Category Archives: interview

5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, amazon.com, interview

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Vanessa Miller, author of Yesterday’s Promise

14 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Vanessa Miller, editor of Yesterday’s Promise
(Whitaker House)

Yesterday’s Promise is a Christian romance about Melinda Johnson and Steven Marks. Melinda feels called to the ministry, but Steven doesn’t believe that women should preach. This disagreement between the two causes Steven to break off their engagement.

But now, after ten years, Steven is back in Melinda’s life as the new bishop over her fellowship, and he wants a second chance with Melinda. However, Melinda can never marry a man who doesn’t respect the call of God on her life. To love one another, the two must knock down the walls that separate them.

But can the bishop finally do that for his lady, or will Melinda be forced to leave Omega Christian Church?

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Yesterday’s Promise?

Vanessa Miller: I was doing a book signing at the Indiana Black Expo. The lady next to my table was signing copies of her book that talked about the struggle for women to preach. Since the bishop of my church is a woman and we have women preach at my church all the time, I had never thought anything about any struggle that women faced when it came to preaching.

But then a man walked into the room where we were signing our books. He took one look at Pastor Notoshia Howard’s book and started screaming at her. He told her that she had no business trying to preach to men and that women were not allowed to preach. That’s when the idea of Yesterday’s Promise was dropped in my spirit. I wanted to write a book that details the struggles women who have been called by God have to deal with in order to preach the gospel.

JP: What sets Yesterday’s Promise apart from other novels in its genre?

VM: The big difference in this novel is that it has a woman preacher as the main character. To my knowledge this is one of the first Christian romance novels that highlights the ministry and women in it. I hope the readers enjoy the book, but I also want them to get a feel for the struggles the women who have been called to preach deal with.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Yesterday’s Promise getting out to the public?

VM: The first key to the success of any book is that it is written well, and I hope that the readers that like Yesterday’s Promise feel that it is written well. The next thing an author must do is promote, promote, promote. I spend a lot of time working on ways to promote my books to book clubs, church groups and to the many readers who enjoy Christian fiction.

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

VM: I try to write everyday. I write at least five hours a day. Before I begin writing a book, I spend time outlining it and developing a character sketch. I like to know who my characters are and what makes them tick.

I know authors who edit what they wrote the day before, and then begin writing new pages. But I don’t work that way. I usually write the entire book, then I print the manuscript off and spend time reading and then editing it. I find that when I have spent time away from the story, I can review and edit it with fresher eyes. I turn the manuscript into my editor and then I go through it one more time once I receive my editor’s comments. That’s pretty much it.

JP: What’s next for Vanessa Miller?

VM: I have four books releasing in 2010: Yesterday’s Promise April 2010, Forgiven June 2010, A Love for Tomorrow September 2010, Long Time Coming November 2010.

http://www.vanessamiller.com/
http://www.myspace.com/vmiller1
http://www.facebook.com/vanessamiller01

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

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
















You need to advertise with JoeyPinkney.com! (Click here for more information.)
5 minutes 5 questions with, interview

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Kevin “K4S” Forrest, CEO of K4S Entertainment

3 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Kevin “K4S” Forrest, Professional Music Producer
(K4S Entertainment)

Bronx, New York native Kevin “K4S” Forrest has been an active beatmaker and producer since 2005. Self-taught and proficient at using FL Tools, Propeller’s Reason, Pro Tools, Mixcraft, Ableton Live and GarageBand, he is a hard working, gifted producer with a natural ear for talent.

With a production style inspired by beatmakers like 9th Wonder and Just Blaze, K4S has a “producer mentality” and often dissects the story that the beat tells before focusing on the lyrics. In 2007, he created K4S Entertainment to give other independent artists the opportunity to have their craft seen and heard. He has been fortunate to work with many great artists all over the world.

Joey Pinkney: What gives you the inspiration to create music?

Kevin “K4S” Forest: I draw my inspiration from story telling. When I produce a song, I see the story in my head. Everything I’ve ever made has a story to tell. The music allows me to help artists bring that story to life

JP: It’s a common misconception that producers only make the music. In terms of the final product, explain the role(s) to you play as a producer?

K4S: I have to wear different hats as a producer. Once the music has been created, I still have to mix it down. This requires hours of tweeking various sounds on both the left and right side of a given track. A beat doesn’t become useable until that process is completed.

Anyone can make a beat but a producer knows how to make that beat useable. Then there’s securing studio time for recording vocals, finalizing the track, negotiating contracts, even promoting the music. One song can make you a composer, arranger, engineer, manager, promoter and lawyer all in the same transaction.

JP: What producers inspired you to enter the music industry? What did you learn from them that help you in terms of the business decisions you make?

K4S: Wow, there are just so many of them. I would have to say 9th wonder, Alchemist, Just Blaze, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Dr. Dre and Notsucal. From a business standpoint, each one of these men showed me that you can’t stop at just making beats.

You have to continue to grow and turn yourself into a brand. They’re success showed me that you needed to be about more than beats and rhymes. They showed me it’s important to understand the business you are apart of.

JP: What are some notable projects you have worked on? Do you have an interesting story that has stemmed from it?

K4S: I’ve worked on projects for Kylito from United Kingdom, Prolific from Boston, MA, Mr. Al Pete from Jacksonville, FL, and Billy Madison Williams Jr from Pompano, FL, to name a few. Probably the most notable one with an interesting story behind it would have to be “The Ghost” with Mr. Al Pete from Jacksonville, FL.

The first time I met him I was producing an interview for Sexy in the City Magazine. We had been throwing around the idea in the interview about possibly working together. Now I didn’t think much of it because he’s a well-known dude and is on like a million projects. So it was funny when he called me and finally heard my beats. He put every other project to the side to team up with me on “The Ghost”. We knocked it out in less than 5 days. That track opened up people’s ears when it came to my music. I’m thankful to him for that. We created a classic.

JP: What’s next for Kevin “K4S” Forrest?

K4S: Right now I’m working on launching a new website, creating new music with my hip hop artist BAMN from Jacksonville, FL, and making K4S Entertainment one of the most well known music brands in the world.

More on Kevin “K4S” Forrest:

In the coming year, K4S will oversee the development of his own rap artist and the launch of his website that will serve as a hub for multiple topics related to music and entertainment. He is also slated to be the main producer for R&B/Gospel singer; Billy Madison Williams’ 2010 release the Billy Madison Williams Project. He will also produce tracks for UK artist Kylito and re-release of the street certified Kylito’s Way mixtape.

In addition to being a talented beatmaker, K4S also holds a BA in English Studies from the University of Albany. In 2003, K4S was offered a scholarship to study law at the Florida Coastal School of Law, which he accepted, relocating him to Jacksonville, Florida, where he currently resides.

He is also an Investor and Active Member of Connecting Our People, an organization founded to reduce the gap between the lower and upper class communities and has held the position as the Music Operations Manager for Sexy in the City Magazine.

Raised to believe in hard work and community, K4S’s motto is “United we ball, divided we starve” and is more than willing to put in work to achieve his own goals, while assisting others in doing the same. As his buzz increases and he adds more artists and accomplishments to his repertoire, the sky is not the limit for K4S, it’s the starting point.

http://www.tinyurl.com/k4sbeats
http://www.twitter.com/k4s_ent
http://www.myspace.com/k4sisdabest
http://bln.kr/9JB/
http://www.twiturm.com/profile/K4S_Ent

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

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

















You need to advertise with JoeyPinkney.com! (Click here for more information.)
5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, amazon.com, interview

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… T. Nicole, author of My Own Terms

4 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
T. Nicole, editor of My Own Terms
(Pink Star Publications)

Leaving Philadelphia could only mean one thing for Shana: a new beginning. She had no choice; she was forced out. Her husband couldn’t accept her leaving him, and he made every attempt to make her come back. The stalking of friends and family was too much for her to handle. She had an out and it was three thousand miles away.

Drastic times call for drastic measures. A drastic move is exactly what she needed, desperately. Despite her not knowing anyone but her one friend, she relocated with hopes of building a new life. Even with her making a cross country move, her husband continues to be a major road block in her endeavor to start her life over. How far would you go to start over?

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write My Own Terms?

T. Nicole: Inspiration came from real life situations which could have went in the directions of those included in My Own Terms. Being a woman allowed me to dig a little deeper and drag out those issues from past failed relationships and add a twist to them, making for a great fictional story.

JP: What sets My Own Terms apart from other novels in its genre?

TN: Even though this book is based on fictional characters, there are real life situations that come to light. Dealing with a bad marriage is never an easy task, but when you include a 3000 mile relocation it only gets harder. My Own Terms brings together the want and need for a woman to be taken seriously.

Seriousness of the mind, body and soul is all this detached woman wants. Playing on the array of emotions this woman goes through allows the reader to dig inside and feel the overwhelming damage that has been done. She suffers from the unwillingness to be monogamist.

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

TN: It takes a great deal of motivation and belief in yourself. You have to be willing to do the leg work to get your story out there. There are so many authors out there, you have to come with a twist in order to be recognized.

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

TN: My writing process varies. I get the ideas out when they come to mind. It took me about 6-7 months to actual finish to the novel. I had the story line in me for a long time. I just had to get it out onto paper.

JP: What’s next for T. Nicole?

TN: Right now I am working on the sequel to My Own Terms. In addition, I am working on three other projects and a non-fiction project concerning African American women and relationships.

http://www.tnicoleonline.com/
http://www.myspace.com/tnicolerobinson
http://www.pinkstarpublications.webs.com/

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

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

















You need to advertise with JoeyPinkney.com! (Click here for more information.)