JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Kendall Banks, author of Welfare Grind
(Life Changing Books (LCB))
My book is about a cold-hearted woman named Keema who takes the world by storm as she navigates her way through every trick and scam she can pull off.
With four kids in tow, living off the welfare system has become her life – along with the extra cash, sex and violence her gangsta boyfriend Dupree brings her way.
Soon, chaos erupts, causing Keema’s secret past to become a problem. When the chips fall, they fall hard, leaving Keema willing to do whatever it takes to keep money in her pocket. She’s willing to go that extra mile – even if it means selling her kids or setting up her man.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Welfare Grind?
Kendall Banks: I grew up in the hood and welfare fraud was incredibly big where I’m from. Everyone from the hustlers to the hustlers’ wives were on welfare and they used it to make even more money.
No one was ashamed to be using the system, and people were making thousands of dollars a week with these scams. I wanted to show the world how it was really done!
JP: What sets Welfare Grind apart from other books in the same genre?
KB: To my knowledge, there hasn’t been a book published that is solely about the main character using welfare to make thousands of dollars.
I go into details about how it’s done. I give you the blueprints and strategy of how to get over on the system. Hell, if you’re not careful, you’ll learn a trick…or three!
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Welfare Grind getting out to the public?
KB: I never tried to get a book deal because I heard of the high rejection rate, so I went the self-publishing route.
A few months after that, I heard of a HOT publishing house that was still THRIVING even though a lot of other publishers had gone bankrupt. Idecided to submit my manuscript to them.
My publisher (LCB) told me that I had a hit, and the rest is history!
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Welfare Grind?
KB: Well my schedule is pretty wild. I’m a bartender by night and an executive assistant by day, so I fit the book in whenever I could.
I have to write with the TV on, and I’m an old-fashioned girl who likes to write with pen and paper first. It took me five months from idea to finished product to write this book.
JP: What’s next for Kendall Banks?
KB: Welfare Grind is part one of a trilogy, and I’m currently working like a fiend to get part two out. I want to keep the readers excited about the series. That’s my number one goal!
http://www.facebook.com/authorkendallb
http://twitter.com/authorkendallb
[include file=current-advertisers.html]