Terry E Hill Tells Us About His Pair of Trilogies & Finding His Passion For Writing
Sin. Scandal. Sex. All the elements of a sensational novel. And writer Terry E Hill knows this. But he added a twist to his plotlines. His setting is in the Black church! Yep, Hill the explores shocking impropriety of a fictional church. And his readers are snapping up his books faster than you can say “Amen.”
Hill you see, is the author of the trilogies, “Come Sunday Morning” and “The Committee.” His first novel was “Come Sunday Morning,” and the first in his Sunday Morning Trilogy. It was followed by “When Sunday Comes Again,” published end of 2012; next came “The Last Sunday,” in October 2013. His fourth novel, “The Committee,” was released in December 2015.
To say Hill has become a favorite read would be an understatement. “Come Sunday Morning” was acquired by more 3,000 libraries not just in the U.S., but also in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
So why the universal appeal? “Come Sunday Morning,” published by Urban Renaissance—an imprint created by author, Carl Weber—is the story of L.A. based pastor Hezekiah T. Cleaveland and his wife Samantha. When Samantha learns of her husband’s homosexual affair, she arranges for his assassination. The story continues in the sequel, “When Sunday Comes Again,” when Samantha becomes the number one suspect in her husband’s death.
Hill recently chatted with Parle Magazine to talk about the trilogies and much more.
Parlé Mag: You are often compared to the late writer E. Lynn Harris. What do you think of this comparison?
Terry E Hill: I have a lot of respect for him so the comparison doesn’t bother me. I think it is inevitable considering what I write about.
Parlé Mag: What made you start writing?
Terry E Hill: I started completely by accident. I didn’t write anything until I was in my early 40s and, honestly, I was sitting in church one Sunday and I was telling someone about a scandal that happened in another church and they said I should write a book. I did just that, and the book had a lot of flaws and problems but I worked on it, and it got published.
Parlé Mag: How did you find a publisher?
Terry E Hill: I found this agent who liked the book, but said it needed a lot of work and gave me some advice. I worked on it and sent it back and she said, now this is something I can sell. I was lucky to find an agent who believed in my talent. It took me about three months to find one after hundreds of rejections—I sent to all kinds of agents, from cookbook agents to children’s book agents.
Parlé Mag: Were you surprised?
Terry E Hill: Yes! I really didn’t think I could write.
Parlé Mag: How did you like writing?
Terry E Hill: After I started writing, I was hooked immediately. I found I enjoyed it. I had finally found a creative outlet that I was relatively good at and I found that I really enjoyed the process, from conceptualizing to outlining to writing. I have always loved words.
Parlé Mag: What were you doing before becoming an author?
Terry E Hill: I was in politics in California; I was director of homeless services. I was Executive Director of a social services agency in San Francisco. I also worked as the Director of the Mayor’s Office on Homelessness for the City of San Francisco.
Parlé Mag: You left politics?
Terry E Hill: Completely! I couldn’t wait to get out of politics. The fact that I hated it, and loved writing, so it was kind of a no-brainer. Literally one day, I called into the office and I said, “See ya!”
Parlé Mag: Tell me about your latest book, “The Committee”?
Terry E Hill: I go back to politics and it’s based in New Orleans. It’s about the first Black woman to become president of the U.S. It’s a mix of mysticism, conspiracy theories, and even the Illuminati.
Parlé Mag: Any idea when we’ll get your next release?
Terry E Hill: The next book is “The Committee ll”. It is part two of the trilogy and will be out at the end of this year. The main character Camille Hardaway becomes the Governor of California then in “The Committee lll” she is president.
Parlé Mag: So you go back into the world of politics?
Terry E Hill: They say you are supposed to write about what you know (laughs). I was raised in the Black church and I’m still an armchair political analyst. And actually this new book was logical; three of the characters are from my other books so this is a continuation.
Stay Connected with Terry E Hill:
www.terryehill.com
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