JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Essence Best Selling Author Big Boom, author of How To Duck a Suckah: A Guide to Living a Drama-Free Life
(Fireside Books)

(click the pictures to see reviews of this book on Amazon.com)

Big Boom, a.k.a the “Bodyguard to Women’s Hearts” hit a nerve with his straightforward advice in If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start with Your Legs (June 2007). Big Boom returned in the same vein with raw, uncensored advice in his new book How To Duck a Suckah: A Guide to Living a Drama-Free Life.

In How To Duck a Suckah, Boom explains his controversial past and why he has decided to take a stand against suckahs by guiding women out of the “sitting duck syndrome”. Boom says, “Men are always looking for something to catch or shoot and if you aren’t careful you will be their next target”. A relationship book designed specifically to empower women and safeguard them physically, mentally and emotionally, How To Duck a Suckah helps women duck that potentially hazardous relationship.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write How to Duck a Suckah?

Big Boom: The idea to write How to Duck a Suckah came from my first book If You Want Closure In Your Relationship Start With Your Legs. I felt like I had more to say and wanted to get women out of that ‘Sitting Duck’ syndrome and influence their decisions to lead a healthy, rich, drama-free lives. I decided to express that sentiment in How to Duck a Suckah.

JP: What sets How to Duck a Suckah apart from other novels in its genre?

BB: How to Duck a Suckah is nonfiction. From what I’ve been told, women love the truth whether they can handle it or not. This is what sets my books apart from other titles on relationships. I try to be as honest as possible, but I try to do it with love and support. It’s the culmination of my life experience, common sense and its coming straight from the heart.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to How to Duck a Suckah getting out to the public?

BB: Wanting to make a change and help one woman to have a happy, loving life. Believe that your book will help, inspire, motivate and change someone. I believe I have an authentic message that needs to be told, and I try to do that publicly.

A good marketing and publicity plan (lectures, book signings and interviews), promotional material to hand out to the public and never assume that everyone already knows about your books.

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

BB: My first process, I put all my information on a hand held recorder. Second, I get my ghost writer to transcribe it into a book form. Third, it’s read to me over the telephone. I make changes via telephone even while traveling! Six months later I have a master piece. Not bad for a man with no formal education…

JP: What’s next for Big Boom?

BB: Since I’m known for telling the truth, my next book is going to tell women what men really want them to know about themselves. This a danger zone! Somebody must do it! What better person then me, a person that cares and has a proven track record of delivering with sincerity.

www.bigboombooks.com
www.bodyguardforwomenhearts.com
www.myspace.com/bigboombooks

If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start with Your Legs and How to Duck a Suckah are both Essence Best Sellers.

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
New York Times Best Selling Author Kimberla Lawson Roby, author of Sin No More
(William Morrow)

(click on the pictures to see this book on Amazon.com)

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Sin No More?

Kimbery Lawson Roby: Sin No More is actually the fifth title in my Reverend Curtis Black series, which centers on problems and corruption within the church. I was inspired to write about this issue because of so much that I’ve seen and heard about for a great number of years.

JP: What sets Sin No More apart from other novels in its genre?

KLR: Sin No More focuses on reality—not any specific real-life issues—but it does focus on what can and does happen on a daily basis throughout this country. I don’t try to sugarcoat anything that I write, and more important, I try my best to show what happens when we don’t follow God’s Word or treat people the way we want to be treated.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Sin No More getting out to the public?

KLR: The two most important things are writing and building a marketing/publicity plan and making sure to interact personally with your readers on a regular basis, both by email and at speaking and book signing events all year long.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Sin No More?

KLR: Once I decide which topic I’m going to center my story on, I create all of my characters and then outline the entire novel. After that, I write a minimum of one or two chapters per day until the first draft is finished. Then, I revise and edit. The entire process from start to finish normally takes me about three months.

JP: What’s next for Kimberla Lawson Roby?

KLR: I released a novella entitled One in a Million this past June and my twelfth book, The Best of Everything, will be released on January 13, 2009. Currently, I’m working on a second novella for the fall of 2009.

www.kimroby.com
www.myspace.com/kimberlalawsonroby

Kimberla would love to hear from you at: kim@kimroby.com.

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Nikkea Smithers, author of Sweet Dreams
(Auset Ausar Productions)

(click on the pictures to see reviews of this book on Amazon.com)

Dream is a highschool student from Bridgeport, Connecticut, who is traumatized when she is informed of the tragic suicide of her best friend. Feeling like she is alone in the world with an abusive mother and absent father, Dream almost comes to the resolution that her life is also not worth living…

Antonio is also in high school but from Richmond, Virginia, working two jobs to help his mother support his many brothers and sisters. Growing up in the projects, he is faced with a number of obstacles that will test his manhood.

When Dream and Antonio’s worlds collide both of their lives change forever…but is it for the better or for the worse?

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

Nikkea Smithers: The inspiration came from a conversation I had with my mother in the early part of the year. She was telling me about a how a friend of the family, who is a medic, was called to a home where a young girl had committed suicide.

I immediately started to think, “What could have been so bad to make this young girl want to take her life?” With that thought I wrote a poem called ‘A Girl Named Suicide’ which was later featured in the book. After the further contemplation I felt that there was so much more to say. I began to think what about the friends, the family, what about everyone who had to keep going after her passing. Essentially this story was begging to be told not only to honor the young girls memory but to spark intrigue in our community about this subject.

JP: What sets Sweet Dreams apart from other novels in its genre?

NS: Sweet Dreams has no set genre to be honest. It deals with a vast majority of subjects: self love, self respect, teenage suicide, peer pressure and forgiveness. Sweet Dreams stands out because, true to my writing style, it speaks a message of realness and hope.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Sweet Dreams getting out to the public?

NS: I embrace my public. I make myself available for anyone who wants to talk about any of my titles. As I choose to write about some very eye opening topics, conversation is a must. Therefore, I don’t shy away. I enjoy getting to know my readers as well as my readers getting to know me.

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

NS: Each of my books take me through a different process. For my poetry books and Keith’s Story it was a gradual process sometimes taking a year or more. However, for Gold Diggin’ and Sweet Dreams the process was much different and the stories poured out of me within two weeks. Sweet Dreams in particular was finished in a week in a half.

JP: What’s next for Nikkea Smithers?

NS: My next book is already done, waiting for the printer as we speak. I don’t want to give away too much but my readers can keep an eye on my website to find out when my next release will be. Until then, readers can certainly pick up not only Sweet Dreams but also Gold Diggin’, Keith’s Story and for poetry lovers Attitudes of a Woman.

www.nikkeasmithers.com
www.myspace.com/keithsstory

Nikkea Smithers is a self published author of five titles. Her most recent release Sweet Dreams made #4 on Essence Magazine Best Sellers list. She has been featured in Protege Magazine and has been featured at venues from NY to LA. Nikkea is also a talented spoken word artist who performs frequently and had headlined at many venues.

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Seth Ferranti, author of Street Legends: Vol 1
(Gorrilla Convict Publications)

(click the pictures to see this book on Amazon.com)

Joey Pinkney: Why were you inspired to write Street Legends: Vol 1 about these famous drug dealers even though they are household names in the hood right now?

Seth Ferranti: I’ve been doing stories for Don Diva since the jump, like 2000 or so. I was doing little pieces about dudes in prison for the Behind the Wall section. In 2004 I was transferred to FCI Gilmer in West Virginia, and Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff was there. He was corresponding with Don Diva regularly about possibly doing an interview or story with them.

Through our mutual acquaintance with Don Diva, we hooked up and started hanging out. By the time he was indicted on the Murder Inc. case he had decided to let me write the piece about him for Don Diva, so I did. That was my first cover story. From there I just ran with it doing several more cover and feature stories for Don Diva and other magazines.

I was always intrigued by all that gangster stuff and the mystique surrounding these guys. As I looked around I found that a lot of these dudes’ co-defendants, homies and relatives were all around me. So it was almost like a natural progression for me. I want to do for these dudes what the writers back in the old west did for Billy the Kid and their ilk because for real these guys are heroes in a way, outlaw heroes. America has always been fascinated with its outlaw-heroes, just look at Pablo Escobar and John Gotti.

JP: How are you able to get up close and personal and secure what seems to be incriminating information about people who are well connected?

SF: I’m in prison and have been for the past 16 years. I know a lot of dudes, dudes who were down with these legends and come from the same hoods they do, the same eras. I get most of my facts, if you want to call them that, from court records and newspaper articles. But I don’t just write the mainstream media side, I go to their homies, co-defendants and partners to get the real story.

I want to portray these street legends in a human light, to look past what the government says about them and what was proved in court. I want to give an overall picture of the person and their circumstances. I cover the story from all angles and tell it from the criminal side, and I always seek to get permission or get as close to the source as possible. Like I said, I know Supreme he is a personal friend of mine and some of these other dudes I know their co-defendants or dudes that ran with them on the streets.

JP: It’s been said that Life is stranger than fiction. Will Street Legends: Vol 1 hold true to this statement?

SF: Definitely, some of the stuff in this book you will not believe. I give it to you raw and uncensored, live from behind the wall. These dudes are all real life movie stars. They are modern day Billy the Kids. F*ck Frank Lucas and American Gangster, these guys are the real O.G.’s.

JP: How long did it take you to gather and compile the information that became Street Legends: Vol 1?

SF: Not long, maybe about a year. I just reached out to dudes I know and got it all together. They either wanted to be a part of the project or not. I’m in here, so dudes know I’m not out to exploit them or twist their words I’m here to cement their legends. This is history. This is no different then all the Italian mafia stuff and Colombian cocaine cartels stuff. These dudes were real legit ballers who played for keeps. They are legends, and I am the gangster chronicler. I do it like Don Diva, Street Elements and Feds, but I go deeper and provide the whole story for readers.

JP: What’s next for Seth Ferranti?

SF: I am working on Street Legends Volume 2 and a Supreme Team book. I have a street lit book, Murder Capital that I am putting the finishing touches on also. I’m trying to build my name and my brand from the penitentiary. Order my books and check out my blog at www.gorillaconvict.com.

Thank you.

www.gorillaconvict.com
www.myspace.com/gorillaconvict
www.myspace.com/soulmanseth
www.prisoner083.com

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

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Lesley Hal, author of Blind Temptations
(Pleasure Principle Publishing)

(click on the pictures to see reviews of this book on amazon)

Blind Temptations: The Seduction of Sex, Lies and Betrayal is a juicy saga about three friends: Chante Micheals, Michelle Ramsey and Karissa Waters. The characters in this book are hell bent on vengeance, treachery, power trips, seduction and sexual deception!

Chante Michaels lives in a fantasy world. She has the perfect job and the perfect family. That is until her husband, Alex Michaels, step out on her with a Tyra Banks look alike, Paris Chere’ Du’Moore who has a little secret of her own that will unleash all kinds of hell.

Karissa Waters would love nothing more than to be accepted by her mother that disowned her when she was only eleven. She meets the heir to a multi-billion dollar oil estate Andre Williamson who wants to give her a lifetime of happiness. Karissa won’t marry him without her mother’s blessings; a woman who makes Mommy Dearest look angelic.

Michelle Ramsey is in love with the devil himself Brandon Thomas. She’s a master at hiding what she doesn’t want people to see like the abuse she endures at Brandon’s unloving hands. Greg Wallace is the man she needs but won’t give a chance because her heart belongs to only one man…Brandon.

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

Lesley Hal: A series of life altering events led me to write Blind Temptations.

JP: What sets Blind Temptations apart from other novels in its genre?

LH: Its shocking twists, dealing with real life issues like sexual deception, adultery, abuse, and neglect among other things. Unlike many of the other novels, the characters are not super beings defying all odds without feelings being attached. I make it my mission to make every emotion be seen, heard, and felt no matter the situation. Readers want to that in a character. It makes the book more enjoyable. Most importantly, according to readers, it’s a page turner. Everyone that’s read the book is after me week after week about the sequel, which is in the works and a blessing.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Blind Temptations getting out to the public?

LH: Patience, determination, knowledge about publishing, honing my craft, learning from my mistakes not letting them become a setback but a step up and having a true love for writing.

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

LH: I started Blind Temptations while in college. It took me 10 years to write it since I didn’t get serious about it until 2006.

JP: What’s next for Lesley Hal?

LH: Currently, I’m a NY Times bestseller six times over thanks to Zane! My short story Riding the “Friendly Skies” was featured in Succulent: Chocolate Flava II where it was dubbed on of the creme de la creme. My second novel Pleasure-n-Spice and Nothing Nice is due out early 2009. I’m pushing for a Valentine’s release. Since it’s what started my journey into the world of erotica, it will be released under my pen name Ms. Lediva.

Blind Temptations II is also slated for release late 2009. Then there’s “Double the Pleasure” which will be featured in Bedtime Stories, an anthology with Brian Smith author of S.W.A.P. Game and Final Fling, coming this summer 2009!

www.lesleyhal.com
www.myspace.com/mslediva

JP: Add any other links, awards and contact information directly involved with the author and/or the book. I would like to highlight your achievements and let people connect with you.

LH: I’ve done a lot of promotional work such as a campaign with Starbucks, the Come Out & Play sampler for 2007 with other noted authors and the Come Out & Play event that took place in the Bahamas in October 2008 which was a huge success.

I was featured in Noire’s online magazine with short story “Stormy Weather” which is the prologue to Pleasure-n-Spice and garnered me a lot of attention from the erotica genre. Blind Temptations & Pleasure-n-Spice are both currently being considered by Kensington Publishing.

Last but certainly not least, I’m one of the founding members of the Authoress Suite with authors N’Tyse: My Secrets Your Lies and Stacey L. Ford: Selling the Fantasy.

Thank you Joey for such a wonderful interview, and I look forward to reviewing Pleasure-n-Spice with you soon!

P.S. Join the Joey Reviews Newsletter at http://joeypinkney.com/joey-reviews-newsletter.html

P.S.S. If you want to be featured in the 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joey.pinkney@gmail.com or http://myspace.com/joeyreviews

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Moses Miller, author of Nan: The Trifling Times of Nathan Jones and Nan: The Game of Trife
(Mind Candy Media)

(click on the pictures to either go to see each book’s review on Amazon.com or to go to Mind Candy Media’s website)

Nan: The Trifling Times of Nathan Jones Synopsis:

The story is labeled fiction, but his truth is the reality of many young Black males.

On Christmas Eve 1985, young Nathan “Nan” Jones and his parents were headed home from a day of last minute shopping when tragedy struck. A few blocks away, a crazed drug addict on a PCP fueled rush had committed a double homicide and was frantically fleeing the scene of the crime. As the police pursued, he made a desperate attempt to evade them, which sent his car careening into a sea of unsuspecting pedestrians.

As EMS workers arrived on the scene, they noticed a thirteen year old boy standing alone in the middle of the street, his facial expression emotionless. In less than a New York minute, his life had tragically changed.

Nathan would spend the rest of his teenage years in an orphanage, where he befriended another teen named, Joseph Hayes. They share an unfortunate similarity. On the same fateful night, the same man murdered both of their parents. As future prospects began to look more promising for both youths, tragedy rears its ugly head once again.

Traps are set, lives are lost and hidden agendas will be revealed.

Nan: The Game of Trife Synopsis:

In the city that never sleeps, Nathan “Nan” Jones, a young man that never slept, just survived a vicious assassination attempt on his life. On the same cold streets of Brooklyn, Jada Dupri, a Black girl lost, desperately searches for some meaning to her convoluted life.

Nan’s execution was sanctioned by the criminal underworld, in an elaborate plot to be carried out by a corrupt group of bloodthirsty NYPD killer cops. Even though he barely lived through the attack by the skin of his teeth, everything that meant something to him was stolen away in less than a New York minute. He had survived-but, his mere existence may only be short lived. A massive manhunt has ensued, and the word has been put out on the streets to bring him in dead or alive. The clock is ticking, and he’s living on borrowed time.

Since Jada’s birth, the beauty of her skin has been her sin…over time it became both a gift and a curse. She yearns to find the father she has never known, to develop a relationship with her mother that she has never had and to feel the unconditional love that she so desperately needs.

Even though these two individuals will never meet, and their paths will only cross on one fateful night, the critical decisions they both make will greatly impact the lives of one another.

After all, just like you and me, they are both merely pieces in The Game of Trife.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Nan: The Trifling Times of Nathan Jones and Nan: The Game of Trife?

Moses Miller: Death actually spawned the life of that story. A teenager named Timothy Stansbury was murdered in cold blood by police the night I started writing The Trifling Times of Nathan Jones. Even though the story has nothing to do with him or his life, it did inspire my creative juices. Actually, I guess they both do have one similarity when I think of the influence that the police played in both of their lives. There’s definitely the element of victimization there. The Game of Trife was just a natural continuation of the first story. Readers of part one knew that there had to be a sequel. They demanded it.

JP: What sets the Nan series apart from other novels in its genre?

MM: I don’t really compare my books to any other in any genre. From the gate I purposely established my own lane. I said, “I write Intelligent Urban Fiction,” which is the tag line for my company Mind Candy. I will say that what separates me from many authors is that I don’t allow my books to be constrained by events that I personally experienced or just hood stories that were passed on to me.

Every book signing I do somebody comes up to me and says, “I got some stories from my hood. I just need to write it.” It never fails. But the thing about it is that everyone knows a hood story. As a matter of fact, a lot of us know some of the same stories, or stories that are similar with the only differentiator being the name of the characters. That’s why there’s some that feel that originality is lacking in the genre.

I challenge myself and my readers, and I draw heavily on my imagination and the exposure I’ve received from traveling the United States and abroad when I write. I refuse to put myself in a box. My characters are multi-dimensional and my story lines are also multi-layered.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to the Nan series getting out to the public?

MM: Persistence. It starts with a good product. You have to know how to structure a story, develop characters, strong plots and memorable scenes. I always knew I had a good story, so all it would take would be for someone to read it. Word of mouth does the rest. I push my books by any means into the hands of readers. I have full confidence that once they read one of my books they’ll be supporters of everything I publish thereafter. I give them more than their money’s worth.

I also have put out some of the most original book trailers up to this point for an author of any genre. As a small press and a new author I was fortunate enough to have my trailers spread virally and be viewed by over twenty thousand people on the web alone. I understand that this is a business and I manage it as such. I’m an author, but my business requires me to wear many hats, and I make certain all of them fit.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? What did you learn in doing The Trifling Times of Nathan Jones and lead you to do something different for The Game of Trife?

MM: I write what I want to read, and I write everyday. With me, it’s all about quality and consistency. I can write no matter what’s going on around me. As a matter of fact, the other day I was writing on the highway while I was stuck in traffic on the way to a book signing. However, I don’t rush the creative process. I’ll write a book and let it sit for a year just so I can read it from the perspective of a new reader.

A story needs to excite me and leave me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. If it doesn’t, my readers will never see it. They’ll never get the chance to critique it, because I’m my worst critic. I write intuitively. Most of the time I know how the story begins and ends, however the path I’ll take to guide you there develops as I write. I may even write two or three different “middle” sections to my stories and then decide later what is the most consistent with the story and the characters I created. I did that with The Game of Trife.

Now as far as learning new things from Trifling Times to The Game of Trife, that’s an interview in itself. I learned many things, from marketing to continuing to develop my craft in order to get better.

JP: What’s next for Moses Miller?

MM: As always, I’ll continue to promote literacy in our communities, working with teenagers and young adults. It’s always important to me to give back and pull others forward. As far as writing, I’m developing screenplays. I have a few books that I’ll be publishing as well, but I’m really excited about the inquiries I’ve been getting to have Nathan Jones’ story portrayed on the big screen.

I would also like to put out novels by other authors, but I haven’t read anything that has really excited me lately. I’ve come across a lot of manuscripts that are similar to stories I’ve read before. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they would sell if they’re published. However, I’m looking for something special. With me, it’s all about building a brand with novels that consistently raise the bar. When I find the right author, I’ll know it.

www.MindCandyMedia.com
www.TriflingTimes.org
www.Myspace.com/TriflingTimes

Awards and Accomplishments of Moses Miller:
Most Outstanding Rising Urban Novelist, YOUnity Guild 2007
Best New Author, Infini Awards 2008
Most Underrated Author’s List, Urban Book Source 2008

Awards and Accomplishments of Nan: The Trifling Times of Nathan Jones
5 out of 5 Top Shelf Rating, UrbanReviews.com
Best Characters, Infini Awards 2008
Best Street/Urban Fiction Novel, Afr’Am Fest’s Literary Awards 2008

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

Enter for a chance to win a  copy of the 29th St The Stone Lounge EP. (You can find a my review of this EP by clicking here.)

There are three limited edition 100% handcrafted CDs. They include:

• signed by Andrew and Rai
• 29th St sticker
• certificate of authenticity
• I have 131, 132 and 133 of 450

To enter you must (1) be signed up for the Joey Reviews Newsletter and (2) leave a comment here. (To sign up to the newsletter, click here.) All comments must be left between 11/17/08 and 11:59 p.m est 11/23/08.

Winners will be chosen at random. The winner will be notified via email. The winner has 24 hours to respond back with their shipping address. If no response, the next name pulled will be the winner.

Contest open to US residents only. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. November 23, 2008. Void where prohibited by law.

For more info about 29th St, go to there myspace page at: myspace.com/29thst

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Tavy Day author of Love X’s 2
(Johnson Publications)

Love X’s 2 fills the current gap of African-American children’s literature addressing the challenges and rewards of single/co-parenting in a fast-paced world. It’s a book that can be used repeatedly as a bedtime story and quiet-time picture book. Love X’s 2 will soon reach reading lists of elementary classrooms in cities around the country.

Read in one sitting, Love X’s 2 teaches young and newly single-parents and children valuable lessons while captivating their imaginations with lyrical, poetic prose. Sentences are short and simply constructed.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Love X’s 2?

Tavy Day: Love X’s 2 is loosely based on my personal experiences of raising a child who is fortunately, Loved X’s 2, by having both myself and her father as (or appearing as) active parents.

JP: What sets Love X’s 2 apart from other novels in its genre?

TD: In this story, the main character, 6 year old India, speaks with much intelligence and insight to her present situation. She is outspoken, without being disrespectful. She is African American, and so are her friends; their names reflect that. This story is very realistic, age appropriate, topic concise and URBAN! There is nothing like Love X’s 2 on the market, and no matter what the culture, Co-Parenting relationships exist. This is the “in your face” proof.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Love X’s 2 getting out to the public?

TD: Re-released: I have the backing of Lati’a D. Johnson, Publishing CEO and mentor! She is very creative and full of “idea bulbs” that spontaneously pop on…

My Publicist Sharmina Ellis and I, are both the master keys to unlocking the success of Love X’s 2. With her dedication to the project and business sense, I have no doubt in her ability to enhance the buzz behind an already awesome product. Me, I’m passionate about this topic and want to see it addressed in the best light possible, and that’s through India’s story. Horn tooting & all, I am TavyDay and my public a waits!

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Love X’s 2?

TD: I’m not sure if I so much have a process or just an impulse. Love X’s 2 was written in one (several hour) sitting. The editing of course was much more in depth with creating a solid voice to the storyline. As a poet, I will tell supporters that I am an “I” poet. Most of my poems are about me, the people close to me, and the personal experiences of both. If it’s not real (in some sense), I can’t write about it. I believe this was the same mindset behind Love X’s 2.

JP: What’s next for Tavy Day?

TD: God willing; Oprah! I love that woman, and I bet she’ll love me too!

Love X’s 2 + 1: Coming Soon!

http://www.johnsonpublications.biz
http://www.myspace.com/poeticfingaz

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

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Jacqueline Rhinehart, author of My Organic Soul
(Broadway Books)

(click on the pictures to see reviews on Amazon.com)

Who can speak for you better than you can speak for yourself? Discovery, renewal, and growth begin in the heart-and writing your own story can unlock the power to a new you. Jacqueline Rhinehart has gathered Scripture and quotes and has crafted questions primed to uplift, inspire, and transform. Including pages for journaling, writing music, or just venting and letting it all out, My Organic Soul is for anyone seeking the answer to life’s ultimate question: “Who Am I?” Now that’s a question only you can rap to.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write My Organic Soul?

Jacqueline Rhinehart: It was a culmination of many things: my career in music ( I know many of the artists/rappers quoted in the book); My study at the School of Practical Philosophy; and a course at Seton Hall University/ School of Theology (Prophetic Literature). All of that, combined with a question from a friend, as to what was I “going to do with these disparate interests-become a preacher!?”. Further spurred by the comment that there should be a book that spoke to our demographic- with the cultural nuances and touches that spoke to a multicultural world. That was the genesis of the book.

JP: At what point did you realize that this personal journal should be shared with the world?

JR: When I researched the books/journals available in the market, I found that there was no book that directly spoke to this demographic.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to My Organic Soul getting out to the public?

JR: The key to success started with a vision shared by my editor Janet Hill, formerly of Random House. She is an editor with the ability to sign an author and shepherd a book of this type through the maze of the publishing company

JP: What has been the early response of your readers to My Organic Soul?

JR: I spoke to a multicultural audience waiting on line to vote for Barack Obama and found so many who understood the theme of the book immediately! Those who have received advance copies are ecstatic about the connections the book makes. They enjoy the book and are eager to discuss the quotes - it does seem to spur their conversations and engages them in thoughtful analysis.

JP: What’s next for Jacqueline Rhinehart?

JR: Black Like Me - Essays and Rumminations on the New Black. I am interviewing and gathering essays, letters, speeches - that speak to the new Black - who we are singularly (and in the aggregate) as we move beyond the Civil Rights era, Roots, O.J. and Rodney King. The image of black /African Americans in the US and the world has CHANGED.

www.jacquelinerhinehart.com
www.myorganicsoulbook.com
www.facebook.com/people/Jackie_Rhinehart/706024094

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P.S.S. If you want to be featured in the 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joey.pinkney@gmail.com or http://myspace.com/joeyreviews

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
MQW, author of Entrepreneur
(5ive Star Publications)

(click on the pictures to see reviews of this book on Amazon.com)

Swift is a college graduate determined to establish himself in corporate America. Everyone from his school teachers to his mother has been skeptical of his goals. When he receives his degree he thinks he’s prepared for the real world. He soon finds it difficult to match jobs with his degree. After his frustrations reach a boiling point he turns to the streets for guidance.

Swift’s best friend Block was the most feared and respected hustler in Philly. When Swift’s dilemma brings their combined efforts together, they both see opportunity. Swift is convinced that he can make enough start up money for his business ideas. His plan was to build capital and leave the drug game alone. However that is derailed when Block is incarcerated.

The taste of money and power takes Swift for the ride of his life. Soon the underworld looks to him to pick up where Block left off. With the cops, rival drug dealers, and stick up kids lurking, Swift is forced to show how much of an “Entrepreneur” he really is.

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

MQW: It came from the assumption that a college degree guarantees you a job in the field that you went to school for. Swift is the main character. I think he is someone that anyone who reads the book can identify with. He goes the same things the average person goes through on the daily basis. He argues with his mother. I wanted to make my main character as realistic as possible. I wanted him to be authentic.

JP: What sets Entrepreneur apart from other novels in its genre?

MQW: Entrepreneur combines action, drama, and family values into one. The book is unique in the aspect that it reads like a movie. I wanted people to get to the end of the chapter and not be able to wait for the next chapter to start. My readers tell me that Swift is what sets the novel apart from other novels. He is the central voice. I wanted the consumers of the novel to go through the trials and tribulations with Swift.

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

MQW: My support systems are my marketing director, Keith Washington, and my publicist Sharmina T. Ellis. Both bring great ideas to the table to better promote and create a buzz for me as an author and publisher. They each have a “go-getter” attitude, and the support from them is priceless.

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

MQW: I need complete silence when I write. I usually write real late at night while everybody is sleeping. It took me about 6 months to write Entrepreneur. I spent a lot of late nights writing it. I would look at the computer screen, and it would be 3 in the morning.

JP: What’s next for MQW?

MQW: My creative juices are continuously flowing. I am putting the finishing touches on A Fathers Struggle, my second novel, and I am working on an untitled novel at the moment. I am also the owner of 5ive Star Publications, a Flagship Publishing organization for up and coming authors. I am proud to be publishing debut novels for two of my author clients, Rich McLaughlin, author of Southside Hustler and Gil Trudell, author of JC and Mr.- coming soon in 2009!

www.5ivestarpublications.com
www.myspace.com/5ivestarpublications

P.S. Join the Joey Reviews Newsletter at http://joeypinkney.com/joey-reviews-newsletter.html

P.S.S. If you want to be featured in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joey.pinkney@gmail.com or http://myspace.com/joeyreviews