NoNi Ramos-Richards has been a member of the Writers’ League for five years and lives, as she puts it, “west of weird, in Dripping Springs, Texas, but hails from the Boogie Down Bronx.” She is attending the 2015 Agents & Editors Conference in Austin.
Scribe: In what genre(s) do you write?
NoNi Ramos-Richards: Think Junot Diaz meets Girl Interrupted with my YA project, Disturbed Girls. My picture book project is directed at the audiences of I Love You Forever and Princess in Training. I’m currently working on an apocalyptic fantasy about a magical afro, a diaspora of bees, and zombies.
Scribe: What authors would you like to have coffee or a beer with and which beverage?
NR: After tap dancing to Tilly and the Wall, I would like to drink egg cream sodas with Kelly Link at an after-hours diner. We will binge on chili-fries and take turns discussing “The World-Tree Library” and “zombie shopping lists.” To complete the evening we will conduct a séance conjuring up Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Margo Lanagan, which will be strange because Margo’s not dead. But, Stranger Things Happen. Tender Morsels, like jelly cream donuts will keep Link, Marquez, and Lanagan story-swapping til dawn …
Scribe: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book would you want to have with you to keep you sane?
NR: My copy of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, bookmarked with issue #32 of Hi-Fructose Magazine, would keep me sane enough to write my manic musings in the sand.
Scribe: What have you learned from your association with the Writers’ League?
NR: I have learned to maintain connections with the talented writers and artists that I meet. We need each other for support, sanity, and inspiration. In regards to agents and editors, I have learned to value each opportunity and to be ready with a quality, polished product. Bring on the “shark-tank!”
Scribe: Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
NR: My writing might take me to Paris or Maine or Mars. It might take me to Simon & Schuster or Smashwords. Above all, my writing will take me to my audience. They’re out there reading Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass or buying D’Angelo at Black Gold’s Records or watching Jane the Virgin.
Scribe: Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world? An opportunity for blatant self-promotion!
NR: I’d like to share a playlist. Vogliamente Bene (Madame Butterfly). Mi Machete. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron. Crystallize by Lindsey Sterling. Throw in The Ghetto by Donny Hathaway, and you’ve got a taste of my protagonist Macy Cashmere’s playlist. Hit repeat. If you’d like to know more, find me on Facebook, Twitter @NoNiLRamos, Instagram, or drinking a Manhattan at the bar. Let’s connect!
