CHOCOLATE CHAT WITH
MARISSA MONTEILH
Marissa Monteilh : Hello everyone , I ’ m here , ready and excited !!! :) :)
Christine Pauls : You have an impressive resume . Is writing your first love ?
Marissa Monteilh : Yes , it is now , but it took me years to discover it . I thought my first love was news reporting , but I wasn ’ t very good at it , LOL !
Naleighna Kai : That opening scene ! Where did the inspiration for that come from ?
Marissa Monteilh : Oh , you mean the threesome scene ? Well , you know , Claude told me about his birthday wish , and Fatima and Venus were willing , so they told me to go for it . Next thing I knew , they were working it out , I was like , dangggggg .
Shannan Harper : Their mother has Dementia . Was that something you researched for , or did it come from personal experience ?
Marissa Monteilh : Good question . Yes , my mother had Dementia , and those scenes were tough to write , Shannan . And now , with the finale , L . A . Husbands and Wives , Mason ’ s family thinks he has it too . ( shhhh , don ’ t tell anyone , sis )
Anita Roseboro-Wade : How much research goes into your books ?
Marissa Monteilh : A lot of research , especially for books about topics like cervical cancer , IVF , heart surgery , politics , etc . Yes , even swinger ’ s clubs , sex addiction , and escorts . But , I either interview folks or use the Internet .
Angela Lackey : Our book club plans to read your book Practice Wife . I can ’ t wait to read and tell you how our group session goes
Marissa Monteilh : Please do , thanks much . The Practice Wife has been well received and I ’ m so proud of it . I love the setting , issues , and characters .
Naleighna Kai : When hearing the title , it was almost as if you were going to come with strictly the hot stuff , but instead you brought us more of a drama about family and trust . Was that the plan all along ?
Marissa Monteilh : Yes , it was , Naleighna . I heard the song Hot Boyz by Missy Elliott as I was driving through Ladera Heights in L . A ., which is like a black Beverly Hills . I saw all of the Rolls Royce ’ s , Bentley ’ s , manicured lawns , huge homes with pools , and I was like , uh-huh , I need to show what ’ s really going on behind those fancy doors . More money can equate to more problems . And then the sex scenes came once I got to know the characters .
Naleighna Kai : I can ’ t hear that song without
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