SERVING IT UP WITH ‘SHAKEN AND STIRRED’ AUTHOR CRYSTAL DAVIS BLACK

Crystal Black Davis released Shaken and Stirred on her own. A big decision that is paying off for the marketer-turned-author as she launches her “Girl Night” book tour nationwide to promote  her novel, starting in the Midwest this Sunday, May 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

World Wide Web – Blaynistas, you know how the old saying goes: “If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.” And Crystal Black Davis did just that with her first fiction novel, Shaken and Stirred. After completing her novel, Crystal approached major publishing houses, met with people in the publishing industry, and even had people interested in Shaken and Stirred. Unfortunately changes were suggested for her book that Davis felt were not right for her novel, and so what did the gourmet food marketer-turned-author do next? “I said you know what I’m a marketer by trade,” Crystal said, who has her own marketing company called Savvy. “Who better to market this than me so I said, ‘You know what I’m not even gonna go that route. I’m gonna start my own publishing house.’” And Crystal wasn’t playing around as she launched Hudson Row Publishing last year and released Shaken and Stirred.

Although her friends advised her not to go forward with her plans to establish her own publishing house, sticking with her guts is all paying off for Crystal. She recently accepted the Independent Publishers Book Award, which we’re sure will add more buzz to Shaken and Stirred when Crystal kicks off her book tour on Sunday, May 30, from 5 – 8pm in Indianapolis, Indiana. Shaken and Stirred follows the life of thirty-something Christian Cullen, juggling her career, love life, family, and girlfriends, as told through her diary pages, and we sat down with Crystal for an exclusive interview to chat about what’s shaking and stirring in her first novel.

What should the readers expect from Shaken and Stirred?

This is a fun, comical story because it really highlights a lot of the things that happen naturally in life that are funny that sometimes they are funny after the fact or funny when  they were happening to you. When you look back on it, it makes you laugh. But she’s [Christian Cullen] a modern woman. She owns her own business. She wants to control every aspect of her life, and she realizes that maybe that’s not necessarily doable or possible. Sometimes you know you do just need those kind of reality kind of bring you back to letting go, and that’s what this is about. You’re following her journey. You’re seeing her day-to-day developments. You’re seeing her day-to-day insight. She’s in her 30s yet she’s still learning.

On the center of it all, of course, is Christian Cullen, how would you describe her character?

Christian Cullen. She personify what I would say not an alter-ego but not the best of me and not the worst of me. But someone who is just like me. During the writing process, I even would post questions to myself how I would react because that’s how Christian would react. She’s not exactly like me but she is a lot like me, and we were able to really relate to another because of the similarities. She’s an entrepreneur; I’m an entrepreneur. We both dealt with issues with faith. We both dealt with issues of being jaded by relationships. And then always expect the worst of someone who’s actually really, really good for you. We both dealt with issues of family rifts. We both dealt with losing big contracts that you really, really want to get, but it’s just wasn’t your time. There are similarities to me even know. Things that Christian go through the book, I still go through. But I couldn’t written her character without reflecting.

Because you say that Christian and you are very much alike, did that limited you from branching out in developing Christian from who you are while writing Shaken and Stirred?

No, I didn’t. Let me tell you why. I’ll tell you why the book is so different now. Because in the first version of Shaken and Stirred Christian was flawless. I didn’t want to expose my flaws; I didn’t want to expose my vulnerabilities; I didn’t want to expose my anxities. I had a lot of people tell me, “Story is awesome but Christian is too perfect.” That’s the ideal me. That’s the image I want everyone to see that she’s got it going on. You know she’s that neutral party. Everyone’s got her problem expect for her. You know that’s how the book reads, and I said, “You know what, that’s not reality.” Christian is just as flawed and maybe in some respects more flawed that everyone else, and I think that’s what makes the book so real. I had to shed some layers from Crystal in order to expose Christian’s flaws. And that was difficult for me to do.

Shaken and Stirred has that core female friendships story, which is often seen in a lot of modern literature aimed at women like in Candace Bushnell’s books. How did those fiction novels inspired you?

I love Candace Bushnell. And between the time I started Shaken and Stirred and the time I ended Shaken and Stirred, I didn’t read anything else. And I’m not saying that they completely influenced me but if you want to talk about contemporaries, they would be it. And I didn’t read other books on purpose because I didn’t want to be influenced. But I was so smitten by their story-telling and their relationships with women that was what got me.

And just to shake things up we want to know few of your favorite things.

Favorite Drink: Dark Rum and honey. It has to be the absolute best flavor in the world.

Favorite “small talk” topic: My favorite small would be unfortunately is politics.

Favorite accessory to wear: I’m a jewelry fanatic. I love, love exotic jewelry.

Favorite bar or lounge: The Modern (located at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City)

Blaynistas if you like to be “Shaken and Stirred,” Crystal’s novel is already on sell at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Alibris, and at www.shakenandstirredbook.com. Visit www.shakenandstirredbook.com for upcoming tour dates and locations!