Tag Archives: infinity publishing

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Dena Tyson, author of Black Beans ‘N Rice

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Dena Tyson, author of Black Beans ‘N Rice
(Infinity Publishing)

Spooney was old enough to be her father, but he didn‘t care. It made him feel like he still had it, and that made him feel good. It‘s not all about how you do what you do because Binx was young and didn‘t know any better. She had fallen head over heels for him because he was different.

As Binx applied the finishing touches to her face, her mother walked in and stood next to her, a questioning look in her eyes. She glared from the mirror and said something Binx would never forget: “You too pretty of a girl to be with such a old man. You‘re young and smart… He‘s just taking away all of your youth.” She was quite solemn in the way she spoke.

What her mother didn‘t understand at that time was the damage had already been done. She stayed not because she wanted to but because she had to. She suffered Spooney‘s abuse both physically and mentally, and walking away wasn‘t easy because she was afraid.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Black Beans ‘N Rice?

Dena Tyson: It’s actually my story. I suffered an abusive relationship both physically Continue reading 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Dena Tyson, author of Black Beans ‘N Rice

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

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


tracie christian black college sabbatical on tracieechristiandotcom

The hotties of  Heritage State University becomes your friends too…

In FALL, Cierra “Cee-Cee” 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 Grandma’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 naïve 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 family’s long-standing tradition. WINTER has Kyla’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 doesn’t stay secret for long. Her Perseverance is put to the test as she works to live up to her father’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, let’s bask in the truth’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

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Starr Sanders, author of BloodLust: The Beginning

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Starr Sanders, author of BloodLust: The Beginning
(Infinity Publishing)


starr sanders bloodlust the beginning on amazondotcom

Fifteen years ago, Iancu hung up his sword and turned his back on his own kind. A Native American slayer picks up where he left off, although she’s haunted by memories of the night her family was slain by evil incarnates. She has fought and killed every vampire that she has come across.

She’s never made an exception-until now, when she realizes that the man who saved her life fifteen years ago is a vampire. Vampires are growing restless. They want to wage war against humans, but first they must go through Iancu and Charlie.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea/inspiration for BloodLust: The Beginning?

Starr Sanders: I have been interested in vampire fiction since I was a teenager. What inspired me to write this particular story is the fact that there wasn’t enough vampire fiction around at the time. I enjoy a story with a fast-paced story, and not many novels fit the bill when it came to that criteria. More than anything, I wrote this story for myself, so I would have a vampire story to read.

JP: What sets BloodLust: The Beginning apart from other novels in the same genre?

SS: As mentioned before, this story has a faster pace than many other vampire fiction novels. This is, in part, because of the amount of action that was infused into the story. This novel is a lot more action-packed than most. I live for well-written action scenes and fight scenes. This novel definitely delivers.

Another factor that contributes to the fast pacing of the story is the interesting cast of characters that I have put together. It is my every intention to immerse the reader in the intricacies of this story. I want the readers to lose themselves in it.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to BloodLust: The Beginning getting out to the public?

SS: One of the keys to my success has been the fact that I’m not afraid to try out new avenues of marketing. I make myself as accessible to the reader as possible. I like to get their input on the story. I like to hear their ideas on where the story should go from here… I am in constant contact with my readers.

Another key to my success has been persistence. In this business, persistence is key because not much comes easy in the literary world. There is a lot of competition out there. There are also those consumers who would rather go out and watch a movie than stay in for the night and get lost in a book. It has been and always will be my goal to persuade the non-reader to love reading.

There are many goals that I have for myself, and those goals – along with persistence and innovation – are two major elements of my success.

JP: As a Black author, how did you come to write in the horror paranormal genre?

SS: When it comes to reading, one of my pet peeves is when I am able to predict the ending of a book. When it comes to romance novels, there is a certain formula that many writers use to create a story. Hero and heroine meet; hero and heroine despise each other at first; event happens that bring hero and heroine closer together; an event or secret tears hero and heroine apart; hero and heroine overcome this event or secret and live happily ever after.

There are exceptions to this rule, of course, but for the most part that is a romance novel in a nutshell. Writing paranormal romance fiction, horror fiction, suspense/thrillers, and mystery novels are a way for me to break away from the formulated structure of the romance genre without losing the romantic element. These genres always keep the reader guessing.

JP: What’s next for Starr Sanders?

SS: In the Spring of 2009, I do have a new novel that will be released. The novel is called Open Book and will be released under the pseudonym Skye Sanders. The story follows a romance novelist named Paige Turner who accidentally submits her diary to be published instead of her latest book.

This is my first romance comedy novel, but many of the people who have had the opportunity to read it have loved it. I, myself, love it. In addition to the release of that project, BloodLust: Resurrection will be released in the Fall of 2009. I will be a busy, busy lady this year!

www.starrsanders.com
www.myspace.com/starrsanders

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