Farrah Rochon grew up in Edgard and credits her aunt for instilling in her a love of reading. The daughter of an English teacher, Farrah received her Masters in Psychology from Southeastern Louisiana University and was pursuing her Ph.D. with the intent to become a teacher herself. Somewhere along the way, fate stepped in.During Farrah’s sophomore year at Xavier University she wrote a paper on her most detrimental experience – public speaking. Her professor praised the paper’s content and the writing. She encouraged Farrah to try writing a novel, something Farrah hadn’t really considered before that day. But two weeks later she started her first manuscript.
Farrah worked on that first manuscript, a suspense thriller, for several years while still working toward her Masters degree.
In the meantime, she began an online friendship with a group of women she met through a favorite author’s message boards. When these women learned that Farrah was a writer, too, they encouraged her to try her hand at romance writing.
A few years and a few manuscripts later, Dorchester Publishing bought one of Farrah’s stories to be released under their new African American romance line. Deliver Me, Farrah’s first published novel, was released last month and has already received good reviews.
The publisher summarizes Deliver Me this way:
Leaving an imperfect past
Monica Gardner is starting over. The brokenhearted St. Louis native has nothing left at home any longer: her future is being an ER doctor at a New Orleans hospital. Her first day makes for a bumpy start as she continually runs into handsome but irascible Dr. Elijah Holmes-a man who could make her change her mind about finding true love.
For new expectations
For years, Dr. Eli Holmes has been living up to his own high expectations-and is burning himself out in the process. The only time this “Super Doc” ob-gyn slows down is to notice the beautiful eyes of a newcomer, Dr. Gardner. He’s pleased to know that she’s more than just a pretty face; she’s also an ace physician. When they work together, sparks fly. But with both Monica and Eli trying too hard not to fall in love, they realize they can’t resist this affair of the heart.
Deliver Me was written before Hurricane Katrina and was set in pre-Katrina New Orleans. Dorchester offered Farrah the option of including an author’s note explaining this or editing the book to take place in a post-Katrina setting. She chose the latter in hopes that her story would show readers that New Orleans is making a comeback, and that they should come down to see it firsthand.
Farrah got the idea for her book when the radio aired a commercial for a gynecological clinic, and she wondered what type of ribbing a male gynecologist must take from his friends regarding his choice of careers. That thought led to the character of Dr. Elijah Holmes, whose brothers provide the ribbing in Deliver Me. The Holmes brothers’ relationship developed so well that Farrah decided a trilogy was in order – one book for each brother’s story. She is currently writing the last of the three books, with hopes that the second book will be accepted for publication soon.
Farrah’s had a few book signings already, and in July she’ll participate in one at the Romance Writers of America’s annual convention in Dallas. Her online friends, a group of about 30 women with some from as far away as Singapore, will be at the convention to show their continued support of Farrah’s writing career.
To learn more about local author Farrah Rochon, you can visit her website www.farrahrochon.com or contact her at farrah@farrahrochon.com.
Be the first to comment