JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Adrian Ox Mendez, author of End Of Sentence
(Muddy Footprints Publishing)
“Do your time; don’t let your time do you!” The advice given to Pain by an “O.G.” the morning that the Blue Bird transported him from the county jail to the prison yard echoed in his head for the duration of his forty-eight month bib. Forty-eight months was enough time to reform small time conman into mastermind conspirator.
While fellow convicts spent their time chain-gang hustling and pumping iron, Pain focused on getting his reparations for the time that he wasted in prison. Collaborating with a select few trusted acquaintances, he shoots for his goal with no remorse for whosoever stands between his team and their target.
With all plans blueprinted in his head, the only thing left to do is to await his E.O.S. date.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to share your story with End Of Sentence?
Adrian “Ox” Mendez: During my time of incarceration, I spent a lot of time reading and pondering my next step. Occasionally, I came across urban novels that intrigued me. While reading these books, I would voice my criticism to my cellmate. At one point he said, “Either write your own or shut the f*ck up!”
Taking it as a personal challenge, I decided to put pen to paper and unfold a story that related to what I know best. By the way, my cellmate’s name was Ray-Ray.
JP: You are big on making sure that the youth don’t get caught up in the same traps you have escaped. What can a young man gain from End Of Sentence that is better read and not experienced first hand?
Ox: Choices!! Too many wrong choices can lead to having no choice at all. Consequences of today’s actions will last for a lifetime. My advice is that young men stop and evaluate their actions and strive to be positive no matter what their surroundings are.
Being a product of the environment is a tired excuse that is only music to the ears of those that believe that today’s black men are good for nothing but making bastard children and populating our prisons. Use the struggles of the streets to fuel you as motivation to make a change. The most precious flowers in the world are fertilized from sh*t!
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to End Of Sentence getting out to the public?
Ox: Networking! I was fortunate enough to meet some of the best authors that New York has to offer, whom weren’t hesitant to give guidance through their words. The most impactful piece of advice I was given was, “your book will only be as successful as you make it!”
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish End Of Sentence?
Ox: I cannot say that I have a specific writing process, as things unfold in my mind I attempt to interpret it on paper. Writing is more comfortable as a spontaneous act rather than sitting down and making completing a chapter into a chore. Being that E.O.S. was more than just fiction to me it took me a little more than two years to complete as I watched the “true” story unfold.
JP: What’s next for Adrian Ox Mendez?
Ox: Currently Ox is working on his second novel High Risks which should be ready before 2010.
http://www.muddyfootprints.com/
http://www.myspace.com/wordofox
getatox@yahoo.com
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