An interview with Breaking All the Rules author: Rhonda McKnight

About the Book

Deniece Malcolm is shocked and heartbroken when she finds out her baby sister, Janette, is marrying Terrance Wright, because she was the one who was supposed to marry him! Everybody knows there’s a rule about dating exes. Janette is pregnant and not only is this wedding happening, but Deniece has to arrange the festivities.

Deniece’s feelings and pride are hurt, but surprisingly, Terrance’s younger, sexier, cousin, Ethan Wright, is there to provide a listening ear and a strong bicep to cry on. Ethan’s interested in Deniece, but she has a rule about dating younger men. Despite her resistance, things heat up between them and Deniece begins to wonder if it’s time to break a few rules of her own.

Behind the Scenes with Rhonda

What was your inspiration behind the novel? 

 Breaking All the Rules was inspired by chatter on Facebook. I was in a group that was talking about the “ex-factor” and that’s what I call the rule where you never date one of your friend’s exes. I used to follow that rule religiously, but now as I get older and I look at all the single women in my circle who can’t find a man I wonder if we’ve exed ourselves out of relationships. I find that all ethnic groups don’t follow this practice. It’s a “black” thing, but we’re the ones with no dates, so I decided to write a story where a woman is confronted with a situation where her sister is marrying her ex and force her to deal with him and her. It turned out to be a fun project. I learned quite a bit from the characters myself.

  What is the take-away message you’d like to share with your readers?  

I’ve learned that the message for each person will be different, however, I think one of themes that are consistent in all my stories messages of faith and forgiveness.  Breaking All the Rules is a lighter story compared to my novels which tend to be deeper and more emotionally intense, so largely it’s about taking chances and not being boxed in by convention and rules that may not make sense for your life. The older I get the more I realize that convention and traditionalism can be a curse. 

How can readers connect with you? 

I love social media. Facebook is my favorite spot. I have a fan page at www.facebook.com/booksbyrhonda, but I also have a great Facebook Group where I meet with my readers for more intimate chats. I invite readers to join once they “like” me on Facebook. I’m also on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rhondamcknight and of course there’s good old fashioned email at my website www.rhondamcknight.net 

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About the Author

Rhonda McKnight is the author of the Black Expressions Top 20 bestseller, A Woman’s Revenge (Mar 2013), What Kind of Fool (Feb 2012),  An Inconvenient Friend (Aug 2010) and Secrets and Lies (Dec 2009).  She was a 2010 nominee for the African-American Literary Award in the categories of Best Christian Fiction Novel and Best Anthology. She was the winner of the 2010 Emma Award for Favorite Debut Author and the 2009 Shades of Romance Award for Best Christian Fiction Novel. Originally from a small, coastal town in New Jersey, she’s called Atlanta, Georgia home for fifteen years. Visit her at www.rhondamcknight.net and www.facebook.com/booksbyrhonda