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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… Toyi Ward, author of Par for the Curse

May 27, 2009 Joey Pinkney 4 Comments

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Toyi Ward, author of Par for the Curse
(Naphtali Books)

Toyi Ward is a freelance writer, author and media host who likes to tackle the tough issues that affect contemporary women. As the host of Blog Talk Radio’s “TOYi Talk”, she does just that. Her debut novel, Par for the Curse (Naphtali Books, 2009) examines the influence of voodoo and the impact of generational secrets on family, life and love.

After ten years as a Fortune 100 sales and marketing executive, Toyi decided to pursue her passion for writing full-time by moving forward with the completion of her first novel. She is very social and says it can sometimes be a hindrance to her writing. She expresses a desire to write projects that will in some way help people to think about their own lives and make a change.

She wants to make people think and laugh, even cry. She describes herself as a happy person. It’s easy for her to be happy for others when they pursue their dreams. It’s very rewarding when she can help someone along that journey. Toyi is married with two children. She resides in Central New Jersey.

If readers want to catch the “Don’t recycle that!” Speaking Tour or host a Par for the Curse reading go to http://www.toyiward.com/events.html

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Par for the Curse?

Toyi Ward: There are so many families dealing with generational curses. I run into so many broken women who can’t figure out why they can’t get out of the rut that their mothers and grandmothers lived. So, they end up just accepting their fate. I was raised in a matriarchal family that was very close and not without it’s drama. We loved and supported each other through a lot of tough times.

I think most families are that way so the Briggs girls are no different. The backdrop of voodoo came from my great grandmother, who was a palm reader. I knew a little about the lines, so I put it in the book.

JP: What sets Par for the Curse apart from other novels in its genre?

TW: Par for the Curse is unpredictable and not easily put into a box. All genres have their rules i.e. romances have to have happy endings, mysteries need to be solved. Breaking the rules of genre, this story is based in life’s reality…there are no rules. It will give readers lots to discuss at the conclusion because there are not right or wrong answers in Par for the Curse.

If a reader was to ask me, “Was Stormy the good girl?” I don’t have an answer for that. It’s up to the reader to decide. How you feel about the Briggs girls will be ultimately determined by who you are as a person. No different than in real life.

JP: The concept of a generational curse is a pervasive topic among African-Americans, particularly Christians. What does this book have in terms of themes that makes it more than African-American literature?

TW: One of the things I love about this story is that it is universal. The women in the story are African-American, but the story doesn’t center around their ethnicity. This story was written to shed light on how we often hurt our family members with the best of intentions. Family secrets are most often meant to protect loved ones but instead end up being painful baggage carried for generations. One of the biggest themes is that of the complexity of family love.

From a Christian point-of-view, the story is peppered with the notion that saying you are Christian is not enough to have a victorious life. It takes more than that. It takes an active pursuit of the good things God has for us. There is a line in the story where Nona says, “Honey, going to church every Sunday doesn’t make you Christian any more than standing in that driveway will make you a car.” I guess the closest scriptural context for this would be that faith without works is nothing.

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

TW: Par for the Curse took me 5 years from start to finish, but I was working full time. I started with a short story about a grandmother telling her grandchildren that they were cursed. Then I became intrigued with how and why they were cursed.

My writing process starts with an issue. I tack it up on my board and let it sit there until I get a “what if” story comes to mind. A “what if” is a list of possible stories that fit the issue. For example if I were to tackle abortion, I would stick a card that says “abortion” on my office board. So, then I go from there.

What if it were someone who was contemplating an abortion? What if it were someone who had an abortion and is pregnant again? What if it’s a baby that was aborted, lived, and now grown facing abortion? I “what if” it until something sticks with me. Once I get the premise of the story then I start taking various dramatic turns. I’m very methodical. I use story forming software, index cards, and good old fashion notebook paper before I even begin to type the first draft.

JP: What’s next for Toyi Ward?

TW: Whatever God has for Toyi Ward, I want it. I’m in a very uncomfortable place because I have no idea what is going to happen in my life from one day to the next. With the radio show, the book, my company and my civic involvement, God could take me anywhere. As far as writing, I have started my next project. Hopefully, since I write full time, I’ll finish it in 2010. It tackles the secrecy of incest in Black families.

http://www.toyiward.com/
http://www.myspace.com/toyiward
http://www.twitter.com/toyiward
http://parforthecurse.toyiward.com/

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Samaya Young, author of The W.I. Investigations

May 24, 2009 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Samaya Young, author of The W.I. Investigations
(Lulu Publishing)

W.I. Investigations has opened for its first day in the story “Shape Shifter”, introducing Vin Rubio and his new partner Willow Mooserunner. They are asked to check up on their boss’ recluse friend to find out who is harassing him. What they find is something not of this world.

In “The Martyr”, unlikely partners, Ru Pascall and Wally Saunders, trail a ruthless serial killer who is able to see the future. At that same time, sisters Elyse and Ashley plunge into the occult to search for a dangerous sect in the case of “The White Doves”. They discover that its founders possess the ability to control the minds of their followers and perhaps even the sisters’.

In Case 4 “Hero” Ayre Walsh is allowed to work her much-wanted first assignment. Her father asks her to find a mysterious man, who saves innocent would-be victims just before disaster strikes.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write The W. I. Investigations?

Samaya Young: I’ve always loved thrillers and paranormal stories, gritty realism with a hint of the extraordinary. I’ve always been a huge fan of TV shows such as Law & Order, Medium, Criminal Minds and the X-Files. I wondered what it would be like to create a series of stories with all the elements combined.

Rather than pick two main characters, I liked the diversity of several pairs. That allowed me to diversify in the individual cases and also the dynamics between partners. The W.I. Investigations specialize in the extraordinary cases where normal authorities don’t know how to, or can’t, proceed.

JP: What sets The W. I. Investigations apart from other novels in its genre?

SY: With these stories I’ve tried to create a new writing style that combines literature with cinematography. I’m fusing imagery and story development, much like it would be when you switch on the TV and watch your favorite show. Basically that means that I designed The W.I. Investigations for easy reading.

From all around, I’ve been hearing that readers have less and less time for reading. With the W.I.’s, you can just pick a free moment without needing to go through the “settle-in” ritual. I want you to be able to pick up a story in a bus or train, to and from work, during lunch or in your favorite reading chair.

Uncomplicated escapism wherever you are, in separately bound stories, or as volumes 1 to 4 in a single bound bundle.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to The W. I. Investigations getting out to the public?

SY: Having fun writing, this is main ingredient that every author needs. The support of family and friends who all love the people I created. Devotion to the stories and their characters and a need to share them with like minds. Then just gritting my teeth, going ahead and taking the plunge.

It is scary, exciting and a continuing road of discovery, in every aspect.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish The W. I. Investigations?

SY: I started with the main idea of W.I. back in ’99, I believe. The individual cases/stories started out as fun relaxing scribbles while I was in-between bigger projects. They grew from there.

It’s a collection of paranormal tales about a versatile group of detectives learning to work together and form a bond of trust and friendship while facing danger time and again.

This rapidly created a new world for me. Once that happened, it became inevitable that I would continue with them, and I did. Writing these cases and the multitude of opportunities the original idea offers is without limit and makes it a beginning of many more to come.

JP: What’s next for Samaya Young?

SY: W.I. Investigations Vol. 5-8 is near completion, of course. I have a cookbook for vegetarians, which is in the process of being completed. But also, a brand new series of full-length psychological thrillers going under the main title “No Escape From Rising Sun”. This series of stories doesn’t aim for the paranormal angle but espionage, terrorism and a dangerous sect intent on ruling the world, instead.

Other than that…whichever way the muses take me.

(Samaya Young previously published as Sam Young with “Trust Me” Said The Spy, available on Amazon.com)

http://www.myspace.com/samayayoungbooks
http://www.myspace.com/survivingthepack
http://stores.lulu.com/wiinvestigations
http://samayayoungsworld.blogspot.com/
samayayoungfanclub@gmail.com

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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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