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5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, amazon.com, interview, virtual blog tour

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Stacy Hawkins Adams, author of Worth a Thousand Words

June 22, 2009 Joey Pinkney 3 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Stacy Hawkins Adams, author of Worth A Thousand Words
(Revell Books)

Worth A Thousand Words explores the tough decisions a young woman named Indigo Burns must make in her relationships and her career. Indigo is a recent college graduate. She is eager to forge her path in the world and pursue her dreams when she’s faced with some challenging realities that force her to grapple with who she wants to be.

Indigo realizes that you have to find the courage to accept difficult truths about yourself, and about others, before she can embrace life and love others unconditionally.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Worth a Thousand Words?

Stacy Hawkins Adams: I started with the idea of writing about a character who had everything going for her and trusted that as long as she continued to believe in God and give her best, life would be perfect. I wanted to show how such a character would persevere and mature in wisdom and in faith when life threw her a few curve balls.

Ultimately, the story boiled down to helping readers see that just as the pictures this character took as a professional photographer were worth a thousand words, so was the truth she had to embrace in her life.

JP: What sets Worth a Thousand Words apart from other novels in its genre?

SHA: I think what sets this novel apart is that while it’s a Christian fiction novel, it grapples with many mainstream issues. The characters don’t display in-your-face faith, and there’s no preaching to readers. There are no saints. The characters are real, and the issues they confront occur in someone’s life everyday.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Worth a Thousand Words getting out to the public?

SHA: This is a tough question. I guess if I truly knew the answer, I’d be on the New York Times bestseller’s list by now! Seriously though, what I hope is working is the effort I put into each novel I write to tell an authentic story that will resonate with women from all walks of life and help them see themselves in my characters.

My goal as an author is certainly to entertain, but more importantly, to have readers put down one of my books feeling as if they’ve been enlightened or changed for the better in some way. That may sound lofty, but that’s sincerely how I feel.

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

SHA: Because Worth a Thousand Words is my fifth novel, I’ve gotten pretty good at writing under deadline pressure, so I finished this book in about eight months. My training as a professional journalist also helps me with deadlines. I usually write first thing in the morning, between 4 and 6 a.m., several days a week, and throughout the day when I’m on deadline.

In the weeks just before a book has to be delivered to my publisher, I’ve also been known to retreat to a friend’s spare bedroom or some other haven for a weekend blitz of writing. That way I can “live” with the characters and see the book through to the end.

JP: What’s next for Stacy Hawkins Adams?

SHA: Worth a Thousand Words is the second book in my Jubilant Soul series.I’ve already written the third book, Dreams That Won’t Let Go, and it will be released in January. I’m also writing my first nonfiction book for Christian women, and that title is slated for release in Spring 2010.

http://www.stacyhawkinsadams.com/
http://www.myspace.com/StacyHawkinsAdams
http://www.facebook.com/StacyHawkinsAdams
http://www.twitter.com/SHAdams

Also:

The Someday List placed No. 5 on the June 2009 Essence magazine bestsellers list
Watercolored Pearls – my third novel, placed second in the American Christian Fiction Writers 2008 Book of the Year Contest
This Far By Faith – a Christian fiction anthology nationally released in April 2008, featuring me, Kendra Norman-Bellamy and Linda Hudson-Smith,became an Essence bestseller and won an Open Book Award at the 2008 African American Literary Awards Show, in the anthology category
Several of my previous books have been used in the fiction curriculum by high school and college professors, including at Richmond Community High School and at James Madison University

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Ladessa, author of I Can’t Live Without My Radio

June 22, 2009 Joey Pinkney 2 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Ladessa, author of I Can’t Live Without My Radio
(What She Say Publications)

Brooklyn “Willow” Waters is a small town girl from Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, with big, big dreams. The world beyond her hometown is bigger and badder than she’d ever imagined – a place where souls are traded for fame and fortune as quickly as you can turn the dial on the radio.

I Can’t Live Without My Radio traces a young woman’s journey from her sheltered life as the daughter of a preacher to the lure of the Big City, where it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between glitter and pure gold.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write I Can’t Live Without My Radio?

Ladessa: I have wanted to be on the radio since I was a little girl. It was so amazing to me that one person could speak to so many people yet still have a one on one conversation with an individual. I procrastinated for years with my dream of being on the radio. Finally, I took a broadcasting class and hosted my first show August of 2003 on KBCS 91.3 FM, a public radio station.

After years of hosting my overnight show and getting “Willow” my radio alter ego ready for the next level, I couldn’t break into the commercial radio market to save my life. When the lack of response from commercial stations got to me, I finally said to myself, “LaDessa ‘aka Willow’, you can be on whatever radio station in whatever top rated market you want to be in! You can be the voice everyone tunes into everyday with no one telling you no or ignoring your air check and resume. All you have to do is sit down and make it happen.”

With that being said, I took my freelance writing experience and my God given talent as a writer and brought Willow to life, through this fictional tale. Despite still not being on commercial radio, just as the title of my books says, I Can’t Live Without My Radio and because of this book I won’t ever have to.

JP: What sets I Can’t Live Without My Radio apart from other novels in its genre?

L: I Can’t Live Without My Radio is a hybrid of sorts. There’s the coming of age aspect. There’s the beauty and a thug element to the main character’s romance experiences. Because I grew up in church, there was no way I could leave out the Lord chastising those He Loves.

I could be wrong because the Urban Lit genre is growing by leaps and bounds, but I don’t think a story about the radio business has been told like this before. While the story is being told by a “newbie” and the reader will clearly know I worked hard to set myself apart from other novelists, I made sure not to disrespect the fundamentals of the genre.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to I Can’t Live Without My Radio getting out to the public?

L: Trusting and believing I had a story people would enjoy. Watching, learning and listening to the people who are the best at whatever they are/were the best at. I’ve worked in various facets of the entertainment industry. I have had my taste of its bitterness, but I never let it rob me of my passion and drive.

This book has been the perfect vehicle to use everything I’ve learned about the art of self-promotion. Now that the book is out, I plan on using the “Tech N9ne” blue print. If anyone ever wanted to know how to make “that thing” pop, whatever that thing is for you, research this man’s hustle. One word says it all: “FLAWLESS!”

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish I Can’t Live Without My Radio?

L: The first thing I did to start the process was, I asked my two daughters to believe that my shushing them and isolating myself for hours at a time would turn out to be something they could be proud of. I made notes about everything. I incorporated some of my experiences from the business, and I learned how to see a story in the smallest encounter.

Last but not least, I am a Seventies baby, so I’m from the school of writing out your rough draft on notebook paper before typing it out. (Thanks Sis. Green, my sixth grade teacher at Zion Preparatory Academy; she’s the only teacher I knew that graded your rough drafts.) From start to finish, this book took me about a year.

JP: What’s next for LaDessa?

L: I’m still hoping to land a gig in commercial radio. In the meantime, I will continue to try my hand at writing books. Right now, I am working my on next novel Don’t Touch That Dial.

http://www.whatshesay.com/

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Sherry Hill, author of The Marquise Hill Story

June 20, 2009 Joey Pinkney 4 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Sherry Hill, author of The Marquise Hill Story: From the Cradle to the Bowl
(Xlibris)

The Marquise Hill Story: From the Cradle to the Bowl by Sherry Hill is the compelling story of the life of New England Patriots lineman Marquise Hill, whose twenty-four year existence was tragically cut short on May 27, 2007, when the unforgiving currents of the Pontchartrain River in Louisiana claimed him forever during a jet-ski accident.

Told by his mother as only she could, this book provides a candid account of a little boy growing up in Louisiana, who from a young age was thrust in the midst of “cutthroat New Orleans”-a street term aptly referring to the unsavory, unethical, criminal or hard-as-nails element which afflicts certain rough neighborhoods within this otherwise uniquely special old world city… perhaps in ways much similar to those found in other urban areas.

This earnest account is narrated from the perspective of a grieving mother who walked this journey with her son, giving all of herself as a constant source of guidance and support.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write The Marquise Hill Story?

Sherry Hill: My son and I talked about writing his bio long before his death. I began writing it exactly three days before his accident.

JP: What sets The Marquise Hill Story apart from other biographies about the life of an athlete?

SH: He accomplished a lot as an athlete in a short life time. He did not allow the obstacles of life’s disappointments stop him from achieving his goals. His self determination was unmeasurable.

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

I would say having an open mind and be willing to listen and learn the business. Networking with the right people in the business is key. I was able to get three digital billboards up and running at the same time. Networking among friends and family was also important.

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

I was keeping good notes and organized everything that I knew I wanted to write about. Editing is also key.Â I lost most of my info and photos in Katrina, but I regrouped and picked up the pieces and moved forward with my writing. The time frame from start to finish in completing my book was approximately a year.

JP: What’s next for Sherry Hill?

There are alot of projects that I’m involved in. I am completing a children’s book, which has been my passionÂ for over 12 years. I am also working on a recipe book. Other than writing, I also want to work on some more of my portaits/paintings.Â I am also an artist as well. I have BS degree in Art.

I want to continue to use my creative mind and work with children. I taught school for five years and worked as an administrator of a Pre-SchoolÂ for 6 years. I also want to make sure the The Marquise Hill Foundation makes a a great impact in the community as well.

http://www.fromthecradletothebowl.com/

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