As for how I came up with such a complex character , she was inspired somewhat by an unusual and mysterious ( and kinda frightening ) great aunt of mine in Mississippi . I used my aunt as the template , but once I began to write Sukie , she took on a darkness that far surpassed anything I had in mind .
Author , Tiffany L . Warren There is an urban legend that you wrote Child of God in two weeks . True or nah ?
Lolita Files : That is definitely an urban legend . I wrote “ Scenes From A Sistah ” in a week . I wrote “ Getting To The Good Part ” in two weeks . I wrote “ Blind Ambitions ” in about two and a half . I would write for days on end with no sleep and collapse on the other side once the book was done . I don ’ t write like that anymore . However . . .
NK : Now that sounds more like it !! I ’ m not the jealous type , but if you had penned something as deep as Child of God in a few days , it was time for me to rethink my life !
How did you decide on the progression of the story in that it sweeps into each person ’ s life and then ends at a point that makes us lose our minds ?
Lolita Files : That ’ s a hilarious way to put it ! As woo-woo as this sounds , I actually didn ’ t decide on anything . I just showed up ready to write and the characters led the story . I always let them lead , whether I agree with what they ’ re doing or not . When I completely give myself over to Story ( with a capital “ S ”), amazing things happen . That was definitely the case with “ Child of God .” I always say that book used me to get here . It turned out to be bigger and more impactful than anything I ever planned .
NK : What made you decide to tackle the intense taboo of innate sexual preference and weave it into the story ? You didn ’ t gloss over the fact that men who are homophobic tend to have some “ history ” in their background that makes them take such a hard stance .
Lolita Files : It goes back to my love of dark tragedies in Greek mythology . Those stories were rife with incest and intermarrying and all manner of familial shenanigans . I “ what-if ’ d ” the idea of that happening in a rural Black family . The shame , the secrets , the whatever that might come from that . It was the family ’ s “ curse ” that had to ultimately be purged .