We chat with author Naima Simone about Huntsman, which is a sizzling retelling of a favourite fairy tale-but with a sexy and dangerous mafia romance twist.
Hi, Naima! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Heeey! I sure can. I’m a happily married wife and mother of two. A PK, identical twin (the good one!), a LOTR fanatic (for Frodo!), a champion napper, expert level introvert, 1 of only 2 people who actually like The Crow remake (my sister is the other person), Nalini Singh worshipper, crime documentary ho, destroyer of hot wings (honey mustard!) and Jason Momoa is my secret lovah. Oh yes! How could I forget? I’m a writer.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Well, I discovered my love for stories early. My mother used to read from this big book of fairy tales—I think that was the name of it, too—and my sister and I were entranced. That led to us becoming obsessed with reading, and every Saturday morning, my father took us to this used bookstore in our hometown and we would be there for hours, going through shelves and boxes, finding books. They were my escape, my comfort place, my safe place.
Now, how did I discover my love for writing? That’s a different story. See, my best frind Maunzel was trying to claim Ralph Tresvant from New Edition for her own when that heffa knew he was mine. So I got tired of arguing with her. I was like, Bet. I got a notebook and wrote my first romance where Ralph and my eyes met across a crowded gym while he performed at a homecoming dance with the rest of the group. That was the beginning of our love story. Our love was immortalized in that book, and Maunzel could never have him back after that. That level of pettiness launched my love of writing.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Ms. Piggle-Wiggle
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Love Letters from a Gangsta by Shvonne Latrice
Your latest novel, Huntsman, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Fierce, unhinged, filthy, lovely, a ball
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a dark fairty tale reimagining of Snow White and the Huntsman with aspects that will be familiar to them but also with a mafia, unhinged twist. A time will be had!
Where did the inspiration for Huntsman come from?
Huntsman came about because I always wondered what his story was in the fairy tale. Remember the Snow White and the Huntsman movie with Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth? I always felt like they went riiight up to the edge of them falling in love and then didn’t go through with it. I was so pissed! I wanted their story, but not the “Snow White” character as a damsel in distress. Nah. She needed to be bad ass and no one’s victim. Which led to the question: What if Snow White was the hunter instead of the hunted? And that’s Huntsman in a nutshell.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really enjoy writing Eshe. She was unhinged, inappropriate, intelligent, passionate, loyal, funny, lethal, and did I mention unhinged? LOL! Any scene that included her was fun to write because I could push the boundaries with dialogue and story and even sex scenes. She is truly one of the most memorable—if not the most memorable—character I’ve written.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge I faced was getting out of my own head. While I love, looove reading dark romance, I’ve never written it before Huntsman. So the genre was completely new for me, writing an in-depth mafia romance with their whole world was new to me. I could take the boundaries off with my characters, the story, and even sex in a way I’d never done before. So the difficult part was getting out of my own way and constantly reminding myself, “Yes, you can write that.” Or, “No, you don’t have to hold back. If you go too far, they’ll tell you.” I told myself that last one a lot. LOL! I kept writing, kept pushing forward. And when I finished, I was so proud of myself for trying something different and new and ending up writing a book I loved.
What’s next for you?
Next is Ember, Book 2 in the Hunted Kingdom series. It’s a Cinderella reimagining and in edits now. It releases in July 2026. I’m about to start Beast, which is Book 3. I think you can probably guess it’s based on Beauty and the Beast. LOL!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
Oh so many. Too many to list! The ones that immediately come to mind are No Remedy for Love by Chenell Parker, Bad Magic by Sherilee Gray, Anything Necessary for Her by Shvonne Latrice, The Bone King and the Starling by Elizabeth Stephens. Yeah, this could easily become a paragraph. The books I’m looking forward to picking up are Blackthorn by J.T. Geissinger, Tender Cruelty by Katee Robert and Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport.
