5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Curtis Alcutt, author of Bullets & Ballads

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Curtis Alcutt, author of Bullets & Ballads
(Alcutt Enterprises, LLC)

Bullets & Ballads is an erotic, psychological drama revolving around musical genius Apollo Knight, as he navigates a world laced with love, deceit, lust of the highest order and pain. Enter Nyrobi, a beautiful, wealthy, and sexually liberated older woman who ignites Apollo’s passion. Along comes Tricia, a sexy, sensual, possessive songstress who covets her producer’s heart. Follow along as their worlds collide. This story is sure to massage your emotions and kindle your cravings…

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Bullets & Ballads?

Curtis Alcutt: After writing my first novel, “Dyme Hit List,” which was an erotic romance, I wanted to do something a little different. In “Bullets & Ballads“, I focused more on the emotional state of the characters than on strict eroticism–even though there is plenty of heat in the story. Also, I wanted to do a story related to the music industry that wasn’t your everyday, stereotypical hip hop tale.

JP: Bullets & Ballads crosses a lot of different genres. How are you able to write a multi-genre novel and stay true to the story?

CA: When I first decided to write novels, I had in mind the idea to write in a hybrid style. I like the challenge of blending together different genres in order to make my stories stand out and appeal to a broader audience. My favorite mixture is erotica and mainstream fiction or urban fiction. For instance “Bullets & Ballads” digs deeply into the psyche of the main characters, while injecting several very erotic and urban elements. At the same time, the story manages to stay on track until the surprising ending.

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

CA: In no particular order: perseverance, determination, sacrifice and discipline. Without adhering to those principles, there is no way would I have ever finished this novel. Fortunately, I learned what it takes to complete a novel after my experience writing “Dyme Hit List.” The lessons learned from that experience served me well.

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

CA: It took me about six months to complete the first draft for “Bullets & Ballads” and an additional nine months of edits and rewrites. While working on “Bullets & Ballads“, I had three other novels going at the same time. My process for writing is to just write. Once I get an idea for a story, I let my mind take over and go with the flow. If I get stuck, I leave one story alone and go work on another one. That greatly helps me with writers block.

JP: What’s next for Curtis Alcutt?

CA: Next for me is to finish my next novel, Sins of a Siren, which should be done around the end of the year. After that, I am going to take a break and finish the screenplay for Dyme Hit List. In between those two projects, my “Secret” project, co-written with my mentor, author Deatri King-Bey, will be ready for release. I can’t tell you much about it right now, but it is going to be a BLOCKBUSTER!

You can keep up with the latest on my writing career and purchase autographed copies of my novels by going to my site www.mralcutt.net I can also be found on www.myspace.com/mralcutt and on http://www.tagged.com/mypage.html.

Also, I am President of the literary foundation www.writeway2freedom.com co-founded by author Paula Edwards and myself. Our mission is to help spread literacy across the nation, especially targeting our youth. We host free writers workshops monthly at the official home of WriteWay2Freedom, Carol’s Books 1913 Del Paso Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95815 (916)565-3845.

If you can’t attend a workshop, we also have a book version of our workshops entitled, “Your Roadmap to a Book.” It is a pocket guide that shows the aspiring writer the steps to get your book from concept to the bookshelves.

Thanks for your time, Joey.

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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

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