Having seen Wanda M. Morris’ performance on one of those lying panels, where authors try to trick the audience into believing a story that is completely false, I would say always be cautious around this one–She’s got game!
That said, the honesty and humanity that comes through from Wanda’s answers to our standard Composite Sketch question will surprise no one who has read her incredible novels. Both All Her Little Secrets and Any Where You Run show a writer working at the top of her game and they are deserving of all the accolades bestowed upon them. The fact that Wanda herself is just a special, is simply icing on the cake.
Let’s see how she tackles our questionnaire.
Name: Wanda M. Morris
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
This person from my personal life is such an inspiration:
My mom was my biggest inspiration, and to this day, she remains the strongest and most fascinating woman I’ve ever met. She raised seven kids while working full-time, sometimes working two jobs so that she could give me a life that wasn’t readily available to her. She was the person who introduced me to books and sparked my love of the written word. I started reading when I was four years old. Once I did, she fed my insatiable appetite for books by taking me to the library and buying me books when the budget allowed. Some aspect of her influence on my life is present in all my books. When she died, I thought my heart would never heal because I no longer had her physical presence with me. But now I realize I have her presence around me constantly because I read and write a great deal, and that’s all because of her. I think my mom would be so proud to see where her love of words and her influence has taken me.
One of the people I admire most in the crime fiction community is:
My agent, Lori Galvin. She works so dang hard at her job. Her love of books and the publishing industry shines through. She is a fierce advocate for her clients, and I couldn’t have a better partner on this incredible journey. But the thing I admire most about Lori is her kindness and decency. She always seems to make decisions that are not only in the best interest of her authors, but also decisions that are simply the right thing to do. It’s a quality that I try to emulate on this writing journey. A lot of people in the publishing industry should take a page from her book.
STALKER ALERT! If this fictional character were real, they would likely need to get a restraining order against me:
Jenine Teagues (played by actress, Quinta Brunson) is the ever-hopeful school teacher from the television show, Abbott Elementary. I’d probably stalk the entire cast of teachers and staff in the show. They are all on this near-impossible journey to educate young children within the confines of an underfunded, broken public school system. The show is hilarious, heartbreaking and full of hope. I can’t recommend it enough!
People are always surprised that I am a fan of this individual (singer, actor, or artist):
I can’t think of a particular person, but people are always surprised to learn that I am a huge fan of those campy, B-rated science fiction movies from the 1950s. From the stilted acting to the primitive special effects to the rogue aliens, I love them! The other night, I watched The Crawling Eye. It’s a 1958 film about a group of people trapped in the Swiss Alps after a gigantic extraterrestrial eye is discovered living in a radioactive cloud above them. It’s escape TV at its finest.
My personal catch phrase is (or should be):
“What’s the ‘go forward’ plan?” Whenever there’s a problem or something goes wrong, I try not to spend a lot of time wringing my hands over the problem and sifting through the blame game. I prefer to focus on finding the solution or a way out of the predicament. This approach serves me well during the rejection phases of my publishing journey.
You can find more about Wanda M. Morris on my website: www.wandamorriswrites.com or on social media:
IG: @wandamowrites
Twitter: @WandaMo14
Facebook: Wanda Morris Writer
Hive: @wandamorris
