JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Brenda Stokes Lee, author of Toy’s Story
(Daddy’s Girl Publishing House)
Attorney Zatoya Waters is a young, beautiful, independent woman who has given up on men and love. Hurt too many times, she decides that a friends-with-benefits relationship is all she really needs to get by. But one day, she meets a handsome stranger that causes her to break all her rules, throw away the rule book and take another look at love and commitment.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Toy’s Story?
Brenda Stokes Lee: Toy’s Story is a spin-off of my All Mye Queen’s Men, Chronicles’s of Love series. A lot of my readers where interested in what happened to the discarded men in Dr. Mye Queen’s life – the lead character. So I wrote Toy’s Story to tell the story of how jilted lover Logic Hart meets his true love Zatoya Waters AKA Toy.
JP: What sets Toy’s Story apart from other books in the same genre?
BSL: Toy’s Story is like a thrill ride at an amusement park. It takes the reader through so many different emotions that they sometimes forget that they’re reading a book of fiction. I do this by weaving a story with lots of twists and turns, highs and lows and plain-old craziness.
The main character, Toy, sucks them into her life from page one and then holds them captive to the very last word. The reader becomes a fly on the wall AND a spectator to all the silly, crazy drama she gets into. It is written so that the reader feels like they are an intricate part of the story and therefore completely vested in the outcome.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Toy’s Story getting out to the public?
BSL: Actually, I’m still looking for that Golden Key Ring with the Keys to Success on them. I am a storyteller. My goal is simply to tell a great story that people can’t stop talking about. The plan is to keep layering fantastic story upon story until a large enough buzz is generated. I feel that is where my key to public notoriety will be found.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Toy’s Story?
BSL: My writing process is a fairly simple one. I give my characters free rein to say and do whatever they like within the confines of the story. Basically, they speak and I type. After all, it’s their story not mine.
Many may say that this is complete silliness, but it works for me. It allows me to bypass things like writer’s block and stagnant, boring plots. Toy’s Story was written in my spare time, and it took a little under sixty days.
JP: What’s next for Brenda Stokes Lee?
BSL: I have a screenplay called “Georgia on My Mind” that I’m currently adapting into a novel. Hopefully, I’ll get that off of my plate within the next two months. After that, I have three other novels that I’ve been toying with. Basically, I plan to keep writing and writing.
http://www.brendastokeslee.com
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http://www.daddysgirlpublishing.com
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http://twitter.com/BrendaStokesLee
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http://grownfolksbooks.ning.com
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/w8n2excel
Yes, I would like to personally thank everyone who has purchased one of my books, read one of my books or who has just spoken an encouraging word. It’s extremely hard to find a place in the publishing world. I don’t take your love and support for granted. Thanks a million for anything and everything that you have done.
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