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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Adra Young, author of The Everyday Living of Children & Teens Monologues

February 5, 2009 Joey Pinkney 1 Comment

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Adra Young, author of The Everyday Living of Children & Teens Monologues
(Trafford Publishing)

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write The Everyday Living of Children & Teens Monologues?

Adra Young: The idea to write the books evolved from two situations. First, I am educator. I was looking for solutions to reduce the number of suspensions to kids that face and bring overwhelming issues to school. Acting has so many great components. Since each act in my book is based upon real life stories of what kids are faced with, I figured that troubled children could recite the acts and utilize the situations as a positive outlet. The second situation is that I have a background in acting. As an acting coach, I wanted fun and exciting situations for kids to recite, learn, and deliver on stage that would prepare them for various types of auditions.

JP: What was it about Volume 1 of this series that prompted you to write Volume II?

AY: Believe it or not, Volume II was written because of the request of my fans. They kept asking, “Adra, when is Volume II coming?” I felt like it was my duty to complete it and not let my readers down.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to The Everyday Living of Children & Teens Monologues II getting out to the public?

AY: Some of the vital keys I used as a new author were advanced promoting and communicating directly with individuals who my type and style of writing appealed to. As far as promoting, I’m not just talking about two weeks in advance. Volume II was released November 15^th. 2008. I started promoting the release of this book in September of 2008.

Another success tactic I used was getting acquainted with parents, teachers, children desiring to become actors, and troubled youth. I asked questions such as, “Could you honestly see your self purchasing my product to help you solve a problem?” and “Could you see yourself purchasing the guide to help increase your child’s performance skills?”

JP: What has been the public’s reaction to your books so far?

AY: I’ve been told everything from “it’s about time an educator started keeping it real” to “keep up the good work!” In addition, I’ve also been told that I made an awesome attempt to tackle two problems and solve them both with a unique approach. This being providing exciting materials for youngsters to improve their dramatization skills, and of-course, providing a positive outlet for today’s troubled youth.

JP: What’s next for Adra Young?

AY: Wild… It’s funny you asked Joey. I am in the process of increasing and expanding my performing arts company titled, Ardannyl through out the South East Region of Michigan. In addition, there is a monologue show that I am writing and producing based strictly upon the concerns some of women I’ve come into contact with. There is a book on hold that I am currently working on as a co-author with Parent Activist Cheryl Lynn Pope, the author of 25 Ways to Make Your Child Feel Special. I am in the process of trying to decide should I conclude the monologue series with a Volume III or should I just move on with my fiction series since both Volumes I and II are both categorized as non-fiction. As you can see, I have irons in the fire.

www.ardannyl.com

www.myspace.com/ardannyl

www.amazon.com

*In May of 2006, Adra Young was nominated Outstanding Educator for the Detroit Communities In Schools Award

*In April of 2007, Adra Young was presented with Certificate of Appreciation from the Detroit Youth Foundation

*In June of 2008, Adra Young was the featured author for Ronald Brown Academy of Detroit, MI

Adra Young can be reached at 313-729-2573.

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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 http://myspace.com/joeyreviews

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Michelle Larks, Author of The Legacies

January 30, 2009 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Michelle Larks, author of The Legacies
(Urban Books/Kensington)

The Legacies is a tale of two young people from very diverse backgrounds who meet and fall in love while attending college. Noah Stephens is a minister’s son, and Morgan is the daughter of a drug distributor. The two encounter many bumps in the road as deathbed promises, secrets, and betrayalÂ tear at the very foundation of their relationship. God has love for all ofÂ his children regardless of our stations in life. He sends angelsÂ to Noah and Morgan that help direct them to the path to righteousness.

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

Michelle Larks: Actually, the idea to write The Legacies just popped into my head. I wanted to write a novel that would appeal to a younger audience. My novel Keeping Misery Company was aimed at an older market, thusÂ The Legacies was born.

JP: What sets The Legacies apart from other novels in Christian Fiction?

ML: The Legacies is different from other Christian fiction novels because it delves intoÂ controversial subject matter: a relationship between a minister’s and drug dealer’s children. Can they co-exist and fall in love? Can the relationshipÂ remain strong despite a lot of adversity?

JP: The Legacies is similar to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. What has been your reader’s response to you mixing a family steeped in drugs with a family steeped in religion?

ML: My reader’s response has been good for the most part. One of the points I was trying to make in the book is that we are all God’s children regardless to how we began life.Â I also wanted to exemplify how life doesn’t also goes as our parents plan.

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

ML: My writing process is just let the thoughtsÂ flow, literally. I am an early bird, so I tend to write early in the morning on my trusty laptop computer.Â I will start with an idea, andÂ ways to enhance the storyline just pop into my head. It took me three months to write The Legacies.

JP: What’s next for Michelle Larks?

ML: As you can tell from The Legacies, I don’t shy from controversial topics. My next book, Til Debt Do Us Part, is the story of the lead soprano of a church who battles a gambling addiction and how that hobbyÂ nearly ruins her life.

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Multi-Platinum Singer Faith Evans, author of Keep the Faith: A Memoir

January 20, 2009 Joey Pinkney 5 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Faith Evans, author of Keep the Faith: A Memoir
(Grand Central Publishing)

R&B sensation, Faith Evans, gives us a first person account of life from Newark, New Jersey to the highest echelons of the music industry.

Keep the Faith: A Memoir is Faith’s first person account of life at ground zero of hip-hop’s greatest generation. She’ll share the truth about the love affair that changed her life and the innuendo that rocked the hip-hop world to its core. From her passionate and tragically short life with Biggie, Faith will finally lay the true story on the line.

We’ll get to see the good, the bad and the ugly side of the music industry. She shared with us how she worked her way to the top without ever sacrificing her morals. Faith also give us a first-hand account of how she managed to steer her God-given talent into a platinum-certified career.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Keep the Faith: A Memoir?

Faith Evans: For many years, people have always suggested to me that I sit down and set the record straight on a lot of things that went on in my life. I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that, but there have been so many stories told ABOUT me. At some point, you have to decide to tell your own story. No one can give my truth but me, and that was my inspiration for deciding to tell my story.

JP: As a songwriter, you were able enter snippets of your emotions and experiences in the various songs you have written. Were you intimidated by a work of this length, and how was the experience?

FE: I wasn’t intimidated at all. I was ready, and I was prepared to do it. I had just had a baby. The collaborator I worked with had also just recently given birth, so it helped that we were both juggling newborns. It was intense. I definitely had to revisit a lot of painful memories, but in many ways it was therapeutic for me. I’ve learned from everything I’ve gone through.

JP: What did you want to achieve with this book?

FE: I wanted to set the record straight on a lot of issues. I wanted to connect with my always loyal fans and give them a piece of me that I haven’t shared before. I wanted to have a record of my life so far, for myself and for my children.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Keep the Faith: A Memoir?

FE: I got serious about getting started in May of 2007. I would speak with my collaborator a few times a week. We would trade notes back and forth. I would also enlist my friends and family to help me remember when and where certain things happened. The book came out in June of 2008, so it was just about a year from start to finish.

JP: What’s next for Faith Evans?

FE: I’m already working on the proposal for my next book!

About the Author: Faith Evans started her music career as a songwriter for artists like Hi-Five, Mary J. Blige, Pebbles, Al B. Sure, Usher, Tony Thompson, and Christopher Williams. In 1994 she met producer/impresario Sean “Puffy” Combs, who signed her to his Bad Boy label. In 1995, Evans released her debut album, Faith, which went platinum.

A high-profile career in R&B has endured, with several platinum-certified albums and appearances in films such as The Fighting Temptations, with Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr and Beyonce Knowles.

Faith lives in California with her husband and four children.

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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 http://myspace.com/joeyreviews

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