Shelia M. Goss & The Women in Hollywood Collection
Today, we’re talking to national bestselling author Shelia M. Goss, a powerhouse storyteller with over 21 novels who has mastered romance, ambition, and emotional heat. Her newest series, The Women in Hollywood Collection, takes us behind the velvet ropes of Black Hollywood where love, power, and secrets collide. Book one, Worth the Risk, is available now and book two, No One Has to Know, drops May 12, 2026.
Shelia M. Goss is a national bestselling and award-winning author celebrated for her captivating romance novels, high-glam storytelling, and emotionally layered heroines. With more than twenty-one books to her credit, including the Essence bestselling My Invisible Husband and the critically acclaimed The Joneses and Delilah, Goss has built a reputation for delivering heart, heat, and sophistication on every page.
In 2026, she unveils her bold new Women in Hollywood Collection, three powerful, standalone novels set against the backdrop of ambition, love, power, and secrets inside the entertainment industry.
The collection begins with Worth the Risk (January 2026), followed by No One Has to Know (May 2026), and concludes with Off Script (September 2026). Each novel centers a dynamic Black woman navigating career, desire, and the delicate balance between public success and private vulnerability.
Praised by USA Today for her “easy, flowing style with her prose,” and recognized as an AAMBC Romance Author of the Year and a Library Journal Best Books honoree, Goss continues to redefine contemporary romance with stories that blend glamour with emotional depth.
Behind the glamour lies power, passion, and secrets, and Shelia M. Goss is ready to tell it all.
Learn more at www.sheliagoss.com.
SLM: How did your upbringing or personal experiences influence your storytelling style?
My upbringing instilled in me a deep appreciation for resilience, ambition, and the importance of presentation. I grew up understanding that success required both discipline and grace, and that how you carry yourself matters just as much as what you accomplish. Those lessons naturally shape my storytelling. I am drawn to characters who are ambitious, polished, and strategic, yet emotionally layered beneath the surface. I write about love in spaces of influence because I have always believed that Black women deserve to see themselves thriving in powerful rooms, navigating both professional success and deeply personal vulnerability without shrinking in either space.
SLM: What part of the publishing process taught you the most about your own strength?
The part of publishing that taught me the most about my strength is promotion. Writing the book is the creative side, but getting the word out, navigating shifts in the industry, adjusting to trends, building visibility, and constantly working to reach new readers requires persistence. Learning how to advocate for my books, secure reviews, and stay visible in a crowded market showed me that success is not just about talent. It is about endurance, adaptability, and continuing to believe in your work even when the response is slow or unpredictable.
SLM: If Hollywood greenlit The Women in Hollywood Collection tomorrow, what would excite you more…seeing your characters cast on screen, or walking the red carpet as the creator?
Seeing the characters cast on screen would excite me more. Watching Charlotte and Sean from Worth the Risk, and Mona and Terrance from No One Has to Know, come to life would mean the world expanded beyond the page. There is something powerful about seeing words written in solitude transformed into living, breathing performances. The red carpet would be a beautiful moment, but witnessing those characters resonate visually with an audience would be the real reward.
SLM: You went from earning a degree in engineering to becoming a national bestselling author. When you look back, what did that pivot teach you about betting on yourself?
Earning a degree in engineering taught me discipline, structure, and how to approach challenges with strategy. It trained me to think analytically and to build solutions step by step. Writing allowed me to apply that same mindset to storytelling. Instead of abandoning one path for another, I realized I could use both sides of who I am. I could be technical and creative at the same time. Betting on myself meant trusting that my voice deserved space. It meant understanding that success does not always follow a straight line. When I began building my writing career, I approached it with intention, patience, and consistency. That mindset continues to shape my work today, especially in The Women in Hollywood Collection, where ambition, risk, and emotional depth all coexist.
SLM: You’ve written romance, suspense, and young adult, but this Hollywood-centered universe feels cinematic. Why was now the time to create this world?
As a former entertainment writer, I saw firsthand how fascinated people are with celebrities, and how quickly that fascination can turn into criticism. I had the chance to speak with public figures in ways that humanized them beyond the headlines. Those conversations revealed the pressure of being watched, judged, and often misunderstood. It made me deeply aware of how image can overshadow identity.
That experience directly shaped The Women in Hollywood Collection. I wanted to explore what love looks like when every decision can become public commentary and every mistake can become a headline. Hollywood is glamorous, but it is also unforgiving. Writing in that world allows me to examine power, perception, and vulnerability, and to remind readers that even those who seem untouchable are still navigating very human emotional risks.
SLM: You consistently center ambitious, powerful Black professionals in love. Why is it important to show Black love thriving in spaces of influence and visibility?
It is important because visibility shapes belief. For a long time, Black love has been portrayed through struggle alone, without equal space for success, luxury, influence, and emotional security. When I center ambitious, powerful Black professionals in love, I am expanding that narrative. I want readers to see that Black excellence and Black intimacy can exist in the same frame. Success does not cancel softness. Power does not eliminate vulnerability.
Showing Black love thriving in spaces of influence also affirms that we belong in those rooms. We belong in boardrooms, studios, executive suites, and red carpet moments, and we deserve to experience joy and deep partnership there. I write these stories to normalize that reality. Love does not require shrinking, and ambition does not require isolation. Both can coexist beautifully and boldly.
SLM: Okay! Let’s jump right into discussing Worth the Risk (Book One – Available Now).
SLM: The title Worth the Risk suggests love comes at a cost. Without spoilers, what kind of emotional gamble are readers signing up for?
In Worth the Risk, the emotional gamble is about choosing love when pride, reputation, and public perception are all at stake. Charlotte has built her empire on control and strategy, and falling for Sean, a global R and B superstar who lives under constant scrutiny, threatens the very image she has worked so hard to protect. Sean is willing to risk everything for her, but Charlotte must decide whether opening her heart is worth the potential fallout. Readers are signing up for a romance where love demands vulnerability, and where protecting your brand may cost you the very connection you want most.
SLM: If someone is standing in a bookstore deciding whether to pick this up, what would you tell them they’ll experience that they won’t get anywhere else?
If you pick up Worth the Risk, you will experience what it feels like to fall for someone whose world constantly challenges trust, loyalty, and pride. At its heart, it is about a driven career woman learning that love requires vulnerability, even when everything around her says to stay guarded.
If you pick up No One Has to Know, you will step into the tension of a workplace dynamic where ambition and attraction collide. It explores what happens when a focused professional woman finds herself falling for her boss and must decide whether protecting her career matters more than protecting her heart.
SLM: We are especially excited to hear about No One Has to Know (Book Two – Releasing May 12, 2026)! This story begins with an anonymous online connection. What intrigued you about exploring love that starts without fame attached?
What intrigued me was exploring what happens when attraction already exists, but anonymity creates emotional safety. Mona has always been aware of Terrance’s presence and power, yet meeting him online without titles attached allows her to connect with him in a more honest and unguarded way. Their digital connection becomes a space where vulnerability feels easier, which makes the eventual collision between secrecy, desire, and real-world power dynamics even more intense.
SLM: Introduce No One Has to Know and the main characters. Which character was the most challenging to write in this second book?
No One Has to Know follows Mona Johnson, an ambitious screenwriter determined to build her career on talent and integrity, and Terrance Beckham, a powerful Hollywood producer who is used to control, influence, and being desired for the wrong reasons. Their relationship begins with undeniable chemistry in the workplace and deepens through an anonymous online connection that allows them to see each other without titles attached. What makes their story compelling is the tension between ambition and vulnerability, and the very real risk that love could disrupt everything they have worked for.
Terrance was the most challenging to write. On the surface, he is confident and accustomed to getting what he wants, but beneath that is a man who struggles with trust and the fear that people see his power before they see him. Balancing his authority with emotional depth required peeling back layers so readers could understand both his strength and his insecurity.
SLM: When readers finish this series, what do you hope they believe about love, especially love between two people who both refuse to shrink?
When readers finish The Women in Hollywood Collection, I hope they believe that love does not require shrinking to be sustainable. Two ambitious, driven people can come together without one sacrificing their voice, their goals, or their identity. Real partnership is not about dimming your light so someone else feels comfortable. It is about choosing each other while still standing fully in who you are.I want readers to walk away believing that strength and softness can coexist, that vulnerability is not weakness, and that the right love will meet you at your level rather than ask you to lower it.
SLM: What other art forms feed your creative soul?
Storytelling moves across mediums for me. In addition to novels, I am a screenwriter and have worked as a ghostwriter on a television series for a streaming service, as well as served as writer and director on the short film Black Butterfly. I am also a songwriter, and most recently I co-wrote and co-produced the Southern soul track “Lay You Down,” performed by Mr. I’m From Louisiana. Whether it is a novel, a screenplay, or a song, I am always drawn to exploring vulnerability, desire, and connection in different creative forms.
SLM: How can readers connect with you, and what’s the best way for them to support your work beyond buying a book?
Readers can connect with me through my website at www.sheliagoss.com and. I’m also active on Facebook and Instagram. For those who want a more direct connection, joining my newsletter is the best way to receive exclusive updates and early announcements. Beyond buying a book, the most meaningful support comes from leaving reviews, recommending the stories to friends, and engaging online. Word of mouth still carries power, and every shared post, review, and conversation helps these stories reach new readers.
Worth the Risk is available now, and No One Has to Know releases May 12, 2026. If you love romance wrapped in ambition, power, and secrets…this is your next obsession! Follow Shelia to keep up with book signings and events coming to your area or Zoom.
💋 Worth the Risk (ebook, audiobooks or paperback)
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3LU9LAr
Apple Books: https://bit.ly/4pYu1jH
Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/49BVIIb
Kobo: https://bit.ly/447bLeX
Google Books: https://bit.ly/3Yg7baV
The Women in Hollywood Collection by Shelia M. Goss (2 Book Kindle Edition)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQYM1G1J?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tkin
Connect with Shelia
Website | www.sheliagoss.com
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/shelia.goss
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/sheliamgoss
Newsletter | https://shelia-m-goss-author-screenwriter.kit.com/5eaf5297e2