Category Archives: african american books

5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Aja, author of “I Am Yours”

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Aja, author of I Am Yours
(She Loves Words Publishing)

Amara Harper has a problem: Noah Farrington. Well, not exactly. I mean, he is the love of her life. Passion-filled days and nights are all she can think about when she is close to him. But, so is fear. Fear of him taking her heart and ripping it to pieces, so she decides that leaving him and his love for her is the best thing for her.

But love is a mercurial thing. It has a way of pulling back up to you when you think you have deserted it. This is what happens when Amara finds a reason to work with Noah on an upcoming project at work.

Things that complicate this even more? Keith, her current boyfriend, and “the past” – which she seems to want to also run away from as much as she runs away from Noah. Can Amara overcome her fears and give into what makes her feel whole? Can she finally begin to trust the love that Noah has always had for her?

Find out in I Am Yours…

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write I Am Yours?

Aja: I got the inspiration to write I Am Yours where I get all my inspiration: from inside of myself and my experiences, my dreams and from observing life around me. Continue reading 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Aja, author of “I Am Yours” →

5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Tamyara Brown, author of “Gatekeeper of Secrets”

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Tamyara Brown, author of Gatekeeper of Secrets
(Tamluvstowrite Publications)

William H. Matter’s is keeping the secrets of the community saint, Bishop Gerald Goode. William appears every year at the church annual to murder and expose his father, the Bishop. What keeps William from doing the crime is his promise to his mother to protect his family at all costs. When William’s first love Tasiyana resurfaces, he must face his past mistakes.

When Bishop Goode throws his hat in the political ring to run for Mayor, he receives a letter blackmailing him . He will stop at nothing to protect his brand and his win to run his beloved city. William’s stepbrother Lee asks William and his brothers to join forces to reveal the dark truth about their father. Lives are in danger, and the secrets revealed will send you into shock. This is riveting tale of the man of the cloth, and under the sheep’s clothing is a wolf.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Gatekeeper of Secrets?

Tamyara Brown: I wanted to write Gatekeeper of Secrets to discuss sexual assault among men. It is a subject that remains kept in the dark. I wanted to give a voice to the men afraid to share their story because of the guilt and stigma that comes along with it. We often ignore the signs among boys and young men molested – especially when it happens in the church. Continue reading 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Tamyara Brown, author of “Gatekeeper of Secrets” →

5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Maurice M. Gray, Jr., author of “Like A Brother”

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Maurice M. Gray, Jr., author of Like A Brother
(Write The Vision)

Jeremiah McAllister lost his entire family before he turned eighteen but was blessed with another one. As the oldest of more than a dozen young adults mentored by CC Dawson and her husband Thurman, Jeremiah takes his role as oldest brother within their chosen family seriously. To his siblings, he is a confidante, emergency contact, babysitter and family ATM. Whatever they need, he provides, no questions asked. However, some among them push his largesse to its limits.

Jenisse Anderson uses Jeremiah as a surrogate man on her arm for social events when she’s between boyfriends and as her personal 911 (she calls him to help her deal with anything she deems an emergency). Despite Jeremiah’s consistently being there for her, she will neither reciprocate nor discuss his feelings for her, or even deal with the issues of her past.

Erik Dawson (CC and Thurman’s only biological child) is currently estranged from his parents. He uses Jeremiah as a go-between so he knows they’re okay and vice-versa. Jeremiah’s repeated pleas for Erik to go to his parents and reconcile fall on deaf ears. Between Jenisse and Erik and the constant requests from the others, Jeremiah is pulled in too many different directions all at once.

As he reaches his breaking point, Jeremiah finds himself at a crossroads in his life. How can he break out of an emotional prison he didn’t even realize he was in until recently? Can he face his own history in order to embrace a better future?

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Like A Brother?

Maurice M. Gray, Jr.: From the phrase “you’re like a brother to me.” (Heard that from many women in my day.) And from being a recovering overworker, particularly in church. I envisioned a large extended family not actually blood-related but closer than some blood-kin are. Jeremiah is the oldest and the one the others tend to lean on. Continue reading 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Maurice M. Gray, Jr., author of “Like A Brother” →