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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… New York Times Best Selling Author Kimberla Lawson Roby, author of Sin No More

November 30, 2008 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
New York Times Best Selling Author Kimberla Lawson Roby, author of Sin No More
(William Morrow)

(click on the pictures to see this book on Amazon.com)

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Sin No More?

Kimbery Lawson Roby: Sin No More is actually the fifth title in my Reverend Curtis Black series, which centers on problems and corruption within the church. I was inspired to write about this issue because of so much that I’ve seen and heard about for a great number of years.

JP: What sets Sin No More apart from other novels in its genre?

KLR: Sin No More focuses on reality—not any specific real-life issues—but it does focus on what can and does happen on a daily basis throughout this country. I don’t try to sugarcoat anything that I write, and more important, I try my best to show what happens when we don’t follow God’s Word or treat people the way we want to be treated.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Sin No More getting out to the public?

KLR: The two most important things are writing and building a marketing/publicity plan and making sure to interact personally with your readers on a regular basis, both by email and at speaking and book signing events all year long.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Sin No More?

KLR: Once I decide which topic I’m going to center my story on, I create all of my characters and then outline the entire novel. After that, I write a minimum of one or two chapters per day until the first draft is finished. Then, I revise and edit. The entire process from start to finish normally takes me about three months.

JP: What’s next for Kimberla Lawson Roby?

KLR: I released a novella entitled One in a Million this past June and my twelfth book, The Best of Everything, will be released on January 13, 2009. Currently, I’m working on a second novella for the fall of 2009.

www.kimroby.com
www.myspace.com/kimberlalawsonroby

Kimberla would love to hear from you at: kim@kimroby.com.

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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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5 Minutes 5 Questions With… Essence Best Selling Author Nikkea Smithers, author of Sweet Dreams

November 27, 2008 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Nikkea Smithers, author of Sweet Dreams
(Auset Ausar Productions)

(click on the pictures to see reviews of this book on Amazon.com)

Dream is a highschool student from Bridgeport, Connecticut, who is traumatized when she is informed of the tragic suicide of her best friend. Feeling like she is alone in the world with an abusive mother and absent father, Dream almost comes to the resolution that her life is also not worth living…

Antonio is also in high school but from Richmond, Virginia, working two jobs to help his mother support his many brothers and sisters. Growing up in the projects, he is faced with a number of obstacles that will test his manhood.

When Dream and Antonio’s worlds collide both of their lives change forever…but is it for the better or for the worse?

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

Nikkea Smithers: The inspiration came from a conversation I had with my mother in the early part of the year. She was telling me about a how a friend of the family, who is a medic, was called to a home where a young girl had committed suicide.

I immediately started to think, “What could have been so bad to make this young girl want to take her life?” With that thought I wrote a poem called ‘A Girl Named Suicide’ which was later featured in the book. After the further contemplation I felt that there was so much more to say. I began to think what about the friends, the family, what about everyone who had to keep going after her passing. Essentially this story was begging to be told not only to honor the young girls memory but to spark intrigue in our community about this subject.

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

NS: Sweet Dreams has no set genre to be honest. It deals with a vast majority of subjects: self love, self respect, teenage suicide, peer pressure and forgiveness. Sweet Dreams stands out because, true to my writing style, it speaks a message of realness and hope.

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

NS: I embrace my public. I make myself available for anyone who wants to talk about any of my titles. As I choose to write about some very eye opening topics, conversation is a must. Therefore, I don’t shy away. I enjoy getting to know my readers as well as my readers getting to know me.

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

NS: Each of my books take me through a different process. For my poetry books and Keith’s Story it was a gradual process sometimes taking a year or more. However, for Gold Diggin’ and Sweet Dreams the process was much different and the stories poured out of me within two weeks. Sweet Dreams in particular was finished in a week in a half.

JP: What’s next for Nikkea Smithers?

NS: My next book is already done, waiting for the printer as we speak. I don’t want to give away too much but my readers can keep an eye on my website to find out when my next release will be. Until then, readers can certainly pick up not only Sweet Dreams but also Gold Diggin’, Keith’s Story and for poetry lovers Attitudes of a Woman.

www.nikkeasmithers.com
www.myspace.com/keithsstory

Nikkea Smithers is a self published author of five titles. Her most recent release Sweet Dreams made #4 on Essence Magazine Best Sellers list. She has been featured in Protege Magazine and has been featured at venues from NY to LA. Nikkea is also a talented spoken word artist who performs frequently and had headlined at many venues.

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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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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Seth Ferranti, author of Street Legends Volume 1

November 24, 2008 Joey Pinkney 2 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Seth Ferranti, author of Street Legends: Vol 1
(Gorrilla Convict Publications)

(click the pictures to see this book on Amazon.com)

Joey Pinkney: Why were you inspired to write Street Legends: Vol 1 about these famous drug dealers even though they are household names in the hood right now?

Seth Ferranti: I’ve been doing stories for Don Diva since the jump, like 2000 or so. I was doing little pieces about dudes in prison for the Behind the Wall section. In 2004 I was transferred to FCI Gilmer in West Virginia, and Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff was there. He was corresponding with Don Diva regularly about possibly doing an interview or story with them.

Through our mutual acquaintance with Don Diva, we hooked up and started hanging out. By the time he was indicted on the Murder Inc. case he had decided to let me write the piece about him for Don Diva, so I did. That was my first cover story. From there I just ran with it doing several more cover and feature stories for Don Diva and other magazines.

I was always intrigued by all that gangster stuff and the mystique surrounding these guys. As I looked around I found that a lot of these dudes’ co-defendants, homies and relatives were all around me. So it was almost like a natural progression for me. I want to do for these dudes what the writers back in the old west did for Billy the Kid and their ilk because for real these guys are heroes in a way, outlaw heroes. America has always been fascinated with its outlaw-heroes, just look at Pablo Escobar and John Gotti.

JP: How are you able to get up close and personal and secure what seems to be incriminating information about people who are well connected?

SF: I’m in prison and have been for the past 16 years. I know a lot of dudes, dudes who were down with these legends and come from the same hoods they do, the same eras. I get most of my facts, if you want to call them that, from court records and newspaper articles. But I don’t just write the mainstream media side, I go to their homies, co-defendants and partners to get the real story.

I want to portray these street legends in a human light, to look past what the government says about them and what was proved in court. I want to give an overall picture of the person and their circumstances. I cover the story from all angles and tell it from the criminal side, and I always seek to get permission or get as close to the source as possible. Like I said, I know Supreme he is a personal friend of mine and some of these other dudes I know their co-defendants or dudes that ran with them on the streets.

JP: It’s been said that Life is stranger than fiction. Will Street Legends: Vol 1 hold true to this statement?

SF: Definitely, some of the stuff in this book you will not believe. I give it to you raw and uncensored, live from behind the wall. These dudes are all real life movie stars. They are modern day Billy the Kids. F*ck Frank Lucas and American Gangster, these guys are the real O.G.’s.

JP: How long did it take you to gather and compile the information that became Street Legends: Vol 1?

SF: Not long, maybe about a year. I just reached out to dudes I know and got it all together. They either wanted to be a part of the project or not. I’m in here, so dudes know I’m not out to exploit them or twist their words I’m here to cement their legends. This is history. This is no different then all the Italian mafia stuff and Colombian cocaine cartels stuff. These dudes were real legit ballers who played for keeps. They are legends, and I am the gangster chronicler. I do it like Don Diva, Street Elements and Feds, but I go deeper and provide the whole story for readers.

JP: What’s next for Seth Ferranti?

SF: I am working on Street Legends Volume 2 and a Supreme Team book. I have a street lit book, Murder Capital that I am putting the finishing touches on also. I’m trying to build my name and my brand from the penitentiary. Order my books and check out my blog at www.gorillaconvict.com.

Thank you.

www.gorillaconvict.com
www.myspace.com/gorillaconvict
www.myspace.com/soulmanseth
www.prisoner083.com

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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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