes you feel a certain familiarity with the characters and their situations.

They say that writers project themselves into the skin and into the head of his hero / heroine, is that the case for you?

Yes that would be correct in more ways than one…. *Laughs*

You define yourself more like a bookworm, a city mouse or a country mouse?

I’ll say I’m a bookworm, who lives in the inside of a city mouse who dreams of living as a country mouse… Does that make any sense at all? *Laughs*

Molière said: “Writing is like prostitution. First we write for the love of it, then for a few friends, and in the end for money.” What do you think about it?

I think Moliere is on to something there, although considering that the money as a motive for writing comes last; I’d say most writers remain in it for the passion.

Your books have already been translated?

Not to the best of my knowledge, not as yet.

Do you pay attention to literary criticism?

It’ll be a mistake not to pay attention to it. I believe constructive criticism is fuel for growth in creative circles. As a writer I try to learn from them and move on to use them to improve my craft.

The days are 25 hours. You spend that extra hour in the garden or in the kitchen?

Let’s see, I’d most likely spend that extra hour in the garden working hard behind the plus sized lady friend in the short summer dress who’s on her hands and knees tending the rose bed *Winks*

The Kitchen is also a great place to be by the way *Winks*

What is the book you would bring with you on a deserted island?

Checkmate by Don Abdul

In the evening, do you turn off the light directly or do you take the time to read?

I take the time to read before I turn off the light and go to bed…. Usually, you get my drift don’t you *Winks*

Thank you very much for having me on your blog, I’ve had such a great time.

A Reluctant Slave.

Chapter One:

Nimah Washington was a sexy 26 year old African American woman from a middle class family. The last two generations of her family had lived in the more affluent suburbs of the city of her birth and managed their own profitable businesses.

She was an ambitious woman and the sky was indeed the limit, but despite her family's vast businesses and her good Ivy League college education, Nimah chose to seek employment elsewhere. Her father agreed with her decision as even the family would benefit from a period of skill growth and gathering of diverse working experience in a variety of other firms. He was however insistent that she must return eventually to try her hand at the family business.

After a stint working for a couple of large retail corporations, she decided to take her career to the next level. She had several offers in the executive cadre of top city firms out of which she chose X-tent Inc. The firm was a leader in the provision of Green Energy and Home solutions, and as a junior vice president for sales her schedule was full. One of the perks of her job was that it came with an executive assistant.

Since the position was only recently created as part of the firm's overall expansion strategy, both Nimah and her assistant had been head-hunted from outside the firm by a management consultant. Her Executive Assistant had reported for work a week prior to her arrival so as to become familiar with the terrain and get things ready for her assumption of office.

Although Nimah was a liberal thinker who couldn't care less about the gender, race or religious beliefs of people she worked with, she had quite naturally assumed her EA would be a woman. As she stepped out of the elevator and walked briskly into her outer office, she was quite stunned to find that her EA was in fact a man.

She stopped dead in her tracks and was speechless for a couple of seconds before she quickly snapped out of her shock and swiftly got back into character. "Good morning, Miss Washington. I am Jack Bradshaw, your executive assistant," he beamed enthusiastically, offering his hand in greeting.

Nimah favored him with a smile that was in fact a touch sweeter than was appropriate. She kept it simple not for any 'stuck up' reasons but rather because she feared any complex response could potentially betray her deep and unsettling response to his masculine charms.

Jack was built like a warrior. He must be at least 6' tall, and 214 lbs. Nimah's love for men of his physique was an open secret among her friends. She felt herself flush with the beginnings of desire and quickly shook his hand and then withdrew to her own office.

She had only taken a quick glance at his face, but it was quite enough for her to get a snapshot of his smoky grey eyes which unsettled her so much it made her heart skip a beat. She immediately shut the door firmly behind her and rested her back on it. She had to do that lest he followed her into the office. She closed her eyes but her head was filled with images of his sculpted body and tanned skin on a sandy beach.

His well-trimmed jet black hair excited her. 'Dayum girl,' a devilish voice inside of her teased. 'I cannot believe you're crushing on the hired help just five minutes after you met him for the first time ever, and it's only 8.00 a.m.'

It was so amazing how much detail she was able to capture in just a few minutes. 'He looked sexy as hell I could kiss those lips all night long… Ughhh…' her thoughts were interrupted by firm knocks on the door. Nimah quickly smoothed down her skirt suit and walked briskly to her desk before saying in her 'official' sounding voice, "You may enter!"

She waved Jack to a chair opposite her and they began their review of her itinerary for the week ahead. He read out her schedule while she either confirmed or rejected the various items he listed until each succeeding item conveniently fitted in with the previously vetted items.

After a while she lifted her eyes to his face while he carried on calling out her program, but she was no longer paying attention as she merely voiced a yes here and a no there. She was engrossed in her early morning daydream in which she and the handsome hunk across from her spent time together on the sandy beach at a far away resort.

His sexy grey eyes and stubborn square jaw hinted that he was most likely a man who wouldn't concede an advantage lightly. Nimah liked stubborn strong men, who liked to take charge of situations without any hesitation, or doubt.

Based on the way Jack had conducted himself so far, she started to form a mental picture of him as a domineering man whom one would be mistaken to trifle with. 'And just what would he do if I decided to trifle with him?' she wondered. The possibilities of the consequences of doing so left her breathless and hot with desire. A soft moan escaped her sexy red lips taking her completely by surprise, she quickly faked a cough and then cleared her throat to cover up her embarrassment.

She hoped he hadn't caught on to her little indiscretion even as she thanked her stars that she was after all a black woman who didn't have to suffer the indignity of a blush. 'Oh p-u-h-l-e-a-s-e!' that little devil on her shoulder whispered sarcastically, 'as if you'd actually mind the humiliation of being found out.'

Nimah smiled discretely as she inevitably agreed with the tiny voice in her head. She had always had a peculiar fantasy in her desire for a little bit of put down. She was a 'black princess', that was what her daddy always called her; while her carriage was both elegant and graceful, her secret inner desire was complex as it was bizarre, at least to others it would sound bizarre if only they knew about it.

Nimah had been through a couple of power exchange relationships in her life. The first was with a girl back in college, and the last one had ended nearly a year and a half ago. Her last master was a South African Junior Diplomat whose tour of duty at the UN in New York had ended. 'Now that's an altogether different story,' she thought as she resolved quietly that it would be a very bad idea to mix business with pleasure, especially with the hired help. She promptly composed herself and swept the erotic stirrings she felt into the trash can of history.

Meanwhile Jack, who had noticed that his boss was looking rather flush, felt compelled to intervene. "Are you sure you're feeling ok?" he inquired with some concern registering both on his handsome white face and his voice as well. "Perhaps I should get you a glass of water or a coffee," he offered.

'Careful girl!' her good inner voice cautioned. She had to be very careful; that wasn't the best way to start her first day as the junior VP of a major firm. The last thing she needed was a sexual harassment scandal on her hands. That would definitely be a career ender.

Nimah scanned her wall clock, and then gathered her stuff for the meeting in the conference room. While both she and her EA walked out of her office, she resisted the temptation to lower her eyes to his butt which was thankfully all covered up anyway. She fervently agreed with the maxim "Don't shit where you eat."