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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Essence Best Seller Keisha Ervin, author of Finding Forever

December 30, 2008 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Keisha Ervin, author of Finding Forever
(Priority Books)

Once teenage sweethearts, Whitney and Koran are vastly different people now. Whitney’s working on her master’s degree and has a new lease on life, while Koran is a drug dealer riding around in expensive cars and living in a big house. Is it possible for Koran to change his lifestyle and for true love to return?

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

Keisha Ervin: I’ve always wanted to write a tragic love story. I’m a huge soap opera fan, so I think that is where my flair for the dramatic comes from, lol. Also I love the movie A Walk to Remember. That movie also inspired this story.

JP: How is Finding Forever different from the other love stories you have composed over the years?

KE: This one doesn’t end with my typical happily ever after ending. Although my characters come full circle they are forced to kind of do it own their own and without the love and support of their significant other. Also, this story focuses on an illness that is plaguing us as women.

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

KE: My process for writing a story is first coming up with an idea. I then figure out my outline in my head. I rarely ever write anything down. All of my stories scenes and ideas from start to finish are stored in my mind. Due to the fact I was under a deadline it took me almost three months to write Finding Forever. I’m not a quick writer. I like to take my time with my stories. With this one I still felt rushed. Some of my readers felt the same way.

JP: This is your sixth novel, but your first book on Priority Books. Why did your switch from Triple Crown Publications?

KE: I did this book with Priority Books because it is a home based publishing company. I have to help and support my city St. Louis. Also Rose, the owner, is such a sweet and genuine woman. I would work with her anytime. To make things clear, I am not signed to Priority Books or TCP.

JP: What’s next for Keisha Ervin?

KE: I am currently working on my seventh novel and a short story for an anthology. To all of my fans and supporters you can contact me at www.myspace.com/keishaervin or http://www.webjam.com/grayrosez

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Barbara Grovner, author of We Belong Together

December 27, 2008 Joey Pinkney

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Barbara Grovner, author of We Belong Together
(Third Eye Publishing)

Step into the mind boggling world of Mavis Rollins, a woman who wants her granddaughter to marry Makai Wilson, the grandson of the wealthy woman who stole her very own husband back in the day. While raising her granddaughter Sandy, she manages to brainwash her into believing she is destined to spend her life with Makai.

Sandy actually yearns for Makai but is disappointed when her best friend Kara meets him and falls in love with him. It seems Kara never knew about Sandy’s unnatural feelings for Makai., a perpetual charmer. After deceiving Kara with two beautiful women, she throws him out of their home. Kara is found dead in the parking garage near her job, and things begin to heat up. When the police begin digging around, the truth unfolds and secrets come tumbling out. Lives begin to unravel, revealing jealousy and raw rage, crazy relationships and most disturbing, pure insanity at its most dangerously evil depth and somehow, someway, justice must be served.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write We Belong Together?

Barbara Grovner: The idea for We Belong Together simply popped into my head. I was actually trying to out-do my last novel Even Numbers. That novel is about child molestation, which is a very serious topic. I am still hoping to keep the subject of child molestation in the forefront of our minds particularly for single mothers who are dating. Please pick up a copy of Even Numbers as well.

With We Belong Together which by the way releases on December 27th 2008, my love for “who-done-it” types of stories emerged and my story became a sort of quirky, crazy murder mystery loaded with colorful characters and insane dialog.

JP: What sets We Belong Together apart from other novels in its genre?

BG: The differences from this murder mystery “who-done-it” and others is the fact that there are so many other things going on apart from the murder. Things like infidelity, plotting and scheming, a little same-sex encounter as well is coupled with the most raw rage ever. The emotion within the scenes will prompt you to check all of your own feelings and your own opinions as well.

JP: This novel has elements of mystery, romance and erotica. How were you able to mix these genres together and maintain the integrity at the same time?

BG: The mixture of romance, mystery and erotica is actually how many of our own lives are lived. LOL. You may even find a bit about yourself within the pages.

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

BG: I still write “old-school.” I use notebooks (paper ones) and hand write almost constantly. Then I transfer to the computer. This gives me a chance to add material as well as edit as I go along instead of backtracking. Sounds complicated, I’m sure, but it works for me.

JP: What’s next for Barbara Grovner?

BG: Currently I am working on the sequel to We Belong Together. The publishing company I am currently working with is not taking submissions of this type at this time. I would love to have both books published under the same company, but I am currently looking for another publisher. I have looked into a few promising possibilities, but…I’m open for invitations and points in the right direction. (WINK).

Also, I have been doing some editing, especially for young authors who are writing their first manuscripts. I offer extremely low prices and an especially lower rate if the author is enrolled in some sort of school. I’m all about promoting education. For authors I can be reached at bgrovner@hotmail.com for editing questions.

For inquired and for more info on my books, please check me out on my MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/barbaragrovner.

Thanks so much for the chance to speak with readers and again thanks so much for your support.

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P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joey.pinkney@gmail.com or http://myspace.com/joeyreviews

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Tamara Angela Grant, author of The Cooling Board

December 24, 2008 Joey Pinkney 1 Comment

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Tamara Angel Grant, author of The Cooling Board
(Peace in the Storm Publishing)

Only one thing could drag the worldly Jhonnie Bell Devereaux back to her birthplace of Regal City, Louisiana. When she hears news of the impending death of her mother, Jhonnie Bell rushes to her mother’s side. In the process, finds herself getting reacquainted with the small town, rural life on the bayou of the hometown she anxiously left behind years ago.

LuluBell Darling Devereaux’s passing leaves her family without the matriarch they all look to for advice and guidance. Staying true to her role as the family’s glue, Mrs. ‘Bell, even in death, won’t let the grave get in the way of her job of holding her family together. She has left each immediate family member a letter that details her words of wisdom, but with one catch…no one can read her Last Will and Testament until they heed the admonishments from her last words to each of them.

Shock, joy and panic encompass the family’s emotions. But does all hell break loose in the interim? Will Mrs. ‘Bell’s letters bring the family together as she intends or will it push them all further apart?

There’s a thin line between love and hate. Tamara Angela Grant pens an intriguing and heartwarming tale of a family who loves each other despite the fact that they may not always like each other.

Enchanting and enlightening, The Cooling Board is an entertaining and strikingly clever, witty, and honest look at the way a family copes with the devastating loss of a loved one.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write The Cooling Board?

Tamara Angela Grant: My grandfather passed away at 90 and mom passed away from Leukemia in 2006, six months apart. The way that family reacted to handling the funeral and just dealing with the death of a loved one was amazing to me. Some became territorial. Some began to act like someone owed them something. Some began showing their greed. At any rate, the funeral made some relationships and lack there of apparent. I began talking to people about my experience. It came to light that many people have bizarre or crazy things happen with their families at the death of a loved one, so I decided to write about it.

JP: What is a “cooling board”, and what is its significance to the title of this book?

TAG: A cooling board is the slab that you would be laid out on when you passed away back in the day. Think pre-morgue time in the country or in rural areas where they couldn’t necessarily prepare a body for burial the way you do now. The body was kept on a cooling slab in the barn until the ground unfroze from the winter or until a proper burial could be arranged. The book is about the death of the matriarch in the Darling-Devereaux family. It’s a catchy title that makes you want to know more about the story.

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

TAG: I self-published my first book and The Cooling Board has found a home with Peace in the Storm publishing. This time around, I’ll be doing plenty of marketing and have the luxury of having a publishing company have my back and give me a little extra push!

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? What did you learn from the experience of getting Promises Made, Promises Kept finished and published that you implemented when writing The Cooling Board?

TAG: I write as the creativity allows me. When it’s not flowing, it’s not flowing, and I don’t push it. I try to write something daily whether it’s on the laptop or with pen and paper. I’m much more savvy this time around. I’m prepared to set up pre-press for The Cooling Board and begin promoting before the book comes out which is a luxury that I didn’t have when I published Promises Made, Promise Kept.

JP: What’s next for Tamara Angela Grant?

TAG: I’m looking forward to promoting The Cooling Board in 2009 and continuing to build my business Especially Yours Events, which coordinates literary events and provides literary publicist services to new authors. I’m working on some short stories and building the concept for my third book, Charm City.

Website links:

www.tamaraangelagrant.com
www.eventsbyespeciallyyours.com
www.tamaragrant.blogspot.com

Myspace link:

www.myspace.com/maraangel

Awards:

Nomination for Publicist of the Year with AAMBC book club
Nomination for Best Newcomer with Southern Allure book club

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P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joey.pinkney@gmail.com or myspace.com/joeyreviews

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