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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Marlon McCaulsky and Jarold Imes, authors of the Love & Life anthology

May 28, 2009 Joey Pinkney 1 Comment

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Marlon McCaulsky and Jarold Imes, authors of Love & Life
(Abednego’s Free)

Popular Street Lit Author Marlon McCaulsky teams up with OurTeenVoices.com Editor Jarold Imes to bring two novellas that focus on two of the most things most teens are concerned with… love and life.

“Real Love” by Marlon McCaulsky

When Raina’s family is uprooted from Cleveland to St. Petersburg, FL, she immediately becomes the new “it girl” at Lakewood High School aka “Hollywood High” that every guy wants. She becomes the envy of the snobbish and popular Lissa while catching the eye of her boyfriend Dan.

With friends like Sheena (the self confessed shopaholic), Marcus (the smart-ass jock) and Cory (the wannabe playa), Raina firmly establishes her place at Hollywood High. Can Raina compete with Lissa who is willing to use sex, lies and manipulation to get what she wants. Is real love enough to keep the boy she loves?

“Love No Limit” by Jarold Imes

Dre Lawson has to be everything to everyone: the apple in his father’s eye, whom happens to be the leader of one of the notorious gangs in North Carolina; father to his trifling sister’s son; and leader of his own gang set. Never mind the fact that he still has to do chores and make good grades while running the streets.

When the woman of his dreams finally stakes her claim, what lengths will Dre go to find that love has no limit?

Joey Pinkney: Both of you are well known for your previous releases. How did you go about teaming up with each other for Love & Life?

Marlon McCaulsky: Well, it was Jarold that reached out to me about doing a project together. I was between books, and he came to me with the idea of doing an anthology type book together based on romance. I immediately jumped on it.

Jarold Imes: We met via the Triple Crown Publication forums. I approached Marlon to help me grow and expand the company Abednego’s Free. I had originally approached Marlon about doing a different anthology. When he sent “Real Love”, I told him it wouldn’t fit the concept. However, I felt the story was strong enough to complement another story I had written some years ago. I felt we could do this as a two author anthology instead.

JP: What are the things that differentiate Love & Life from others in its genre?

JI: As far as I know, Love & Life is the first, modern two author anthology for teens. I don’t think there has ever been a two author anthology like ours, especially a street lit anthology that is age appropriate for teens. My teen books have always been strong enough for adults and made for teens and I think we have a project that all can enjoy.

MM: This is my first venture into the teen book market. I didn’t originally write this story with the mind set this is a “teen book”. I just had a story in my head to get out, and it happens to be teenagers in high school that made it work. What differentiate “Real Love” from others in its genre is that I set this story in 1994 to 1995, so it’s kind of a throw back-story. This was the time period I was in high school. I see this story as being a “Teenage Love Affair” written for adults LOL…

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish “Real Love” and “Love No Limit” for Love & Life?

MM: I wrote “Real Love” back in 2003 as a screenplay for a movie I wanted to do. The movie thing never happened, but I loved the story. I kept writing on it over the years, and it became a novella. When Jarold came to me about this project, it was really already done. I just needed to clean it up a bit.

“Real Love” was based on some real life events. Some names have been changed to protect the people involved, and some names weren’t! It was funny to write because of the truth in some of the scenes, although the story itself is fiction.

JI: I write whatever I feel, be it a short story, an article/commentary, participating in different message boards where I try to spread knowledge or just working on my own novels. I always try to write something so I can keep my voice new and fresh.

“Love No Limit” is based on a short story I wrote twelve years ago about a gang member. I wrote it while I was writing what would become Never Too Much – The Remix and U Can’t Break Me. It only took me six weeks to add to the story for what would become Love & Life.

JP: Are you both Mary J. Blige fans? Is it a coincidence that both of the titles are also the title of Mary J. Blige songs?

JI: I’ve liked Mary since she first came out in 1990 when she sang the hook “I’ll Do 4 U” for Father MC. Also, What’s the 411? is the soundtrack to my life in Denver, Colorado.

Marlon’s story was already called “Real Love” when he sent it to me. Mary’s first album was what I thought of when I read his story. I named my story “Love No Limit”, so it could tie into the Love & Life theme we felt both of our stories had.

MM: I am definitely a Mary J fan. I wanted the reader to know that real love was what was really happening between Raina and Dan’s character. Plus, my story is set in that 90s era. It made sense to call my story that. Jarold decided to run with the idea of using Mary’s song titles as a theme of the book.

JP: What’s next for Abednego’s Free?

MM: All I can say is big things are on the way. Jarold is the mastermind behind Abednego’s Free, so he knows more than I do. As for myself, I just hope to continue to give my fans more good books to read. Thank you, Joey!

JI: I will finally get to live my dream and publish a few anthologies. Lord knows I’ve been trying to create one since 1999 when I first came on the scene. Now it’s coming true. Broken But I’m Healed, my inspirational anthology that I’m still collecting submissions for, will come out in October. Love & Life drops on Black Friday.

The Boy is Mine is an anthology featuring my first author, Victoria Vanee Anderson, and a few other friends of mine. That comes out the end of January. Victoria’s first book, Just Me & You, comes out in March. My next teen book, Case of the Fake People, will come out in April. I’m still working on my book now and another anthology project that I can’t talk about just yet.

I hope to begin work on my next Street Christian Lit title next month so I can drop it in 2010 too. Plus, I’m still taking submission for young adult books as well.

http://www.abednegosfree.com/
http://www.ourteenvoices.com/
http://www.myspace.com/jaroldimes
http://www.myspace.com/marlon29

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Alicia McGhee, author of Wet Dreams

May 7, 2009 Joey Pinkney 1 Comment

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Alicia McGhee, author of Wet Dreams
(Lulu Publishing)

Take a ride on this very hot, drama-packed erotic novel that will keep you having Wet Dreams. Phil Wilmore is a sexy R&B singer who knows how to sell out shows and keep the ladies screaming his name. Read as Phil takes you on a highly charged ride throughout his sexual encounters with very seductive women. One woman in particular was more than seductive to Phil, and he knew exactly what his hunger craved. That craving was the hottest talent manager to set foot in Industry Records, Christelle Blackwall.

Not only is Christelle Phil’s manager, she also becomes his lover. Phil Wilmore and Christelle Blackwall continue to remain lovers while indulging their appetites with other flavors. Two of those flavors who ironically know one another. Phil meets his caramel dream at one of his shows in a New York nightclub. She makes herself known from the curve of her hips to the way she licks her lips. Jasmine Riley is her name, and snagging up Phil Wilmore for herself is her game. While Phil Wilmore makes a persistent groupie happy, Christelle focuses her interest on a delicious chocolate man with long, clean dreadlocks by the name of Amir Jamal.

Following behind him like a little lost puppy, Christelle stalks her prey and continues till she’s sexually satisfied. As Phil and Christelle’s sexcapades continue, they even experience a threesome in a place called Paradise with a familiar face. Before long, Phil and Christelle’s erotic play takes a turn for the worse as their secret lovers no longer remain a secret. Amir falls in love, Jasmine wants Phil to marry her and somebody’s pregnant! When the love box becomes too complicated for some to handle, Jasmine takes drastic measures in making Christelle disappear while Amir still burns for Christelle’s touch.

The drama unfolds in this urban erotic tale changing the lives of everyone involved in the sin. Find out who’s related, whose baby is murdered, who’s killed and who looses their mind in Alicia McGhee’s Wet Dreams.

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

Alicia McGhee: Wet Dreams started off as an erotic short story series I started in ’06. Due to the major subscribers making it so popular and requesting more, I was obligated to turn it into a full length novel.

JP: What sets Wet Dreams apart from other novels in its genre?

AM: Wet Dreams has its erotic points, but it also plays out as a thriller. It’s like an edgy movie which keeps you hooked till the very end. What sets my novel apart from others in its genre is that it’s very unpredictable. Wet Dreams is on a whole different level from its competitors in that respect.

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

AM: Like I said before, this novel was requested by the fans that followed me on MySpace from my very first book Pleasure & Pain which showcases twenty steamy, drama-filled short stories. That got them hooked. After the success of Pleasure & Pain and Hotter the Pleasure, Deeper the Pain II, the fans were ready for a full length novel with just as much intensity and hot erotica as the short stories but with a twist. Wet Dreams is the twist that the people were looking for.

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

AM: As an author, I’m a visual and creative writer, so the things I dream up or discuss with my reading group all plays out like a film in my mind. I stick to that layout and make you visualize what and how I perceived the material. I start off with jotting down my ideas. Then I draft out an outline to follow along with my list of fictional characters and their characteristics. I give them life. I started Wet Dreams in early ’06 and completed it in 2 years.

JP: What’s next for Alicia McGhee?

AM: What’s next for me? I’ve got a lot more novels in the works with plans of releasing 2 novels by the end of this year. I’m working on the spin off to my latest novel Everybody’s Got A Story which is truly a pleasure to create. I’m also working on a hot steamy novel jammed packed with its fair share of sex while delving into the lives of 4 ladies who share their experiences on what goes on down in the gentlemen’s cabaret. I actually interviewed strippers for this piece, so this one is one fun novel to write.

I’ve also been getting my anthology work on with a story featured in Zane’s latest anthology Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2 titled Eve’s Secret. I’ve been showcased in Noire’s online magazine “Noire Magazine” with some hot naughty stories in the October & March issue. Expect more from me because I’m not done yet. I’ve still got a whole lot to say and share.

http://www.myspace.com/precise05
http://www.thetempressoftales.com/

You can find all of my titles on Amazon for the hottest urban erotic dramas ever!!

Pleasure & Pain
Hotter the Pleasure, Deeper the Pain II
Wet Dreams
Everybody’s Got A Story

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

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Michelle Larks, Author of The Legacies

January 30, 2009 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Michelle Larks, author of The Legacies
(Urban Books/Kensington)

The Legacies is a tale of two young people from very diverse backgrounds who meet and fall in love while attending college. Noah Stephens is a minister’s son, and Morgan is the daughter of a drug distributor. The two encounter many bumps in the road as deathbed promises, secrets, and betrayalÂ tear at the very foundation of their relationship. God has love for all ofÂ his children regardless of our stations in life. He sends angelsÂ to Noah and Morgan that help direct them to the path to righteousness.

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

Michelle Larks: Actually, the idea to write The Legacies just popped into my head. I wanted to write a novel that would appeal to a younger audience. My novel Keeping Misery Company was aimed at an older market, thusÂ The Legacies was born.

JP: What sets The Legacies apart from other novels in Christian Fiction?

ML: The Legacies is different from other Christian fiction novels because it delves intoÂ controversial subject matter: a relationship between a minister’s and drug dealer’s children. Can they co-exist and fall in love? Can the relationshipÂ remain strong despite a lot of adversity?

JP: The Legacies is similar to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. What has been your reader’s response to you mixing a family steeped in drugs with a family steeped in religion?

ML: My reader’s response has been good for the most part. One of the points I was trying to make in the book is that we are all God’s children regardless to how we began life.Â I also wanted to exemplify how life doesn’t also goes as our parents plan.

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

ML: My writing process is just let the thoughtsÂ flow, literally. I am an early bird, so I tend to write early in the morning on my trusty laptop computer.Â I will start with an idea, andÂ ways to enhance the storyline just pop into my head. It took me three months to write The Legacies.

JP: What’s next for Michelle Larks?

ML: As you can tell from The Legacies, I don’t shy from controversial topics. My next book, Til Debt Do Us Part, is the story of the lead soprano of a church who battles a gambling addiction and how that hobbyÂ nearly ruins her life.

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