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5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, amazon.com, interview, urban lit

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Michael McGrew, author of My Kinda Girl

September 6, 2009 Joey Pinkney 26 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Michael Mcgrew, author of My Kinda Girl
(Good Game Ent.)

(One of the first ten people to comment will win a copy of Michael McGrew’s My Kinda Girl).

Congratulations to SiStar Tea for winning a FREE copy of My Kinda Girl!

Bobbi Williams dreamed his way to the top not taking â€œNoâ€ for an answer. From street hustler to a successful conman, he finds himself lost and confused when his best friend/sister is murdered in cold blood.

Now doing a six year bid for a string of robberies he is friends with his late-sister’s boyfriend James. They plan their way back to the top together. When Bobbi is released from Atlanta State Penitentiary with a lot to prove and a legal hustling game plan, his life begins to take a successful turn for the worst.

Starting with Jamesâ€™ fiancÃ©, Jennifer, recognizing that she is his kind of girl. Bobbi has it all: the money, fame, a fantasy and a family until his past and a little karma catches up to him. My Kinda Girl is a tale that travels deep in the mind of a man with secrets that manifest into problems, too hard to live with, and death is the only way out!

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write My Kinda Girl?

Michael McGrew: I got the idea for my novel one day when I was accompanied by a close friend of mine. He happened to invite me to the beach with some lady friends of his. After a couple of drinks and a lot of socializing, I became interested in one of the women whom seemed to be my buddy’s girl. It was something about her that captured me. With my standards, feelings like that were rare.

I am a man of principle. With that being said, I battled with myself temporarily because I was tempted to come on to her anyway. Fortunately, I chose to abide by my principles and decided to honor my friendship but always wondered how far could I have went with her before I got caught!

JP: What sets My Kinda Girl apart from other novels in its genre?

MM: Well, a lot of male authors try to write from a woman’s perspective, and I think that’s great. On the other hand, women are captivated by a man’s point of view and need to understand that we are logical thinkers and not emotional. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel but only elaborate extensively and creatively with my gripping and unique style of writing.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to My Kinda Girl getting out to the public?

MM: The keys to my success is the passion that I have for my lifestyle. I wouldn’t call what I do a hobby or craft but just what it is, and that’s a lifestyle. I understand that hard work is involved in every success story. I plan to continue my social networking and bookmarking. I have been running my website and selling my novel with the intentions to discover an agent to represent me with hopes to sign with a major. I am a hard worker and look forward to the opportunity to prove myself

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

MM: It took me four months to write my first novel and three months to write my second. I also wrote a movie script in two months and I’m getting better as I come along. I would say that my estimated time to complete a novel would be two to three months.

JP: What’s next for Michael McGrew?

MM: Next I plan to complete my third novel by the end of the year at least, if not earlier. I also start school in July for film production. Networking with the right people will ultimately land me where I need to be. My only motivation is being a role model for my son. I have tremendous plans, and all I need is the opportunity.

http://www.myspace.com/jaylazy1
http://twitter.com/michaelmcgrew

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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… Monica Marie Jones, author of SWAG

September 2, 2009 Joey Pinkney 28 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Monica Marie Jones, author of SWAG
(The Literary Loft )

(One of the first ten unique commenters will win a copy of Monica Marie Jones’ SWAG!)

Congratulations to LatinTemptress for winning a copy of Monica Marie Jones’ SWAG on JoeyPinkney.com!

Noelle Dresden stepped out on faith and left her full-time job to pursue her passion: singing. Six months later, her singing career hasn’t gone much of anywhere and neither has her relationship with her charismatic, yet sneaky boyfriend, Jonah.

Her pursuit leads her to accept an invitation to be a house guest on the popular, hit reality show, House of Swag, produced by entertainment industry mogul, Monroe “Paper” Chase. As Noelle rises toward super stardom, she has some difficult choices to make. What lies ahead of her looks so much better than what she has left behind.

Will she work to keep the love that she and Jonah shares alive, or will she choose fame, fortune and a man who can make all of her dreams come true?

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

Monica Marie Jones: I have a not so secret power crush on P. Diddy (Sean Combs). I call it a power crush because I often find myself drawn to men who are making major moves. After watching his reality show Making the Band one night, I had a dream that I was on one of his reality shows. When I woke up I began writing.

JP: With reality TV going strong for nearly two decades, it’s natural for other forms of media to incorporate this phenomenon. What research was required to make sure your readers get an authentic reality TV show experience with SWAG?

MMJ: To be completely honest, once I got cable I became addicted to reality television. I must admit that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from even the most silly and degrading shows. Having planned my schedule around watching an array of reality television shows over the years was more than enough research for the book.

JP: What have you learned from your previous publications that make SWAG a better product?

MMJ: After publishing my last novel FLOSS, I made it a point to ask literary industry professionals for honest feedback. Once I received that feedback, I actually made the suggested changes.

It’s hard to hear the truth about what you might need to improve upon, but it only makes you better. I also studied the reviews that I received for my previous titles and took some of the suggestions that I got from readers and book clubs that I’ve visited.

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

MMJ: It took me less than a year to finish SWAG. If I’d actually sat down, created a schedule, and worked on it every day, I probably would have finished it in less than three months.

But my process is that sometimes I have to walk away and leave a manuscript alone for a while. Then an idea will come to me, or something will happen to motivate me to go back and write. I never want to force a story. I allow time for scenes to unfold in my mind.

JP: What’s next for Monica Marie Jones?

MMJ: Well, I have already begun outlining the third installment of the FLOSS series (SWAG is the second installment) called INTRIGUE. I plan to take a little writer’s retreat to really dig in and get started on the writing of that. I also have an ambitious goal of releasing two more books before the year is over…A poetry book called Sweet Soliloquy and a resource book called Book Marketing on A Budget.

In 2010, my work will be published in two anthologies: Bedtime Stories 3 by Hollygrove Publishing and The Souls of My Young Sisters by Kensington Publishing.

www.monicamariejones.com
www.myspace.com/monicamariejones

Facebook: search Monica Marie Jones

Twitter @monicamjones

monica@monicamariejones.com

Monica Marie Jones is an author whose published works include The Ups and Downs of Being Round (Fiction/Self-Help), Taste My Soul (Poetry) and FLOSS (Urban Fiction). She is a contributing author in Chicken Soup for the Girls Soul, New Directions for Youth Development, and 44th (A full color coffee table book about President Barack Obama that is a compilation of front page reprints of actual African-American published newspapers and poetry.)

She has also contributed to several publications and youth development training materials for the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. She has worked as a columnist and freelance writer for various publications and websites including the Michigan Front Page Newspaper and is an active member of the Motown Writer’s Network where she is the host of her own show, â€œMarketing and Motivation Mondays with Monica Marie Jonesâ€ on the Michigan Literary Network Radio.

Monica is a youth development expert that does training and consultation for the Center for Youth Program Quality (a joint venture of the Forum for Youth Investment and The High/Scope Educational Research Foundation.) She is a professionally trained dancer and dance instructor that has danced with Gospel recording artists such as Dorinda Clark-Cole, in several venues around the United States, and a three-city tour in Japan with Kierra ‘Ki-Ki’ Sheard.

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5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, amazon.com, interview, urban lit

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Randy Thompson, author of Ski Mask Way

August 30, 2009 Joey Pinkney 1 Comment

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Randy “Ski” Thompson, author of Ski Mask Way
(Flowers In Bloom Publishing)

Isiaah “Ski” Thompson is a young man who plans to get his family out of the hood with his basketball skills. When tragedy strikes, he trades his hoop dreams for street dreams. He and six of his childhood friends form a robbing crew and begin pulling heists all across New York State.

After a botched robbery claims the life of one of his best friends and he finally finds true love, Ski vows to change his life and return to school. Making fast money comes with a high penalty. He soon realizes that once the streets get a grip on you, its’ hard to break loose.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Ski Mask Way?

Randy “Ski” Thompson: Originally, I began writing Ski Mask Way on a dare from a couple of my peoples. In the beginning, my inspiration was to prove them wrong. The more I kept writing, the more I fell in love with it.

The idea for the book actually came from my own past experiences. It’s loosely based on my life story, and it was almost like therapy writing it.

JP: What sets Ski Mask Way apart from other Urban Lit novels?

RT: What I think sets the Ski Mask Way apart from other Urban Lit novels is that it’s based on my life story. It’s told from a perspective that makes you feel like you’re riding shotgun in the getaway car. I’m sure that there have been other novels about stick up kids pulling heists but I don’t think that there’s ever been a book so vivid. I’m really taking the reader along on a robbery.

Another thing is you actually see the characters grow up together and how their bond gets stronger. The book is more than a book about about robberies. It’s about a young man dealing with his morality during in his journey in the street. It’s about friendship, loyalty and how one choice can change your life forever. At times you’ll laugh with them, cry, cheer and at other times you’ll curse them for their ignorance.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Ski Mask Way getting out to the public?

RT: I think the keys to success for promoting Ski Mask Way is number 1 separating my book from K. Elliot’s book of the same name. A lot of readers get the two confused, think they already read it and that the book is out under a different cover. K. Elliot did his thing. I respect his work, but our books are completely different. That’s our biggest challenge right now.

I believe once we establish that, that the sky is the limit because my work speaks for itself. Good old fashioned grinding will do it every time. If I’m at McDonald’s, I’m passing out bookmarks and business cards and trying to sell books. Someone who is less talented but a harder worker will go further than a talented person with poor work ethic but if you have both the possibilities are endless.

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

RT: For me, I have to have the book in my head before I write a paragraph. Once I have the beginning, middle, end and characters, then I begin to format the scenes. And, for me that’s the easiest part. Ski Mask Way took me three months to write, and I would say that’s about average for me if I’m completely absorbed in it.

If my heart isn’t racing while I’m writing it, then I know the readers heart won’t be racing. Ski Mask Way 2 took me a little longer because I knew I had to come with it, but I got it together.

JP: What’s next for Randy “Ski” Thompson?

RT: What’s next for me is promoting Ski Mask Way and its sequel. I have another book titled Gang Green that is a heater, and I’m also trying to expand out of Urban Lit and go mainstream. I have two novels that I’m working on titled If It Ain’t White, It Ain’t Right and Unevenly Yoked. So you’ll definitely be hearing a lot from me in the near future.

http://www.flowersinbloompublishing.com

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