JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Salim Amir, author of Get In Get Out
(Mitanni Entertainment)

(click on the pictures to buy this book from Amazon)

Get In Get Out chronicles the life of Marquise Jackson - son of a hustling father, his tumultuous trek into manhood and the journey of a soul that is torn between what is right and what is necessary. In choosing the same life that took his father, he soon realizes that once a person is in the game it’s never as easy as one wishes to Get In Get Out.

This is the introspective story of a young man. Marquis Jackson is forced into manhood prematurely because of a tragedy that threatens the life and welfare of his family. He finds himself trying desperately to get out of the life before he’s claimed by the same fate that claimed his father.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Get In Get Out?

Salim Amir: I got the idea and inspiration from my life experiences and the unfortunate death of my comrade Kareem Williams.

JP: What sets Get In Get Out apart from other urban fiction novels where the main character is torn between crime and love?

SA: In order to big my project up without belittling other urban authors, I’ll tell you what makes this book special. The characters have depth, and they’re real. Not every hustler pushed keys. Some people hand-to-hand their entire drug career. My characters reflect that realistic polarity of the game. You’re in their minds as they contemplate life. When they cry, you’ll probably cry or come close to it. I also focused on making sure my narration could be distinguished from my dialogue. I think that’s an important thing for street lit authors to do.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Get In Get Out getting out to the public?

SA: Studying your market. Anything you get into you should study. It’s like the stock market. You don’t just buy a stock without first researching the company whose stock you’re about to buy into. You learn all the tricks of the trade. As an author and CEO of my own publishing company, Mitanni Entertainment, I feel it’s imperative to learn everything Random House, St. Martin’s Press and other major publishing houses know and use to stay on top of this game. Especially considering the top is my destination.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Get In Get Out?

SA: My writing process varies. Sometimes the thoughts and ideas come scattered like a collage and I put the pieces together like a puzzle. Other times it just flows. Get In Get Out took almost 2 years to perfect because I was new to writing. But I have a novel called Politics as Usual that took all of two months in the hole up state to write. So it all depends.

JP: What’s next for Salim Amir?

SA: Dying To Live! The sequel to Get In Get Out.

Website link: www.mitannient.com

Myspace link: www.myspace.com/salimamir81

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Wakiem Freeman, author of Down Low Sistahs
(Apricot Books International)

(click on the pictures to buy this book from Amazon)

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Down Low Sistahs?

Wakiem Freeman: The idea came from an ex-girlfriend who confessed to me that she was sleeping with her cousin who was a female. Years later, I was going through old photos. I ran across her picture and was inspired to tackle the touchy subject.

JP: What sets Down Low Sistahs apart from other urban fiction novels?

WF: Down Low Sistahs is innovative. It stands alone with a unique twist.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Down Low Sistahs getting out to the public?

WF: Discipline, distribution and word of mouth. I’m focused and screaming “they on the down low and you don’t even know, they on that lo-lo” every time I hit the streets of N.Y.C. The public has spoken. I’m on my ninth print run.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Down Low Sistahs?

WF: First, I pick a topic. Then decide if I want my brain to tackle the topic. Next is research, which can take any where from 2 to 4 months. Next is designing a book cover. Then I write my outline of all chapters, which takes about two weeks. I finished Down Low Sistahs in 4 days.

JP: What’s next for Wakiem Freeman?

WF: The re-release of Down Low Sistahs, re-edited, with a NEW cover, summer 2009.

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P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joeyDOTpinkneyATgmailDOTcom or myspace.com/joeyreviews

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Essence Best Seller debut novelist T. Benson Glover, author of Sister
(Amaiya Entertainment)

(click on the pictures to buy this book from Amazon)

In Sister, T. Benson Glover takes you on a journey to “the Badlands”, a notorious North Philadelphia ghetto plagued by drugs and violence. It’s a place where love doesn’t exist inside The City of Brotherly Love. This is the neighborhood that the character Sister calls home.

Follow Sister as she winds her way into the depths of a world shrouded in darkness, clouded by murder, riddled by lust, consumed by greed, and overrun by envy and betrayal. In Sister, Glover makes it clear that beneath every inner city there’s a place where’s there’s no love lost, even the City of Brotherly Love .

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Sister?

T. Benson Glover: I got the inspiration to write the novel Sister out of necessity. I felt that there was need to assess how drastic and violent the situation has become for our young black women to grow up in the inner city minus their fathers. And the character Sister is just an example of what can happen to a young sister growing up in urban America.
JP: What sets Sister apart from other urban fiction novels set in Philly?

TBG: What sets Sister apart, is that it is not only set in Philly, but also Pittsburgh, and Fayetteville, NC.
JP: As a debut author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Sister appearing on the Essence Best Seller’s List?

TBG: I would say that it’s the constant grind: going to the book signings, the Harlem Book Fairs, communicating with your readers online, etc. All of those things, on top of having a good product that’s both credible and real, are keys to gaining that position. Key number 1 has got to be that your readers have to feel where you’re coming from. Shout out to Essence for recognizing my hard work.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Sister?

TBG: Actually, I start by developing my lead character and his or her voice. Once I nail that down, I finish the storyline. It took me maybe nine months, off and on, to finish Sister.
JP: What’s next for T. Benson Glover?

TBG: Next up for me is the sequel to Sister. Cash should be in stores by December 2008. Thanks for your time.

JP: No problem.

www.amiayaentertainment.com

www.myspace.com/benniebricks

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…

Barbara Grovner, author of Even Numbers
(Third Eye Publishing)

(click on the pictures to buy this book from Amazon)

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Even Numbers?

Barbara Grovner: The inspiration to write Even Numbers came from a very close person in my life who had gone through a very similar experience. I actually wrote the book for her.
JP: What sets Even Numbers apart from other urban fiction novels?

BG: Even Numbers is written in narrative form because it was the type of story that had to be told. I found it extremely difficult to give James a voice. It seemed to give him too much power. For a pedophile, power is the one thing we do not want them to possess.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Even Numbers getting out to the public?

BG: I have been trying to target single mothers who date in an effort to hopefully alert them to some of the red flags. Those red flags may make them take a closer look at the men they bring home to their innocent and unsuspecting children.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Even Numbers?

BG: I am a bit Old School when it comes to writing. I prefer to write in a notebook. Then I transfer everything to my computer. My thoughts flow better when I am physically writing. Even Numbers, although a very short book, took about a year to write from start to finish. There was a lot of research involved. Also the topic of child molestation was difficult to write. I found myself having to take breaks from thinking of the horrors some women have endured.
JP: What’s next for Barbara Grovner?

BG: My next novel We Belong Together is scheduled to release in December. It’s a “who-done-it” mystery beginning with a senseless murder of a nurse. The characters are colorful, and the dialogue is off the chain. Nothing at all like Even Numbers, which is a narrative and extremely thought provoking.

At this time, I am working on the sequel to We Belong Together which is also a “who-done-it” mystery as well. I hope to have that book out sometime next year.

I am also offering editing services at the lowest rate in the business. In fact, I am offering first-time authors who are enrolled in school an incredibly low low rate for a limited time. I can be reached at bgrovner@hotmail.com for inquiries.

Thanks so much for the interview. Hope to interview again when We Belong Together drops in December.

JP: I look forward to the opportunity

www.thirdeyepublishing.org
www.myspace.com/barbaragrovner

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Congratulations to Mari Walker for her novel debuting at no. 3 on the Essence Best Sellers List for August! Pretty good for her first time being published. Check it out.

Check out my book review and my interview of the novel Never As Good As the First Timeand Mari Walker on Urban Book Source’s website. We get pretty deep.

I had the pleasure of reading Ms. McFadden’s first installment of this enchanting,yet twisted saga. I did a review of the book in January ‘08 and posted on my book reviewer page on C&B Books Distribution, Amazon.com and later on this website.

I loved the book because it was a very intriguing. If you’ve never had the experience of reading FeMALE TRAITS, you need to get that done before diving into the sequel. I’m not saying that the sequel won’t be able to stand on it’s own. I’m saying that you have to know where Grace came from to know where Grace is going.

Author Lurea C. McFadden was kind enough to give me the inside scoop on the 07-01-08 release date for FeMALE TRAITS II. (And word on the streets is that yours truly was quoted on the back. But you didn’t hear that from me…)

Bruce Publishing Presents …

Drama and nothing else!!!!

LOSING HER MAN, PREGNANT AND NOT SURE OF THE PATERNITY OF HE UNBORN CHILD, GRACE TRUFANT IS UP TO HER TRICKS AND BACK AGAIN!!! ADD TO THAT ANOTHER SISTER WITH FeMALE TRAITS, FELICIA HUBERT, AND THE TRAITS FLY WILD ONCE AGAIN!!!!!!!