Sherrod Tunstall, former St. Louis American intern turned author, recently signed copies of his new novel, Spicy, at Subterranean Books in the Delmar Loop.
Spicy – a 321-page, gritty urban fiction tale of murder, revenge, love and sex – was released November 25 by Maryland-based La’ Femme Fatale’ Publishing. Tunstall said it’s a “dream come true” to finally see his book in print.
“I’m excited and a nervous wreck at the same time,” he said.
His mother, Lola Tunstall, has been his biggest supporter, he said, and continuously pushes him to follow his dreams.
“She always made sure I had a book in my hand,” he said of his mother.
The self-professed “bookworm” said the writing bug hit him when he was only 12 years old. In fact, Spicy developed from a short story he began writing in high school.
His other influences are some of the most notable names in the genre, from Sister Souljah to St. Louis’ own Keisha Ervin. His proudest moment came when he interviewed and wrote a feature story on Ervin during his internship with The American in 2008.
He was a valuable addition to The American staff, contributing a number of stories on a wide range of topics, including a front-page news report on an alleged incident of police brutality.
The following year, he graduated from St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, where he earned an associate degree in mass communications. In May 2012, he graduated from Webster University with a degree in journalism. He honed his writing skills reporting for both school newspapers, The Scene and Webster Journal, respectively.
Spicy isn’t his first novel. Secrets – a novel in the style of Danielle Steel that he compared to the soap opera Days of our Lives – was written during his time at Forest Park.
“As I was reading it, I’m thinking, ‘These characters are not me. They don’t represent my friends or where I come from,’” he recalled of his first novel.
No publishers wanted to publish the book, he said.
“And to tell you the truth,” he said, “I didn’t like the book I wrote either.”
After much soul searching, he discovered that he wanted to write about real life. His family, friends, co-workers and their everyday situations in St. Louis became his inspiration. There are even aspects of the author sprinkled throughout the book, like the title character’s pursuit of a broadcast journalism degree from Webster University.
He thought he was on an episode of MTV’s Punked when La’ Femme Fatale’ Publishing CEO Michele A. Cameron-Fletcher called expressing an interest in Spicy. That phone call led to a three-book deal.
“Do your research,” he advised aspiring authors. “Know about the business as much as you can and look over your contracts. If you don’t understand, get an agent or a lawyer. You don’t want to make millions with your book and then get ripped off.”
Spicy may be purchased online at lffpublishing.com, Amazon.com and local book retailers.
