JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Andrea Clinton, editor of One Who Loves You More
(Around-The-Way Publishing)

Tired of hearing her mother rant and rave about her gold digging ways, Alisa decides to take her great grandmother’s advice, “Always get a man who loves you more than you love him.”

Stumbling upon Omar in his brand new Cadillac, Alisa decides to make him her man, or rather, her victim, or will the tables turn?

Hell erupts, splatters like geysers, while skeletons and bones fly out closets in, Life Knows No Bounds, One Who Loves You More.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write One Who Loves You More?

Andrea Clinton: Seeing the number of young girls and young women using men for their money as if it were a new profession inspired me to write One Who Loves You More. I wanted them to see what becomes of a gold digger in the end and to become knowledgeable of the consequences of their actions.

I feel a need to help them understand the importance of becoming independent and self-sufficient and to realize, “You can not gain at someone else’s demise and not suffer the consequences.”

JP: What sets One Who Loves You More apart from other novels in its genre?

AC: Because the novel mocks the urban setting and way of life, one would suppose the issues in this novel would follow certain trends adopted by the urban genre. It doesn’t. One Who Loves You More follows the trends of certain types of people, certain character traits.

It isn’t theme driven or plot driven, as I wrote the novel in the Naturalism genre. It puts the spotlight on the characters themselves and introduces you to the characters and their way of thinking, why they think the way they do, and more so, why they make the decisions they make.

All the while, this book still engulfs you in real life drama, street jargon, hustling and street actions and repercussions and much more. It’s different…

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to One Who Loves You More getting out to the public?

AC: I was blessed enough to be given this talent and knack for amusing people with storytelling; taking them on a journey out of this world and into many others. I was also blessed with family and friends who supported me and went above and beyond to help me in so many ways.

They all helped to make this journey that much easier. I was also inspired by my uncle George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic, who against many odds made it into the entertainment business. This was also one of the pillars I used to keep me struggling forward.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish One Who Loves You More?

AC: To be creative and to keep the creativity flowing. I try not to submit to any one way of writing. Usually, I write about people or character traits and let them drive me. Sometimes I’ll start writing because of a theme that popped into my mind. Other times, I’ll have a plot that I feel strongly about, and I’ll write about it.

Because I love writing Realism and Naturalism, once I do my final walk through, I always make sure the novel is character-driven, unless of course I’m writing in a genre such as sci-fi or surrealism; then, I just let the ill thoughts drive the story.

I had finished writing the shell of One Who Loves You More in a little over a month or so typing day and night, from 6:30am to 1-2am. It was to be a short story in a book of shorts. However, I went back to add the character Omar after my friend, actor Sean Blakemore (of “Motives” & “Restraining Order”), pointed out that there were few men. I noticed those there had no real voice. From there, I was hard at work for another couple of months molding the male characters and giving them a life of their own.

JP: What’s next for Andrea Clinton?

AC: I have two more books coming out, A Blessing and a Curse and a non-fiction book entitled Shortcuts to Great Writing, which I wrote to help high school students with the Essay portion of the SAT as well as essay writing in general for both high school and college students.

Those are slated to go into publication in the Spring of 2011. But the fall season of 2011 is going to be very hot! Everyone is on me for Part II of One Who Loves You More which will be the character Omar’s point of view or side of the story.

I’ve already started laying the foundation due to my family, friends and facebook friends and supporters who are riding me to finish it. I have to tell you, from what I have already, it’s going to be well worth the wait and read.

Thank you for the interview. I truly love the questions; they were energizing and made for a great interview. ~Andrea Clinton

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