Where are you from?  Chicago, born, bred, and still living. 

When and why did you begin writing?  I have been writing for nearly 20 years and have accumulated a collection of poetry and short stories, some of which can be found at www.sharoncullars.net/slcpage.html .  As for the why of it, because I find that writing is one of the most pleasurable tasks I have a propensity for.  I began Celia: A Haunting Mystery about six years ago, and finished about two years ago.  Overall, it was a wonderful process. 

When did you first consider yourself a writer?  Will get back to you on that question.  Maybe after I hit a certain sales mark.  Although even without the sales, I write for the pleasure of it, and I guess, more than anything, that is the one thing that defines a writer. 

Do you have a specific writing style?  I like to think I have a fluid, lyrical (and very descriptive) style.  But I'm also experimenting with a more concise syntax (but still fluid). 

What genre are you most comfortable writing?  Well Celia is, of course, a mystery, but the novel I'm presently writing falls within the horror genre.  Also, I have started a website featuring interracial erotica, so I think that I am comfortable writing within most genres. 

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way? Some Octavia Butler (sci-fi), Tananarive Due (literary horror) as well as Barbara Michaels (mystery), and a little of Guy Gavriel Kay (literary fantasy/adventure).  Although they have varied styles, I have incorporated a little of all of them into various pieces I have written. 

What books have most influenced your life?  Of course, the Bible, which shapes much of my belief system.  As for more earth-bound books, I have been influenced, personally, by many of the exploratory offerings by bell hooks'.  In her, books she provides in-depth analyses of the black woman's history in America and how we were and continue to be perceived.  As for contemporary writers, I love Octavia Butler and Tananarive Due and wish I had a tenth of their talent. 

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?  It would probably be a toss-up between Octavia Butler and Tananarive Due.

What are you reading now?  Actually, I'm reading a sci-fi/fantasy book called Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey.  Carey's novel presents an opulent world of Machiavellian characters as well as erotic intrigue.  I am a big fan of scifi-fantasy.  Unfortunately, outside Octavia Butler and Steven Barnes, there aren't many Af-Am writers in this genre.  I did enjoy reading Saturn's Child by Nichelle Nichols (Uhura from Star Trek) a few years back.  I think she has a sequel, but, for some reason, it isn't available at the online bookstores (where I do much of my literary shopping). 

How do you feel overall about self-publishing?  Well, I particularly like it as it provides opportunities to those authors who have limited avenues to the big publishing houses (especially as alternative and small printing houses are being gobbled up by these same houses, thus further diminishing opportunities for the less well-known writer). 

What are the strengths and weaknesses of promotion for self-published authors?  The main strength of self-publishing is full autonomy over your book, as to content, cover, pricing, etc.  The major weakness is there are not many avenues of promotion.  A self-published author has to really pound the pavement (or at least the keyboard) to get his or her name out there. 

What are your current projects?  As I stated before, I am working on my second novel, tentatively entitled Superstitions, which has an element horror as well as mystery.  An excerpt can be found at www.sharoncullars.net/newnovel.htm .

Do you feel that the boom in African American writers is a fad or another renaissance?  Neither.  A fad indicates a short-lived phenomenon while a renaissance suggests a rebirth of sorts, which is not exactly accurate since the Af-Am writer never really died out.  Actually, African-American writers have been present throughout, but have not received the press and accolades that their mainstream counterparts take for granted.  If there had not been black writers these many decades, there wouldn't be any independent African-American bookstores still standing.  It's just that now, because of newer technology, there is an influx of books that we the readers have not had prior access to and there is more of a focus on the Af-Am writer thanks to the persistence and ingenuity of Terry McMillan. 

How does your family and/or friends feel about your book or writing venture in general?  Love it; my mother has always been supportive and my extended family members have expressed genuine enthusiasm for my book.