When one thinks of words like fabulous, outgoing, exuberance and fashionable. you would tend to believe that the person having those attributes are ones desired to be inspired by. All of those and so much more can be attained to the fantastic star of “Real Housewives Of Miami” and now author Lea Black. As a fan of the Housewives, especially Miami, I was always captivated by Lea’s beauty, upfront honesty, humor and so much more which made her time on the show positively radiant in so many different ways. I have a huge amount of respect for her as she truly is a workhorse is many facets of her life- as a businesswoman, a mother, a wife, humanitarian, etc. You name it she’s done it, and just recently she was able to add onto her already plentiful resume- author.
Lea wrote an amazing book called “Red Carpets & White Lies”, a fictional novel about a Miami Socialite named Leigh Anatole White who goes through the ringer when planning her 10th and final year at the Annual Charity Ball, which is a star-studded event for troubled teens. Sounds kind of familiar right? (if you watched RHOM) The book is getting a ton of amazing reviews from New York Times Bestselling authors, readers on Amazon and yours truly. It is a fun, whimsical look on Miami’s social life and has a lot of characters, fun and drama to keep you on the edge of your seat. Definitely a fab summer reading if I must say so myself.
I was lucky enough to meet and interview Miss Lea Black last week when she did a book signing at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Union Square. Poised, politeful and perky in the best way possible, Lea talked more about her book at hand, her experience with the Real Housewives, and more. Take a look.
Thanks for sitting down with me Lea! You have so many facets of your career so far and now you are adding author. What made you want to go this route?
Fun and a guilty pleasure. I’ve always written poetry or lifestyle pieces for magazines, my leablackink.com blog, training manuals for sales teams, the Huffington Post political pieces, etc. So it is something I love to do, it’s an escape and it comes natural to me.
The book is fiction based, however most of the Real Housewives that have done books before have been memoirs, not fictional novels. What made you want to switch things up and stick with fiction?
It’s more fun. My first book was about about Inner and Outer Beauty, beauty from within. I decided this one would just be a fantasy, fun, easy read, scandalous novel.
Would you ever consider writing a memoir?
No. Because my life is pretty much an open book but the people I interact with for the most part prefer to be private. I know it’s hard to believe, lol, but not everyone wants to be on Facebook!
How did you come up with the title for “Red Carpets & White Lies”?
I went through different types of titles: “Shameless in Miami” types, then the glamour types, and then realized that “Red Carpets and White Lies” paints a backdrop and leaves the picture to the imagination. It is inviting, don’t you think?
Is the character loosely based on your life? This all seems familiar based off what I saw on Real Housewives.
Parts of it are – maybe the underlying backdrop of experiences and personality traits but the storyline is completely fiction. The driven, self motivated, get things done part, I can certainly identify with. And of course, the betrayals are familiar territory too! Lol.
Could you see the character of Leigh on a TV series, or even better a movie?
Yes, both. And several people in the industry have mentioned it to me. Someone even mentioned a Broadway Play. For me it was so much fun, if it just turns out it was a hobby – I laughed so much writing it that I can’t ask for more. It’s quite sarcastic too.
Any plans on a sequel for the novel?
Yes – I have a spin-off character already in the works. A very strong character who gets what she asks for but what she had in mind – is quite a different outcome. This one is gonna hit a lot of people close to home and have a lot of raw meat for fodder in it. Can’t wait to see who people “guess or think” the characters are! I’m having a ball just thinking about squeezing the juice out of some of these lemons! Lol.
A lot of people know you from Real Housewives of course. What was your overall experience on that show? Would you ever consider joining the cast in another city?
I have fun when I do it and I do not miss it when I don’t. And I would be open minded about another city if I had a real connection to the girls. But you know Bravo doesn’t really do the cross-over thing much. Not sure some of those cities are ready for a hurricane from Miami to hit!
Outside of the show and novel, what else do you have going on that would be of interest to fans and readers alike?
The charity for 20 plus years. Omg! Really? I can’t believe it. Whew! My LeaBlackBeauty.com line of jewelry and skin care products (over 400 products). SuddenYouth.com an amazing non-surgical face lift lit in a box that shows results in twenty minutes. I created Sudden Youth in the mid ’80’s and I’ve never demonstrated it on a customer that didn’t see immediate results. LeaBlackHandbags.com, an exquisite line of after five handbags starting at about $100 that will rock any outfit with classic chic pieces. And of course my blog LeaBlackInk.com, that’s a little bit of everything to pop culture to lifestlyle, beauty tips, personal growth, entertainment – it has it all. And because I spend about half my time in Los Angeles in our West Hollywood Hills home – i have a full life of fabulousness there! I love my life. I created it so I don’t get to complain. I pinch myself and give thanks everyday!
Anything you want to add?
Yes, I am loving my book tour, next stop, Book Soup, West Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard, Thursday, June 4th at 7 pm for more information email [email protected]. This is going to be a star studded packed house of fun and fabulous LA guests, and many of my West coast friends. Then it will be party time as summer begins, no school for my son and our schedule will be foot loose and fancy free! Did I mention how much I love my life?