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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Essence Bestseller Pamela Samuels Young, author of Murder on the Down Low

August 20, 2009 Joey Pinkney 12 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Pamela Samuels Young, author of Murder on the Down Low
(Goldman House Publishing)

A brazen gunman is targeting African-American men on the streets of L.A. and police are completely baffled. The victims are all quintessential family men. Well-educated. Attractive. Successful. But appearances can be deceiving.

Meanwhile, attorney Vernetta Henderson and her outrageous sidekick, Special, lead the charge for revenge against a young lawyer whose deception caused his fiance’s death. For Special, hauling the man into court and suing him for wrongful death just isn’t good enough.

While she exacts her own brand of justice, a shocking revelation connects the contentious lawsuit and the puzzling murders. When Special”s quest for payback goes way too far, it appears that not even Vernetta can save her.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Murder on the Down Low?

Pamela Samuels Young: I often have a hard time recalling exactly when or how the idea for a particular novel originated. For the most part, the concept simply pops into my head from some unknown place. That wasn’t the case with Murder on the Down Low. I have a crystal clear recollection of exactly when the idea for the book came to me.

I was watching an Oprah show featuring J.L. King, author of On the Down Low. I was completely stunned as I listened to his insider’s account of the mindset of men on the down low – guys, many of them married, who profess to be straight but engage in homosexual sex. My emotions during that sixty-minute program went from shock to anger to fear.

I was driving to work the next day, still disturbed by the show when a thought came to me. What if prominent, attractive, successful African-American men were being gunned down on the streets of L.A. and nobody knew why? And what if they all shared a dirty little secret? Within 24 hours, I had sketched out the basic plot for Murder on the Down Low.

JP: What sets Murder on the Down Low apart from other novels that tie in a legal aspect?

PSY: There are two aspects that set Murder on the Down Low apart from other legal thrillers. First, the book brings diversity to legal fiction. I started writing thrillers because I got tired of never seeing women or African-Americans depicted as lawyers in the legal thrillers I read. I started writing the kind of legal thriller that I wanted to read.

Second, Murder on the Down Low gave me an opportunity to both entertain and raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. While African-American and Latina women make up only 24% of the female population in the United States, we account for more than 80% of the total AIDS diagnoses for women, according to the latest statistics published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

I wanted to communicate to women that it’s time for us to take responsibility for our own bodies.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Murder on the Down Low getting out to the public?

PSY: Without a doubt, sheer perseverance has been the primary key to my success. The publishing industry is a tough business. Getting into law school and passing the California Bar exam was a piece of cake in comparison to getting a book deal. As a result, you have to have faith in your talent and keep going despite the rejection.

I’ve worked in both television news and law and I never faced anywhere near the rejection and difficulties in those careers that I faced trying to become a published novelist. It’s also important to think like a businessperson, not a writer. My books are products. I have to be inventive and unrelenting about getting my product to readers.

I focus heavily on connecting with book clubs. During a trip to the D.C. area, I did three book clubs in one day, along with a reception at a friend’s home and a panel discussion at a bookstore. It was a long day, but I reached a lot of people. Book clubs are social networks, and they are a great source for word-of-mouth buzz. If the book club members enjoy reading one of my books, the’re like to encourage their friends, family and co-workers to read it too.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Murder on the Down Low?

PSY: It took me just over a year to writer Murder on the Down Low. It was probably my easiest book to write because I found the storyline so compelling. I typically spend anywhere from a few weeks to as long as three months outlining a book before I actually start writing. During this time, I mull over my story quite a bit. I’m thinking about it in the shower, while I’m standing in line at the grocery store and during my 45-minute commute to work.

Even during the outlining stage, I can almost see each chapter as if it were a scene in a movie. Only after I have a completed outline do I start writing. And when I write, I go from page one to the last page without doing much editing along the way. For me, it’s psychologically motivating to complete that first draft, even if it’s so bad I’d never dare show it to anyone. Once I have a first draft, then the real writing starts. I revise, and revise and revise some more. That process can last six months or more.

JP: What’s next for Pamela Samuels Young?

PSY: My fourth novel, Buying Time, goes on sale November 1st. It’s my first standalone book and I’m really excited about it. In Buying Time, Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck lawyer who comes to the aid of terminally ill people in desperate need of cash. All they have to do is sign over rights to their life insurance policies.

Waverly then finds investors eager to advance them thousands of dollars – including a hefty broker’s fee for himself – in exchange for a significant return on their investment once the clients take their last breath.

When Waverly’s clients start dying sooner than they should, both Waverly and a high-powered lawyer who’s bucking to become the next U.S. Attorney General are unwittingly drawn into a perilous web of greed, blackmail and murder.

The early reviews of the book have been great. Here’s my favorite:

. . .a deftly plotted thriller that combines the best of
Lisa Scottoline and Robert Crais. Find a comfortable
chair and plan to stay up late. Highly recommended.

~ Sheldon Siegel, NY Times Best-Selling Author of Judgment Day

http://www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com/

http://twitter.com/pamsamuelsyoung

http://www.myspace.com/pamelasamuelsyoung

http://www.facebook.com/pamelasamuelsyoung

Honors/Blurbs for Murder on the Down Low —

2009 African American Literary Awards finalist in the Mystery category
Editor’s Pick, Black Expressions Book Club
“…an entertaining read filled with heart-pumping suspense!” ~ Victoria Christopher Murray, Bestselling author of Lady Jasmin
“…keeps you teetering precariously on the edge of your seat the whole way through.” ~ The Book Club Queen
“…an excellent choice for fans of mystery, suspense or crime novels.” ~ APOOO BookClub
“…intricate plotting, memorable characters and intense action . . . with shades of James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club.” ~ Jackie Houchin, Valley News

Please leave a comment to be eligible to win an autographed book and a 25 dollar gift card from Pamela Samuels Young.Â One winner will be chosen each day for a total of FIVE winners.

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5 minutes 5 questions with, interview, poems, poet, poetry

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… John “Survivor” Blake, author of Warm Tequila and Cold Blood

August 19, 2009 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Intervie
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
John â€œSurvivorâ€ Blake, author of Warm Tequila and Cold Blood

â€œJohn â€œSurvivorâ€ Blake enters a place in his writing that few others I know dare to. With a pristine voice of epic magnitude, Blakeâ€™s words pull the reader or listener into the heart of his raw, fragmented truth of unshakeable power. He understands the incredible responsibility of being an artist; as much as anyone I have ever known.â€ – Carlos AndrÃ©s GÃ³mez.

What if someone pointed out a homeless vagrant to you and said, “That’s going to be a well-known poet and biographer, and he’ll change lives around the world?” Would you laugh; raise an eyebrow and inquire as to their usage of narcotics; check them for a fever? Imagine a man against all odds; born dopesick, poverty-stricken, expected to fail… then a poem saves his life!

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Warm Tequila and Cold Blood?

John Blake: Well, after losing my immediate family to heroin, AIDS and prison, I battled with depression for years. I couldn’t accept I was going to go through life. At the time, I was only 34 and already without my parents and most of my siblings.

I began finding sanctuary in bottles of tequila. By the time I got to the bar, I couldn’t wait for the bartender to shake, stir or prepare my drinks. I told them to “just give it to me warm”.

The world just seemed so cold to me. Tequila felt like the only warmth in my life. Television began to depress me; glory-killing, girls too young for what they were advertising on the screen, the news, politics, everything just seemed “cold blooded”.

JP: What sets Warm Tequila and Cold Blood apart from other collections of poetry?

JB: Three things: (1) CÃ¡rlos AndrÃ©s GÃ³mez told me, “Poetry’s like sex; nothing happens until you get your clothes off”. So I got very, very vulnerable with this book. I expressed my ideas and experiences that I would not normally share with strangers.

(2) Editors. I wasn’t afraid to let some of the best modern poets of our nation take a look at my work and guide me to an exceptional place: Samantha Thornhill, Jeanann Verlee, Rachel McKibbens, Rose Smith, Rob Sturma, Laura Yes, and many others.

(3) I stopped caring with publishers wanted. That was my biggest mistake in the beginning: writing for publishers when all the while I should have been trying to purge what my spirit was telling me to get rid of; what my poems demanding that I scribe!

JP: What are the titles of the other poetry collections you have self-published? And tell us a little about them.

JB: Well, the first was Leap from the Cliff: Wings Only Grow When Needed, which was the first risk I took with writing. It’s still the favorite of most admirers of my work. Then came Mama Said which was an entire book of about twenty poems dedicated to my Mom and other single, hard-working women around the world.

Then I wrote Warm Tequila and Cold Blood and When Peace Comes and published them at the same time. Warm Tequila and Cold Blood was a serious purging and When Peace Comes was the acceptance. I’ve come full circle with the dope, the booze, the loss and all the other pain. I’ve climbed over and landed smooth.

JP: What do you do to get your poetry known to the public?

JB: Everything from selling my merchandise directly after shows to offering free copies to bookstores in every city I tour. I began by selling them in Union Square Park. I had a table, and I’d even walk up to groups offering to share my art. It took courage, but what doesn’t?

JP: What’s next for John “Survivor” Blake?

JB: I’m taking on my memoir and The Greyhound Essays. The memoir will be a five-part series, and the first book will be title Drifting from Fire because my grandmother promised my biracial parents that nothing would hurt me too deep; racism, poverty…nothing; that I would overcome it all like smoke “drifting from fire”.

The essays will be about my cross-country travels from poetry venue to college to jails; facilitating workshops and performing. I rode Greyhound buses for most of it, and you’d be amazed what I learned about this nation and its residents. So The Greyhound Essays are coming. Then I plan on sitting next to Oprah on ABC and telling the world “Nothing, nothing can stop us as long we we’re willing to walk through it”.

http://www.johnsurvivorblake.com
http://www.facebook.com/johnsurvivorblake

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

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Tracie E. Christian, author of The Black College Sabbatical Series

August 13, 2009 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Tracie E. Christian, author of The Black College Sabbatical Series
(Trafford Publishing, Infinity Publishing)

The hotties ofÂ Heritage State University becomes your friends tooâ€¦

In FALL, Cierra â€œCee-Ceeâ€ Folsom is a chocolate angel in disguise who grew up dirt poor with an addict mother and a huge since of loyalty. She uses her Grandmaâ€™s guidance and love to trail-blaze her way to Heritage State University on a partial dance scholarship with the HSU Marching Band family. In WINTER, Cee-Cee works to erase her image as a naÃ¯ve freshman incapable of telling the difference between a down brother and a brother down for much more.

FALL brings Kyla Mansfield, the bourgeois, prim and proper diva attending Heritage in line with her familyâ€™s long-standing tradition. WINTER has Kylaâ€™s integrity on the line as her sorority crusade forces her to face the guilt of choosing her ambitions over love, showing all that she is far more than just the younger sister of the most popular girl on campus.

In FALL, Ananda Harris is academically gifted with natural athletic abilities. Growing up with an overbearing father, this over achiever is no stranger to hard work. However, in WINTER, her parental tantrums persist as she tries juggling another course overload, basketball and a secret addiction that doesnâ€™t stay secret for long. Her Perseverance is put to the test as she works to live up to her fatherâ€™s high expectations, while embracing the freedoms of college.

FALL introduces Tina Hutchins, a home girl full of attitude and quick wit; attending Heritage on a full Journalism scholarship. A loner by nature, her courage is challenged as she works to smoothly blend her fly girl style with her non-African American descent and new surroundings. By WINTER, She labors with the pressures of falling in love and failing to fit in, while discovering where her passions and priorities meet to define who she really is.

I am the Guardian Angel sent here on a quest to protect. I have Courage, Integrity, Loyalty and Perseverance for survival. I also brought bits of Betrayal, Drama, Secretes and Sex just to keep things interesting. Now, all I need is a traveling companion. Someone to help figure out which of our ladies needs me most! Why not YOU? Together, letâ€™s bask in the truthâ€™s light reading The Black College Sabbatical Book Series. School is now in session!

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write The Black College Sabbatical Series?

Tracie E. Chapman: The idea to write this book series came from the junior high school students I was teaching in 2004. The majority of Detroit students in my school at that time didn’t know anything about the black college experience. They didn’t even know which schools were black colleges and which ones were not. The ones that did know of HBCUs only had negative comments, heard via TV, movies or word-of-mouth.

Since I attended a historically black college I found this unacceptable. I decided to tell a story that was fun to read but informative about HBCUs in a way that shined a more positive light on the surroundings and experiences rather than just on the people attending.

JP: What sets the “Fall Quarter” installment from the “Winter Quarter”? What did you learn from writing and publishing your first installment that made the second installment better?

TC: I felt that if I was gonna tell a full story of the first year at a historically black college, I had to approach telling the story in phases. The same way first year students are groomed to understand it themselves. That being said, FALL QUARTER is the orientation to the process of learning about the black college experience. It’s about introducing our characters, describing the environment, making the reader knowledgeable about the importance of the experience from the character’s four separate aspects.

In WINTER QUARTER, it’s about the realness of the process. Students know the rules. They know the expectations and the impending consequences of rebelling. Yet they somehow get all caught up in their still relatively new-found freedom and make choices accordingly, leading to outcomes and situations that cannot be ignored. Writing FALL, I wanted to make sure I covered the basics from the way I wrote the story to the way I promoted the book.

In my world at that time, everything had to be perfect and that left me feeling cornered and rushed. In writing WINTER, I was more comfortable moving the storylines along because I knew the foundation had been set in FALL. I had also learned that everything will never be perfect and that freed my creativity for writing, as well as, promoting. Hence, my making it to you Joey. The entire writing and publishing process flowed better for me the second time around. Less to fear I guess.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to The Black College Sabbatical Series getting out to the public?

TC: As an author my keys to success are Confidence, Consideration, Cooperation and Calm. I have to be CONFIDENT to keep putting my book and myself out there even when I’m scared to death. I need to be CONSIDERATE of others coming after me by sharing my experiences and knowledge thus far with anyone who needs the assistance.

I have to be COOPERATIVE with other professionals to make my ventures happen. I may be self-published but, I know I cannot do everything. I need help to make this dream come true. My most major key, is also my highest hurdle. I have to remain CALM while promoting my books in order to be sure to Knock-It-Out-The-Park every time I get an opportunity. My keys keep me hungry and humble at the same time.

JP: What has been the response from your college-aged readers that have come experienced your books?

TC: The response from my college age readers has been great! They seem to relate well to the material. When I get the emails about who they love and/or who the love to hate in the book, it lets me know I’ve got them and that’s a fantastic feeling.

Better than that however, is the responses I got from readers that are my age (36 and not ashamed) and older. When I hear from this age group in particular, “I couldn’t put your book down!”, that’s euphoric for me because it speaks to the maturity of the story in spite of its setting.

JP: What’s next for Tracie E. Christian?

TC: Next for Tracie E. Christian is the release of The Black College Sabbatical finale – SPRING QUARTER. (Hopefully if God is willing in October 2009.) I’m doing more traveling to offer my interactive youth black college awareness seminar, “SAY IT LOUD…I’M BLACK COLLEGE PROUD!” seminar where I entertain and inform junior and senior high school students of the vast array of historically black institutions of higher learning that should be considered in the college selection process.

Also, the release of a urban Communications/Fine/Performing Arts e-newsletter to offer a venue to aspiring writers to become authors, novelists, editors and much, much more is in the works. The way I see it…the sky’s the limit so I have no problem coasting on a star!

http://www.trafford.com/07-0988 (Fall Quarter)
http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/product.aspx?ISBN=0-7414-5166-2 (Winter Quarter)
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?id=100076
http://www.blackcollegesabbatical.ning.com/

tracieknowtrace@aol.com

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

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