Interview with G. M. Cummings

G. M. Cummings is a divorced mother of four beautiful, children. A nurse for over 25 years, she is an anointed singer , songwriter, and worship leader. She enjoys anything artistic such as cooking, interior decorating, and fashion design. Currently she is busy promoting her book and CD “Stay”. She resides in Inglewood, CA.

A work that was 10 years in the making, A Promise of Fidelity is G. M. Cummngs‘ first novel.

1. Tell us about A Promise of Fidelity and the inspirations behind it.
   

   A Promise Of Fidelity is about the power of God to deliver from the grips of witchcraft. It was inspired by a dream that I had one night about a millionaire playboy who suddenly awakens in a New Orleans hospital following a freak accident. He soon discovers someone is out to get him. He is aided by 5 beautiful nurses who become his friends. He vows to change his scandalous ways but finds out his only hope of survival is in God, who he really does not care to know.

    

2. From those inspirations, how do you go about creating and developing your characters and your plot? Was it difficult?
   The characters and plot were based on my dream. I simply expanded it. Some of the situations were inspired by real life as well. The characters came to life after I lived with them for 4 months. That’s how long it took to finish the book.
    
3. Is writing easy for you? Have you published other items before?
   This book was very easy to write and so much fun! My friends inspired me by reading along as I wrote. This is my first novel.
   
    
4. What was the process like in preparing the book to be published?
   

   I wrote this book 10 years ago. Six months ago, a friend found the script and started reading it to me. It came alive again inside me. I knew in my spirit, God was saying “Publish it now! No more excuses!” He led me to people who took interest and helped me out. Dr. Rosie Milligan, a black publisher, told me to self-publish and she would guide me along. Then, God miraculously provided the funds for me to do so. I had to do a lot of proofreading and corrections. Then the book was evaluated by Dr. Milligan. Once she okay’ed all the changes then it was edited. The cover design was suggested by a friend who thought that picture of me would give it “shelf appeal.” Then, it was off to the formatting and printing. This all took about 5 months.

    

5. What has the feedback been like?
   Most people say they can’t put the book down! At least ten have told me that they read it in 2 days. Some are suggesting that there should be a sequel. The book is very sexy, intriguing and exciting (if I say so myself.) (smile)
   
    
6. What are you doing to market and promote your books?
   I am doing a commercial for radio as well as web-commercials. I am hitting the warm market assisted by friends — book clubs, book signings, passing out postcards, Facebook. I am also doing a website which is still under construction.
   
    
7. Any plans for a next project?
   I am on chapter eight of my next book, Destiny Delayed. This is the story of a middle-aged woman who is asking herself the question, have I missed my chance to make it big because of so many mistakes and wrong choices? She feels God is saying it’s not too late, and then watches in awe as God performs the impossible in her life.

   There will be a sequel to A Promise of Fidelity — I’m naming it St. Vincents Place. All of the main characters will appear in this book. It will be just as sultry and sexy. Katrina Collins will be dealing with the issue of temptation in the work place when the doctor she works with falls madly in love with her.
   
    

8. What are your favorite reads? What books are your shelves?
   Favorite reads? Inspirational books like “A Purpose Driven Life.” Honestly, I do not consider myself an avid reader. I am a hopeless romantic so when I choose a novel it usually because of the romance aspect. I am a very spiritual person, gifted you might say. I have dreams that come true and on occasion I see visions so spiritual books are particularly interesting.

   I consider the book A Promise of Fidelity to be inspiring because it deals with real issues about sex infidelity and Gods power to deliver from witchcraft.

Interview with Hall-Crews

Hall-Crews, a native of Tampa, Florida, began writing short stories as a hobby in 1975. Ms. Crews was recently inspired to write GFB Grown Fokes Bidniss in her mother’s memory, thus commemorating her mom’s knack for making lemonade from life’s lemons. This is Hall-Crews’ first published work. Her future plans include publishing her second novel, Tea With Aunt Lizzie.

The author has earned several degrees at University of Florida and University of South Florida. Although she enjoyed a long and rewarding career as a public school educator and administrator, Hall-Crews now devotes her time to the writing profession. She is happily married to Douglas Crews.

1. You have been writing short stories for some time. What led you to write a novel?
   After hearing little bits and pieces of some ancient family GFB (grown folks business), a story began to churn inside my belly–at times, it was downright distracting! The longer I toyed with the idea of actually putting together the plots and developing the characters, the more I yearned to put my thoughts down on paper. It was clear from the beginning that a short story would never do justice to the kind of tale I wanted to write.
    
2. How was the process of writing a novel? What were the most rewarding and difficult elements?
   Metaphorically speaking, writing a novel is like taking the l-o-n-g scenic route to a destination. The author gets to take his or her own sweet time to build the main plot as well as develop the supporting plots that make up the story.

   Somewhat difficult, yet tremendously rewarding was the process of folding into the story a number of obvious and subtle historical elements. While writing GFB, many long gone historical treasures were discovered as I excavated pertinent information from the internet, interviews, old newspaper articles, and books. The main reasons for including these facts in GFB were manifold: To add a measure of authenticity; to capture nuances of African-American life in the south at that time; to write a story with a message relevant for today, though contained within the developmental constraints of the 1950’s time period; and to portray lifestyles and backdrops specific to the Tampa Bay area.

   I found the most difficult part of the writing process to be remembering to keep consistent the little elements of the story . . . like peculiar traits and sayings of some of the characters, names of places where things happened, and small, but important, details disclosed in previous chapters. For example, over the eighteen months of writing GFB, every time the action of the storyline took me to the church house, I inadvertently switched the name from Mount Zion Church to New Zion Church or First Community Church. It was almost as if that particular house of worship was going through an identity crisis of sorts. Likewise, Betty Jo Lawrence, one of the supporting characters, was sometimes Betty Lee Johnson, and the local newspaper, the Tampa Courier, was occasionally dubbed the Tampa Bulletin. Of course, these name variations were corrected through the editing process, but remaining consistent with names and small details is one of the trickier aspects of the lengthy novel writing process.
    

3. As a former educator, did you call upon any experiences?  How much do your personal experiences reflect in your books?
   As an administrator of an elementary performing arts school, I authored many musical dramas for various student performances. Without a doubt, this ongoing experience helped me to become very proficient at writing believable characters and interesting storylines.

   In regards to personal experiences, the prologue of GFB is nothin’ but truth. The plots are indeed grown from crumbs of hot gossip I picked up while eavesdropping during my childhood. So, throughout this novel, much liberty was taken with a few dollops of hearsay. I admittedly blurred so many lines and embellished the truth to such an extent, it’s hard to say where facts end and fiction begins.
    

4. Is writing easy for you?  Or, do you have to enforce a discipline to write, to review, to re-write?
   Writing a novel takes a lot more discipline than writing a short story or one act play. For years, I thought about writing a book, I talked about it, but I didn’t actually start writing until my brother gave me a wonderful piece of advice. He said, “Write a little bit everyday…even if it’s only one word.” Now that was certainly doable. So, with that wise counsel, I set out writing a little bit of GFB each day. Sometimes two or three chapters were written, sometimes two or three words. But, without fail, for eighteen months, every single day, something was put in black and white.
    
5. How do you go about creating your characters and your plots?  What inspires you — Do you start with characters or with a plot?
   

   Once I have a sketchy plan for the A storyline, the characters are next. To make the tale convincing and appealing, I believe characters should have distinct personalities with somewhat predictable behaviors. When I write, oftentimes my characters are modeled after interesting people I grew up with or folks I have met here and there. One of my majors in college was psychology, so I’ve spent years observing people’s quirks—you know, the uncle who chews his tongue when he’s worried or the aunt who giggles even when she’s thirty-eight hot. Some people have signature dialect or phraseology. In GFB Grown Fokes Bidniss, Gramma Mae frequently emphasizes her opinion by adding, “B’lieb dat!”

   Surprisingly enough, many people fall into very apparent personality types—sassy, timid, boisterous, bossy, edgy, fun-loving, obsessive, spontaneous, easygoing, etc. I like to take personality traits such as these, and then add a few oddities and habits, to create a very colorful cast of characters. Consequently, most people reading my stories or plays will “know somebody just like” this or that character in my writings.

   I’m inspired by dreams, slivers of gossip, interesting incidences, or make believe scenarios in my head. Once I’m primed with one of these, my imagination takes off by pulling together a primary plot. The little side plots take much more mental energy.
    

6. Do you have a favorite character?  Will we be seeing more of that character in your books?
   Hands down, my favorite character in GFB Grown Fokes Bidniss is Gramma Mae. She is a classic—everybody’s big mouth, opinionated, Ebonics talkin’, “Big Mamma” . . . the one who says what’s on her mind and yours, too! Of course, Gramma Mae, aka Mae Mason, will have an opinion or two to be heard in my upcoming novel, Tea with Aunt Lizzie.
    
7. What are your plans for your next project?
   My next project, Tea with Aunt Lizzie, is about the evolution of an unlikely companionship which begins when a cantankerous old aunt extends an invitation for tea to a niece with a troublesome angst of the elderly. To the niece’s surprise, the episodic tea parties with her aunt are more than occasions to sip flavored teas and eat crustless sandwiches. Indeed, it is during these times that Aunt Lizzie meticulously spins a most revealing tale of her life and her frowned upon relationship with a man more than ten years her junior.
    
8. What are you doing to market and promote your books?
   
   Promoting my book has been a venture in and of itself. GFB Grown Fokes Bidniss, my first novel, was launched in late June 2009 with my publishing company sending almost 300 personalized emails to announce my new book and to direct potential buyers to my website. A couple of months later, I hosted a book signing party in an old cigar factory here in Tampa’s historic Ybor City. This was an effective catalyst for interviews, photos, and articles in the largest Black newspaper in the Tampa Bay area, the Florida Sentinel Bulletin. A local bookstore hookup has also been an upshot from the party.

   The internet has been a great source for stirring up interest in my book, too. My niece and my brother, who are both tech and business savvy, have helped me set up a Twitter account, another website (Hallcrews.com), You Tube recordings, and a blog (which was used mostly to chronicle my book signing event). I have also written a couple of e-articles to promote interest in GFB Grown Fokes Bidniss.

   My publisher, Eloquent Books, will be promoting my book in upcoming book fairs. There’s one soon in London and another in New York in the springtime.

   Then, there’s good old fashioned word of mouth! It’s amazing how word travels when it comes to a good book with relatable characters and an engaging plot.
    

9. How much input do you get from your fans and critics? Do they influence your writing?
   My fans have helped out tremendously. As a matter of fact, a couple of trusted and brutally frank friends, who are also avid fiction fans, agreed to read GFB as I pumped it out, chapter by chapter. This was helpful on many levels. First, it gave me immediate feedback along the way. Second, if after reading a couple of chapters, my friends were left scratching their heads in confusion, an immediate assessment was done before moving forward. Lastly, having these readers gave me a chance to participate in book chats which sometimes impacted a few aspects of the action in the story.

   GFB’s primary storyline is a love triangle between Ben Cash (eligible bachelor and local entrepreneur), who cunningly uses his charm to pursue Gerry Withers (a gullible, young, married woman) while her husband, Sergeant John Withers, is away fighting in the Korean War. After reading the novel, GFB fans have voiced opinions that are strong, but very diverse. These views confirm that I have successfully written characters who “feel” like real people and a storyline that seems authentic to the readers. Also, the most frequent comment made by GFB fans is, “I can’t wait for the sequel!
    

10. Tell us about some of your favorite experiences from your signings and interviews.  (We’re hoping this one will rank up there, too!)
    The book signing party in the old cigar factory gave me a chance to introduce GFB to the Tampa Bay Area, get together with fans and friends, and to bring in a nice harvest of sales. The ambiance cast by the venue, the 50’s style entertainment, GFB themed decor, and the scrumptious spread of soul food, made it a night to remember.

    Likewise, I’m extremely appreciative and excited to have this chance to interview with a quality website like Books of Soul. The questions set forth by the interviewer are certainly provocative enough to make me lay a finger against my brow and go, “Hmmm . . .,” with deep reflection about my writing. This definitely hits the top spot as my favorite interview experience.
     

11. What are your favorite reads or authors?  What books are on your shelves?
    Amazingly enough,although I write fiction, my general reading preferences have been professional, non-fiction, and motivational books. A blast from the past on my bookshelf is Richard Wright’s, Black Boy. Most recently, writings of President Barack Obama, like The Audacity of Hope, have been a great inspiration.

    I’m also a big fan of old classics like Theodore Dreiser’s human drama, An American Tragedy. The plot of this work, with its twists, turns, suspense, and surprises is masterful.

    As a book collector, I like to scour used book stores and antique shops for first edition and author signed books. This practice has brought to my shelves a wide range of authors and books of every kind—from brightly illustrated pop-up books to 19th century poetry books.

Interview with Crisalyn Sachi

Crisalyn Sachi is an author, army veteran, poet, and artist.

She began writing when her son was sent to Iraq during his first tour. On many sleepless nights, she wrote her recipes and poetry to ease the pain that her son was sent to the war. A few months later she finished writing her first cookbook called “What’s Cookyn’ Crisalyn?” This cookbook has a military theme with pictures from Iraq. She also developed her cartoon character, “General Mom” which is now her trademark that she puts on all of her books.

“Go Win The Gold” was also written to encourage children to go after their dreams. This time Crisalyn used a track star for the character. This book also comes in the Christian and Non-Christian versions. Since the schools do not allow God to be in the schools, the Non-Christian version allows all children to be encouraged to achieve their dreams too.

She is currently writing more children’s books, novels and cookbooks. She designs and/or illustrates her own covers. She includes some kind of poetry in every book that she writes. She has been an artist all of her life and a poet since the seventh grade. The info on all of her books can be found on Crisalyn’s website generalmom.com.

1. What led you to start writing?
   

   When my son went to the war in Iraq during his first tour, I could not sleep at night so I got up and started writing poetry and recipes down. By doing this, my first book was written which was called “What’s Cookyn’ Crisalyn?” During this time I also drew my trademark symbol which is General Mom.

2. Was there a particular inspiration behind writing “Go Win The Gold”?
   God inspired me to write all of my books. He has given me the opportunity to attend the World’s Championship in Japan where I met some of the athletes. I wanted to write some career books to encourage children to go after their dreams. My life’s experiences also inspired “Go Win The Gold“. The championship competition is more moving in person than on TV.
    
3. How long did it take you to write “Go Win The Gold”?
   It took me about four months to write and illustrate “Go Win The Gold“.
    
4. What was your experience like writing “Go Win The Gold”? How did it differ from your other books?
   Every book that I write and illustrate is quite emotional for me. I started to learn how to draw with the computer about 5 years ago. That was a challenge for me since I was used to freehand drawing and painting. Once that I thought that my artwork was perfected enough to make it a part of my children’s book, my ability to tell a story in a poetic format along with my art, made my children’s books unique. It was different from my other books because this was the first time that I drew people in a book of mine that was published.
    
5. Have you received much support?
   I have very little support. I am in need of some support so that my books can do what they are meant to do — encourage people. All of my books have a message of some kind through my poetry. I would love to be able to get a marketer or something. I also do not have the financial support.
    
6. How does it feel to be a published author?
   I am amazed that I am a published author because, in my childhood, I tried to stay away from reading and writing. Then I realized, after writing the first cookbook, that I have some messages of encouragement. To know that I could make a difference even if it is one person, is very uplifting to me. God has amazed me giving me this talent and I am sometimes speechless at the end results of my book writing accomplishments.
    
7. What are you doing to promote your book? What has the experience been like?
   I have promoted my books on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Amazon and Yahoo. I have also made business cards and flyers that I passed out. I have been featured in three newspapers, I have given books away, I have joined several book club sites and I also try to promote my books by word of mouth. The experience has been long and hard, but I refuse to give up because I would not be doing this if God had not lead me to. All things of God are successful whether it looks like it or not.
    
8. Have you been pleased with the reviews of your book?
   I do not officially have a review on my book, but anyone that reads it are amazed and loves it. I get great compliments on my work.
    
9. With so much effort in writing and getting your book published, were you ready for the comments and feedback that accompanies every book review?
   In all of the books that I have written, I only have one negative review. I think that is pretty good. But I looked at that review as positive because the reader got mad at the main character. I wanted the emotion to be there for anyone that read my novel “The Life Of A Playa Playa.” So I felt that if the reader was that upset, then I did my job of bringing the reader into the story. I welcome anyone who would like to review me whether they are good or bad because I will grow from both.
    
10. Do you have plans for your next book?
    I have over thirty books in my head. I come up with new ideas all of the time. I plan on writing two children’s books, two novels, and two cookbooks in the near future. Whatever God leads me to write, I will be obedient and do His will. I embrace the subjects that the Lord inspires me to write and I know whatever He has for me will be.

Interview with Rhonda McKnight

Rhonda McKnight is the author of the novel, Secrets and Lies, to be released in Nov. 2009.

Rhonda is the owner of Legacy Editing, a free-lance editing service for fiction writers and Urban Christian Fiction Today (www.urbanchristianfictiontoday.com), a popular Internet site that highlights African-American Christian fiction. She is the vice-president of Faith Based Fiction Writers of Atlanta. When she is not editing projects, teaching writing workshops or penning her next novel, she spends time with her family.

Originally from a small, coastal town in New Jersey, she has called Atlanta, Georgia home for twelve years. More information about the author can be found at www.rhondamcknight.net.

1. What led to your interest in Christian Fiction?

   Christian Fiction is one of those genres that finds you. For a while, I struggled with whether or not I would write Christian Fiction or mainstream, because it just seemed easier to get published in mainstream, but then I realized I had to write who I was and that made my work fall in line with what would be classified as Christian fiction.

2. What are your impressions on that genre?  Do you think that the market for Christian fiction, especially Urban Christian Fiction, is growing?

   Wow, is there a market? It’s huge. Christian fiction has been growing for years and African-American Christian fiction is really growing. Even in this sluggish economy, publishers are still looking for African-American Christian fiction, so I think the future is bright. People are finding that the books aren’t preachy. It’s not a sermon turned into a novel. (LOL!) I believe Bishop TD Jakes’ movies Woman Thou Art Loosed and Not Easily Broken (both Christian fiction novel adaptations) have educated the public about what Christian fiction really is.

3. What were your experiences like in writing Secrets and Lies? Did you got through many re-writes?

   It took me four years to write Secrets and Lies. I probably spent a total of twelve months on the actual keyboard. I was procrastinating big time and, yes, I probably had six or seven rounds of edits, but I think that’s fairly normal for a new writer. It was a pretty bad first draft, so it needed a lot of work. I learned quite a bit about writing over the years and was able to incorporate my learning into the changes.

4. What led you to write this story? Was it the characters, the problems with relationships?

   I’m going to be transparent here, otherwise I’d be keeping secrets and telling lies myself. I was deep in marital woes when I started writing this novel. I woke up one morning and these characters were talking in my head and I just went to the keyboard and let them have their say. Although it’s not my story, I think the emotions are so real, because I bought my personal pain to the project.

5. Did you get much support, like from writer’s workshops, from your peers, or from friends, in preparing your book?

   I am in the most awesome writers group on the planet. Although we’ve changed name and shape over the last six years, it started as a core group of ten women who all aspired to write a Christian fiction novel, now six years later, Sherri Lewis and Tia McCollors are multi-published Essence Bestselling authors, and Ashea Goldson is published also. I also have the best mentor in the world! Victoria Christopher Murray, a national bestselling author in her own right, is on speed dial. She has taught me everything I need to know about this business.

6. How does it feel to be a published author?

   Incredible. I’ve been trying to write a book since I was six. I became really serious about publication in 1998, and I sold my novel to my publisher two years ago. It’s been a long journey, but I can not describe how I feel every time I hold that book in my hand or stop by a bookstore and see it on a shelf. It’s amazing.

7. What are you doing to promote Secrets and Lies?  What has that experience been like?

   I’m doing everything. Internet advertising, interviews, reaching out to book clubs and individual readers. I use social media quite a bit and I find it really works. You build great relationships there. I want to reach out and hug my Facebook friends. They’ve been unbelievable. Then there’s local promotion like booksignings in Atlanta and eastern South Carolina where my parents live. It’s pretty exhausting. I’m more busy than I imagined, but it’s a good busy and I know it won’t be this intense all the time, or at least I hope it won’t. (LOL!) It’s worth it. This is my dream.

8. Have you been pleased with the feedback about your book?

   I have. My reviews are great. All of them. This honestly, humbles me. I mean, it’s my first book and you know you want it to be received well, but you never know. My reader emails make me cry. They really do. I’m very pleased.

9. Would you have done anything differently in writing your book, getting it published, or promoting it?

   The only thing I would have done differently was begin my career sooner. Now the market for Christian fiction is more competitive and of course I’m beginning in the worse economy since the Great Depression. Money is tight for consumers. Book sales are down, but I’m still optimistic. It is what it is, and I have to work from where I am.

10. Do you have plans for your next book?

    My second novel, An Inconvenient Friend, will be released on August 1, 2010 and I’m really excited about it also. My bad girl in book one spins off and gets her own book. She’s still not very nice and that made for some interesting writing.

Interview with Michele L. Waters

Born and raised in Southern California, Michele Waters exemplifies the true meaning of the words success and diligent, which she has so effortlessly been able to project through her many business ventures, including her recent novel Can’t Let Go.

Waters has had more than 20 years of experience as a radiology technologist and more than 10 years as an entrepreneur. With her husband Chris Waters by her side, they founded H&W Adult Residential Homes where they provided two nurturing homes for developmentally challenged adults for 10 years. Aside from the homes, they founded Dream Makers Unlimited, Inc., a real estate investment company where they currently have an inventory of 10 investment properties, and Waters’ Travel and Entertainment Services.

Started as a departure from her work, Can’t Let Go is her first novel.

1. What led you to start writing?

   I found myself working all the time. Always thinking about business. Strategizing on how to get our properties rented and or sold. The economy took a dive and with it our little real estate investment company. Then my full time job got busier and busier. It seemed I couldn’t turn off my brain. Everything was out of my control. I remembered how much I enjoyed the peace of writing, so I started writing, Can’t Let Go. I think it was also the fact that through writing I had some control over something again. As the author, I had the control over how this story would end.

2. How long did it take you to write Can’t Let Go?

   It took about 7 months.

3. What was your experience like in writing Can’t Let Go?

   Therapeutic. I needed to escape my busy life. I needed to relax. When I was writing Can’t Let Go I was not writing to publish a book. I was writing to let go of everything around me.

   I wanted to write something that pertained to issues I see and hear about daily. Real life situations. As women we seem to get hurt, the majority of the time by our men who claim to love us. Moving on has turned into a deadly act for a lot of women. All in the name of love?

4. How many edits did you go through?

   So many. When I decided to publish this book I edited, edited and edited. When I submitted the work to the Mill City Press I thought I was ready but boy was I wrong. Then they edited and I found even more things I wanted to change. I felt like I would never be 100% satisfied. Even now I think of things I could have added and/or changed.

5. Did you get much support, like from writer’s workshops or from friends, in writing your book?

   Not while I was writing because no one knew I was writing it was my “Me Time,” my “Therapy”.

6. How does it feel to be a published author?

   Wonderful. I fell in love with writing. I love seeing my story in print.

   As a new writer, I want to bring real life everyday, not over the top drama, situations to the readers.

7. What are you doing to promote your book?

   Now that’s the hard part. Since I self-published, I did not have a lot of money to promote my book on expensive websites so I network and get other ideas of how to promote with little to no money. I also participate in as many book festivals as I can locally. I contact local bookstores for booksigning events. I also find places to showcase my book wherever I go. I went to Alabama to visit my grandmother in July and scheduled a booksigning at an art gallery in the small city of Selma, Alabama. I ended up on the front page of the Selma Times Journal!

8. What has that experience been like?

   Hard but fun. It’s exciting meeting so many new people and hearing the stories of how they always wanted to write but don’t know where to start. I try to encourage as many people as I can to follow their dream whatever that dream may be.

9. Have you been pleased with the reviews of your book?

   Yes but I have to be honest, I have not received any official reviews yet. But the reviews from the readers are just as important if not more important because they are the everyday readers. They are the ones that will get your sales up. Word of mouth has always been the best advertisements. I especially love it when strangers come up and tell me how they could not put the book down. That excites me. I get pumped and motivated all over again. I Love It!!!

10. With so much effort in writing and getting your book published, were
    you ready for the comments and feedback that accompanies every book review?

    Well, like I said I haven’t had the official book reviews yet, but I’m ready for any feedback I get. If it’s not a good review I hope the review will be something I can use to improve as a writer. Looking forward to all reviews.

11. Do you have plans for your next book?

    Yes. It’s already in the making. It is based on an interacial couple that fell in love in a time and place where it was both taboo and extremely dangerous for black and white to date. They escape and try to forget their horrid past but soon the hauntings from the past consumes their future.

    This book is very different from Can’t Let Go. I’m very excited about it.

How I Wrote 8 Books In One Year

So many have been asking: What caused you to write 8 books within the last year? Additionally, writing the screenplay for and producing a docu-drama based on my second book “Spread Some Love (Relationships 101)” – all within the same time frame? Basically, I fell in love with writing. I’ve studied many successful people and realized that they have one thing in common and that is – THEY LOVE WHAT THEY DO. Therefore they are good at it. Love is one of the most powerful forces given to man, though it is often overlooked. “For love we will climb mountains, cross seas, traverse desert sands, endure hardships. Without love mountains become unclimbable, seas uncrossable, and hardships our plight in life,” writes Gary Chapman in “The Five Love Languages.”

I never envisioned myself being a writer. I moved to Hollywood in 1996 and just wanted to act. As I stated in my book “When The Dust Settles” I was forced into writing or putting it more subtly it became as a blessing in disguise. While almost going bankrupt in 2004 I stumbled into a 1970s classic film which I so badly wanted to remake. At the time I had no prior experience in film making, except that which I had picked up previously on movie sets. Nonetheless, I was determined to succeed.

For the next three weeks, I made phone calls to find out who held the rights to my intended pet project. When I finally made contact with the studio, a woman answered the phone and told me they were not interested in selling the rights to a third party.

That statement didn’t sit well with me. You see, my plane had already taken off, the fasten-your-seat-belt signs were already extinguished, and the hostess was serving the beverage of the day.

I composed myself, contacted a writer friend whose script was recently optioned by a major studio, and asked him to assist me in writing my script. He did one of the best things a person can do for another: instead of giving me a fish, he showed me how to fish by sending me guidelines for writing a screenplay. I got busy. My mantra echoed for several months, “I’ll write my own. I’ll show them. They’ll be begging for my work someday.” My imaginary airplane was swiftly gaining altitude.

I knew if it was going to be – it was up to me! So I committed my time skill and resources to writing consistently. Each book I wrote, in that process I acquired a subsequent title and embarked upon the task of writing it.

Prior to 2007 I had written two screenplays and in spring of that same year my first book “The 5 Steps to Changing Your Life” was etched. In the summer of 2008 I wrote published and released “Spread Some Love (Relationships 101).” This book has become my bestseller and as a spin off “Spread Some Love (Relationships 101) Workbook” and “Spread Some Love (Relationships 101)” Journal were etched in early 2009. “When the Dust Settles (A True Hollywood Story)” based on my ten year quest in Hollywood followed in tow. This summer saw the release of “Dare to Make A Difference (Success 101),” “Dare to Make A Difference (Success 101) For Teens,” “The 52 Weeks Goal Setting Quest” and “The SUCCESS Triangle.” The latter is a volume of three eclectic books from my inspirational series relating to my climbing up from the bottom.

Back in 2007 after the release of my first book, I had a heart to heart talk with myself and decided that I wasn’t using much of my potential. I decided that no one was going outwork me. Still not adept at using the computer’s keyboard; I had never taken a typing class. My word per minute ratio no doubt was about a few words a minute – I’ve never checked. Someone once said: When the dream is big enough the facts don’t count. It’s my belief that if my thoughts can produce it – I can write it. This fall I’ll be releasing my tenth book “Total Commitment (The Mindset of Champions).”

If writing be the air that I breathe “write on.” When God brings it he doesn’t mess around.
A 2009 Books That Will Enhance Your Life – Release. All Rights Reserved.

Interview with Sharon M. Draper

Sharon M. Draper is a professional educator as well as an accomplished writer. She has been honored as the National Teacher of the Year, is a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Literary Award, and is a New York Times bestselling author. She was selected as Ohio’s Outstanding High School Language Arts Educator, Ohio Teacher of the Year, and was chosen as a NCNW Excellence in Teaching Award winner. She is a Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award winner, and was the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence for the Taft Museum. She is a YWCA Career Woman of Achievement, and is the recipient of the Dean’s Award from Howard University School of Education, the Pepperdine University Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Marva Collins Education Excellence Award, and the Governor’s Educational Leadership Award.

Actively involved in encouraging and motivating all teachers and their students as well, she has worked all over the United States, as well as in Russia, Ghana, Togo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Bermuda, and Guam, spreading the word about the power of accomplished teaching and excellence in education.

Her literary recognition began when, as a challenge from one of her students, she entered and won first prize in a literary contest, for which she was awarded $5000 and the publication of her short story, “One Small Torch.” She has published numerous poems, articles, and short stories in a variety of literary journals. She is the published author of numerous articles, stories, and poems.

Tears of a Tiger has received numerous awards, including the American Library Association/Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for an outstanding new book, and was also honored as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. It was also named as Best of the Best by VOYA and the American Library Association as one of the top 100 books for young adults. Forged by Fire, the sequel to Tears of a Tiger, is the 1997 Coretta Scott King Award winner, as well as the winner of the ALA BEST Book Award and the Parent’s Choice Award and the Indiana Young Hoosier Award.

Darkness Before Dawn, the third book in the trilogy, is an ALA Top Ten Quick Pick, and has received the Children’s Choice Award from the International Reading Association and received the Buckeye Book Award for 2005, and was named an IRA Young Adult Choice for 2003.

Romiette and Julio is also listed as an ALA Best Book and has been selected by the International Reading Association as a 2000 Notable Book for a Global Society, and by the New York Public Library in their Books for the Teen Age.

The Battle of Jericho is the 2004 Coretta Scott King Honor Book, one of the New York Public Library’s Book for the Teen Age, and is one of the 2005 Young Adult Choice Books named by the International Reading Association.

Copper Sun received the 2007 Coretta Scott King Literature award, was named as one of the Top Ten Historical Fiction Books for Youth by Booklist was nominated for the 2007 NAACP Image Award for Literature, and received the Ohioana Award for Young Adult Literature.

November Blues received the 2008 Coretta Scott King Honor Book Literary Award and is honored on the 2008 New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age.

Ms. Draper travels extensively and has been a guest on television and radio programs throughout the country, discussing issues of literature, reading, and education. She is an accomplished public speaker who addresses educational and literary groups of all ages, both nationally and internationally, with entertaining readings of her poetry and novels, as well as enlightening instructional presentations. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband and a golden retriever named Honey.

Web site: www.sharondraper.com

1. You have been recognized a number of times for your achievements as an educator.  Has teaching or your school experience influenced your writing?

   I think that being a teacher made me a better writer. But the two are inseparable. I’ve retired, but I’m in schools quite often, so I may as well be teaching. I think I understand kids’ mindset. Kids change, and slang changes, and the way young people look at the world changes a little bit, but basically, if you’re fifteen, you’re too tall, too short, too fat, too skinny, your hair’s too curly or too straight — you’re never quite right. If you understand that all fifteen-year-old girls feel like that whether they let you know it or not, then you can start to build a character. The girls will say to me, “That’s just the way I feel!” You know fifteen-year-old boys are worried about whether fifteen-year-old girls will like them. They might know a lot more than we knew at their age, but there’s still that innocence of a child. I think because I was a teacher I can capture that, and kids trust me. They write me letters like, “Dear Sharon, Girl, you is the bomb!” They write to me like they know me because I write like I know them, and they seem to feel it. They ask me questions; they ask me for advice. It’s amazing the things that they write to me. I really appreciate their trust.

2. It must be a wonderful feeling to go into a classroom now as an author and to see your books in school libraries.  What is the reaction of your educational colleagues?

   I’m still blown away when I visit a school library and I see rows and rows of my books. Well-worn, well-used, taped together. I was an avid reader as a kid, and to be that author that kids clamor for now is truly humbling. My colleagues who are teachers and librarians are so very supportive. They make great use of the study materials I provide on my website (sharondraper.com), and they await new titles so they can share them with their students. I can’t ask for anything more. Their support and their sharing of the books with their students means everything to me.

3. How do your readers react?  Any favorite stories?

   I get hundreds of emails and letters from students during the year. They are frank, sometimes funny, and always honest. “I have to do a report on you. Tell me everything you know about yourself. My report is due tomorrow, so please reply quickly.”

   Lots of them get very involved in the lives of the characters in the books–they want to know more about them–almost like they are friends by the time they finish them. That’s one reason why I write trilogies. What was just one book, becomes two, and then becomes three–mostly because of letters and inquiries from student readers. One girl asked me for the home phone number of one of the characters in Tears of a Tiger. She wrote me, “That girl has some serious issues, but I think I can help her!”

   Many students tell me, “I never liked to read” or “I’ve never read a whole book before” but “I read your book in one night and I couldn’t wait to read the others.” They like the reality and the honesty of the stories and locations and characters. Some of the letters are very touching. Sometimes they tell me that reading one of the books changed their lives. I had a student tell me she called the child abuse hotline in the back of Forged by Fire. She wrote me to thank me for saving her life. Another student wrote that he was depressed and was thinking of taking his life, but after reading Tears of a Tiger, he decided to live. I counseled him to talk to someone he trusted, and he wrote me back that he had. Anther student said she was reading Tears of a Tiger in class and that weekend some of her friends were drinking at a party. She thought about BJ in the book (who doesn’t drink), so she called her mother to come and pick her up. Her friends were killed that night in an automobile accident. It’s an awesome responsibility to have so much response to what I’ve written. That’s why I try so hard to make every single book ring true and honest and why I try to be available to them. I try to answer every single email and every single letter that I receive.

   One ninth-grade student who was interviewing for the school paper asked me what I thought about the powerful effect my books have on kids all over the country. I told her, “The proper answer is ‘It’s very gratifying,’ but the real answer is ‘way cool!”

4. Are most of your readers girls?

   No, from the emails I receive, I’d say the audience is divided pretty equally between boys and girls, and represent all races.

5. Any thoughts on what your readers are reading? Any impressions on what African American boys and girls are reading and the choices that they have for entertainment?

   I have found that young African Americans are reading lots more than the news media and the general public gives them credit for. We just need to provide them with quality books that speak to them. I would hope that young Black readers would demand such quality. We so often stoop to the lowest common denominator, like purchasing music which denigrates our women in the name of culture. So I’d hope that these young readers would demand books that reflect who they really are. As I travel around the country and talk to high school students, I’m overwhelmed by their strength and resilience, by their dreams for their future. Books should reflect their struggles and mirror their aspirations, not denigrate them into caricatures of reality. We’ve come too far to settle for less than the best.

   I tell them to read all the time. Read for pleasure and read for knowledge. Read to escape from problems and read to learn how to solve them. Read because you can. Our ancestors were beaten and even killed for daring to learn to read. Don’t let their sacrifice be for nothing. Honor them by reading all the time.

6. Considering your success as an writer, it seems amazing that you started writing almost on a dare.  And that your first story was turned down by 24 publishers. Did you take this “writing thing” as a challenge?

   The first short story was written as a challenge, but everything else came from some place deep within me. Writing for me is a very fluid process–I sit down a wait for the words to come. They usually do—in buckets and waves. It’s amazing. I look upon it as a blessing because the words come so easily. Sometimes I can’t even type fast enough to get the words out. When I write, I try to make strong characters that change and develop and learn from their mistakes. I think the layering comes in the story development. The plot is born from the idea, then is crafted by the characters and how they respond to what happens to them. I get up early in the morning and write all day—maybe ten or twelve hours a day. It is truly an act of immersion. It’s a thrilling, exciting process. I think I’ve just finished my twenty-ninth book!

7. You also have a couple of “Sassy” books ready to hit the shelves. Sassy represents a change of pace for you: your first series geared toward middle-grade girls. What can you tell us about “Sassy”?

   My daughter owns a dance studio, and I’m often there talking to the middle-grade girls who take dance classes. They are avid readers, enthusiastic conversationalists, and lively participants in their world. They have strong opinions about fashions and fads, about family and friends. I wanted to capture their joy of life, so I decided to create a character and write a book that they could embrace with passion. I think readers will love Sassy’s “spark and sparkle.” She’s delightful, yet realistic, with a strong sense of self and a yearning to find her place in the world. She could be anyone’s “little sister.”

   I hope that girls as well as boys enjoy reading about Sassy and her adventures. I wanted to show a strong family setting, with busy parents who care for their children, and an extended family of grandparents who complete the circle. The stories are easy enough to be read by children in second or third grade, but have ideas advanced enough for discussion for children in upper elementary grades as well.

   But the Sassy books are not my first books for this age group. I have written six books called The Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs series. These books, in which the main characters are African American boys, are geared to grades 3, 4, and 5 as well. I do lots of presentations at elementary schools and I love talking to, and listening to the children. They ask wonderful questions and are deeply excited about books and reading. When I write, I try to capture their voices and their honesty. Their age doesn’t matter.

8. What can you tell us about Just Another Hero, and the preceding novels, The Battle for Jericho and November Blues?
   

   Just Another Hero is Book 3 in the Jericho Trilogy. In Book One, The Battle of Jericho, we meet the characters and discover that making the right decisions is one of the hardest choices faces teens today. They feel so pressured to fit in that they are often willing to even risk their own lives to feel part of the accepted crowd. So Jericho and his friends make terrible decisions, and young readers can talk about those choices.

   Book Two, November Blues, continues the story by focusing on the girlfriend of one of the young men in the first book. She is left to face her own choices alone, and she struggles through much of the book as a consequence.

   When I started Book Three, Just Another Hero, I wanted to tackle the issue of school violence, but I couldn’t write about killing children. I wanted to bring up the issue so young adults can talk about it, without gratuitous bloodshed. I also wanted to discuss the idea of heroism. What is a hero? What makes a hero? We have a tendency to think of heroes as movie stars; I wanted young people to talk about the real heroes in their lives.

9. Any plans to do a “grown-up” novel?

   I have no plans to write an adult novel. I love writing for teen readers.

10. Any favorite books or authors? What’s on your nightstand?

    Currently, I still am a reader. That stack of books by everyone’s bed — I have that same stack: books I’ve read, books I’m going to read, books I need to read, books that people have told me are good books to read. My favorite author right now is Diane McKinney-Whetstone. She’s an African-American author, and if I could write grown-up books, I’d write like her. She just writes beautifully, with quality and with depth. I sent her an e-mail recently and said, “I don’t want to sound like one of the fifteen-year-olds who write to me, but gee, I like your writing!” I really did sound like a kid when I wrote it. I also admire Olympia Vernon, who is a powerful, powerful African-American voice.

11. If you were asked to coalesce your work into one sentence, what might that be?

    I try to write powerful, meaningful stories for young people and show them I understand the difficulties of growing up, and to let them know I care.

Interview with John A. Andrews

Author John A. Andrews is also the founder of The SUCCESS Triangle – based on the 3 book series. This organization is dedicated to help individuals (1) Work on themselves. (2) Work with others. & (3) Work on their potential.

Andrews, a divorcee and dad of three sons ages 14, 12 and 10, was born in the Islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He grew up in a home of five sisters and three brothers. His parents were all about values: work hard, love God, and never give up on dreams.

Self-educated, John developed an interest for music. Although lacking the formal education, he later put his knowledge and passion to good use, moonlighting as a disc jockey in New York. This paved the way for further exploration in the entertainment world. John’s acting career began in 1994.

Leaving the Big Apple for Los Angeles over a decade ago not only put several national TV commercials under his belt but helped him to find his niche.

His passion for writing started in 2002, when he was denied the rights to a 1970’s classic film, which he so badly wanted to remake.

In 2007, while etching two of his original screenplays, he published his first book “The 5 Steps to Changing Your Life.” Currently he’s publishing his ninth volume, while writing the screenplay for “When The Dust Settles (A True Hollywood Story)” which is currently in development phase.

1. What were the events that led you to create The SUCCESS Triangle? Did your books refine the concept or were they an outgrowth of the concept?

   In 2000-2002 I went through a divorce which knocked me completely off my feet. It was a severe blow, from which at times seemed like I’ll never recover. In my efforts to climb up from that fetal position after so many failed attempts, my first book “The 5 Steps To Changing Your Life” was etched.
   

   Last year I wrote “Spread Some Love (Relationships 101)” and just recently “Dare To Make A Difference (Success 101).” Collectively, without any prior planning those three books has served as the concept on which “me” climbing up from the bottom The SUCCESS Triangle Series was founded. A series, which will soon be taught in workshops and seminars around the world.

2. What are the tenets behind The SUCCESS Triangle and your books? Are they based on your experiences, your relationships?

   The 5 Steps to Changing Your Life, which rests at the base of the triangle has to do with – working on YOU. Basically, changing your THOUGHTS, your WORDS, your ACTIONS, your CHARACTER and changing your WORLD.

   Spread Some Love (Relationships 101) has to do with – working with others. For, it is totally impossible to love others if you don’t first love yourself.

   Dare To Make A Difference (Success 101) has to do with – working with your potential and succeeding against all odds.

   All three sides of this triangle are built on my many experiences – rising from being a struggling actor to the author of several books as well as an entrepreneur. I have learned so much about myself and others.

3. How did you get started with writing?

   I had no ambition being a writer. When I moved from New York to Hollywood in 1996 I wanted to act, that’s all. However, in 2002 after almost going bankrupt while owning and operating a model agency in Hollywood, I began hunting for other options to facilitate my rebounding process. It was at time that I stumbled into a 1970s classic film which I so badly wanted to remake. I was so sold on it. After 3 weeks of phone calls, I finally found the studio which held the rights to my pet project. I was rudely turned down by the woman answering the phone. She claimed that they weren’t willing to give up their rights to any third party. It was then that I decided that I was going to WRITE and some day they’ll come begging me to sell them my work.

   I wrote my first script in 29 days. Later, I showed a subsequent script to a director from my acting school. He sent me an email stating that I was such a novice and should give up writing. A year later I sent him another. This time he praised me for my work, stating that not to many people are adept at writing action thrillers. That added fuel to my fire.

4. Did you get your script produced?

   At this point we’re finishing up the screenplay and would be attaching talent in the fall. There is a great talent pool to draw from and several characters has asked to “play themselves” in the movie. Additionally, an Oscar winning director is vying to helm the project. The story has also grabbed the attention of one of Hollywood’s top movie producers. When it comes down to it though, the best fit for the project takes precedence.

5. What are you doing to market and promote your books? You have complimentary products — journals, workbooks, DVDs — as well as your website and a Facebook. How does it all work for you?

   Most of my marketing so far has been through Word Of Mouth. People seem to like what I have and they tell others about them. People love when things that are well packaged. So I’ve created some accessories to compliment my books. In regard to the Website and Facebook, these serve as other fishing ponds. Some people are busy and don’t frequent the bookstores, so these avenues help facilitating their shopping and upcoming products informational needs. In addition, I’m currently writing the screenplay for my new release “When The Dust Settles (A True Hollywood Story).” This film will be shot in 2010.

6. And, when it comes down to meeting and greeting, what has been your experiences at signings and interviews? What kinds of responses do you get?

   I love book signings, they are fun. Interacting with people is delightful, I love the whole “belly to belly” aspect of marketing. For me, getting to know people and how my products can enhance their lives is well worth the late nights and early mornings I spend writing,

   At my first book signing event, I brought in a camera crew. They interviewed me before the signing of books. It was a very inspirational interview. Consequently, the bookstore sold over 90% of the books they had ordered.

7. How much input do you get from your fans and critics? Do they influence your writing?

   I have discovered that most people are relationships conscious and desire to grow in this area. I’ve cataloged information from fan, readers and critics which will be released in one of my upcoming books in the fall. This book is mainly based on the transformation of those who’ve read my books.

8. Thinking about influences, with a new president and a changing economy, people appear to be more reflective and introspective abut their jobs, their relationships, their homes, and their future. What are your thoughts? Is there a new project, a new book that will address these issues?

   I am glad that we have an African American officiating as our commander and chief. It shows that we as a nation will fight to the end to remove whatever walls stand in the way towards our destiny. We have to realize one thing though, and that is (him) being elected is just the results of the 1960s civil rights revolution – when among other things we fought for the right to vote. We need to now do the best that we can with our talents and abilities to continue to make our country a better place for all. This recession is a tough one but out of adversity comes forth major blessings. We need to help our kids to dream bigger and not wait until they’re adults to begin the process… as I reiterated to in my new book “Dare to Make a Difference (Success 101) For TEENS.”

   A book of the same title has just been released for adults. It is my prediction that through this economic downturn more self made millionaires will be create the ever before in our nation’s history.

9. Do you feel that you have a unique message to spread as an African American and as an author?

   I wasn’t born in America. The main reason as I stated in DARE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE (Success 101) for me being here is – opportunity. This country offers anyone with a burning desire the opportunity to become whoever they want to be. It always puzzles me as to why not only African Americans but Americans on a whole don’t realize that they are blessed to be born in America. It takes traveling elsewhere for them to realize this. Many lose their lives trying to get here. Why? It is the land of opportunity. Yet many chose to remain dreamless or let their dreams elude them. There is room for more dreamers, after all visionaries have contributed towards making this country great. However, we need more of us to step off the sidelines and into the game. This is the playoffs – our country needs us.

   It has been a privilege and an honor participating in this interview.

Interview with Shelley Parsons

Shelley Parsons, is the published author of “Quieting the Storm” and “Rosebud” — a two-book series.

She is a mother of two beautiful children, Holiday and Dartagnan Parsons, and currently resides in Lake Elsinore, California.

“Quieting the Storm” is an innovative way of exploring our everyday lives and the decisions we make with conscious thought. It received the Leaders and Legends Award of 2009 in Black Pearl Magazine. The last installment of her two book series “Rosebud” is available for purchase at all online book stores. Below are video logs of her discussing the novels “Quieting the Storm” and “Rosebud.”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuvS9teypK0
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Qn1P3QY7c

“Onyx Love” is Shelley’s new novel and will be available for purchase in late August 2009. Although “Onyx Love” is a departure from her last two book series, she assures readers that they will be most entertained by the new batch of colorful characters.

Shelley Parsons loves to write and invites readers to also participate in creative expression by posting any creative writing expression, especially poetry, they may wish to share on her website shelleyparsons.com .

1. How would you categorize your writing?

   For me, writing is an expression of my perception of life. I use my words for entertainment but also as a platform to make the audience think on a different level. The genres that the powers to be want to place my book in categories that I think don’t quit explain the content. For example, “urban literature” for me, I am grateful that we have our own category but I find that our stories are American stories and just because the characters are African American doesn’t mean it is not mainstream; it is a human story. I would place my books in the metaphysical category even though I was told that this form was more for self-help or religious philosophies like books as “The Secret.” All my books have a spiritual undertone and have a unique way of bringing in metaphysics to the human condition.
   
    

2. What got you started with writing and, what led you to self-publish?

   When I was a child I was very shy to say the least. Painfully so, I was very withdrawn and most people took me as snobbish or overly confident, but the reality was I had a hard time expressing myself verbally. Mixed with the shyness and the negative responses I received from people, I would just take a pen out and just start expressing myself. Battling with how I felt and the treatment of me, mostly translated to some crazy poetry. LOL! Maybe in hindsight the book “Quieting the Storm“‘ was derived. The main character being a woman named Quiet. As for self publishing, I tried to send my first manuscript “The Matriarch” now named “Quieting the Storm” to traditional publishing houses but mostly agents and so on only want to deal with well-known celebrities or authors. From a business standpoint I can empathize with their thinking. The Internet has made it more difficult for book sales, but there are talented writers out there who deserve a chance. So instead of giving up, I published my own books and own the rights to them all. I have just completed my third book “Onyx Love” which will be released in late August 2009. I feel eventually, if I keep doing what I love, people will notice and start to read my work.
   
    

3. Is writing easy for you? Or do you have to enforce discipline to write, to review re write?

   Writing comes as natural to me as breathing. I feel I am good at a lot of things but I am great at putting a story together on paper. Whether people like it or not is a different story. I will say re-writing is a constant chore for me, because I feel like I am just a vehicle for the story to be expressed and it does not come from me, only the way I can explain it. And once it is down on paper, it is what it is. And mostly all of my books are first drafts. LOL! With the exception of editing purposes and spelling corrections, I am a terrible speller.
   
    

4. How do you go about creating your characters and plots?

   I love a blank page. Oooh, I love it. I just sit at the computer and start writing. I have no idea where these people and situations come from. I am sure they are all aspects of me but I never really realize how much until a reader brings certain things to my attention. Like in “Quieting the Storm,” the main character Quiet, she is always in the bathtub. LOL! Anyone who knows me will tell you nine times out of ten when you come a calling, I am in the bathtub. I do most of my reading and thinking in there, so I guess it was natural for Quiet, to do the same. The plots just evolve and, most of the time if I get stuck, I don’t panic. I just sleep on it and the next day I’m on it. The trick I think is not to try to be so big with it. Most of the time something really simple will connect the story.
   
    

5. How much do your personal experiences reflect in your books?

   Wow, Honestly I would have to say 100 percent. But not in the manner in which the plots and the people are the same but in being completely honest the emotion behind the content I have experienced it just have manifested in different forms. Like in “Rosebud” I must state that my father never sexually abused me. This is a fact that anyone who knows me knows my father wasn’t around in my childhood, but I have been around child molestation and I do find this is a taboo that is swept under the rug and has so many repercussions in the future that it is a topic that needs to be addressed.

   In my novel “Quieting the Storm,” Quiet feels like she see’s dead people, I have never had this type of experience but sometimes my intuition is so strong it cannot be ignored. And my latest creation “Onyx Love,” I just get tingles when I think about this book. I truly believe that what you constantly think about and focuses on you create because when I was writing this book. I was just in love. Loving my computer, loving my pencil, loving myself. But I will say although again, the plots and the people are purely fiction. There are aspects in this book that are derived from my experienced with my true love, I don’t speak to him and hope that he isn’t my true love, on a lower level because I am single and still wish to have that beautiful feeling but I suppose if he were to read it only he and I would know. Just partially. With that said “Onyx Love” is a great story among all my books because the content is universal, everyone hopefully can relate to love. And this novel delves into the ties that bind us to that person when we are asking ourselves, “why can’t I get over this fool?”
   
    

6. Do you have a favorite character? Will you be seeing more of that character in your books?

   I suppose “Rose,” would be my favorite, only because she is so unlike me or anyone I know, I admire her guts! I think “Onyx”, is very down to earth and funny and is a very likable person. “Quiet”, she is more earthy and withdrawn at first but once you

   Get to know her you fall in love, and discover there are more pieces to her than meets the eye. If you haven’t already noticed I have a pattern of naming my books after the main characters. “Quieting the Storm” and “Rosebud“, is a two-book series. So, Rose is actually in “Quieting the Storm.” People fell in love with Rose. I was very surprised because she is the antagonist for sure. She is very evil but she has a way of justifying her actions. If the reader was put in her position and led her life with enough guts and craziness in their blood, maybe they would do the same. So I wrote the novel “Rosebud” to give the readers a more indepth view of where Rose, was coming from and where she had been and where she ended up, it is a very human story. All of the characters of “Quieting the Storm” are in “Rosebud” but are not the main focus. Poor Quiet, I think Rose upstaged her in “Quieting the Storm“.

   But after my novel “Rosebud,” I have put those characters to rest and as a departure introduced new faces and experiences in “Onyx Love.”
   
    

7. What inspires you?

   Emotion, what I am feeling at the time. It could be anything. I guess I am always for the underdog. I feel in my life very judged and misunderstood, so when I see something or someone under attack I always feel there are two sides to a story, so let’s explore it all.
   
    

8. Any plans for a next project?

   I am working on a very innovative way of reading a book. I won’t go into detail but I feel it will change the experience of reading.
   
    

9. What are you doing to market your books?

   As we know it is very expensive to market your own book and get it to a wide audience. I find it most frustrating because you have to sift and waste money on different things that may not be affective. Like email blast, don’t do it! It just goes to the trash box and they never see it. I have set up a website shelleyparsons.com where people can come and post poetry and short stories of their own. I have set up MySpace, Facebook, Twitter accounts. I have a video trailer of my book “Quieting the Storm,” I rent booths at book fairs although this year I couldn’t make it to many. The latest marketing adventure I did, was to pay for my book to be in Barnes and Nobles, Target and Wal-Mart through my publishing company but I haven’t seen it there yet. So if anyone is ever in these stores please support me and request my novel “Quieting the Storm.” I also do video logs on YouTube explaining my books and will go further if I ever had any comments. But for the most part I really think it comes down to your name once your name is as big as Terry McMillan, people are more interested. So, I believe it just takes one person to like the books and they tell a friend and so on and so on.
   
    

10. How much input do you get from your fans and critics? Do they influence your writing?

    I will be honest and say my feelings get hurt when people like one book over the other. LOL! But it is just where the readers’ head is at the moment of the read. Which content they closely relate to, I say, for the most part. “Rosebud“, I think for a lot of my family seeing that they are Christians, kind of had a lot to say concerning the metaphysical aspect of one section in “Rosebud” and said I should change it. Not only that the content could make some people uncomfortable but I say if it makes you uncomfortable that is a sign for you to keep reading. LOL! I didn’t change it, I felt it came from somewhere and for me gives me a kind of peace. So if I feel that way, maybe some others will too. “Rosebud“, has not sold as many copies as “Quieting the Storm” but it will find its legs and I wouldn’t be true to myself to change the piece.

    But as far as suggestions I take notes and as far as readers wanting to know more about Rose, I created the novel “Rosebud,” especially for them. But I will always be true to myself, else I would be like Terry McMillan, and we have her already.
    
     

11. Tell us about some of your favorite experiences from signings or interviews?

    I haven’t done many interviews. I think Books of Soul, is my third. Signings are always a pride-less experience LOL, only because at this point I have only done book fairs and there are a lot of other writers at the table and you really have to sell your book. So I always get a churn in my stomach before hand. Sometimes I just say forget it. But last year at the Leimert Park Book Fair I will never forget. I was sitting at the table and these two ladies were walking by and noticed my book on the table and said, ” oh there goes “Quieting the Storm.” So they approached the table and my mother started talking to the lady and I am sitting there just smiling and listening to the conversation. The lady says “Well, is she going to be here?” Me and my mother look at each other and realize she was asking was the author of the book going to be there. And my mother said “Yes, she is right here” and pointed to me. The lady looked at me and started screaming as if I were Michael Jackson, I couldn’t believe it. She was like “That’s her! That’s her! I was just telling my friend she needed to buy this book.” I couldn’t believe it. But I will never forget it.
    
     

12. What are your favorite reads and authors?

    I try to read up and coming authors that are unknown to me for pleasure. But I mostly read spiritual books. Right now, I am supporting a new author named Nicole Falone Garret, “Double Dipping,” Steve Harvey’s’ new book, and Verna Griffin, Long Road out of Compton. My favorite authors are Neale Donald Walsch, Pearl Clearage, Deepak Chopra, Zora Neale Hurston, of course Eric Jerome Dickey.
    
     

13. What books are on your shelf?

    “Friendship with God”, Neale Donald Walsch
    “Conversations with God” 1,2,3
    “Spiritual Liberation,” Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith
    “Oneness”, Rasha
    “One Foot in Love”, Bill Wright
    “Cheaters” Eric Jerome Dickey
    “Rhythms” Donna HYill
    Among many others believe me.

Interview with Diane Martin

Diane Martin was born in Chicago, Illinois. And she currently lives in the Chicago area. She earned her Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degree from Chicago State University. She is the author of three novels: Never What it Seems, Autumn Leaves, & Fallen Angel.

Diane describes herself as “a nerd by nature – spending most of my time writing, marketing, editing, responding to emails, and taking care of my family…not always in that order.”

I’ve studied under some incredible people, but have chosen not to “drop” names because I want people to buy my books and support me because they believe in me and my work.

I have written three novels in one year and edited/published another. I’ve been blessed that everyone enjoys my novels. We are on the second print of Never What it Seems after only one year in circulation. Autumn Leaves, my second novel, went international last year – during the first seven months of its release. Currently, I am proud to say that they are all still doing well even in this economy.

My novels have been “checked-out” more often than any fiction novel currently in circulation and more copies of my novels have been stolen from the local libraries as often as Sista Soulja’s, The Coldest Winter Ever. One library director told me that, “You know you’ve made it when people start stealing your books.” One library had to purchase several copies of my novels just to meet the demand and during the first year of their release there was always a waiting list to take them out of the library.

Humble by nature, I don’t usually share things like this, but I’m telling you.

I don’t know if any of this is interesting, but it’s as interesting as it gets.

• What got you started with writing? And, what led you to self-publishing your own books?
  I’ve always loved literature, but never saw myself as a writer. I was writing something one day and my husband stumbled upon it. After reading it, he said, “I didn’t know that you could write.” I thought that he said that because he loved me, but he kept encouraging me to finish. Of course, as a mother and a wife, I wasn’t thinking about finishing a book – I didn’t have time to read one, let alone, write one. After obtaining a Master’s in English, he approached me again about finishing the book, but as always, life dictated something else. Finally, a year ago he asked me again about writing and told me that if I would write, he would take care of everything else. Three novels later, here I am. I decided to self-publish because I wanted to have complete control over my art.
  
   
• How do you go about creating your characters and your plots? What inspires you — Do you start with characters or with a plot?
  My novels are my dreams. When I write, the goal is to get the story out of my head and onto paper.

  Fallen Angel is the story of a man. He’s someone who walks among us every-day. On the outside, he’s the picture of perfection, but on the inside there’s a war going on. His name is Izrael, biblically, the Angel of Death. He just wants to be left alone as he struggles to deal with the demons of his past – his fears, his guilt, and his regrets. Everyone wants him – to be a part of his world whether willingly or by force. He fights daily to destroy the frightening thoughts that wreak havoc on his ability to find balance and peace of mind. He realizes that in order to survive – a part of him must die. His survival – his redemption depends on it. Join me as we take a journey with Izrael as he delivers his message with contempt and conviction.

  I wrote this novel to bring awareness to mental illness and how it affects those who are forced to live with it and the family who has to take the journey with them. It is a debilitating disease and so many of our soldiers who has returned home from the war are dealing with it. My novel depicts the dark side of it. Izrael doesn’t represent every individual dealing with the disease. He is a physical manifestation of their dreams, their nightmares, and often their reality from my perspective.
  
   

• Do you have a favorite character? Will we be seeing more of that character in your books?
  I don’t have a favorite character. I love them all.
  
   
• Is writing easy for you? Or, do you have to enforce a discipline to write, to review, to re-write?
  Writing is really easy for me. I write at least 15 hours a day. I really love it.
  
   
• Another slant on the previous question: Is writing getting easier for you, now that you are a published author? How much input do you get from your fans and critics?

  I receive a lot of reviews from my readers. I really appreciate the feedback. I have published many of them on my website and in my books. It is my way of saying ‘thank you’ for supporting me.
  
   

• What are you doing to market and promote your books?
  I’ve done a lot of book-signings, television interviews, radio interviews, online-chats, emails, and I promote them via word of mouth. Book signings are most effective and I enjoy them because it gives me the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people.
  
   
• Any plans for a next project?
  We just finished my husband’s book and I am currently working on the sequel of my first novel, entitled, Never What it Seems.
  
   
• What are your favorite reads? What books are your shelves?
  I enjoy all forms of literature. I love to read anything written by Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Frederick Douglass, Ernest J. Gaines, and Langston Hughes. I am a collector of African-American literature.