Category Archives: author interview

5 minutes 5 questions with, author interview

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Kiexiza Rodriquez, author of “Beautiful: Beautiful Mess Series”

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Kiexiza Rodriquez, author of Beautiful: Beautiful Mess Series
(Diamond Kut Publications)

The Beautiful Mess Series, is a 5 part series about the choices we make and the unforeseen consequences of those choices. The novel Beautiful introduces you to all five friends and gives you a brief look into their lifestyle. Meet Aquarian, Vito, Shireece, Sean and Tierra, childhood friends who all land in the same New England area after college and reconnect.

That’s where things begin to get sketchy. On the outside, they all seem to have their lives together, but secretly their desires are going to be their undoing. In this series you’ll follow each of them as they reach for the stars hoping not to get swallowed up by life. By the end of Beautiful, one of these friends will be clinging to life, and another friend will land in the one place they swore never to return – seeking solace…

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Beautiful: Beautiful Mess Series?

Kiexiza Rodriquez: Beautiful was actually supposed to be my autobiography. When I first started writing, it was to try to tell my life story, but that proved to be more difficult than I ever imagined. I wrote about my life using these characters instead. I didn’t plan on a series. When I finished Beautiful, people wanted to know more. So the series was born! Continue reading 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Kiexiza Rodriquez, author of “Beautiful: Beautiful Mess Series” →

5 minutes 5 questions with, author interview

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Jerome L. Whitehead, author of “Groomed”

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Jerome L. Whitehead, author of Groomed
(Page Publishing)

One out of every six men in this country has been the victim of a molester in some way, shape or form. As a rule, men do not talk about being victimized. It is counter to what we as young boys have been brought up to be.

We have been brought up to be providers, protectors, husbands, fathers and to a certain degree, nurturers. Being a victim does not fall into any of those categories. Gay men in particular may believe that simply because it is natural for them to sleep with men that no emotional harm may have occurred when they fell victim to a predator.

As an African American male abuse survivor, I have come to realize the harm that has been done and that much like our heterosexual counterparts, we will carry what has happened to us well into our adult years without realizing that the trajectory of who we would have been has been altered with that first touch.

In Groomed, I chronicle my journey from the incidents of my abuse to who I am today telling the story from both the perspective of a 13 year old boy as well as an adult survivor.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Groomed?

Jerome L. Whitehead: The inspiration came on the eve of my 51st birthday. I had conducted book reviews in the past on the topic of abuse and sexual molestation. Most of the authors that I had interviewed were women, and they spoke rather candidly about their experiences and how it changed them. Continue reading 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Jerome L. Whitehead, author of “Groomed” →

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Eden Royce, author of “Spook Lights: Southern Gothic Horror”

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Eden Royce, author of Spook Lights: Southern Gothic Horror

Pull up a rocking chair and sit a spell. Soak in these twelve tales of Southern Gothic Horror:

Sinister shopkeepers whose goods hold the highest price, a woman’s search for her mother drags her into the binding embrace of a monster, a witchdoctor’s young niece tells him a life-altering secret, an investigator who knows how to keep a 100% confession rate….

These are stories where the setting itself becomes a character—fog laced cemeteries, sulfur-rich salt marshes—places housing creatures that defy understanding and where the grotesque and macabre are celebrated.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Spook Lights: Southern Gothic Horror?

Eden Royce: From my upbringing in the South. Living around women who were magic users—rootworkers—gave me lots of ideas for stories. Sitting around the table with my family, listening to their stories, is always inspiring. Continue reading 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Eden Royce, author of “Spook Lights: Southern Gothic Horror” →