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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Jarold Imes, author of I Used To Love H.E.R. (The Soul of a Man Edition)

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… (The Soul of a Man Edition)
Jarold Imes, author of “I Used To Love H.E.R.”
(Peace In The Storm Publishing)

About “I Used To Love H.E.R.”: Calvin Rice must find a way to move on after learning that the love of his life has had an affair and is leaving him for another man. Will he stay true to his faith in God or will he succumb to the temptation of the flesh to get revenge.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write “I Used to Love H.E.R.”?

Jarold Imes: I have been wanting to write a book about “The Street Disciples Ministry” and its members ever since I got saved five years ago. I feel like this was an assignment from The Lord, and I have been blessed to see some books and some of the short stories about the members come to light. This story allowed me to focus on a character many of my readers love and oft times, love to hate.

Calvin is one of my most unique characters because he’s made appearances in several of my teen novels, most notably Worth Fighting 4 and Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number. He is also finally getting his own teen book called Nothing Is 4 Nothing.

“I Used to Love H. E. R.” allowed me to explore his life as an adult, especially given the situation he found himself in at the end of Worth Fighting 4. I also wanted to tackle the subject of love and divorce from a male’s point of view.

Most importantly, I cover divorce from a spiritual point of view. I feel like every time a divorce happens, the male’s voice is always silenced or the male is made into some evil monster. Men are never shown to be victims of infidelity, abuse and other domestic issues; even though it happens more times than we want to admit. I wanted to show his frustrations and vulnerability.

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

JI: I have been blessed to be part of both The Soul of a Man and its predecessor The Triumph of My Soul. I got joy in being able to tithe my talent and my time to write stories that give glory to Him and show real people struggling with real issues and their faith and how He pulls them through.

Being part of these anthologies have also motivated me to write my first Christian fiction novel and given me a platform in which to share my God given talents and to write more spiritual based fiction in not just in my Christian fiction works, but in all the genres I write in.

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

JI: I’m always asked if Calvin is going to get his own book or if he is going to have other opportunities to tell his story. The short answer to the question is yes, he will. A lot of readers who enjoyed the story liked the fact that I tackled divorce from a man’s point of view and the conflict he had with getting a divorce and his faith.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish “I Used to Love H.E.R.”?

JI: As I’ve grown as an author, I find that I am apt to apply different writing processes to different novels, depending on the genre I’m writing at the time. Outlining and doing story boarding works for some of the novels I write. For others, I have a vision or a sequence of dreams, and I write down what I see and hear. I’ve written down outlines I haven’t touched in years, and I have taken chapters, thoughts, opinions I’ve written years ago and found ways to improve and incorporate them in other bodies of work.

Short stories that are 2,000 to 15,000 words are usually written off the top of my head and completed in a few days to a week. With “I Used to Love H.E.R.”, this story was written in two parts. The first four chapters were written in three days and submitted first, and the second four chapters were written in a week about a month or so after wards. So my story was actually two submissions (thank you, Elissa).

JP: What is next for Jarold Imes?

JI: I’m looking to take my literary career in a different direction. I’ve spent most of the last four years publishing and promoting young adult books and Christian fiction. I still want to do that, but I have interests outside of these genres that I have begun actively exploring as well.

Right now, I’m working on two books that will most likely be the very last Jarold Imes teen novels, The Thing About Love and Nothing 4 Thing. Most of my Jarold Imes teen novels deal with social issues and are primarily geared to young men.

I am currently working on a set of teen books under a pseudonym that will be geared to both male and female readers. At this moment, I am not one hundred percent sure what the new name will be that I will write under. My street themed Christian fiction titles are being republished under the pseudonym Isaiah David Paul.

As I am finishing Street Disciples, which will contain my story “I Used to Love H.E.R”. I am also redoing parts of He Changed The Game, so I can release a new version with new and expanded chapters. I hope to start seeing my Christian fiction work back on the market late 2011 or early 2012.

http://www.isaiahdavidpaul.com/ – My Website/Blog for my faith based works.
http://www.ourteenvoices.com/ – My Young Adult Literary Blog
http://www.abednegosfree.com/ – My publishing house where I publish young adult and contemporary adult fiction of many genres.

http://www.myspace.com/jaroldimes
http://www.myspace.com/isaiahdavidpaul

http://www.facebook.com/jaroldimes
http://www.facebook.com/isaiahdavidpaul

http://www.twitter.com/ourteenvoices
http://www.twitter.com/jaroldimes
http://www.twitter.com/isaiahdavidpaul

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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… Brian Ganges, author of Manning Up With God and A Sense of Faith and Community (The Soul of a Man Edition)

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… (The Soul of a Man Edition)
Brian Ganges, author of “Manning Up with God” and “A Sense of Faith and Community”
(Peace In The Storm Publishing)

“Manning Up” is an abridged autobiography illustrates the marital bliss, struggle for identity and purpose, and how one young man coped with divorce. Everyone has a cross to bear, and learning how to overcome obstacles is the main motif demonstrated in this award-winning story of a man who wouldn’t give up. Men, the world over, can learn from this concise, yet powerful account of one man’s life and faith in God. Failure can’t stop you, fear can’t defeat you, and if your faith is set on the prize that is for you, only victory will be your end.

“A Sense of Faith and Community” shows the importance of giving back to the community, reaching out to people and passing on your faith. You never know how you will affect others that are in your sphere of influence. Gain insight and inspiration from this futuristic account of a young man that was inspired by the mission of his grandfather. Touching people isn’t just a physical thing. It’s a way of connecting with others. Touching people’s hearts for positive change is the essence of this powerful story, and each of us has this God-given capacity within us. Be inspired by a college students life experiences and learn how to touch people directly and/or indirectly for positive change.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write “Manning Up With God” and “A Sense of Faith and Community”?

Brian Ganges: “Manning Up with God” is my abridged autobiography and “A Sense of Faith and Community” is a fictionalized account of some of the events of my life.

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

BG: It has been very positive. Although I haven’t met everyone personally, the connection that I made with many of the co-authors has been priceless. Positive guys pooling our resources to create a positive piece of literature; and it won an award, to boot.

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?

BG: Many readers have expressed similar sentiments about my work and me. The most memorable are the comments “inspirational” and “honest”. That let me know that I was connecting with the audience. That was very rewarding and was a confirmation that I was on-task.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish “Manning Up With God” and “A Sense of Faith and Community”?

BG: My process is meditate, outline, meditate and write. Since the stories were short, they took a few weeks.

JP: What is Piecing the Puzzle Together about? And what has been your journey with that book?

BG: Piecing the Puzzle Together is a biblical-based manual for life. It is a three-part book that resembles the construction of a building. Section 1 is the foundation, Section 2 deals with assembling the building components, and Section 3 deals with bring the pieces all together to construct the edifice.

http://www.brianganges.com/

Brian Ganges is a native New Jerseyan who resides in Texas. He has written many articles that are very thought provoking, principled, informative and insightful. His topics of interest include: current events, politics, health related topics, economics, relationships, and principles for daily living, which are always from a Christian worldview. He is one of the co-authors of the award-winning anthology “The Soul of a Man.” Brian’s new book entitled Piecing The Puzzle Together, can be purchased at stores nationwide or contact Brian for a personalized copy at http://brianganges.com/

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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… Clarence “Baba Simba” Mollock, author of Verbal Vacancy (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)
Clarence “Baba Simba” Mollock, author of “Verbal Vacancy”
(Peace In The Storm Publishing)

Whenever I am asked about my “accent”, I relate the story of my speech impediment. Most find it difficult to believe. They are unaware of how I am still struggling to “speak well”. When I realized that I had a chance to publish my story, it was only then that I decided after all these years to write it down. I hope to inspire others to be persistent in their endeavors. More importantly never forget from whence you came.

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

Clarence “Baba Simba” Mollock: I got the idea to write “Verbal Vacancy” when a friend of mine suggested that I write the story of my speech impediment. I am a storyteller. My storyteller name is Baba Simba Mollock.

When I tell stories there is always someone who asks about my “accent”. I try to explain that it is not an accent. I used to be severely tongue-tied. Most did not believe me, because, as they say, I speak so well. “Verbal Vacancy” is a reminder of what could have been. It was not inspiration – it was perspiration! Now I can finally wipe my forehead.

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

CM: Being a part of The Soul of a Man Anthology has opened my eyes. I can now see that I can be more helpful by speaking out rather than keeping under the radar. When I read their stories, I realized that facing the truth about oneself can be painful, but you do not have to bare the pain alone. Meeting some of the “Soul Brothers” showed me a side of caring that I had not experienced before.

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?

CM: Persons who read my story would often tell me how they were reminded about their childhood. My immediate family realized that they, too, had stories to tell – but, from another perspective. Childhood memories, growing up in the South, school stories once forgotten, these were just some of the tales told to me by young adults and my elders.

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

CM: In writing most of my stories I follow the process of “backward mapping”. That is, I finish the story, then I list the events that led to the finish. I write an outline and review that outline several times before I begin to write the story.

When the story is written, I put it away for a couple of days before I proof read it. Lastly, I have someone else (whose suggestions I value) to read it. “Verbal Vacancy” took a couple of weeks from outline to completion. (It’s kind of easy when it’s the story of your life!)

JP: What is next for Clarence “Baba Simba” Mollock?

CM: I do several storytelling performances a year. I tell about my personal life as well stories that I have read. With the help of Elissa Gabrielle, I can finally feel myself wanting to publish the many stories and poems that I have written since the age of thirteen. Yes, I can honestly say that I have kept a forty-seven year diary. I read a lot, and I did a lot of writing because I had so much to say when no one would listen to me.

http://thesoulofaman.net/

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