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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Aaron Ashford, author of Closure

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Aaron Ashford, author of Closure
(Xlibris)


aaron ashford closure on amazondotcom

Some people believe that any two people in the world are separated by a chain of no more than six acquaintances. Best friends Kevin and Jason are living proof of this theory. They have endured a friendship that has panned a decade. Despite their differences, their bond seems unbreakable. Kevin is married to his college sweetheart Sharon, and they are living the American Dream with their two children. Life appears perfect.

Jason is a successful marriage therapist. He seems to have everything going for himself but one thing: he can’t seem to make his own relationships work. When Kevin discovers his wife’s affair, everything that ensues will intertwine this human web and make everyone involved extremely uncomfortable. The consequences are as serious as life and death. Relationships will be pushed to limits unimaginable, as lives will forever be changed.

Everyone is looking for answers while searching for Closure

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

Aaron Ashford: I always flirted with the idea of writing a novel. I am an avid reader, and as you know, writers are readers and vice-versa. Closure was birthed from my love of fiction writing. Whenever I read a good novel, I become inspired.

I am a people person. Therefore, I love to socialize. The more I wrote and shared my characters with readers, the more their encouragement fueled me to finish.

JP: How were you able to weave the concept of “Six Degrees of Separation” in this novel in a way that will keep readers constantly guessing?

AA: The “Six Degrees of Separation” theory was actually realized near the completion of this story, not in the beginning. I actually worked backwards in that I did character sketches near the conclusion of the book. It helped to illustrate the connectivity of everyone despite most of them not even knowing one another. The consequences of one character impacted the other, so on and so forth.

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

AA: Given the fact that Closure is a self-published project, it will be critical that I think outside the box. In fact, I gotta crush the box entirely, which suits me well. Closure will of course be available directly from the publisher at Xlibris.com. It will also be available via Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and Borders.com.

The thing that I feel most excited about is that you will also be able to purchase it in stores at the large retail chains as well as smaller book dealers. I was able to take advantage of bookstore returnability, which will allow stores to place the book with no risk whatsoever. I also plan on utilizing Myspace, Facebook, On-line book clubs, expos and other venues where book readers gather. I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

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

AA: My writing process for Closure was trial and error. I began writing Closure shortly after I got married back in 2002. Maybe that explains my insomnia. Anyway, I pecked on and got busy with two kids and opening up my own business.

I never lost sight of the project. I finally got a laptop in 2007 and finished my first draft in April of 2008. I added the prologue to the book in December of 2008. After lots of back and forth with Xlibris, alas here is Closure.

JP: What’s next for Aaron L. Ashford?

AA: Now that I have my first one down, I understand a lot more about the process. I have enrolled in a writing program to help me to smooth out my rough edges as a writer. I have a couple of ideas that I will be working on shortly. You can bet it won’t take 7.5 years. Expect great things from me. The best is yet to come!

Aaron is a native of Columbia, SC.  He is a proud graduate of SC State University.  Aaron works as a therapist with ASY Counseling Services, Inc. which is also the company he help to co-found.  He is a proud member of Omega PSI Phi Fraternity Inc.  Aaron resides in Columbia, SC with his wife Tamala and their two children Aaron, Jr and Arrington.

http://aaronashford.com
http://www.facebook.com/ashforda.writes

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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Check out authors Joey Pinkney, Jihad and Alvin Romer on BlogTalkRadio’s TOYi-Talk Show (06-12-09)

On this show, a couple of my Soul Brothers and I take the Toyi Ward’s TOYi-TALK show on BlogTalkRadio.com.

We cover diverse subjects such as our upbringing, our experience in the literature world and more about our contribution to The Soul Of A Man: A Triumph of My Soul Anthology. (I talk about my short story “Like Father, Like Son” around the 18 minute mark in the show.)

Listen to the show, leave a comment and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you.

Make sure you read the excerpt “Like Father, Like Son” on http://joeyisinit.com and make sure you purchase an autographed copy of The Soul Of A Man, not now but RIGHT NOW!

Please click on the banners to learn more about each JoeyPinkney.com sponsor:

Order The Soul of a Man Anthology from JoeyIsInIt.com
Peace in the Storm Banner
author roland v tyler banner
Aaron Ashford, author of Closure
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Click here to check out Nanette Buchanan
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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Stacy Hawkins Adams, author of Worth a Thousand Words

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Stacy Hawkins Adams, author of Worth A Thousand Words
(Revell Books)


stacy hawkins adams worth a thousand words on amazondotcom

Worth A Thousand Words explores the tough decisions a young woman named Indigo Burns must make in her relationships and her career. Indigo is a recent college graduate. She is eager to forge her path in the world and pursue her dreams when she’s faced with some challenging realities that force her to grapple with who she wants to be.

Indigo realizes that you have to find the courage to accept difficult truths about yourself, and about others, before she can embrace life and love others unconditionally.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Worth a Thousand Words?

Stacy Hawkins Adams: I started with the idea of writing about a character who had everything going for her and trusted that as long as she continued to believe in God and give her best, life would be perfect. I wanted to show how such a character would persevere and mature in wisdom and in faith when life threw her a few curve balls.

Ultimately, the story boiled down to helping readers see that just as the pictures this character took as a professional photographer were worth a thousand words, so was the truth she had to embrace in her life.

JP: What sets Worth a Thousand Words apart from other novels in its genre?

SHA: I think what sets this novel apart is that while it’s a Christian fiction novel, it grapples with many mainstream issues. The characters don’t display in-your-face faith, and there’s no preaching to readers. There are no saints. The characters are real, and the issues they confront occur in someone’s life everyday.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Worth a Thousand Words getting out to the public?

SHA: This is a tough question. I guess if I truly knew the answer, I’d be on the New York Times bestseller’s list by now! Seriously though, what I hope is working is the effort I put into each novel I write to tell an authentic story that will resonate with women from all walks of life and help them see themselves in my characters.

My goal as an author is certainly to entertain, but more importantly, to have readers put down one of my books feeling as if they’ve been enlightened or changed for the better in some way. That may sound lofty, but that’s sincerely how I feel.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Worth a Thousand Words?

SHA: Because Worth a Thousand Words is my fifth novel, I’ve gotten pretty good at writing under deadline pressure, so I finished this book in about eight months. My training as a professional journalist also helps me with deadlines. I usually write first thing in the morning, between 4 and 6 a.m., several days a week, and throughout the day when I’m on deadline.

In the weeks just before a book has to be delivered to my publisher, I’ve also been known to retreat to a friend’s spare bedroom or some other haven for a weekend blitz of writing. That way I can “live” with the characters and see the book through to the end.

JP: What’s next for Stacy Hawkins Adams?

SHA: Worth a Thousand Words is the second book in my Jubilant Soul series.I’ve already written the third book, Dreams That Won’t Let Go, and it will be released in January. I’m also writing my first nonfiction book for Christian women, and that title is slated for release in Spring 2010.

http://www.stacyhawkinsadams.com/
http://www.myspace.com/StacyHawkinsAdams
http://www.facebook.com/StacyHawkinsAdams
http://www.twitter.com/SHAdams

Also:

  • The Someday List placed No. 5 on the June 2009 Essence magazine bestsellers list
  • Watercolored Pearls – my third novel, placed second in the American Christian Fiction Writers 2008 Book of the Year Contest
  • This Far By Faith – a Christian fiction anthology nationally released in April 2008, featuring me, Kendra Norman-Bellamy and Linda Hudson-Smith,became an Essence bestseller and won an Open Book Award at the 2008 African American Literary Awards Show, in the anthology category
  • Several of my previous books have been used in the fiction curriculum by high school and college professors, including at Richmond Community High School and at James Madison University

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

Please click on the banners to learn more about each JoeyPinkney.com sponsor:

Order The Soul of a Man Anthology from JoeyIsInIt.com
Peace in the Storm Banner
author roland v tyler banner
Aaron Ashford, author of Closure
author steven jackson banner 2
Click here to check out Nanette Buchanan
til debt do us part banner

You need to advertise with JoeyPinkney.com for just $20! (For more information click here.)