Category Archives: interview

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Paulette Harper, author of That Was Then, This Is Now: This Broken Vessel Restored

March 17, 2009 Joey Pinkney 2 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Paulette Harper, author of That Was Then, This Is Now: This Broken Vessel Restored
(Tate Publishing & Enterprises)

How could God have a purpose for me amidst this mess? Why do such bad things happen to good people? If you’ve recently asked yourself these questions, Paulette Harper’s That was Then, This Is Now has the answers. Paulette Harper gropes for meaning and understanding, and through her searching, God reveals Himself to her in ways she never before imagined possible.

By sharing her struggles with transparency, she illustrates how a heart attitude of surrender allows God to use a broken vessel for His ultimate plans of glory. That was Then, This Is Now is a heart-wrenching account of one woman’s true story of determination, loss and triumph. Struggling to recover from a broken marriage and disappointed dreams.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write That Was Then, This Is Now: This Broken Vessel Restored?

Paulette Harper: I was inspired to write That Was Then, This Is Now by God. It was derived from actualÂ events that took place in my life. I wanted to share with people how God restored my life spiritually and emotionally.

JP: What sets That Was Then, This Is Now: This Broken Vessel Restored apart from other novels in its genre?

PH: What sets That Was Then, This Is Now different from other novels is my sound reliance on biblical scriptures. That Was Then, This Is Now offers readers the reasons why and the solutions to many of the challenges we will face.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to That Was Then, This Is Now: This Broken Vessel Restored getting out to the public?

PH: Some of the keys to my success for That Was Then, This Is Now have been me knowing the market for which my book is trying to reach. This includes identifying people, groups and organization that will embrace my writing. I talk about That Was Then, This Is Now to everybody which has afforded me the opportunities to be on radio and television. I also try to stay connected to my readers my email, newsletters and by speaking and having book signing events.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish That Was Then, This Is Now: This Broken Vessel Restored?

PH: When I starting writing That Was Then, This Is Now, it began with the titles of each chapter and I built my stories around those titles.Â For example chapter 1Â Built To Stand- Though It All in this chapter I share with my readers the personal challenges that I faced and how certain scriptures helped me cope with and eventually overcome those challenges and gain spiritually victory. I startedÂ writing That Was Then, This Is Now in January 2007 and completed myÂ manuscript in March of the same year. Tate Publishing offered me a contract in April 2007.

JP: What’s next for Paulette Harper?

PH: I have several projects that I’m working on. I’ve started writing my next book Â Completely Whole another inspirational book which will be released next year. I’m launching a new radio show called “Broken & Restored “ and will be starting “Write Now” workshops to help other inspiring writers and authors.

http://www.bvministry.org/
http://www.pauletteharper.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/pauletteh

paulet_harper@yahoo.com

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Torrance T. Stephens, PhD, author of Dirt Behind My Ears

March 15, 2009 Joey Pinkney 2 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Torrance Stephens, author of Dirt Behind My Ears
(Firefly Publishing & Entertainment)

Torrance Stephens delves into a range of subjects, from politics and relationships to sports and history, providing valuable insight to the African-American perspective of the world. These essays are an effort of the author to try and explain his belief orientation with respect to the relationship of humanity to the universe, himself and society , especially the African American community via scholarship and satire

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Dirt Behind My Ears?

Torrance Stephens: Well, I have been writing essays all of my life. I started early around age 10. I also read a lot of philosophy and opinion in newspapers. I amassed more than 1,100 essays and took about 190 to comprise my first book of essays.

I loved both philosophical thought and scholarship; it just seemed to me that what I read lacked the experience of the common man. I think a writer is a product of his reading, and I have a penchant for wanting to publish all my works. Poetry, essays, nonfiction in the form of history, short stories and plays. I think a writer of substance writes it all from essays to science fiction and plays.

JP: This front cover of Dirt Behind My Ears is interesting to say the least: A black man with long locks sitting on a rusty lawn chair wearing a jogging suit and Air Force Ones with a rifle across his shoulders. Care to explain?

TS: Well, the picture was taken on my farm. I figure we all have dirt behind our ears because of the stories we could tell, especially us from the dirty south. I’m from Memphis, and my essays reveal the connection I have with the South from the city streets to that which makes us country. I keep a rifle in each room. That’s just how I take care of mine. Can’t call 911. Plus, I can hunt all the deer and wild turkey I want. Where I live right now, hunting and fishing is all good. What I was wearing on that book cover is how I dress.

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

TS: Outreach through my blog and book clubs. I have seen sales increase via my blog and book clubs because word of mouth is what pushes sales. In fact, the only reason Borders and other major chains carry it in select stores is because of request. The underground is important. I hope history judges my corpus of writings more so than folks living now. That is the honor for me.

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

TS: Well, I write everyday. I am influenced by Voltaire, Neruda and folk like Camus, historians, scientist and philosophers. I write how I talk and try to ground the reader in information in order to educate and even inculcate my purview of a particular subject matter. Like I said, I have thousands of essays and poems and short stories. I’m just trying to publish as many books as I can. I write for myself first, and that is the advice I would share with any writer. Your readers will find you if you serve your craft first before getting published, book sales or fame.

JP: What’s next for Torrance Stephens?

TS: I have a book of plays at press called Why I am a Gangster, another book of love sonnets called Late Night Winds of Club Paradise (170 plus poems) and a book of Short Stories called Freak Type Scene. I serve as senior Opinion Editorial Writer for Rolling Out UrbanStyle Weekly (http://rollingout.com).

http://rawdawgb.blogspot.com

Bio of Torrance T. Stephens, PhD

Originally, from Memphis, Tennessee, he attended Morehouse College where he studied psychology, biology and chemistry. He received a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology and Measurement from Atlanta University and a PhD in Counseling from Clark Atlanta University. He is the father of two and currently lives in Palmetto, Georgia, just outside Atlanta. He is an author and has a novel, three books of short stories and a book of sonnets on the market. Dr. Stephens is also the owner of Braincell a store that specializes in merchandise and gourmet food for dogs.

Other Books by Torrance Stephens: Rockstar, Stud, Gigolo (short stories), A Matter of Attention (novel), Fast and Gamin’ (short stories), Butter Brown (short Stories), For U Who Left Me While I Slept (poetry) and a contributor to Bloggers’ Delight, Vol. 1.

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Tawana Jackson, author of Stretched But Not Broken

March 14, 2009 Joey Pinkney 1 Comment

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Tawana Jackson, author of Stretched But Not Broken
(Xulon Press)

All Mia wanted out of life was a peaceful existence and unconditional love. Brutally raped at the age of five by a deranged homeless man, Mia had experienced everything but her dream. Her mother, Helen, a quiet and dignified woman, marries a concerned but drug addicted Vietnam Veteran whose controlling and abusive parenting skills turn Mia’s family on its ear.

Karen, Mia’s older sister, is nothing like her compliant mother and sister. She is brash, loud and not afraid to cry out when in pain. Karen is later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Her overbearing and controlling personality knuckles Mia under her spell, causing Mia to begrudgingly acquiesce to Karen’s every command.

Helen also caters to Karen’s manipulative ways making Mia believe that Helen cares more for Karen than she does for Mia and her younger sister, (fathered by Bruce) Sasha. Through a life of kept secrets, silence in the face of abusive oppression, and a broken romance, Mia is driven to attempt suicide. But Mia has a friend, Julie, who has been telling Mia about the love of God and how much he has in store for Mia’s life and future.

Mia must then make a decision to let go of her past, and stretch toward a bright and loving future with a Savior who proves to be the only answer to Mia’s shredded life of fear, anguish, and hopelessness.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Stretched But Not Broken?

Tawana Jackson: My motivation in writing the book is that I was Mia, that little girl growing up trying to face grownup sexual feelings at the age of five. The outcome of rape, depression and physical abuse is so overwhelming in the lives of those that have been a victim. I just could not sit on the testimonies and gifts that God has given me.

Every year over one million souls leave this earth because of suicide. One in every four women are raped. One in every ten men also suffer from rape. The end results sometimes lead to self-destruction, self-hate, or spiritual death if God isn’t allowed to heal the hurt and brokenness

JP: What sets Stretched But Not Broken apart from other novels in its genre?

TJ: This book speaks to those who have suffered mental and physical abuse, as well as, those who have been imprisoned by drug addiction and mental illness. Though this is a fictional story, I have personally lived every aspect of this novel, from being an abused child to possessing the sexual immorality that corrupts a person’s body.

Everything I write about comes from experience as well as God-given creativity. I have a heady appetite for Christian fiction novels, but one thing I discovered was that few of them bring out raw emotion and self-conviction such as mine.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Stretched But Not Broken getting out to the public?

TJ: My keys to success are the following: As a survivor, I know what my characters are feeling throughout the novel. As a Life Coach, I’m able to answer some of the questions rape victims may have. Lastly, but most importantly, ninety-nine percent of the families in the United States or maybe the world can relate to the problems the family in my book suffers.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Stretched But Not Broken?

TJ: The book writing process took about a year. It took three months to do the actual writing, then another nine to rewrite and edit.

JP: What’s next for Tawana Jackson?

TJ: I’ve done several book signings, TV interviews, and radio interviews this year to promote Stretched But Not Broken. I will continue to do this next year. I’m currently working on the book’s sequel that should be completed around June of 2009. I’ll also take time out to visit local prisons to speak with women and men about the importance of family.

http://www.tjacksonbooks.com/
http://www.myspace.com/twrites.com

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