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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Terra Little, author of Where There’s Smoke 2

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Terra Little, editor of Where There’s Smoke 2
(Urban Books)

In the aftermath of Where There’s Smoke (part 1), Alec and Anne have found a rhythm they can both groove to. They’ve made a steamy love connection. Just when they think they can finally settle down and tie the knot, their past comes back to haunt them in ways they never imagined.

Alec has secrets that he wishes he had never kept; Anne discovers them and sets out to show her man that a woman scorned is no one to mess with; and Isaiah…well, Isaiah finds himself in the kind of trouble that sends smoke signals up into the air. When the smoke finally clears, truths will have to be told and Anne will have to accept the fact that she and Smoke are more alike than she cares to admit.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Where There’s Smoke 2?

Terra Little: Where There’s Smoke 2 is actually a follow-up to its predecessor, Where There’s Smoke (JAN 2009). The inspiration to write the first installment came from my desire to write about women who have recovered from drug addiction in a more positive light than typically portrayed.

I also wanted to write about positive African-American fathers. Also, working as a Probation/Parole Officer for nearly a decade was a great inspiration, too, as I’m sure you can imagine. I wrote the follow-up because I wasn’t quite ready to let the characters go, and readers of the first book weren’t either.

JP: What did you learn from the process of publishing the first book that makes Where There’s Smoke 2 a better product?

TL: I guess I would have to say, patience. Everything is a process and a lot of waiting is involved in the publishing process. I learned how to have more patience and how to “let go” of the things over which I have no control.

JP: What advice would you give an avid reader who is yearning to become a published author like yourself?

TL: Learn as much as possible about the publishing industry. From the outside looking in, it looks like its all fun, fun, fun. But it’s really work…a real job. There’s definitely more to it than just penning a manuscript. That’s actually just the beginning.

Also, you can never go wrong by editing the hell out of your work and presenting the best product that you can. Another thing…be realistic…about everything, including your actual ability to pen viable work.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Where There’s Smoke 2?

TL: My writing process sort of depends on the project. I find that there are only certain places where I can really settle down and slip into a writing zone. So when I’m in the middle of a project, I tend to turn into an antisocial hermit.

Sometimes I have to get my thoughts together before I begin a manuscript and sometimes the characters have already decided how things are going to go. All that’s left for me to do at that point is follow directions. I never know what a project will bring, so I just go with the flow of each one. My process isn’t predictable at all.

Where There’s Smoke 2 took me a couple of months to write, mainly because the characters were still walking around in my head. I spent maybe a month or so getting the initial rough draft down on paper and after that…rereads, rewrites, rereads… which can be exhausting.

JP: What’s next for Terra Little?

TL: Next up is JUMP, which is coming up in 2011. This one has a different kind of vibe, darker and more serious. I hope its well-received, because I absolutely loved writing it. It was as if the main character, Helena Hunter, walked into my personal space, sat down beside me, and took over my consciousness.

Ever read something you wrote and thought: “When did I write that?” JUMP was like that for me. An excerpt from JUMP can be found on my website…check it out!

http://www.terralittle.com
http://www.myspace.com/terra_little
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=64843090179
http://www.terralittle.blogspot.com

Where There’s Smoke (JAN 2009) made Library Journal’s Best Books of 2009 List

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Shelia Lipsey, author of Beautiful Ugly

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Shelia Lipsey, author of Beautiful Ugly
(Urban Books)

Envy Wilson, Layla Hobbs and Kacie Mayweather are three 30-year-old friends who rely heavily on one another for support in troubled times.

Layla fights the battle of obesity, coupled with low self esteem, but her melodious voice can soothe the savage beast. Who can fulfill her desire for love?

Envy is pretty and has a successful career, but she has her own dark and sordid secret that she refuses to share with anyone.

Kacie, born with cerebral palsy, has always felt the need to prove that she can get a man just like any “normal” woman. She has six children and five baby daddies but has never had a husband.

Through their trials, the three of them cling to each other. The circumstances they face will hopefully teach them how to cling to God.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Beautiful Ugly?

Shelia Lipsey: Beautiful Ugly is actually my sixth book and fourth novel. I garner my inspiration to write from life itself. God places within my spirit life stories that ordinary people experience. Beautiful Ugly is one of those stories.

The idea of Beautiful Ugly comes from years of battling issues of low self-esteem and self-consciousness. It also derives from how the world distinguishes what is beautiful and what is ugly.

JP: What sets Beautiful Ugly apart from other novels in Christian fiction?

SL: What sets my book apart from other novels in the Christian fiction genre is that everything God does is unique. I am a unique individual. No one can do anything quite like me if God has directed me to do something.

There are similar stories/novels being written everyday. Most of them are probably great. The novels I write cannot be written by anyone else. I write perfect stories about imperfect people. The words I share, the stories I tell, the manner in which I tell them are divinely inspired and therefore that makes my stories one of a kind.

It does not mean that it is the only story that addresses a particular subject. But it does mean that whatever God assigns His children to do, and they are obedient to what He says to do, then they are assured that it will not return void.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Beautiful Ugly getting out to the public?

SL: I am truly blessed. God opens so many doors for me. I have encountered people online, in person, at conferences, out and about and simply everywhere, who want to help me, who have read my novels, or who have seen my work online.

Today’s technology is another blessing because it enables me to reach literally thousands and thousands of people from my home. I also try to keep a pleasant, humble attitude. I try to treat people in the manner in which I want to be treated.

I also believe that by giving to others, sharing with others and helping others, that good will come back to me, and it has and does. I am so richly blessed to be at such a great point in my literary career. My books and my name as an author are traveling around the literary circuit, and there is a fan base that is constantly growing all because of God’s Favor over my life.

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

SL: My writing process is somewhat atypical, at least that’s what I believe. I write according to titles, and the stories are weaved around the title of my novel.

I pray before I write and ask God to give me the story that He wants me to share. My story develops, my characters come alive and I’m off and running at that point. It takes about three months for me to complete a novel.

JP: What’s next for Shelia Lipsey?

SL: My fifth novel will be released nationwide September 1, 2010. It is the sequel to the novel My Son’s Wife. The name of the novel is My Son’s Ex Wife. I also have two more manuscripts that I am presently working on.

I have a story in the anthology Bended Knees published by Hollygrove Publishing titled “Against the Grain.” I completed another short story for an anthology that will be released in the near future by His Pen Publishing.

http://www.shelialipsey.com/
http://www.myspace.com/shelialipsey
http://www.facebook.com/shelialipsey
(Fan Page: www.facebook.com/shelia e. lipsey readers
http://www.shelialipsey.blogspot.com/

Beautiful Ugly is a Black Pearls 2009 Top Shelf Award bestowed by Black Pearls Magazine (http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/) and the Sankofa Literary Society. My Son’s Wife won 2009 Shades of Romance (http://www.sormag.com/) Readers Choice Awards for Best Christian fiction, best cover, best Christian fiction author, best Christian Romance, Best Fiction.

My Son’s Wife also was one of Urban Reviews best reviewed books in 2009. Shelia E. Lipsey was named 2008 Author of the Year by Conversations Book Club. She was chosen to be the honoree at the first African American Literary Festival sponsored by Sistah Friends Book Club in October 2010 (http://www.sistahfriends.com/)

Shelia E. Lipsey is the founder of the non profit organization Living Your Dreams Now (http://www.livingyourdreamsnow.net/). She is president of the online book club for Urban Books’ Urban Christian authors (http://www.uchisglorybookclub.net/).

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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Bestselling Author Dwan Abrams, author of My Mother’s Child

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Dwan Abrams, author of My Mother’s Child
(Urban Books/Kensington)

Lyric Stokes lives, by most standards, a charmed life. Married to Michael Stokes, a prominent heart surgeon, she has financial security and lives in the lap of luxury. All is not perfect, though. Lyric feels inadequate because she gave birth to a daughter, rather than the son that her husband so desperately wanted.

After an unexpected turn of events, Lyric discovers that she’s pregnant again, but now she has to decide whether she even wants to keep the child she has longed for. She seeks solace in her church, where her daughter also feels at home; but they can’t get Michael to join them. Disagreeing with organized religion, he has put his job before all else, including God. The distance between the couple grows further every day.

Nigel Fredericks has a history of stalking women. He’s been accused, but never convicted. Now he’s set his sights on Lyric. She’s at a low point in her life, and Nigel knows just how to take advantage of that vulnerability. Lyric’s life is turned upside down; Nigel is like a cancer eating away at her mental stability, her marriage, and ultimately, her life. Will Michael reevaluate his priorities and his faith in time to save his family?

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write My Mother’s Child?

Dwan Abrams: My Mother’s Child is actually the sequel to bestselling novel, Divorcing the Devil. In My Mother’s Child, Dr. Skyler Little makes a cameo appearance, whereas in Divorcing the Devil, she was the main character. There are new characters in My Mother’s Child, but Nigel made his debut in Divorcing the Devil. Now the readers will go inside of Nigel’s twisted world.

JP: There are many wives around the world who, like the main character Lyric Stokes, feel guilty for not being able to provide that son their husband yearns for. What do you expect your readers to get from that particular aspect of My Mother’s Child?

DA: Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.

JP: What have you learned from your previous novels that makes My Mother’s Child a better book in terms of constructing a finished product?

DA: I’ve learned that my readers like for me to bring them drama with unexpected plot twists. My Mother’s Child has the right amount of tension, and the readers will not be able to guess the outcome.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish My Mother’s Child?

DA: I’m a full-time novelist, so I don’t really have a writing process, per se. For the most part, I sit in front of the TV with my laptop and type. I’m also a freelance editor and founder of Nevaeh Publishing, a small press independent publishing house. My editing and publishing duties can sometimes pull me away from writing. Even still, I try not to neglect my writing for extended periods of time.

In the case of My Mother’s Child, it took me approximately 9-12 months to write. That’s long for me, though. During that time, I had numerous editing assignments and even co-authored a non-fiction book. Because of that, finishing my novel was delayed. Funny thing is, after I turned in the manuscript for My Mother’s Child, my editor told me that it was her favorite amongst my books. Since she had read all of my previous books, I was happy to hear that.

JP: What’s next for Dwan Abrams?

DA: Good question. For Dwan Abrams the author, I’ll be on tour in 2010 promoting the release of my fifth novel, My Mother’s Child. My publisher, Urban Books/Kensington, recently accepted my book proposal for a 2011 release. That book is based on Shania and Greg, characters from my novel, Married Strangers. I’m currently working on a manuscript that centers around Rayna and Bryce, the interracial couple also from Married Strangers.

As a publisher, I’m excited about the authors signed to Nevaeh Publishing. We have ten titles coming out in 2010 beginning in January. We will even release our first children’s book. Please visit www.nevaehpublishing.com for a listing of our upcoming releases. Be sure to visit often, we make regular updates. In addition to that, we’re accepting submissions for 2011.

My novel, Divorcing the Devil, was nominated for the 2008 African American Literary Awards Show. My novel, Only True Love Waits, won the 2007 POWER Award for Best Fiction. Readers can email me at dwanabrams1@aol.com.

http://www.dwanabrams.com/
http://www.nevaehpublishing.com/
http://www.myspace.com/dwanabrams
http://www.myspace.com/nevaehpublishing
Facebook: I have a regular page for Dwan Abrams and a Dwan Abrams Fan Page. There’s also a page for Nevaeh Publishing.
http://www.twitter.com/dwanabrams
http://dwanabrams.blogspot.com
http://nevaehpublishing.blogspot.com
http://nevaehpublishing.ning.com

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