October Indie Author Feature: Gigi Meier
This month’s feature is Gigi Meier, a joy of an author with a personality as vibrant as her swoony and sexy romance stories. I’ve had the immense pleasure of speaking with Gigi both on the podcast series I co-host with Kristina Carmela, The Indie Scribble Circle, and also during a one-on-one for Gigi’s Thursday Instagram Let’s go Live! feature earlier this year. Buckle up for one steamy book cover and a fun author interview below!
Where beats and brushstrokes collide to form a colorful love affair
In the pulsating heart of Atlanta's hip-hop scene, Kadus Yacob's dreams throb with ambition until one event sends him spiraling. Fleeing from a brush with the law, he finds himself in the vibrant chaos of Houston's art world, right in the path of Rebecca "Bex" Hartley.
Bex is a force to be reckoned with—a rockstar by night, leading her band with wild energy, and a bold, defiant artist by day, her murals splashing the city with rebellion, challenging every societal norm.
Kadus, striving to carve his name in the music industry, finds an unexpected muse in Bex, pestering her for help. But Bex is fighting her own war, torn between her art installations, her band’s touring schedule, and her family's conservative expectations, she doesn’t want or need a nagging kid around. When he steps into her world, a collision of paint, power, and passion ensues, igniting a sizzling connection that neither can deny.
From the underground beats of Atlanta's nightclubs to the colorful splashes of Houston's art district, their connection deepens, painting a love story as passionate and chaotic as Bex's art. Can the rhythm of Kadus's hip-hop beats resonate with the wild pulse of Bex's rock anthems and the vibrant strokes of her artwork, or will it be another one-hit wonder between these two?
What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?
[GM] This is a great question because I’m super picky about my font. It’s Garamond 12pt.
If you had to give up your keyboard and write your stories exclusively by hand, could you do it? If you already write everything by hand, a) are you a wizard and b) pen or pencil?
[GM] Actually, I’d dictate and I do that in several of my books since I can talk way faster than I can talk! If I had to hand write a book, oh my, it would be done for at least a year. My cursive is so messy from lack of use.
What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?
[GM] Writing my stories always happen either poolside in sunny weather that’s not too hot (Think spring and fall, here in Houston) or on my bed. I can’t write scenes sitting at my desk, it’s too literal and analytical, stifles my creativity. Or at least that’s the lie I tell myself. Haha.
What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?
[GM] Testament. It’s my clutch word. Apparently, everything is a testament to something else (eye roll). Oh and despite. I like conflicting ideas and this word bridges that gap between my character’s conflicting thoughts. (insert another eye roll) Now that I write this, I realize I need to do better.
Do you have any writing superstitions?
[GM] What are they and why are they 100% true? Other than my desk killing my creativity . . . I don’t think so. I do feel guilty if I don’t write everyday, but sometimes I absolve myself of that guilt by working on admin tasks which is a never ending list of author to-dos.
What is your darkest fear about writing?
[GM] That I won’t get the trauma right. I love writing dark romance with deeply flawed characters. I research various traumatic situations, how they manifest and the manner they shape and develop people. I find the human spirit to endure such hardships fascinating and like to infuse those in my darker works. I fear that despite my research and reaching out to victims, that I won’t do justice to their feelings, emotions and thoughts when climbing out of the depths of the darkness. I never want it to be contrite.
What is your deepest joy about writing?
[GM] Writing stories that resonate with people. It’s the greatest gift when a reader seems themself in my works. I write in deep POV because I want the reader to experience what the characters are feeling. I want the readers back to be against the wall, trapped by the situation and faced with the same difficult choices are my characters. When readers email or DM me with their thoughts and reactions, I love it! It’s one of the reasons I keep writing. I want to explore different characters, their lives, motivations and dreams as an extension of my own desire to experience various worlds.
