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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… Victoria Christoper Murray, author of Sins of the Mother

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Victoria Christopher Murray, author of Sins of the Mother
(Simon and Schuster, Touchstone/Fireside)

Sins of the Mother is the story of Jasmine Bush finally having to pay for the sins she’s committed in her past. When her daughter is kidnapped from a new mall during the Christmas season, Jasmine has to wonder if her past has finally caught up to her? Will her daughter be found or will Jasmine pay the ultimate price.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Sins of the Mother?

Victoria Christopher Murray: I lived in New York in the late seventies, early eighties when a young boy by the name of Etan Patz disappeared. It was the first time any of us had heard about a child abduction. (It’s much too common now.)

I remember praying for days and weeks for not only the young boy, but for his mother. I couldn’t imagine how she was able to put her head down at night, how she could have any other thoughts besides those of her son. And since he was never found, I wondered what her life would be like as the months and years passed. This was a subject I wanted to explore.

JP: What sets Sins of the Mother apart from other novels in its genre?

VCM: Wow, interesting question. I guess that I write my novels, and other authors write theirs. We all bring our own styles, experiences, strengths. Many would say that my novels are edgier than most. I’m not sure that I know what that means. Yes, there’s sex in my books, but isn’t there sex in life? Yes, I have people who do outrageous things, but don’t we all have at least one outrageous person in our life?

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Sins of the Mother getting out to the public?

VCM: The first thing is that I stay in touch with my readers throughout the year. I stay engaged, whether or not I have a new book. I do this through newsletters and social networks, especially Facebook. The second part of my success is my publisher. Years ago, Simon and Schuster assigned a publicist to my novels, and I’m still working with Shida Carr. She is amazing and works very hard on getting the word out about my novels.

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

VCM: I usually get only about a year to work on a book. Now, that’s not all writing…I spend most of the time thinking about the novel, working the characters out in my head and working on the outline. Actual sit down and write, probably four months. But most of it has already been worked out.

JP: What’s next for Victoria Christopher Murray?

VCM: My next novel, The Cougar (working title), is about a woman who’s been offered five million to give up her husband (to another woman) for a weekend. That book comes out in June, 2011.

http://www.victoriachristophermurray.com/
http://www.facebook.com/victoriachristophermurray

I have been blessed. My first novel, Temptation, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literature (2001). Joy is the winner of the Golden Pen Award (2002). Have also won several African American Literary Awards including: Best Christian Fiction, Best Fiction, and Author of the Year.

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

JoeyPinkney.com Book Review: Letters to a Young Sister by Hill Harper

JoeyPinkney.com Book Review
Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny
by Hill Harper
(Gotham)
5 out of 5 Stars

From the foreword by Gabrielle Union to the email from Nikki Giovanni just before the acknowledgement page, Hill Harper’s Letters to a Young Sister is a beautiful dialogue between Hill Harper and a fictitious African American girl. Harper employs the wisdom of his famous, yet forthcoming, friends as he offers advice on a multitude of topics from sex to sexism and almost everything in between. Hill Harper writes in a voice that is like an older, caring brother instead of being preachy like a parent.

Letters to a Young Sister grew out of a vocal desire for a book for females while Hill Harper was touring to promote Letters to a Young Brother. Letters to a Young Sister definitely stands on its own merits with the theme being DeFINE Your Destiny.

Hill Harper does not try to tackle all of the questions by himself. He gets input from a group of extraordinary African American women. From Eve to Ciara to Michelle Obama to Alfre Woodard, each person shares words of wisdom and inspiration relevant to the question that the young sister poses to Hill Harper.

There is truly no other self-help book on the market that you can hand a young African American female that is on point in terms of appropriate cultural references to today’s music, technology and methods of communication. Letter to a Young Sister comes across more so like a story. The readers gets to look over the shoulders of both Hill Harper and the “young sistah” as they try to make sense of and navigate the beauty and pitfalls of maturing into a unique African American woman in today’s society.

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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… Tony Gaskins, Jr., author of What Daddy Should Have Told His Little Girl

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Tony Gaskins, Jr., author of What Daddy Should Have Told His Little Girl
(SokheChapke Publishing )

What Daddy Should Have Told His Little Girl is a key to the mind of a man. It answers the ten most asked questions asked by women today. Gaskins opens up and gives insight that is eye-opening, enlightening and at times shocking.

This book is answered from experience, every questioned answered is one the author learned the hard way. With that being the case Gaskins goes much more in depth than your average relationship expert.

After reading this book you’ll never approach a relationship the same.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write What Daddy Should Have Told His Little Girl?

Tony Gaskins: The inspiration to write this book came from my little sister. Seeing her live what I put so many women through changed the way I viewed relationships. My heart went out because she had no defense against the games men play because she didn’t understand men. So I decided to give away the game.

JP: What is the first step of overcoming domestic abuse?

TG: The first step to overcoming domestic violence for a woman is to speak up to someone who cares, i.e. police, pastor, teacher, etc. For a man, the first step is a desire to change.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to What Daddy Should Have Told His Little Girl getting out to the public?

TG: As an author, the key to getting national exposure is faith and persistence. You have to identify your target audience and go to the people with the platform to reach them. Then keep knocking until they open the door.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish What Daddy Should Have Told His Little Girl?

TG: When writing a book, the amount of time it takes you depends on whether you are an author or a writer. I consider myself a writer. When I start, I don’t stop. It takes me 5-10 days to write a 100-150 page book. It’s the post production that takes the most time.

Question 5: What’s next for Tony Gaskins, Jr.?

TG: At the present moment, I am adapting my books into screenplays and preparing to shoot the movies based on the life I lived to gain insight for the books. Beyond that I’ve started consulting other authors, ghostwriting, life coaching and motivational speaking.

http://www.whatdaddynevertold.com/
http://www.twitter.com/tonygaskins
http://www.myspace.com/whatdaddynevertold
http://www.facebook.com/tonygaskinsjr

Tony A. Gaskins Jr. is making power-moves in the industry. In 2009 alone he has been a featured guest on Oprah Winfrey, Tyra Banks and the 700 Club, just to name a few. He is open about what it takes to succeed and accepting new clients’ daily who are seeking media training, and his very informative and creative consultations. Book yours today! TonyGaskinsJr@gmail.com

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