When Essence Taylor, owner of Taylor Made Music Group, steps into Mocha Tea & Trends—a new upscale coffee shop in Old City Philadelphia—she’s focused on business, not romance. But when she overhears the manager scrambling after an artist cancels last minute, Essence seizes the opportunity to showcase her newly signed songstress.
Q1: What inspired you to write The Essence of His Soul? Why sports romance?
One of my best-selling novels is Fumbled Your Heart, but it focuses on football. I wanted to write a story that focused on a basketball player and his desire to find love again. Sports romance gives room to break stereotypes and to write love from an angle that isn’t layered in gossip and lust. The Essence of His Soul shows a man leveling up in Christ and in life, and we need more of that on the shelves.
Q2: How do Shane and Essence reflect Philly life or your own experiences?
Shane and Essence both grew up in Philly and their love for the city shows, even on their dates. Essence’s fiery, no-nonsense attitude and Shane’s protective and humble nature reminds me of a lot of the people I know from my city. For me, I didn’t see this type of love growing up, so while it isn’t a reflection of my own experiences, it reflects my prayers.
Q3: What was most rewarding about re-releasing this book under your own publishing banner? Did you feel you had to do it because it is an award-nominated book?
Re-releases are risky, because there is a slew of readers who are already familiar with the book, so people may wonder “why are we seeing this again”. However, when an author gets the rights back to their books from a publisher, it gives them an opportunity to really own the story, from the cover, to bonus content and even how they present it to readers the second time around. It’s been three years since the book first released and while it is one of my most popular, I wanted to capitalize off this new season of writing I’m in. The nominations helped me to see it as a book that deserves another chance to find new readers.
Q4: How has being a Philly native and Temple alum shaped your storytelling?
Being from Philly helped me break stereotypes with my pen and create a fresh, beautiful narrative. Even though it’s a love story, not everyone who is in love is sex-obsessed or lack self-control. The faith component is vital, and the Church plays an important role in the Philadelphia community.
Q5: Are there Philly places, people, or cultural touchstones in the story?
Absolutely. One of my favorite scenes is when they go on a date down Spruce Street Harbor Park. If you’ve never been to Philly, you have no idea what you’re missing, especially when it comes to dating locations. Delaware Avenue is one of Philly’s most popular locations for date nights and family fun. Shane’s coffeeshop, where they meet, is in Old City. Old City is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Philly. The history and rich culture, not to mention the restaurant scene, make it a gem in the city.
Q6: What do you hope readers take away from this story, especially women waiting for love?
Waiting on God for love is vital. Women should know valuing themselves and trusting God with their love story isn’t taboo. We also must be gentler with men. I think sometimes, women expect men to show up as finished products, while we want them to support us through our changes. Creating emotional safe places for men is just as important as them making us feel safe. My books teach the importance of listening and loving well.
Q7: How do the themes feel different now than they did when you first wrote it?
Honestly, they don’t feel different, but they did make me realize that even when I don’t think people are understanding the Christian romance genre, the themes are universal and can help anyone. To me, a book can become evergreen when it’s relevant beyond the year it was written.
Q8: Any favorite moments from the book?
One favorite moment is when Essence finally confronts her overbearing father. For church girls who have a frustrating relationship dynamic with their fathers, this book may heal them without them realizing it. I love touching on real life situations that I know may be affecting my reader. I speak to those things in an entertaining, but gentle way.
Q9: Behind-the-scenes story from revising the book?
As I worked on this edition, I realized Shane and Essence deserved an epilogue. Something I rarely do. Prologues and epilogues can bog a story down if not done right, but I wanted readers to see what happened next, while not giving a complete chapter. I also laughed more revising this time around. I didn’t realize it had so many humorous moments. I’m not saying it’s a romcom, but it isn’t boring.
Q10: If Shane and Essence were in Philly today, what would they be doing?
Read the epilogue and guess for yourself!
I looked at the scoreboard, thinking if I could just blink a few more times, the number would change and I could attempt the shot again, but it didn’t. Ninety-two to eighty-nine. If I would’ve made the last three-pointer, we would’ve at least gone into overtime. Our season was over.
I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but I couldn’t even breathe. The fact we still had a chance to make it and we’d blown it caused my chest to tighten. I saw Kevell out of the corner of my eye. He walked over to me. I felt his hand on my back.
“Yo, bro. We had a good season. I know it hurts, but we did our best,” he said, his voice cracking.
I looked at him and grabbed him in a hug. Some people may not understand, but the tears that fell from our eyes were tears we’d been holding in all season. We took every win and loss personal, but tonight was the blow that knocked the wind out of us. The Philadelphia Panthers hadn’t been to the playoffs since the first year I joined the team, which was four years ago. Each year, I promised the city a championship and each year, I’d failed them. I know I shouldn’t be carrying the weight of it all on my own, but I was the star player, the point guard. The leading scorer. How could I not think like that?
More teammates came over as we hugged it out. Finally, we made our way over to the other team to congratulate them. I was close to two of the players on the other team and when they hugged me, they shared in my sorrow, which made it worse.
As I walked over to the bench, the crowd did something I wasn’t expecting. Losing at home was a hard pill to swallow, but I watched as, one by one, everyone stood up and started clapping. The arena shook as they stomped the floor and chanted my name. I felt the floor vibrating under my feet. The sound grew louder and that made my tears flow harder. I knew our fans wouldn’t let us down. That was one of the reasons I traded to Philadelphia. The loyalty was insane. I grabbed a towel and wiped my face. Then I walked over to the announcer’s stand and grabbed a mic.
“Thank you. Thank you,” I said, clearing my throat. “You guys are the best. I mean, the absolute best. From your social media support, to when you see us out and about with our families, to right now in this moment. We adore you all. This season has been long and rough, but we carried it as a team. I’m not making you guys any more promises.”
The arena erupted with laughter.
“But I will say this. We won’t stop playing hard for you. Thank you for your love and support.”
I handed the mic back to the announcer, then waved at the crowd as we headed toward the locker room. I slapped the hands that stuck out from the sides as I headed back. I even stopped and took a few pictures with some of the younger fans. I wasn’t really in the mood, but it came with the game.
As I got closer to the locker room, security and other staff members clapped and saluted me and the rest of the team. I was trying my hardest not to be a big crybaby, but who could blame me?
I bent down to take another quick picture, then stood up. When my eyes landed on her, I almost ran over to her. I kept my composure as I made my way over to her. Though I hated she saw me lose, I was happy I’d invited her to my final game of the season. She opened her arms and I fell into them.
Mya K. Douglas (Mya Kay) is an Amazon bestselling author, dynamic speaker, magazine publisher, and literary leader born and raised in North Philadelphia. Since 2012, she has authored and published fifteen books spanning genres from Christian romance to memoir.In 2017, she co-authored Before Empire with Andria Mayberry, mother of Empire actor Bryshere “Yazz The Greatest,” featured on The Real. In 2022, she was selected as a semi-finalist for America’s Next Great Author, standing out as one of only 100 from over 800 applicants to pitch to judges including Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, and Victoria Christopher Murray.
That same year, Mya made history as the first Christian romance author signed to B. Love Publications. Her work includes The Storms of Love series, Fumbled Your Heart, and The Essence of His Soul. She has earned nominations including Christian Fiction Author of the Year by AAMBC (2023) and Best Christian Book for The Essence of His Soul at the 2024 Literary Gem Awards. She is currently signed to Black Legacy Publishing under B. Love Publications.
Beyond writing, Mya is the founder of Girls Anthem Magazine, a faith-forward media company inspiring girls and women to pursue purpose without compromising their values.
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Thank you so much! This is the best book blitz I've ever seen. XO
ReplyDeleteThank YOU for stopping by! Giselle at Xpresso does excellent work, truly. I enjoyed learning about your books and your mission with Girls Anthem. Best of luck with the blitz!!!!
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