We were lucky to catch up with Angel Payne recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Angel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned in school and why that lesson is important to you?

I love this question, as I’ve thought about it quite a bit with my child in their first year of art college. It’s been interesting to me, talking with them beyond the usual “get rest, show up for class, LISTEN to your professors” drill. And of course, because they’re an introverted art kid, I’ve stressed the importance of relationships and networking. But in the process, reflecting back on how thoroughly my university experience impacted my life, it’s come to more than all of that combined.

The importance of college actually runs deeper.

Personally, the most important takeaway that I took from college was the concept of accountability. But not in the usual and obvious ways–though those certainly counted. It was also the responsibilities to myself. The bigger questions about who I was going to be, and what I was going to stand for. Those hard questions forged my life path into areas I hadn’t imagined, and stayed with me throughout life.

Angel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have several big words that I love using about my work. The most foremost is PASSION. You’d think that the obvious choice for a romance author, right? But it’s more important than you realize! It’s not just for the “hot stuff” in my prose. It’s for every aspect of what I do, starting with inspiring my team and interacting with my fans, then flowing to what I bring to every scene I write and every product I produce. If I’m not completely invested in what I’m doing, others won’t be.

I also love using the word GODDESSES. Many years ago, a friend lifted me up from a rough patch in my life by calling me a goddess worthy of better in my world. It changed the way I looked at myself–and I use it often with my readers and friends to remind them of the same thing!

Since my writing journey is really one that I feel in my soul, I also keep KINDNESS at the forefront of everything I do. Let’s face it: none of us is going to do everything right, a hundred percent of the time. But when those tough times come, or mistakes happen, kindness makes all the difference in the world. That probably sounds quite I-drank-the-Koolaid-sih, but I do believe it.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Tying my whole worth as an author into external validations. In our business, it’s things like your Amazon ranking, how many lists you’ve hit, and the big golden egg of the movie deals. They’re discussed in chat rooms and at conferences in reverent whispers. Hit any or all of those goals, and you’ve supposably “arrived” as a romance writer.

Like everyone else, I was striving ardently for all those goals–and even signed away some significant rights on my work when people made promises that they’d be reached. When none of it happened, I dipped into a rough depression. I blamed the failure on the quality of my own work, which had been my most passionate project to date. I refused to listen to very well-informed friends about changes in the market, and needing to readjust my expectations about not just my art, but what “validation” about it meant to me.

It took several years to free my brain enough from all that glorified expectation, and to blow up the jealousy hole. Striving for the big dreams is never an awful thing; it just can’t be the ONLY thing. Once I embraced that once more, storytelling was joyous again.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

For any creative, I think a huge part of it is connection. Those awesome moments when you can distill part of the human experience and then express it in your medium. Since love is the greatest force in the universe, it’s no wonder so many of us love reading and writing it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://angelpayne.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelpaynewriter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorangelpayne
• Linkedin: NA
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngelPayneWrtr
• Youtube: NA
• Yelp: NA
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@angelpayneauthor

Image Credits
Regina Wamba Travis Tanner