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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Maurice Gray, Jr., author of Long Term (The Soul of a Man Edition)

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… (The Soul of a Man Edition)
Maurice Gray, Jr., author of “Long Term”
(Peace In The Storm Publishing)

Nate Carter has turned his life over to God, but that doesn’t exempt him from the consequences of his promiscuous past. He is challenged when a former conquest comes to work for him and wants to pick up where they left off a few years prior. The man he is now struggles with the man he was. Who will win? God knows.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write “Long Term”?

Maurice Gray, Jr.: From my days working as a temp. A lot of the folks I worked with on various assignments treated their relationships the same way they did their work assignments; purely temporary. I really saw a lot of this when I got a long term assignment.

People’s attitudes on a long term assignment differ dramatically from those of people working on assignments of a month or less in length. A person who knew their assignment would only last a weekwouldn ’t get too attached to anyone there, while someone there for a month or longer was more likely to make friends and settle in a bit.

I stopped temping and got a full time job in 1996 and had the idea to write this story back then. However, I put it aside to finish my first novel To Whom Much Is Given and kept it on the back burner through the sequel All Things Work Together and other projects.

When it came time to write something for The Soul Of A Man Anthology, I looked through my ideas to see if anything caught my attention and “Long Term” jumped out at me. My story involves a man who has made a change in his life. His attitude towards employment and relationships is now less temporary and more long term, but everyone from his pastdoesn’t want to accept that he has changed.

JP: What has been your personal experience in being a part of The Soul of a Man Anthology?

MG: It has been great! I enjoy being Soul Brother #13. I get to be among a multitude of talented brothers willing to share their creativity with the world. I’ve had several opportunities to participate in signings with various other Soul Brothers, and those were great experiences.

I haven’t yet worked with all the Soul Brothers, but so far, I’ve had the chance to do signings in various states with the likes of K.L. Belvin, Brian Ganges, Jihad, Marc Lacy, Clarence Mollock, Alvin Romer and of course, Joey Pinkney.

JP: What is your most memorable moment of The Soul of a Man Anthology in terms of what has been expressed of you by someone who has had a chance to read this book?

MG: I’ve had many memorable moments as a Soul Brother. Our first signings in Atlanta last August were unforgettable for a variety of reasons, J. Folks just marveled at the fact that there were several positive black men able to work together well enough to put forth such a project and willing to come together to promote it.

In terms of something from a reader, I once had a single mom come to my table as I did a signing alone, here in Delaware. My novels caught her eye, but she chose The Soul Of A Man Anthology because she wanted her teenage son to see the product of cooperation among a group of strong black men.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish “Long Term”?

MG: Once I got started, it only took me a month to get “Long Term” written and edited. I usually get ideas from something I see or hear while at work or out grocery shopping or something, write them down and flesh them out when I get the chance.

In this instance, I took my story from an idea I had years ago but never fully developed. I’d partially written it, but it was nowhere near finished. I had to reread what I had and then start over again. I kept the character names basically the same and kept a few good lines of dialogue, but for the most part, this is new.

JP: You contributed “Family Matters” to the upcoming anthology Home Again: Stories of Restored Relationships. And what has been your journey with that book?

MG: So far, so good! We’re scheduled for release on November 1, 2010, through Micah 6:8 Books. (details on the release party to come). This is the brainchild of my author friend Wanda B. Campbell, and I’m happy to be part of it. There are nine of us involved, both new and established authors, and it’s been fun getting to know one another as we work the preparation process.

At first I wasn’t sure I’d be able to participate in this new anthology. When I was invited to make a submission, I was intrigued by the concept andcouldn’t resist giving it a try. My story introduces Erik Dawson, who is one of the main characters in my upcoming novel Female Problems, set to release around the same time. That book is heavily on my mind these days I’m looking at an October release. It made sense when I was given the theme of the anthology to use a character from the novel in my story.

Being accepted to Home Again meant a chance for me to give more background information about Erik, the kind of stuff that I just didn’t have enough room for in Female Problems. As the title says, each story is about the restoration of a relationship. Mine involves a mother and son. Erik and his mother have been on less than cordial terms for quite some time following an argument, but when Erik is badly injured in a car crash, they both realize how unimportant their disagreement was and is.

This story has helped me better understand Erik’s character as I revise Female Problems. The book is set about a year after the events of Family Matters, and relationships are the theme here too; the bond of friendship that Erik and two other men from his church form, the relationships between these men and the women in their lives (or the lack thereof) and most importantly, all of their relationships with God.

For anyone in the area, I will teach a writing workshop at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference in Langhorne, PA, this year. The conference runs from August 11-14. I will teach a workshop on Friday August 13. (And no, that date doesn’t make me the least bit nervous, J!). Information about the conference is available at http://www.writehisanswer.com/.

http://www.mauricemgrayjr.com/
Facebook: Maurice Gray, Jr.
http://www.myspace.com/writethevisionmg

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5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, amazon.com, interview, the soul of a man

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Eddrick Dejuan, author of The Birthday Gift (The Soul of a Man Edition)

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… (The Soul of a Man Edition)
Eddrick Dejuan, author of “The Birthday Gift”
(Peace In The Storm Publishing)

“The Birthday Gift” is a purely fictional story that was written because of the need to show that there are black men out there who accept the responsibility of parenting and choose to play an active role in their children lives. Even though I do not have any children, I felt as though the story needed to be told from the perspective of someone who is fatherless.

I was not fortunate enough to have my father in my life. I do believe that I have turned out OK, but the trend of leaving women to be single mothers must stop. This story puts the shoe on the other foot and shows the woman leaving the man as a single parent.

In “The Birthday Gift”, it’s Allen who has to deal with the struggles of being a new single parent with a spouse who walked out. He has to feel the pain of being left all alone, and he has to show how strong his faith in God is. I hope this story sheds some light on what it takes to be a single parent and also show how honorable it is to take responsibility for ones family, actions and commitments.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write “The Birthday Gift”?

Eddrick Dejuan: I wanted to highlight the fact that there are men out there that don’t get the credit for being a struggling single dad. Most of the times its the single mom that gets the attention.

JP: What has been your personal experience in being a part of The Soul of a Man Anthology?

ED: I enjoyed being apart of a strong and deep cast of brothers. I felt as though I grew as a writer and man.

JP: What is your most memorable moment of The Soul of a Man Anthology in terms of what has been expressed of you by someone who has had a chance to read this book?

ED: I am humbled that readers came away with the fact that in the midst of turmoil and despair, someone is always praying for them. If they just hold on, better times are ahead.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish “The Birthday Gift”?

ED: When I begin to write, I outline first and then add scenes. I have a very systematic approach to writing. It took me about 15 days to write “The Birthday Gift”.

JP: What is your book, Madam Eve, about? And what has been your journey with that book?

ED: Madam Eve is a romance novel. It deals with Revenge vs. Forgiveness. Evelyn was married to a football player who cheated on her. She got a divorce and decided to take revenge against him and her friends cheating husbands.

As a side note, I have ventured into comic books. You can check us out at http://www.e2comics.com/. I have a very active imagination and I feel as though comics give me the freedom to do whatever as far as story goes.

http://www.eddrickdejuan.com/
http://www.e2comics.com/
http://www.myspace.com/eddrickdejuan

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5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, amazon.com, interview, the soul of a man

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Joey Pinkney, author of Like Father, Like Son (The Son of a Man Edition)

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… (The Soul of a Man Edition)
Joey Pinkney, author of “Like Father, Like Son”
(Peace In The Storm Publishing)

“Like Father, Like Son” follows the trials and tribulations of Terrence Greene, his wife Mary and his step-son Andre. In addition to dealing with teenage sex, drug use and criminal behavior from his teenage step-son, Terrence is also dealing with navigating step-fatherhood and gaining proper respect from Andre.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write “Like Father, Like Son”?

Joey Pinkney: The foundation of “Like Father, Like Son” came from my personal experiences as a step-father. There are a lot of mixed emotions and thoughts that swirl around a man’s head when attempting to father a boy who is not your own. One major hurdle is trying to bring a boy into his manhood properly and to your best abilities, since parenthood is a never-ending learning experience. On the other hand, the child has to be given room to figure out his place in the world in the context of a missing father and a stepfather.

As I dug deeper into the characters and their various motivations, they began to take a life of their own. In some ways, Mary has the same attitudes possessed by my wife in terms of their firstborn son. But truthfully, Mary and my wife are far from being the same person. As Terrence’s story began to come forth, I felt his pain but questioned some of his methods. Andre was easy to flesh out hard to read and re-read.

I wanted “Like Father, Like Son” to give the life of a step-father some airtime. Many times, we don’t see the man who takes care of a child who is not his own. Many times, we don’t question a mother’s enabling behavior in terms of her young man’s growth into adulthood. In this short story, I set out to make sure there was another side of the story to not only step-fatherhood but also step-parenthood.

JP: What has been your personal experience in being a part of The Soul of a Man Anthology?

JP: Participating in The Soul of a Man Anthology has increased by desire to be published and get my stories out. I can’t begin to tell you how many books I’ve given away to people who smile wide smiles and have the sincerest admiration for a book housing 13 African-American men of various backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints.

We call ourselves The Soul Brothers collectively, and Elissa Gabrielle is known as the Soul Mother. I think the names fit because we communicate and even meet up for joint ventures. I have also personally brushed shoulders with the likes of Marc Lacy, Brian Ganges, Alvin Romer and Maurice Gray, Jr. in addition to having many thought provoking conversations with K.L. Belvin and Elissa Gabrielle. I really do enjoy the cohesiveness of our group.

I have had the opportunity to travel around The South supporting The Soul of a Man Anthology both by myself and with The Soul Brothers. The Phenomenal Women Book Club of New Orleans, LA, made me feel so special when they invited me to their book discussion. Their no-holds-barred discussions brought a life to my characters that I didn’t know exist.

The Ladies of Flavor Book Club of my beloved hometown Memphis, TN, stands out in my mind for various reasons. One, it was co-founded by one of my high school buddies. That brought our relationship full circle. Most importantly, my mother and my brother got a chance to see me in action. The enjoyment my family got from seeing me interacting with a group of highly intelligent women because of something I created was priceless.

JP: What is your most memorable moment of The Soul of a Man Anthology in terms of what has been expressed of you by someone who has had a chance to read this book?

JP: One day, I was doing a radio show to promote the book, and the host asked me to read an excerpt of “Like Father, Like Son”. I love my story, so I got wrapped up in the emotion of the dialogue. I read the section where Terrence admits his “hate” for Andre and his reasons why.

When I finished with my section of the story, the host had an epiphany. The show went in a different direction, and I was no longer the focus. She began to tell me how she always shielded her son from her boyfriend, no matter the circumstance. She then told me that now she sees why her boyfriend got so mad at her for doing that. That small part of “Like Father, Like Son” made her realize how hard it is to raise a boy as a step-father when the mother is over-protective.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish “Like Father, Like Son”?

JP: My writing process for “Like Father, Like Son” was simple. The characters talked; I listened. Different things were revealed to me as I drove to work or showered or talked to my wife. When I say the characters really took a life of their own, I mean it. It’s funny how family members read the story and think that they got an inside scoop on my family. Instead of getting frustrated, I began to take that as a testament of how realistic that short story actually is.

JP: What is next for Joey Pinkney?

JP: The response from readers of The Soul of a Man Anthology has been inspirational. They want to know more about Terrence, Mary and Andre. I am in the process of writing a full-length novel based on those characters to give people more before/during/after in dealing with this blended family. I have half of the novel done, and I need to find the time to get the rest out of my head, edited and printed for the world to digest.

Joey Pinkney is an award-winning author (The Soul of a Man Anthology, 2009 African American Literary Award for Best Short Stories/Best Anthology) and an award winning blogger (2010 AAMBC Book Reviewer of The Year).

http://joeypinkney.com/
http://twitter.com/joeypinkney
http://www.myspace.com/joeyreviews
Facebook: Joey Pinkney

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