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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… The New York Times Best Seller and Essence Best Seller J.L. King, author of Love on a Two Way Street

December 10, 2008 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
New York Times Best Selling Author JL King, author of Love on a Two-Way Street
(1^st Karen Hunter/Pocket Books)

(Click on the pictures to see reviews of this book on Amazon.com)

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to organize the Love Overboard Tour?

JL King: “Love Overboard” is the Love on a Two-Way Street book tour. The idea and inspiration to organize this tour comes from my fans and supporters. I want to continue the crusade to shed light on the importance of healthy relationships, and open, honest and frank conversations on issues that affect our communities.

Doing book signings at bookstores are okay. When you can touch your fans and allow them to ask you questions that are personal and embrace information that they need to know in a more comfortable environment, that experience is priceless. The Love Overboard Tour allows that to happen.

JP: What sets your debut novel, “Love on a Two Way Street” apart from other novels in its genre?

JL: From the first page, it grasps your attention. I deal with real issues in all of my books. For instance, in Love on a Two-Way Street, I deal with situations ranging from sexual orientation and spirituality to gender identity and sexual abuse [of a young boy] – issues that are not commonly talked about in the black community. From the opening of the book, the reader is taken on a ride that allows them to release all their inhibitions. You’ll want a glass of wine <smile>.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success which leads to your books getting out to the public?

JL: I’m always in an “entrepreneurial” mood. As a published author you have to always think: book and product sells. One key to my success is being more than an author. I’ve always stood on the foundation of my message and believe that offering information and reliable resources to the community is invaluable. I tell my author friends that you have to offer more than your [one] book – expand your portfolio: teach a writing class, create a new product that supports your brand or message, link with other authors and create a seminar series. The more you give back, the more successful you will become.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? What did you learn in writing the New York Times bestseller, “On the Down Low: A Journey into the Lives of ‘Straight’ Black Men?” And how this book did better prepared you for “Love on a Two Way Street?”?

JL: I was told by my editor when I was writing On the Down Low that if you are going to write a book as powerful as On the Down Low, you can’t hold anything back. You have to free yourself of all the untruths – everything, the: good, bad and ugly. My mission of truth and education crosses over onto the pages of Love on a Two-Way Street.

When you are granted the opportunity to capture to the attention of a reader, as an author, you want to savor that moment and empower, motivate and influence the positive. When I write, I think about friends and family. I want them to be proud of my work. I want them to get to know more about me through the pages of my books. I want to leave a legacy that will speak to who I am, was and is to come.

Question: What’s next for J.L. King?

JL: I always write, so next for me is more writing and more writing. In my perfect world, I would love to have a national radio talk show. I am also working on a new DVD titled The Top Ten DL Signs and More…. This DVD will keep the message about the importance of being honest and having healthy relationships in front of women who need the information.

The DL issue is something that will always be a part of our society. As long as men lie and are in denial, it will impact our women, community and youth. God chose me to bring that message and as a “sexuality expert” I will continue to bring it…until all DL men are “Coming Up [from the Down Low].”

And, I have several education books, personal development DVDs and projects I am working on. I also want to teach other writers on how to become a successful author. The sky is the limit for me. I accept what God allows! For more information visit frequently: www.JLKing.net.

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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… Toni Coleman, author of Blood Money

December 9, 2008 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Toni Coleman, author of Blood Money: The Beginning
(Seraphim Publications)

(Click on the pictures to see this book on Amazon.com)

When Jameelah gets a hunch that her man, Michael Mines, CEO of L.A.’s hottest new record label is on the creep, she decides to do some creeping of her own. While paying him a surprise visit, she learns what it really means to be a ride or die chick! She unknowingly becomes involved in a sinister plot of backstabbing betrayal, greed, and murder that exposes her to the darkest side of the music business, and herself.

Jameelah is thrust into the center of power and position, which nothing could have prepared her for. Her swift rise to the top takes her from the streets of South Central Los Angeles, to the boardrooms of Beverly Hills, from sleazy strip clubs to shady business partners. She learns the hard way that all money ain’t good money, and that even good money, can be BLOOD MONEY.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Blood Money?

Toni Coleman: The idea and the inspiration to write Blood Money: The Beginning, came from seeing that the music business was far different from what the public sees. By being a songwriter, I would hear stories and see things. If people only knew some of the scary things that happen behind the glitz and glamor, they would think twice about wanting to be a part of it all.

JP: What sets Blood Money apart from other novels in its genre?

TC: Really, I think that my writing style sets Blood Money apart from other urban fiction novels and the fact that it’s about a world that people want to be apart of instead of a world that people are trying to escape from.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Blood Money getting out to the public?

TC: Perseverance was definitely the most important thing. A lot can be said about not giving up. The second thing was just me really believing that the story was something that people would want to hear.

JP: As a person intimately involved in the music industry, were you afraid that you may be singled out for exposing too much of how some record companies operate?

TC: No, because I didn’t focus on the labels themselves too much. I focused more on the artists and the situations that some of them finding themselves in when they gain fame and fortune. You have only to listen to some of the music or watch some of the movies about the business to know how cut throat the business is. Some artists expose it themselves subtly.

JP: What’s next for Toni Coleman?

TC: I’m currently working on my second novel and I’m continuing to write songs, but next, I want to take on the film industry with Seraphim Film Production.

www.seraphimpublications.com
myspace.com/seraphimpub
toni@seraphimpublications.com
seraphimpublications@yahoo.com

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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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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Portia Cosby, author of Too Little, Too Late

December 7, 2008 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Portia Cosby, author of Too Little, Too Late
(Distinct Publishing)

(Click the pictures to see reviews of this book on Amazon.com)

Tameka James has always been a confident, outspoken, strong-willed woman with her one weakness being her ex-boyfriend, TJ. That weakness soon becomes the catalyst to a new life of fear, disease, and pain when one of TJ’s enemies rapes her and threatens to kill her if she goes to the police. Now with a police report on file, an HIV diagnosis in her medical records and the rapist running free, Tameka fights to maintain normalcy and save her new relationship. As tensions mount and stakes are raised, some lives are threatened while others are taken. The phrase “too little, too late” becomes a reality instead of a clichÃ© when last minute efforts are made in vain.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Too Little, Too Late?

Portia A. Cosby: In ninth grade, I heard a story on the news about a woman that had been raped. I don’t remember the details, but it made me wonder how she got into that predicament. From there, my imagination ran wild. Tameka was born, and from day one, I knew her character like we were best friends.

JP: Rape and HIV drives the tension in Too Little, Too Late. Did you have any reservations about writing this novel that way?

PC: I had no reservations at all. All of my storylines are hard-hitting and deal with serious or controversial issues. I want my fiction to feel real. I specifically wrote the novel that way because there are so many young ladies that could easily be Tameka.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Too Little, Too Late getting out to the public?

PC: I just believed. Since 1994 when I wrote the original piece, I believed. I didn’t envision what it could be until 2001 when I rewrote it. After all the rejection letters and near hits, I decided not to wait on someone else to validate me as an author and I started Distinct Publishing. Success is a learning process and a time-consuming process. Since writing is my passion, though, I don’t think twice about it.

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

PC: My writing process usually involves music. I am a lover of words. I may be writing a chapter and think of a song that relates to it. Next thing I know, I’m pulling the CD out and playing it. Or, I’ll hear a song that relates to a character of mine and immediately find the nearest piece of paper so I can jot down a few sentences.

As for the order I write in, Too Little, Too Late was written straight through. I’ve been all over the place with It Is What It Is. At one point, I had the first three chapters done and then chapters eight, nine, and ten! I just write the material that wants to come out. I don’t care where it falls in the final product.

The rough draft for Too Little, Too Late was completed in seven months. I think it flowed so well because I had been familiar with my characters and their stories seven years prior!

JP: What’s next for Portia A. Cosby?

PC: It Is What It Is, the second installment in the Situations & Circumstances Series will be released soon – within the next couple months. I’m also looking to revise my screenplay for Too Little, Too Late so I can shop it around.

www.portiacosby.com
www.myspace.com/portiacosby

P.S. Join the Joey Reviews Newsletter at http://joeypinkney.com/joey-reviews-newsletter.html

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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