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african american author, african american authors, african american books, amazon.com, interview

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Elaine Flowers, author of It’s Morning: Torn Lovers and Other Stories

May 23, 2009 Joey Pinkney 1 Comment

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Elaine Flowers, author of It’s Morning: Torn Lovers and Other Stories
(Hollygrove Publishing)

It’s Morning: Torn Lovers and Their Stories is a compilation of two novellas and one short story, each having a love triangle involving two men and one woman. “Never As Good As The First Time” is a novella with high school sweethearts Germaine and Melinda who rekindled their relationship after reuniting at their ten-year reunion.

In the short story “The Letter,” silently admiring his beautiful neighbor, Mahogany for months, this brotha discovers a love letter under his door from her. In “Daddy’s Maybe”, the two candidates for fatherhood, Calvin (Kendra’s husband) and Brad (Kendra’s white lover), give us the sordid details of this love triangle while they are both hoping to be the father of her baby.

It’s Morning: Torn Lovers and Their Stories (2008) is a Dallas Morning News Bestseller, garnering a 5 star rating on Amazon.com. Elaine Flowers’ Black Beauty (2004) is also a Dallas Morning News Bestseller.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write It’s Morning: Torn Lovers and Their Stories?

Elaine Flowers: Since there are three different stories in It’s Morning there are really three different detailed answers. But, for everything I write, real life experiences (for me and people I know) inspire my writing. Also, music is a great inspiration.

JP: What sets It’s Morning: Torn Lovers and Their Stories apart from other novels in its genre?

EF: There are a lot of books with two women at odds over one man. One thing that sets It’s Morning apart from other novels is each story involves a love triangle with one woman and two men.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to It’s Morning: Torn Lovers and Their Stories getting out to the public?

EF: Like anything else, word of mouth is greatly beneficial. Nothing is comparable to reader to reader interaction. Of course, that means having a book that is well written and well put together as a quality product that readers can love and respect is of prime importance. Also, being accessible to the targeted audience through public events, such as book signings and book club meetings is another key. The Internet is a great tool, which I utilize more with It’s Morning than I was able to with my first book.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish It’s Morning: Torn Lover and Their Stories?

EF: My writing process is slightly different with each project. One thing that remains the same is that I write/work everyday on something. I don’t beat myself up when a project is not coming together at the pace that I expected. I have a lot of quiet time that I take advantage of. Also, I only write about things that excite me.

The two novellas and short story were all finished at different times and at different speeds. In fact, there was no original plan to put the three of them together until I was deciding what I would do with “Never As Good As the First Time.” This is pretty much how the book came together.

JP: What’s next for Elaine Flowers?

EF: I’m not especially big on mentioning what’s next because an author can sometimes talk a book out of coming to fruition by going on and on about it. However, I will say that I am a full-time writer, and my first love is fiction even though I have been working on a couple of non-fiction projects.

http://www.myspace.com/elaineflowers
elaine_flowers@yahoo.com

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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… Donna Deloney, author of Journey to Jordan

May 21, 2009 Joey Pinkney 3 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Donna Deloney, author of Journey to Jordan
(Hollygrove Publishing)

Journey to Jordan was the 2nd place winner in the 2007 Black Expressions Book Club Fiction Writing contest.

Jordan Crawford is a successful attorney who has little room for people and no use for God in her life. When a phone call alerts her to the death of the one person she cared the most for in the world, Jordan is sent on an emotional journey that forces her to face her feelings about the people in her past and about God. She quickly learns that the road to forgiveness takes a lot of turns.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Journey to Jordan?

Donna Deloney: The original idea for Journey to Jordan stemmed from the song “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men. The song was playing in my head over and over again. Slowly, the characters began forming in my head. The character and story that I started out with eventually evolved into Journey to Jordan.

JP: What sets Journey to Jordan apart from other novels in its genre?
DD: I think that some Christian fiction now tends to shy away from the gospel, preferring the message to be more subtle. Part of what sets Journey to Jordan apart is that there is a real call to accept Christ within the novel. In addition to knowing that God can forgive, heal and deliver, we must be willing to accept Him as Savior and Lord.

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

DD: First, I’d say perseverance. It’s easy to get discouraged in this process. I had the book marketed for two years and for whatever reason, the major publishing houses didn’t pick it up. Also, I think having a good editor is key. You never have a second chance to make a first impression. My editor worked with me throughout the process to make sure that the manuscript was on point with content and mechanics. Another key is having the support of writers in your corner. I’ve reached out to authors in and out of my genre for advice and they have been most gracious and encouraging.

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

DD: My story ideas usually spark in the weirdest ways. A song lyric or a piece of dialogue may pop in my head, or I’ll see something that sticks with me. I’ll mull that over for awhile and the characters and initial story idea will take shape. At that point I’ll jot down the idea, chapter or initial character sketch. If I continue with a story, at around chapter 3, I’ll put down plot points just so I have an idea of where I’m going. Sometimes I stick with the points, sometimes I don’t.

From start to finish, Journey to Jordan took six years. I stopped working on it for about three years before picking it back up. Then it was sporadic at best. I’d have gaps of six months between working on it. After being laid off from my job in 2005, I spent about four weeks completing the first draft. It took another year of revisions and adding to it before I presented to an agent.

JP: What’s next for Donna Deloney?

DD: I’m currently working on my next manuscript, tentatively titled A Decent Proposal. I’ve also contributed to the Christian fiction anthology Bended Knees, which is coming out in November from Hollygrove Publishing. I have several other story ideas in the hopper including a children’s book that I hope will become a series.

In June, I’ll be a workshop presenter at the Black Writers & Reunion Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. In July, I’ll be an author panelist at the Faith & Fiction Retreat in Orlando, Florida.

Contacts:
Blog: http://www.dcdeloney.wordpress.com/
Facebook: Donna Dickson Deloney
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DonnaD69
Website: coming soon

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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… Brian Smith, author of Nina’s Got a Secret

May 20, 2009 Joey Pinkney 3 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Brian Smith, author of Nina’s Got a Secret
(Hollygrove Publishing)

Nina’s Got A Secret has already made the Dallas Morning News Best Seller list. It has also made the Oprah Book Club list on Oprah.com.

Nina Arceneaux (a former stripper) marries a wealthy sports agent named Larry Denison. Nina doesn’t love him, but she married him for the financial security he could provide. Larry and Nina both have eight year old daughters. His daughter has autism.

Nina reluctantly accepts Larry’s daughter but makes it clear she doesn’t want to raise a handicap child. She has a car crash and decides to save her child and let her handicap step-daughter drown. She decides to lie to her husband about what happened…but someone saw the entire incident.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Nina’s Got A Secret?

Brian Smith: I was talking to one of my employees one day and asked her if she had to save one of her two kids, which one would she choose. She couldn’t answer me. That’s where the idea started. I decided to make that simple question even more complex by making a situation where a step-parent (Nina) had to decide whether to save her biological child or her handicap step-daughter. Nina decided to save her own child – the way most people would. But, she couldn’t tell her husband the truth about his daughter. She’s intends to take the secret to the grave, but someone saw what she did.

JP: What sets Nina’s Got A Secret apart from other novels in its genre?

BS: I try real hard to write novels about topics other writers haven’t addressed. This can be hard because it seems like all of life’s interesting topics have already been written about. However, this book is unique because it addresses a very real scenario and the issue of telling lies. The book forces the reader to wonder – if you knew that the truth would devastate your partner and ruin your lifestyle, would you keep it a secret if you thought no one would ever find out. The topic is real – I think people can relate to it.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Nina’s Got A Secret getting out to the public?

BS: I’ve been blessed in that my books have become more popular, and I’ve made a few best seller lists. People have come to expect me to write about a thought provoking topic and to throw in some suspense, sex and drama. Nina’s Got A Secret paid for itself just in pre-orders via my company’s website. God is good!

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

BS: My writing process is very unorthodox. I’m usually writing two or three books at the same time. Because I’m also the owner of Hollygrove Publishing, I don’t have the luxury of just writing when the mood hits me. I have too many other people’s careers in my hands, and I have to devote time to preparing and publishing their projects. So, I am the king of multi-tasking. I wrote Nina’s Got A Secret over the course of three months. I was writing it during the same time I was writing my book, Final Fling with Torrian Ferguson.

JP: What’s next for Brian W. Smith?

BS: I have two books being released on June 1, 2009, My Husband’s Love Child and Donna’s Comeback. I will also be in three anthologies between now and the end of the year: a Christian Fiction Anthology called Bended Knees and two Erotica Anthologies called Bedtime Stories 1 & 2.

I know people are going to be questioning whether or not it’s a conflict to be in an Erotica Anthology and a Christian Fiction Anthology, but I don’t care. I’m a Christian who ain’t afraid to talk about sex…the haters will get over it. Besides, that’s the beauty of owning the publishing company. I don’t have to abide by all of the outdated industry rules that say an author should only write in one genre. I can do me and not apologize. It’s a beautiful thing.

http://www.hollygrovepublishing.com/

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