One Summer with Terah

Interview By Cleavester

On the eve of Terah Shelton Harris debut novel being released, I had the pleasure to sit down and chat with her about ‘One Summer in Savannah ’ So pull up a chair and enjoy this interview

Cleavester: Hi Terah, How are you?

Terah Shelton Harris: I’m wonderful! I just returned home from an exciting vacation in Paris, one of my favorite places in the world!

Cleavester: Congrats, on your new debut novel 'One Summer in Savannah.' Tell the readers about it?

Terah: Sara, a young poet who returns home after eight years away to run her father’s bookstore and finds she must protect her gifted daughter and herself from the powerful family of the man who raped her, something made even more difficult when she falls in love with the last person she expects: His twin brother, Jacob.

Cleavester: Where did the inspiration for 'One Summer in Savannah' come from?

Terah: Inspiration for One Summer in Savannah stems from the 2015 Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina After the parishioners fed him and prayed for him, a man shot and killed nine of them Days after that terrible tragedy, before they had even buried their loved ones, some of the survivors and relatives of those killed walked into a South Carolina courtroom and forgave the murderer At that moment, I realized I knew nothing about forgiveness I assumed that there were crimes and acts that were unforgivable, but I learned the opposite. The loved ones who forgave him taught me to look inward, and I learned that forgiveness is not one-size fits all. I decided to explore that by writing a book that challenged readers on the definition of forgiveness and what it truly means to forgive

Cleavester: How long did it take for you to write it?

Terah: I started writing ONE SUMMER IN SAVANNAH in 2020 A little here, a little there My work as a librarian prohibited me from writing anything more han a few hundred words per day. But in March, my library closed for two and half months because of the pandemic While working from home, I was also able to write a lot more I finished in November, edited it in December, and started seeking representation in January 2021.

Cleavester: What kind of person is the lead character Sara Lancaster?

Terah: I love this question because I love Sara so much. Sara is a woman desperate to let go of her pain and do what was best for her daughter. To do that, like most mothers, she places Alana’s needs over her own and that includes facing (literally) the ghosts of her past But Sara is also eager to move on Once back in Savannah, she realizes just how much holding on to the past has held her back.

KB: What is your writing process?

Terah: We send chapters back and forth So, if Gabrielle writes chapter 1, I (Nikki) will write chapter 2 and so forth and so on. We research and bounce ideas off one another.

Cleavester: What kind of person is the lead character Sara Lancaster?

Terah: I love this question because I love Sara so much. Sara is a woman desperate to let go of her pain and do what was best for her daughter. To do that, like most mothers, she places Alana’s needs over her own and that includes facing (literally) the ghosts of her past But Sara is also eager to move on Once back in Savannah, she realizes just how much holding on to the past has held her back.

Cleavester: When you wrote the last word, what did you do afterwards?

Terah: I sighed and a smile grew on my face. Why? Because I wrote it in about two hours and knew that it was exactly what I wanted. In fact, the final version in the book is almost the exact version (minus a few edits) I originally wrote. I have NEVER written something as perfect as the ending (without tons of revisions and edits) to ONE SUMMER IN SAVANNAH It’s my favorite chapter in the book

Cleavester: What has writing this book taught you about yourself and others?

Terah: The topic of forgiveness following assault is not one often explored in fiction. It was difficult for me to write, and I understand it could be triggering to read But writing isn’t supposed to be comfortable or easy, and neither is reading Rather than running from what makes us uncomfortable, we can take risks, challenge ourselves, and step outside of our lived experiences and our comfort zones so that we may grow as a person. Thousands of brave people are faced with rape-related pregnancies every year, a number that stands to increase with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. But by exploring such a topic, it is my hope, at the very least, to raise awareness of the plights of Saras around the world and the role forgiveness could play in such situations

Cleavester: Please give the readers a brief bio on you and as a writer and author?

Terah: Sure! I am a librarian and a freelance writer based in Alabama. My work has appeared in Catapult, Women’s Health, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Backpacker, and Minority Nurse As a librarian, chief among my responsibilities is the coordination of all aspects of collection development. For me, there’s no greater satisfaction than providing my patrons with stories that will move them, inspire them, and challenge them.

Cleavester: What was life like growing up?

Terah: I love my family and wouldn’t trade my childhood for anything in the world In fact, the Pizza Fridays featured in ONE SUMMER IN SAVANNAH is based on Pizza Fridays I had in my house as a child.

Cleavester: What kind of dreams did you have for yourself growing up? Have you accomplished those dreams?

Terah: I recently wrote that dreams are weird when accomplished Growing up, I dreamed of living in New York City, traveling the world, and becoming a writer. Well…I have accomplished all of those. For decades, I dreamed of achieving those goals and when I did, it felt surreal, like it was happening to someone else. That’s when I realized that you never stop dreaming, never stop adding goals, achievements, and accomplishments to your list

Cleavester: What is your writing process?

Terah: I write all of my books longhand. I’ve tried to write on a computer, but found that the words flow easier if I just write them out I do not write linear I write whatever my characters whisper into my head that day That could be a sentence of dialogue, character description, or a few lines of exposition. I’m also a plantser. I know the end of my books before I start them. I don’t see scenes when I write, rather, I hear my characters in my head so after the end has been established, I wait for my characters to guide me towards the end

Cleavester: What advice would you give to writers wanting to publish a book?

Terah: Start! I know that may seem simple, but I meet so many people who want to write a book but have not started. They have done all of the research, asked all of the questions, but have yet to write a word Or, have only written a few hundred words You can’t write a book without words, sentences, pages, and chapters. You have to start. Additionally, study the craft by reading books in your desired genre, but also in other genres.

Cleavester: If 'One Summer in Savannah' is made into a film, who would you like to play Sara Lancaster and others? Why?

Terah: This is a hard question! I don’t see people or scenes when I write. My characters tell me what they look like so I can only describe them in words. Except, for Jacob. Before I started writing, Jacob told me he looked like Jesse Williams and I wrote all of Jacob’s chapters with Jesse in my head Now, I can’t imagine anyone else playing Jacob As for Sara (based on how I described her), I think Nicole Beharie would make a perfect Sara. I’m such a fan of Sterling K. Brown and know he would absolutely kill the role of Hosea. I would cry a river of tears if Viola Davis played Birdie. It’s probably too small of a role for her, but it’s such a powerful and emotional one

Cleavester: If 'One Summer in Savannah' is made into a film, who would you like to play Sara Lancaster and others? Why?

Terah: This is a hard question! I don’t see people or scenes when I write. My characters tell me what they look like so I can only describe them in words. Except, for Jacob. Before I started writing, Jacob told me he looked like Jesse Williams and I wrote all of Jacob’s chapters with Jesse in my head. Now, I can’t imagine anyone else playing Jacob. As for Sara (based on how I described her), I think Nicole Beharie would make a perfect Sara. I’m such a fan of Sterling K. Brown and know he would absolutely kill the role of Hosea. I would cry a river of tears if Viola Davis played Birdie It’s probably too small of a role for her, but it’s such a powerful and emotional one

Cleavester: What makes you happy when you sit down to write every day?

Terah: My characters! They are fictional, but they are very real to me I live with them I eat meals with them I talk to them When it’s time to write, I enjoy listening to what they have to tell me and being invited into their world.

Cleavester: What book was a transformational read for you as a reader or as a writer?

Terah: Honestly, I don’t know if there’s one book that was as transformational for me as all books and having access to information. I was practically raised in a library. I’m a librarian! Books have always been a huge part of my life.

Cleavester: What’s next? Have you started working on your next book? What can readers look forward to?

Terah: Yes! In fact, I submitted my second book to my editor about a month ago. I’m not sure how much I can share yet but I will mention that it’s a family drama and I’m calling it the book of my heart! It took so much out of me but I love it so much and hope readers will as well

Cleavester: When this life is said and done. What do you want your legacy to be?

Terah: That I left an impact on the world Whether it’s through a book that I wrote or a service/program I started at my library, I would like to know, for the world to know, that I was here and I moved the world forward in some way.

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