Christmas with author Renee Wiggins

Renee Wiggins has mentored, trained, and changed lives in the health and wellness industry for more than twenty years. A strong believer and encouragerin living an authentic, healthy lifestyle, Renee specializes in designing customized lifestyle programs that are tailored to the client's needs, goals, and habits.

Renee Wiggins is a registered dietitian, and certified massage therapist. She is the author of several books, "Can I Exercise Sitting Down?" and Stress Down and Lift UP. My fourth book, will be release in  March 2011, it is a collection of stories to help uplift and encourage people to embrace their struggles and to know that the  storm is only temporary.

What are you thankful for Today?
I am thankful for being alive. I am  in  constant pain with heel spurs and, some days, I hardly can walk, but I am grateful. I am thankful for the friends I have and for the  caring, love, and closeness among my family members. I'm also thankful for the freedom I have because of people who gave their lives to ensure it.  I thank GOD everyday for their sacrifice.

Tell us about your fondest holiday moment or event?
When I was 7 years old, I received an Annie Oakley cowgirl outfit as a Christmas gift. You know, the boots, the skirt, vest, shirt and hat along with two cap guns. I thought I was on top of the world with that outfit and that remains one of my fondest memories ever.

Do you have a favorite holiday menu, story, or song?
 My favorite holiday menu includes candied yams, cranberry sauce and macaroni and cheese. I love the way my mother used to fix these items and, to this day, I have to have them every Thanksgiving.

How do you celebrate the holidays?
I celebrate holidays with my mother.  She's getting older, so now I do the cooking.  I make our special holiday meal for the two of us and we both enjoy it.

Tell us about your latest book, Transformations: Give UP The Struggle.  Transformations: Give UP The Struggle is a collection of affirmations that motivate the reader to do what's necessary to heal their brokenness and to move forward.

How my our readers contact you online and pick up your latest work?
Your readers can contact me at renee@resultsbyrenee.com.

The book is available on Amazon.com or http://www.resultsbyrenee.com/ or Follow me on www.twitter.com/giveupthestrugg or http://www.transformationsgiveupthestruggle.blogspot.com/



Transformations: Give Up The Struggle by Renee Wiggins
ISBN-10: 098256130X
ISBN-13: 978-0982561300
Author website: http://www.resultsbyrenee.com/

True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks

Twenty-eight year old Kennedy Logan is gorgeous, educated, talented, and in love. Unfortunately, Drake Collins has other ideas about the true state of their relationship. Kennedy hopes to turn him around; Drake just wants to turn her out sexually. Kennedy is also searching for her biological mother, who gave her up at birth. She wants answers and she has tons of questions. The enormous weight of these predicaments leads to a failed suicide attempt.

Her overprotective and overbearing mother, Dorothy Logan, moves in with Kennedy and makes it her mission to get her daughter's life back in order. The first step is getting rid of Drake Collins once and for all, but that's easier said than done. Drake has no intentions of going anywhere. Kennedy's ever loyal and fun-loving best friend, Taylor, and her absentee father join forces to help support Kennedy in her time of need.

At her psychiatrist's advice, Kennedy uses writing as her therapy. She starts to keep a daily journal detailing the erotic circumstances and family drama that led up to her despair. Through very personal, funny, and graphic entries, readers will share her confessions. Brace yourselves for a very steamy journey!



Prologue True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks
(Erotic Thriller)

My reality is surreal and happens in super, slow motion. A nervous giggle escapes my chapped, dry and parched lips. I lick them to restore moisture. Then, there is utter, deadly silence. If I listen closely, I can hear my heartbeat beating away at an accelerated pace. My senses are heightened and I marvel over the brilliant, bold colors of my bedroom as I inhale my favorite fragrances, from their spot on my antique dresser, colliding into one another with their potent allure. Even my sense of touch is different somehow. Everything is magnified to the nth degree. It’s like I’m looking down at myself from a huge movie screen with surround sound as I ready myself for the big finale---the final shot and then fade to black.

I’ve never been good at saying goodbye, even on short, weekend trips. I keep the handwritten note short and sweet and pray to God that mother will understand, and hopefully, one day, forgive me.

I don’t mean to hurt her or cause her any fresh pain. I sincerely don't. I hope she understands that this isn't her fault, that I love her with all my heart and being. No matter what, that fact will never change. I’m so thankful and forever grateful that she chose me to be her daughter out of all the orphaned babies in the world. She chose me. I told myself over and over again that that made me special. I needed to feel special instead of unwanted and discarded.

I’ll miss mother the most, but the hurt I feel inside is too unbearable and indescribable. It is too painful for me to continue, day in and day out, with just a hollow emptiness that erodes and corrupts any happiness that briefly surfaces. The dawn of each new day only brings me more heartache and renewed memories. Some memories are like leeches. They latch on for dear life and slowly, ever so slowly, suck and drain all the blood, all the living out of you. You are left with just a shell of the old you and that's no way to survive. Not for me, anyway.

When they find me, I want it to look like I’m sleeping, peacefully. Just like Sleeping Beauty who only needed a handsome prince to kiss her and awaken her from the darkness that engulfed her. However, for me, there won't be a handsome, charming prince to wake me, save me, and ride off into eternity. All my so-called princes were monsters in disguise with their own hidden agendas that attempted to crush and stamp out my self-esteem. Yes, just blessed sleep awaits me.

I chose pills. I couldn’t subject mother to a messy, bloody scene that comes with slitting one’s wrists or shooting one's self. I refuse to take my final breath with that heavy on my heart. I don't think my heart could handle anything else weighing against it. As it is, I feel like I have three hundred pounds weighing me down. Crushing the life out of me.

As I settle myself comfortably on my queen-size bed, slowly pull the red, satin comforter up to my chin and stare at the full bottle of prescription pills carefully nestled in my right hand, I can’t imagine not waking up in the morning.

What will it be like to not see the rising sun? To not hear my alarm clock going off announcing it’s time to get ready for another day of work? Not hitting snooze to give myself another fifteen minutes? Not rushing to finish my morning rituals before I dash out the door and into rush-hour traffic? What will that feel like?

More important to me now, though, is will it hurt? I hope not. I have never been able to tolerate too much pain, physical, mental or emotional. Yet, that’s what Drake has caused me for the last year of my life. Pain. Intolerable suffering.

I only wanted to love him and for him to love me in return. Simple enough. Was that asking too much? My part of the equation was accomplished, effortless. Drake claimed he loved me, but he really didn’t. Probably never could. Didn't know how to love or receive it. After what happened last week, I know he didn’t. Yet, I gave him everything: my heart, my body, my soul. Now, I have nothing left to give myself. I'm empty inside.

As tears slowly flood my weary eyes and blur my vision, I look around my cozy bedroom for the last time. Ever. It used to be one of my favorite rooms in my small two bedroom, one bath apartment. There was nothing better than lighting several fragrant candles, drinking a little white wine and cozying up with a good romance novel. Yes, that was heaven. Simple things excite me. Always have. Watching a sunrise or sunset, waking up to birds chirping in the treetops, walking hand in hand through the park with the one I love, all these things brought me great joy.

Mother will have to understand. I left her a note, propped up on the nightstand, in full view, that explains how much I love her and daddy. What will she think when she can’t reach me tonight? I would love to hear her soothing, loving voice one last time. Yet, I know I wouldn’t be able to go through with my plan if I did. I’d give away my intentions over the phone or mother would pick up on my foul mood and that would be that. I’d wake up another day with this aching, dull pain inside, tearing me apart, bit-by-bit. Pain that dulls and diminishes every ounce of my strength, all the way down to my pores.

Drake Collins. His name leaves a bitter taste on my tongue. Just the thought of him brings bile to the back of my throat. I will forever regret the day I met that man. If I could turn back the hands of time, do it all over again, I would have called in sick that day or run for the hills. I was just fine with my life the way it was. Sure, it wasn’t exciting or glamorous, but it was enough for me. Drake came with the charm, movie star looks, glitz and high drama and reeled me right in like a bass caught at sea. I gladly jumped into his net.

I say a silent prayer of forgiveness as I place one, then two colorful pills on my tongue and swallow dry. I didn't think of getting a glass of water. I can't think. The lump in my throat quickly diminishes. There’s no turning back now. Just like there was no turning back when Drake turned me out. The countdown begins. Ten, nine, eight. . . I've lived a happy life. I have tons of good memories. I've treated others the way I wanted to be treated.

I hope this happens quickly. I steadfastly place three, four pills on my tongue and swallow again. Hot tears start to spill forth and stream down my cheeks as I realize the final result of my actions. Seven, six, five. . . It’s for the best. I need to stop the pain. Will he even miss me? Or will he just move on to his next victim? Will all this be in vain?

I guess I’ll never have that family now. The one I used to daydream and write about in my journal. The family with the almost perfect mommy and daddy and two kids, a boy and girl. The boy would be the oldest, and he'd look out for and protect his younger sister. They'd have cute, adorable names and they'd know they were wanted and loved and cherished by their parents. They'd never feel unwanted.

Four, three. . . I swallow a handful of pills this time. I've lost count as to how many I've digested. As spittle escapes from my mouth, I gag. I wipe the overflow away with the back of my hand and keep right on shoving pills in my mouth until the orange-brown medicine bottle is empty. I look inside, in awe, shake the bottle, and can’t believe the pills are gone so quickly. Just like the illusion of love. If you blink, you'll miss it.

I wonder if Drake even realizes how much I loved him? Now, I wait for blessed relief and peace to take away my hurt and pain. I’m so tired. Tired of loving the wrong men. Tired of giving my all, coming up empty, and getting absolutely nothing back in return. Good sex isn’t the end all to everything. Drake taught me that lesson.

Two, one. . . It won’t be long now. I faintly smile and lay back against my down pillow.

I welcome peace. In my mind, I start silently repeating Psalms 23. I shall walk through the valley of death; I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me. I’m so sleepy. I can barely keep my eyes open. I can feel myself giving in to the fog that slowly invades my mind. Maybe if I close my eyes for a few moments. Yeah, just rest them for a few minutes without seeing Drake’s face behind my heavy eyelids.

Suddenly, I feel lightheaded, like I’m floating on a big, fluffy white cloud, bouncing up and down, giddy with not a care in the world. This is a different sensation that I literally reach out my right hand to embrace and never let go of. Not a care in the world. Nothing matters but blessed, uneventful sleep. I close my tired, weary eyes as the countdown ends. Fade to black.

(continues in the book)

True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks
Order your copy today!



© 2010 All rights reserved. Book Excerpt Reprinted by Permission of Electa Rome Parks, author. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author's written permission. Copyright infringement is a serious offense. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only. Share a link to this page or the author's website if you really like this sample from True Confessions.

About the Author
Electa Rome Parks lives outside Atlanta, Georgia and is the best-selling author of six acclaimed novels, The Ties That Bind, Loose Ends, Almost Doesn't Count, Ladies' Night Out, These Are My Confessions (anthology) and Diary of a Stalker. Dubbed a "book club favorite," avid readers have embraced Electa's true to life characters that tackle prevalent and heavy hitting issues that take them on an emotional roller coaster.The self-proclaimed Queen of Real, Electa has been a frequent guest on radio shows, nominated for many industry awards and interviewed by numerous newspapers and national magazines. Electa is currently following her passion and working on her next novel and first screenplay.


Connect with Electa Rome Parks online at:
www.electaromeparks.com
www.electaromeparks@blogspot.com
www.facebook/electaromeparks.com

Home Again: Stories of Restored Relationships

Home Again is a compelling journey into the relationships that matter most: family, friends and self. Each story is founded on natural love, but will require the Father s love to heal the brokenness. Travel with husbands and wives, brothers, sisters, friends and families as they maneuver through life's hurts and betrayals while leaning on a power greater than themselves.

Home Again: Stories of Restored Relationships
by Wanda B. Campbell & Friends
Wanda B. Campbell is an extraordinary and talented writer who brings creativity, a new sense of hope, and restoration through the healing power of God to the Kingdom, by way of Christian fiction. She uses real life everyday issues to exhort, motivate, and give comfort. Currently, Wanda has three published novels: First Sunday in October, Illusions and Right Package, Wrong Baggage. Her fourth novel, Silver Lining is scheduled for August 2011. She is also the founder of Micah 6:8 Books, LLC.


Meet the Home Again Authors
Wanda B. Campbell (Author), Dijorn Moss (Author), Tyora M. Moody (Author), Trinea Moss (Author), Maurice Gray Jr. (Author), Shenette Jones (Author), Bernard Boulton (Author), Tavares S. Carney (Author), and  Dr. Linda F. Beed (Author)


Tavares S. Carney uses her God-given talents to inspire, motivate and encourage others. She is the owner of Echelon Entertainment, an internet and social media promotion company, and the Founder of Echelon Book Club. She is married and the mother of two children. Tavares is a graduate of Davenport University and is currently matriculating toward a Masters degree in Secondary Teacher Education. In addition to reading and writing, her interests include event planning, traveling and listening to music. Contact Tavares at TavaresWrites@Yahoo.com .


Maurice M. Gray, Jr. is the author of two novels, To Whom Much Is Given andAll Things Work Together and the owner of Write The Vision, Inc. His short story “Long Term” appears in The Soul Of A Man anthology. Maurice is an HIV Prevention Counselor for Beautiful Gate Outreach Center, where he educates people about HIV/AIDS.  Maurice worships at Bethel AME Church in Wilmington, DE. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc and of Toastmasters International. He lives in New Castle, DE with his family.


Shenette Jones is mostly known for her vocal abilities. From classical to soulful jazz, Shenette displays a wide range of musical experience. She balances music endeavors with her other hidden passion: creative writing.  Shenette has participated in writing clubs, poetry groups, and spoken word events throughout Memphis. Shenette has combined her writing and music and has created a theme song for the Home Again anthology.  Married with two boys, Shenette Jones resides in North Carolina where she is a professional fitness trainer. “Uncovered” is her first published work.


Dijorn Moss holds a degree in English from San Jose State. He is the author ofMy Father’s House, which is available in stores now and The Retreat which will be released in December of 2010. He currently resides in Long Beach, California with his wife, Trinea.


Trinea Moss grew up in the Bay Area of Northern California. She graduated from Oceana High School in Pacifica, California. She obtained an Associate Arts Degree in Multimedia Communications and Presentations. Growing up Trinea enjoyed writing poems and short stories. When she met and married her husband Dijorn, she was truly introduced to writing. Since then Trinea has developed new skills and has paired that with her unique perspective to write “Couple On Trial”. She currently lives in Long Beach California with her son Caleb and husband Dijorn.


Bernard Boulton is the author of DO YOU WANNA BE MADE WHOLE? He is married to Vantoria Boulton and they are the parents of Bernard Quincy Boulton. He is the pastor of the New Mine Creek Church in Danville, VA.  An avid reader from his childhood Bernard dreamed of the day when he would be an published author, a dream that has come to fruition. His writing mission is to encourage and entertain people with stories that speaks to mankind potential and purpose.


Dr. Linda Beed is a gifted educator, speaker and author of the award-winning novel, Business Unusual the first in the Covenant Series. The second installment, Not Your Own will release in 2011.  Her leadership abilities and teaching prowess has made her an asset to such entities as the Faith Based Arts Conference, Romantic Times Convention, Romance Slam Jam, The Black Writers Reunion & Conference along with numerous other literary events.  She is the co-moderator of BWChristianLit online writers group, the founder of the Damascus Road Authors and is a veteran Children’s minister. Linda lives in Seattle, WA with her family.


Tyora Moody is a writer, graphic designer and online book promoter. For over ten years, she’s specialized in marketing and design for authors and small businesses. Tyora is a member of Sisters in Crime (SinC) and American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). She loves to read and write romantic suspense and cozy mysteries. Her short story, “Birthing Pains,” is included in the anthology Home Again: Stories of Restored Relationships.


Purchase Your Copy of the Book Today!
ISBN-10: 0979045819
ISBN-13: 978-0979045813

Intimate Conversation with Literary Legend Gwynne Forster

Gwynne Forster, bestselling and award-winning author of When the Sun Goes Down, Blues from Down Deep, If You Walked in My Shoes, and A Different Kind of Blues, conjures a riveting story of fractured ties, secrets, and forgiveness in this powerful family drama in When the Sun Goes Down, the sequel to: If You Walked In My Shoes.

Gwynne Forster is a national best selling author of forty-five works of fiction, including her latest of nine mainstream novels, WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN. Gwynne is author of thirty-six romance novels and novellas, of which the latest novels are DESTINATION LOVE and YES, I DO. She has won numerous awards for fiction writing, including the Romantic Times 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award, the Romance In Color Author of the Year award, the Gold Pen Award and has been inducted in the Affaire de Coeur Hall of Fame.

Gwynne loves to sing, read and listen to music, especially jazz, classical music, opera and blues. She also loves to sing and dance, and enjoys entertaining at small dinner parties. She lives in New York with her husband, who is her true soul mate.


Listen to a lively interview with Gwynne Forster and BAN Radio host Ella Curry


BPM: Mrs. Gwynne, we are celebrating the holidays! What was your most memorable holiday from the past?
GF: My most memorable Christmas holiday was the first Christmas Eve that I spent with the man who is now my husband. I cooked a turkey, the first I'd ever cooked and, to my astonishment, it was a perfect bird. Many things happened that evening that we still joke about. We didn't know each other too well then, and we "tiptoed" around each other, each wanting to assure the other a happy Christmas and neither of us knowing how. We had a wonderful evening, singing, eating, listening to music, telling each other tall tales of our lives and, of course, exchanging gifts. I shall never forget it.


BPM: How do you celebrate the holidays? What are the traditions for your family?
GF: We celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve, always with a roast goose dinner and mounds of gifts around the Christmas tree. We began the Christmas Eve tradition when my step son--then a teenager--got his first girlfriend. Of course, he wanted to have Christmas dinner with her and her family. So we invited her for Christmas Eve, and he went to her family on Christmas day. We liked the custom. We open the gifts after dinner on Christmas Eve. One beauty of that is that I enjoy Christmas day with no work to do.


BPM: What are you most thankful for today? What does all your books have in common?
GF: I am most thankful for Jesus Christ in my life and for the health and well being of my family and myself.

GF: My books have different themes, but everyone of them demonstrates the importance of loyalty and common decency and the rewards of reaching for a higher goal. Website: www.gwynneforster.com


BPM: Mrs. Gwynne please tell us about your latest release, When the Sun Goes Down.
GF: When the Sun Goes Down deals with the strengths and fragileness of relations among family members. When self-made millionaire and widower Leon Farrell dies, he leaves behind a legacy of family dysfunction—and a missing will. The possible loss of a fortune only increases the existing tension between his three grown children.

While handsome slacker Edgar kicks back in anticipation of his windfall, middle child Gunther struggles to save his software business, and fiercely independent Shirley unsuccessfully tries to stay out of the fray. But things soon take an explosive turn. And as the siblings find themselves battling each other to protect their own interests, they’ll face choices that could bring them together at last—or tear them apart for good.

Caught in the middle of her brothers’ ill-will, and doing her best to keep the peace, Shirley is further unsettled when she falls for Carson Montgomery, the smart, sexy private investigator Edgar hires to tract down the will. And when Gunther suddenly falls ill, Edgar’s attempt to manipulate him causes a conflict of interest that will shock them all!

BPM: Are your characters a portrayal of real people?
GF: Not at all. Something about a person may give me an idea, but I invent my characters.


BPM: Who did you write When the Sun Goes Down for? Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp?
GF: I wrote it for my readership. I thought that the women and men who have read my novels over the years would enjoy a frank discussion of some of the problems common among people of African descent. I’m not sure you’d call it a message, because I make it a policy not to preach to the reader. My first agent told me that it is a writer’s duty not only to entertain, but to inform. I’ve taken that advice seriously, and in every book that I write, whether mainstream fiction of a romance, I include some worthwhile information as a part of the story.



BPM: If you could change one thing you from your road to publication, what would you have done differently?
GF: I wouldn't have written a romance as my first book. I write mainstream fiction, and some of my books have won awards, but they are always judged as romances, because reviewers associate me with romance. And when they complain about something, it's usually what distinguished mainstream women's fiction from a romance.


BPM: Do you write full time? Describe your writing schedule for your readers.
GF: I write full time. I get up around seven-thirty and usually write from nine to about four Mondays through Fridays. Important errands may interfere with the schedule, but that’s basically it. I write after dinner for about two hours, unless my husband and I are going out or have guests. I often write on Saturdays after I’ve finished my shopping and errands. I don’t write on Sundays. I work in my office, and I don’t listen to the radio unless there’s a program of Mozart music.

BPM: What do your do when you’re not writing?
GF: In the summer, I’m an avid gardener. I love music—opera and classical music, classical jazz, blues, some Sinatra/Nat Cole type popular songs and a couple of old fashioned country singers. I enjoy entertaining at small dinner parties and consider myself a rather good cook. And, of course, I read.

BPM: What does your family think of your writing?
GF: My family consists of my husband and stepson. Both are very proud of my success as a writer and read my books. Although my husband is an academician and not a computer expert, he makes my fliers, brochures, and bookmarks and does an elegant job of it.


BPM: What two pieces of advice would you give to aspiring writers?
GF: Don't be disappointed by rejections. When you get one, clean up the manuscript and send it to the next editor on your list. The appraisal of fiction is, in some important aspects, highly subjective.

GF: Learn English grammar, and cultivate an extensive vocabulary so as to express yourself precisely as you intend. Write each day and, if possible at the same time. Try not to get a habit of procrastinating, and don’t rewrite until, say, you’ve at least written a chapter. It’s best to rewrite after you finish a first draft. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. Join a writing group such as the local

RWA group and attend writing conferences whenever possible. Remember: if you write a page every day, at the end of a year you can have a book.


BPM: Thank you Mrs. Gwynne for joining us today! Readers you can find out more about Gwynne Forster and her books at: http://www.gwynneforster.com/



When the Sun Goes Down by Gwynne Forster
Book Review: 5-Stars by Sharel E. Gordon-Love

Dysfunction can be part of a family even when one looks from the outside in and all appears to be well. In Gwynne Forster's When the Sun Goes Down, we find this to be so with the three Farrell siblings after the death of their father, Leon.

Leon Farrell was an odd character, who seemed to lose touch with real life and the children that most fathers would hold dear to his heart, especially after the loss of his beloved wife. However, he retreated within himself and played a cruel joke on his family, that could have them at odds with one another and ruin their relationships for good.

The eldest sibling, Edgar, was determined to get what was coming to him as a means to an end and continue to be the rebel that he is and live life on his terms. In the meantime, his brother, Gunther, and his sister, Shirley, tried to live their lives in spite of Edgar and the way they were treated by their father when he was alive. No doubt, their upbringing had a lot to do with who they grew to be, albeit, all three different in their own way.

When it was all said and done, secrets were revealed and hidden things brought to the light as this family strived to keep their families together and receive the things that they believed they were entitled to outside of their father and his eccentric ways. At the end of the day, it is about family and the things that we do to remain one.

What I loved about When the Sun Goes Down is how author Forster took her time to tell the story; there was no need to rush the storyline. I recommend this book to everyone who loves stories about family love and romance. This book was provided to me courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.
--Review by Sharel E. Gordon-Love APOOO BookClub


When the Sun Goes Down
ISBN-10: 0758246994
ISBN-13: 978-0758246998

"When the sun goes down on my life, you'll all come apart like ripped balloons." -- widower Leon Farrell

When stingy self-made millionaire and widower Leon Farrell dies, he leaves behind a legacy of family dysfunction—and a missing will. It's soon clear that his three grown children, Edgar, Gunther, and Shirley, don't handle loss well—the possible loss of a fortune, that is. And when Edgar hires a private investigator to track down the will, it's just the beginning of a search that will lead the siblings to re-visit their childhoods, uncover buried secrets, and ultimately learn for themselves what it means to be a family. For as tensions escalate between the brothers—with their peace-keeping sister caught in the middle—an unexpected conflict of interest is brewing that will shock them all—and either bring them closer together or tear them apart for good...    Peek inside the book and read excerpt chapters!


Purchase your copy today. Give as a great holiday gift book!
http://www.amazon.com/When-Goes-Down-Gwynne-Forster/dp/0758246994


ALSO AVAILABLE NOW!
Once in a Lifetime by: Gwynne Forster
ISBN-13: 9780373831944

With a young daughter to support, recently divorced Alexis Stevenson jumps at the chance to become household manager for wealthy businessman Telford Harrington and his two brothers. Though she knows it won't be easy turning their bachelor-pad mansion into a home, she is determined to handle any obstacles, while maintaining a separate life for herself and her daughter. But Alexis isn't at all ready for the red-hot chemistry crackling between her and Telford—or the fact that she's suddenly caught in a maze of unexpected secrets and deep mistrust. But if she and Telford find their way through it—together—can they both embrace the love they so deeply desire?

Intimate Conversation author Kitty Sewell

BPM:  Kitty please tell us a little about yourself.I was born in Sweden but have lived in Wales, Canada, Spain and the Canary islands. The Canadian Arctic, where I lived for two years, was the setting for my first novel. ICE TRAP became a bestseller and sold in 20 countries around the world. I speak four languages but write in English. Before I came to fiction writing, I practiced as a psychotherapist and sculptor. Now I live in Spain and write full-time. 

BPM:  What makes you powerful as a person and a writer? I think my power as a person and as a writer comes mainly through my maturity. I don’t mean necessarily maturity through years, but through experiences and life changes. I feel I’ve lived many lives, having struggled hard but also been extremely fortunate. Many extraordinary things have happened to my family. Through my psychotherapy work I’ve had the privilege of emotional intimacy with people from all walks of life, and heard many astonishing stories. I’ve always asked too many questions and wanted to hear what lies beneath the answers. I’ve lived in many countries, traveled extensively and seen unusual things. 

I think I can convey this accumulation of life experiences into my writing, yet I endeavor to retain a sense of humility. Life is a mysterious and complex affair with no set answers, and my uncertainty about everything informs my characters, in the way they grapple for insight and understanding. 

Writing is a skill too, a craft that must be learned and honed, so the power of a writer comes through a lot of hard work, discipline and dedication, but never at the expense of seeking to live life to the full.

BPM:  Who are your mentors? I feel that there is no end to how much you can learn so I’m always looking for mentors. For me there are mentors for writing and mentors for living, but often they have both functions. My writing mentors have been a number of writers and teachers. Liz Jensen, the novelist, has been invaluable to me. Her writing is flawless. She has read all my scribbling and shows no mercy. This is the problem with an ego; unless you can take rigorous critique, mentors will not be able to do very much for you. Gritting my teeth I set aside my pride and invite criticism. How else will I know what readers want? Some writers maintain that they write primarily for themselves. Well, good luck to them! 

A few other brilliant novelists have read my work and taught me lessons. I’m lucky enough to list Celia Brayfield, Stevie Davies, Deborah Moggach and Lindsay Clark among these. Then there are novelists who don’t know they are my mentors, and they are too numerous to list. Suffice it to say that to write well, you need to read widely, and all the time.

Karsten Diettrich, editor-in-chief (now retired) for the global Bertelsmann Group, took me under his wing when he made ICE TRAP the International Book of the Month with book clubs world-wide. He talked to me at length about Bloodprint (the title was his inspiration) and reviewed it several times, offering strong criticism and advice. I was still new to fiction-writing and very open to the guidance from someone with a whole life-time of experience. We speak often and he reads all my work.

BPM:  Where do you find your inspiration?My main inspiration is without doubt some of the experiences of my own outrageous family. In fact, it will be fodder for plots and characters for years to come. For example, in ICE TRAP I was able to disgorge bucket-loads of frustration, angst and bewilderment, because some of the bizarre things that happened to my characters, actually happened to me and my husband. I was truly empowered by writing about them, especially as ICE TRAP became a bestseller, and I turned adversity into a fantastic career.

In BLOODPRINT  I drew on the sadness and guilt I felt after the death of my sister. My sister’s difficult and tormented life was, in part, reflected in the character of Rachel.

I’m very inspired by nature and this comes across strongly in my writing. Trees have special meaning in all five of my novels. All the stories have exotic locations. BLOODPRINT is partly set in the tropical lushness of Key West and partly on the imposing Georgian streets of Bath, England. In ICE TRAP, the icy Arctic setting was almost a character in itself, and in CLOUD FEVER my hero battles his demons in the deserts of the Tibetan plateau. The novel I’m writing now is set in Gibraltar, a huge solitary rock, and an astonishing place of secret stories, underground tunnels and unusual people.

BPM:  Introduce us to your book Bloodprint. BLOODPRINT is a psychological suspense novel. The story centers around three women from different worlds whose paths are inexorably linked. Madeleine is an American psychotherapist who, after the death of her husband in a Florida hurricane, decides to move to the city of Bath in England where her parents live. Her father is a famous English painter, divorced from her Cuban mother, Rosaria, who is a Santera (a practitioner of a Cuban religion which has sorcery at its heart). Rosaria is a patient in a psychiatric hospital, and her delusions and predictions play havoc with Madeleine’s own sanity. Madeleine, in her quest to heal her life, is torn between her conventional father’s world-view and her mother’s ancient beliefs.

Rachel, a single mother with a tortured past comes to Madeleine for therapy, hoping to rid herself of the man who is her former pimp and the father of her son. Madeleine endures Rachel’s scornful attitude towards her as part of the psychotherapeutic process, but, increasingly wary of Rachel’s intentions and reasons for coming, she begins to imagine an impossible scenario. 

The increasingly complex relationship between Madeleine and Rachel soon begins to take a sinister turn and finally unleashes a terrifying series of events which neither woman could have predicted and neither can control. In their different ways, each woman seeks redemption for the crime that binds them. 

BLOODPRINT  by Kitty SewellPurchase books today!

BPM:  What was the most powerful chapter in the book?I’ll try and answer this question without spoilers. The first half of the novel maps the building of a relationship between the psychotherapist Madeleine, and her client Rachel. As time goes by, Madeleine becomes more and more suspicious about Rachel’s identity.

Concurrently to this process the reader gets glimpses of a back-story that explains how Madeleine could come to harbor these suspicions. In the climatic chapter, Rachel commits an unspeakable crime. It is done through sheer desperation, but also through a long build-up of rage. After the deed has been done, Rachel is desperately afraid, confused and alone. She doesn’t know what to do, where to turn, so she goes to the only person she can think of, her therapist.

But during the powerful confrontation which ensues between the two women, Rachel also divulges her true reasons for wanting therapy with Madeleine. She claims there is a debt to pay, and Madeleine has to deliver. From being a respectable professional, Madeleine finds herself embroiled in a grotesque cover-up, and with blood on her hands her life has changed for ever. 

BPM:  How will reading your book shape the readers lives? I think novels are written primarily to entertain, and it is verging on arrogant to assume that one’s stories can have any major impact on readers’ lives. Having said this, I have had scores of emails from readers, both questioning the premise of BLOODPRINT and telling me how they have been affected by it. I realize, almost in retrospect that BLOODPRINT, despite being a suspense/thriller type of novel, is quite a powerful story about the relationships between women. The issues of three generations of women come out in protest, pain, guilt, lust and fury, whilst this emotional battle plays itself out against increasingly disturbed and destructive behavior. Issues such as single parenthood, adoption, mental illness, human trafficking and prostitution are central to the novel, and if nothing else, I think readers might learn things they knew little about.

BPM:  How can our readers reach you online? Easy! You can go into my website http://www.kittysewell.com/  and access my contact details. I really enjoy receiving mail from readers and try as far as possible to answer them.

Intimate Conversation with Attica Locke

 In the tradition of Dennis Lehane and Greg Iles comes a powerful new voice in American fiction: Attica Locke delivers a brilliant debut thriller readers will not soon forget…With intelligent writing that captures the reader from the first scene through an exhilarating climax, Black Water Rising marks the arrival of an electrifying new talent. 

Attica Locke is a novelist and a screenwriter who has written scripts for Paramount, Warner Bros, Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, HBO Films and more. A graduate of Northwestern University, she was a fellow at the Sundance Institute’s Feature Filmmaker’s Lab.  Black Water Rising, her first novel, was nominated for a 2010 Edgar Award and a 2010 NAACP Image Award. She is currently at work on her second book.

BPM:  What makes you powerful as a person and a writer? Courage. I wake up every day not sure where the work will take me, scared that I won't have anything to say. And yet I still show up for it every day. Which is the same way I approach life. I'm often scared of the unknown, of what I can't see about my future, but I'm willing to show up to life every day. I live and write by faith.


BPM:  Who are your mentors? Where do you find your inspiration?You know the person I think of a lot when I'm writing? Lightnin' Hopkins, the Texas blues musician. His music is clean, simple and deeply moving. I want my writing to be like his blues - tough and melodic and full of raw beauty.


BPM:  Introduce us to your book, Black Water Rising.
Black Water Rising  is a murder mystery, following the character, Jay Porter, a low rent criminal defense attorney who was heavily involved in the civil rights movement in the late '60s and early '70s and now finds himself trying to transition from the political activism of his youth into the Reagan '80s - a time when the whole country and black people in particular had shifted our focus from political progress to economic progress. And along the way he has to come to terms with the demons of his past.

Jay Porter is hardly the lawyer he set out to be. His most promising client is a low-rent call girl, and he runs his fledgling law practice out a dingy strip mall. But he’s long since made peace with his path to the American Dream, carefully tucking away his darkest sins: the guns, the FBI file, the trial that nearly destroyed him.

Houston, Texas, 1981. It’s here that Jay believes he can make a fresh start. That is, until the night he impulsively saves a drowning woman’s life – and opens a Pandora’s Box. Her secrets put Jay in danger, ensnaring him in a murder investigation that could cost him his practice, his family, and even his life. But before he can get to the bottom of a tangled mystery that reaches into the upper echelons of Houston’s corporate powerbrokers, Jay must confront the demons of his past.


BPM:  Who were your favorites? Are your characters from the portrayal of real people?Well, Jay is certainly my favorite character in the book. He's not any one person in particular, though some facts of his life are similar to the details of my father's life. But he's more representative of my parents' generation - a group of people who, in their late teens and twenties, devoted their lives to political activism and then somehow had to find their way out of that when the movement ended.


BPM:  Finish this sentence- My writing offers the following legacy to future readers...
...a deep compassion and love for the choices and mistakes and small victories that make us human.


Black Water Rising by Attica Locke
Purchase books today!
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Water-Rising-Attica-Locke/dp/0061735868



Book Reviews for Black Water Rising by Attica Locke

"Black Water Rising is a near-perfect balance of trenchant social commentary, rich characterizations and an action-oriented plot..."   – Los Angeles Times


“Locke, a screenwriter with both film and TV credits (including a forthcoming HBO miniseries about the civil rights movement) steers a gritty drama to a satisfying end… Locke remains an author to watch.” 
– Publishers Weekly


“Locke expertly etches a portrait of her anxiety-ridden protagonist, and she animates the complex plot with the assurance of a practiced screenwriter...”  – Kirkus Reviews

Intimate Conversation with author Connie May Fowler

 New York Times bestselling writer Connie May Fowler is an essayist, screenwriter, and novelist. She is the author of five novels, most recently The Problem with Murmur Lee, and a memoir, When Katie Wakes. In 1996, she published Before Women Had Wings, which became a paperback bestseller and was made into a successful Oprah Winfrey Presents movie. She founded the Connie May Fowler Women With Wings Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding women and children in need. Connie lives in Florida.

BPM:  What specific revelation prompted you to write your new book, How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly?I was reading up on pre-Civil war Florida history and discovered that when Florida was a Spanish territory, women could be property owners and slavery was outlawed. But Spain and the United States signed an agreement that would change all of that. The Florida Purchase Treaty of 1819 guaranteed that the United States would lay claim to Florida in 1821. With a stroke of a pen and strike of a clock, suddenly all women and blacks would have their rights stripped away. That haunted me and I walked around with that kernel in my head for a few years before I sat down to write the novel, which takes place in 2006 but is populated with ghosts. 

BPM:  Take us inside the book. What are two major events taking place?The book tracks a day in the life of Clarissa Burden, a woman who wakes on the Summer Solstice with the knowledge that her life must change because she is wracked with spousal death scenarios and writer’s block. Concurrent with her story is that of Olga Villada. Villada and her family are ghosts, their souls unable to move on from the place where they were brutally murdered. Their stories converge, resulting in a startling and life-changing chain of events.

BPM:  What are some of the specific issues, needs or problems addressed in this book?Women’s issues, race, personal empowerment, marital relations, Florida history.

BPM:  Who do you want to reach with your book, How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly, and the message within?I think this book will have a broad appeal. The book, at its core, is about freedom—individual and universal—and it’s wrapped up in a story that is both comedic and dramatic. I think readers of many ages and races will identify with the struggles of Clarissa Burden and Olga Villada.

BPM:  How will reading your book shape the readers lives?One, I hope it will make readers laugh even amid a few tears. But if there is one message I want readers to gain, it’s that how easy it is for the course of history—the course of one person’s individual day—to go suddenly very, very wrong. There are bad people in this world—sometimes bad people have all the trappings of kindness—and they are capable of terrible things. So we have to be vigilant for ourselves and for one another. Casual prejudices and ordinary meanness can, in the blink of an eye, become lethal. So we have to learn to be pro-actively kind and relentless protective of our rights.

BPM:  What was the most powerful chapter in, How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly?I think that once Clarissa decides—in a fit of rage—to kill her husband, this book takes a major turn and all the chapters that follow are highly entertaining, shocking, and ultimately satisfying.

BPM:  Share with us your latest news or upcoming book releases.I recently wrote a story for Slate’s online women’s site DoubleX about how the Haitian earthquake has severely impacted their women’s movement. How Clarissa Burden Learns to Fly is now available nation wide.

BPM:  How can our readers reach you online?

My website is http://www.conniemayfowler.com/.  I blog at http://blog.conniemayfowler.com/ Readers can also follow me on Twitter and friend me on Facebook, where I’m very active.  There is also a Facebook fan page for How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly.  In March, in honor of Clarissa and those pesky spousal death scenarios that haunt her, I am launching the Clarissa Burden Postcard Project in which I will be asking readers to anonymously send me one secret they cannot tell their spouse or partner.  The secrets can be silly or serious, and will be posted on my website.

How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly

Purchase books today!http://www.amazon.com/Connie-May-Fowler/e/B000APTGUA

Intimate Conversation with author Iris Gomez

IRIS GOMEZ is the author of the novel TRY TO REMEMBER and of two poetry collections, Housicwhissick Blue (Edwin Mellen Press 2003) and When Comets Rained (CustomWords 2005). An award-winning writer, she is also a nationally-respected public interest immigration lawyer and law school lecturer. She was born in Cartagena, Colombia and presently lives in the Boston area.

BPM:   Iris, it was such a pleasure to meet you a few weeks ago! The book is beautiful. Take us inside the book. If she tries, Gabriela can almost remember when her father went off to work . . . when her mother wasn't struggling to undo the damage he caused . . . when a short temper didn't lead to physical violence. But Gabi cannot live in the past, not when one more outburst could jeopardize her family's future. So she trades the life of a normal Miami teenager for a career of carefully managing her father's delusions and guarding her mother's secrets. As Gabi navigates her family's twisting path of lies and revelations, relationships and loss, she finds moments of happiness in unexpected places. Ultimately Gabi must discover the strength she needs to choose what's right for her: serving her parents or a future of her own.

BPM:   What are two major events taking place?              
A major event that is happening is that Roberto is losing his mind, which is causing him to also lose his jobs, his temper, and his traditional place in the household. Another major event for Gabi is the discovery that she has lost her father.

BPM:   I so love this one review of your book. It speaks volumes:"Fresh and vibrant . . . I adored every single page." -- Mameve Medwed, national bestselling author of How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life and Of Men and Their Mothers

BPM:   Introduce us to the main characters of  TRY TO REMEMBER.

Gabriela (“Gabi”) is the main character – a soulful and generous Colombian teenager who is trying to help her bewildered immigrant family cope with her father’s growing mental illness without going crazy herself. 

Roberto (Gabi’s father) is a once proud breadwinner who now keeps losing jobs and has suddenly been given to fits of temper and episodes of mental unraveling that no one around him understands.

Evi is Gabi’s mother, a traditionally raised immigrant woman forced by circumstances into an uncomfortable head of household role she shamefully hides from her husband as he slips deeper into his strange illness.

Gabi has a trio of tíos, or uncles, who dutifully answer the family’s 911s, though not always so successfully, as well as two younger brothers, and a lively group of relatives, friends and romantic interests who pull Gabi back and forth between the competing norms of Latino and “American” culture & traditional versus modern ideals of womanhood – and who also make her day-to-day life interesting and even fun!

Last but not least, Gabi’s absent grandfather Gabriel, who appears to us only in letters he writes to her from Colombia, is an important symbolic character – when the threat of violence begins to grow in her immediate family, he becomes the emblem of hope in her safe though distant childhood.

 

BPM:   Who were your favorite characters? Are your characters from the portrayal of real people?I loved my fictional Gabi, whom I named after my own smart and charming daughter. The fictional Gabi shares some of my daughter’s qualities along with a little of the younger me, but the circumstances that unfold in the novel inevitably turn Gabi the heroine into her own person, and by the time I was done writing the book, I wanted her to be my best friend!  

Another favorite character I’d like to mention, if a place can be a character, is Miami, the novel’s setting, which is based on a real city, of course, and one whose history I was intrigued by, since I’d witnessed its transformation first-hand when I lived there. Like Gabi, Miami is just coming into its own, developmentally and culturally, during the course of the novel – the southern expansion that began during the post-war boom years has accelerated, and the population is growing and diversifying, until finally a sprawling multi-cultural and international cosmopolis rises up from its dusty roots in the South.
 

BPM:   What specific revelation prompted you to write your book?The initial questions that inspired me to want to write this book were personal and similar to those Gabi faces throughout the course of the novel: what does it mean to love in a traditional family? Can you love your family and yet be independent of them? Is “love” the same as loyalty?  Like Gabi, I was raised with a strong ethic of family loyalty that in some ways conflicted with the ethic of independence I perceived was necessary for a young woman to achieve career success in this country. In the novel, I try to explore these conflicts by dramatizing how far a girl might have to go in remaining true to her family, despite the difficult burdens they impose.

Thematically, I was also interested in the issue of mental illness, which touches virtually all families and cultures, yet remains one of the untold stories of the Latino community. In my book, I try to illuminate some of the cultural taboos that keep mental illness hidden and untreated in families like Gabi’s, as well as the external social forces that drive many immigrants, even legal immigrants, into isolation and away from government entities that could actually help them. 

Additionally, in dramatizing the practical effects of Roberto’s mental decline, I found a perfect context in which to explore the human dimension of one of the legal problems that has troubled me in my work as an immigration lawyer: the rule that keeps immigrants forever vulnerable to losing their “green cards” and everything they’ve built in the U.S., even when this has become their permanent home. 

BPM:   Who do you want to reach with your book and the message within?I hope the book reaches anyone struggling to love a difficult person, whether mentally ill or not – and the related message I aim to impart to them is that the effort itself is honorable and ultimately redemptive. 

I also hope to reach people who are interested in the ways each of us navigates a place for ourselves in this increasingly global, multi-ethnic and multi-racial world. One of the messages I hope the book imparts about Latinos is that the bonds of love which sometimes appear compulsory in our families can also be a saving grace, a strength.

BPM:   How will reading your book shape the readers lives?  In addition to being moved and enlightened by the novel’s big-picture dramas, I imagine readers will delight in getting to know Gabi and her unique, colorful world, and in going along on some of her adventures.   

BPM:   What are some of their specific issues, needs or problems addressed in this book?Dealing with a loved one’s mental illness can be an enormous challenge. The challenge is even greater when the illness remains untreated, as with Roberto’s in the novel. Gabi and her family make many mistakes out of pride as well as confusion as they watch Roberto deteriorate, but their mistakes are only part of the greater tragedy that in the end is no one’s fault.   

BPM:   What was the most powerful chapter in TRY TO REMEMBER?Some of my readers have said that the most dramatic chapter is the one in which the family conflicts come to a head (especially onto Gabi’s head!) and in which love is ultimately betrayed, but the chapter I personally find most powerful is the one with the hurricane – it’s my very humble homage to the magnificent hurricane scene in Zora Neale Hurston’s classic, THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD, which remains one of my all time favorites in literature.    

BPM:   What do you think makes your book different from others on the same subject?Many books address the immigrant experience, some of them about the plight of undocumented people and some of them exploring cultural collision. My novel differs from novels and memoirs I’ve loved about Latinas coming of age (e.g., When I Was Puerto Rican, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent, The House on Mango Street, Dreaming in Cuban, and others), since those focused on earlier or other Latino subgroups, and my book is about a girl forging her identity in the middle of Miami’s Cuban diaspora though she is actually part of a different diaspora, the Colombians, who’ve become the largest South American group in the U.S., according to census data. Gabi’s story explores the combined experience of being a newcomer with that of having a shared cultural identity – a feature of the new panamericanism that is shaping the cultural dynamics of the U.S.

My book is also different from others about the immigrant experience because it addresses a little-understood immigration problem: whether people who’ve been allowed to live in this country permanently and have families here should be subsequently stripped of their right to remain. In my novel, Roberto, a man with an untreated mental illness, commits a fairly run-of-the-mill offense that for a citizen would result only in a minor criminal punishment, but for an immigrant carries the double penalty of criminal punishment plus the threat of expulsion. Such deportations go to the core question underlying our larger public policy debate about immigration today: who really belongs here?

BPM:   How can our readers reach you online?

My web site is http://www.irisgomez.com/, and it contains a link to a dedicated email address I’ve set up especially for TRY TO REMEMBER readers. That address is: info@irisgomez.com  If anyone is trying to reach me in connection with issues that involve my immigrant rights attorney role, it may be best to contact me at my office (that information is also available on my web site.) 

 

Purchase books today!http://www.amazon.com/Try-Remember-Iris-Gomez/dp/044655619X

 

Book Reviews for Try to Remember

In this stunning debut novel, Iris Gomez offers a fresh and vibrant coming of age novel full of universal truths and dazzling particulars. The endearing Gabriela de la Paz must figure out how to belong to (and escape from) a family unhappy in its own way. As she translates the new world for clueless parents still stuck in the old, Gabriela is a character you’ll root for and grow to love. TRY TO REMEMBER is a book impossible to forget. I adored every single page. --- Mameve Medwed, national bestselling author of HOW ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING SAVED MY LIFE and OF MEN AND THEIR MOTHERS.

Gabriela’s story is truly lyrical, poignant, and smart, as compassionate and hopeful as it is heartbreaking. TRY TO REMEMBER is a novel you will never forget. --- -Jenna Blum, author of the New York Times bestseller THOSE WHO SAVE US.

Intimate Conversation with Tiphanie Yanique

Tiphanie Yanique is the author of  How to Escape from a Leper Colony. Her writing has won the Boston Review Prize in Fiction, a Pushcart Prize, a Fulbright in Creative Writing and an Academy of American Poet's Prize.  Her fiction has also appeared in Callaloo, Transition Magazine, American Short Fiction, the London Magazine and other places.  She is an assistant professor of creative writing and Caribbean Literature at Drew University. On January 1st, the Boston Globe listed her as one of the sixteen cultural figures to watch out for in 2010.

BPM:  What makes you powerful as a person and a writer?  Who are your mentors?Is the Tiphanie I think I am the same as Tiphanie who is presented to others?  I don’t know and so, I don’t know what makes me powerful.  But I have hopes.  I hope that my writing causes people to touch their beloveds more intimately, to venture beyond physical and emotional places of comfort with more bravery…that’s what my writing does for me, and if does that for even one more person I will feel magical! 

If I am more concretely powerful I would say that it might be in the classroom, as a teacher.  I tell my students that they’re gods and goddesses—creating characters and universes on the page.  I want them to be brave enough to reveal their own beauties and flaws, to learn to appreciate these things in all other people, even the ones they create.  I think writing, in itself, is incredibly powerful.  Even if it’s just writing for yourself, it’s affirming and reflective and even prophetic.  

I have been blessed with many mentors, but my first and everlasting mentor is my grandmother, who raised me.  She has always been a champion for my better possibilities.  She is a former librarian and an everlasting bibliophile.  There are always books around the house and so there are great readers in my family.  I’m not the only writer!  My husband recently asked me what my first important books were and I had no idea.  There have always been important books for me. That’s in great part because of my grandmother.


BPM:  What specific situation or revelation prompted you to write your book?The honesty is that it’s so many things.  One thing leads you to another and then another and then you’ve forgotten what the initial thing is.  Surely, every heart brake I ever had, every fall on the face I ever experienced informs the heart brake and fall that gets written in a story.  One of my favorite elements of a story comes from a song that has followed me and the Virgin Islands people for years.  The title for the story “Kill the Rabbits” comes from a calypso called “Legal,” which has “kill the rabbits” as a refrain.  The band, which has changed membership over the years, still exists under the name “Jamband.”  The lyrics ask about the purposes of culture. 

Should natives of the Caribbean dance in the street in a way that pleases tourists and makes for good pictures?  Or should natives dance in the street for their own pleasure, as a communal way to exercise self-identity?  The song demands that rabbits, those with “the tourists color” should be ignored, even removed from the revelry.  The song was banned when it came out and still causes controversy when it plays today…and still causes people to dance in the street.  I don’t want my story to answer the questions surrounding the song, but I would like to create more questions that we might each go on to answer for ourselves and communities.  This is a very political and, I hope, provocative issue in the writing, but if that was the single specific revelation the story would be a lot less full than it is.  Ultimately, I am interested in the human beings that live through the song.  The ones that dance in the street and the ones that watch.


BPM:  Introduce us to your book, How to Escape from a Leper Colony, and the main characters. Are your characters from the portrayal of real people?How to Escape from a Leper Colony is a collection of short stories, so there are many characters.  But even in the novel I’m now working on I have communities of characters. I like people and I like having many of them in my writing!  The characters that remain the most interesting to me are the ones that are still mysterious to me.  These are the ones I might return to, either for longer narratives in the future or just in my mind. Lazaro isn’t the main character in the story “How to Escape from a Leper Colony,” but I’m still curious about him.  He’s brave in his love for his friend Deepa and in his vengeance for his mother’s death.  I don’t quite understand him yet, but I like not fully understanding him.  I also admire Herman, in the story, “Kill the Rabbits.”  Her man is a bit provincial in his ideas of the Caribbean, but he is invested in learning.  When he fails he is devoted to his own contrition. 

Many of my characters are seeking belonging. Some seek this in another person, in love.  Others seek it in a physical place.  I think Herman and Lazaro do both. But if you asked me tomorrow to talk about the key characters, I’d probably list others!  My favorites depend on my mood!


BPM:  Take us inside the book. What are two major events taking place?Two major events in How to Escape from a Leper Colony are the bridge collapsing in “The Bridge Stories” and the church burning down in “The Saving Work.” You find out about these things early on, but the stories then take you to the characters impacted by the events. 

Both the bridge and the church represent the destruction of a physical entity that reflects something historical and intimate for the characters.  The bridge is supposed to connect the different islands to each other, making commerce flow more easily.  It’s opening is a major moment for Caribbean history.  The intimate moment comes when Margo walks on the bridge in search of her husband, whom she hasn’t seen in almost a decade.  The church is a place of refuge and power for the two women who are otherwise marginalized because of their interracial marriages.  But the story begins when Deidre arrives at the burning church to set up for her son’s wedding.  I really love finding places where history and intimacy meet.

BPM:  Who do you want to reach with your book and the message within?Everyone.  Old men who have lost the loves of their lives, young girls in St. John who didn’t know before that their experiences are worthy of examination, women in Korea who long to travel, men in Africa who love football, Feminists and womanists in South Carolina who haven’t met each other, humans anywhere from now and the future who love language and love the private joy of reading and the social joy of story telling. And myself.  I wanted to teach myself something; something about humans, something about language.  When I was in undergrad I was writing a novella that is now the novel I’m working on.  I was eager to finish it. When my professors asked me why, I answered that I needed to finish the project because I wanted to read it.

 
BPM:  How will reading your book shape the readers lives?  I hope readers of How to Escape from a Leper Colony will gain a greater consideration for the relationship between public history and our private realities.  I hope that the love scenes will make readers want to kiss their beloveds. I hope the books will makes an unbeliever go to church; make a believer question her belief. I hope reading each story will give readers opportunities for bravery in their own historical and personal spaces.

 
BPM:  What are some of their specific issues, needs or problems addressed in this book?I am interested in romantic love, though, I hope, not in a cliché or simplistic way.  I am also interested in things that seem mythical or magical.  Often in our society we play down faith or love as things to be suspicious of; things that make us weak or at least reveal our weakness.  I agree!  But I absolutely think that revealing weakness is the only true way to strength.  And I also think we must be suspicious of blind faith so that we might get to a more complicated faith that matures as we do. I hope How to Escape from a Leper Colony addresses the fear that comes in diving into love, the true magic in finding that love and the reality, I believe, that if we’re alive we are always searching for that magic.


BPM:  What was the most powerful chapter in the book?One of the most emotional sections for me to write is in “The International Shop Coffins.”  That story is told three times from the perspective of three different people who find themselves together in a coffin shop.  The two young girls in that story pain me every time they appear.  Their version of events is the one based on true events. What happened to them happened to two girls who went to my high school. They were also my students when I returned home to teach for two years.  I felt that I needed to write their story, but even as I wrote it I felt as though I was living it.  When I think of what happened to them I see their faces sitting in the classroom.  It’s frightening for me.

Readers have told me that other stories are the most powerful.  “How to Escape from a Leper Colony,” the title story, won a major prize while I was in graduate school.  I wrote the story fast and submitted it so sloppily that Junot Díaz, who called to me to tell me I’d won the Boston Review Prize, told me it was pretty amazing that I won considering all the typos.  In my mind the powerful thing about the story is its lushness.  One of my graduate school professors, Antonya Nelson, told me that “Canoe Sickness” was the most powerful story.  She said she appreciated the spare voice and the direct portrayal of the main character.  That’s the opposite of lush!  So much of what is considered powerful is subjective, I think.


BPM:  Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?I hope readers come to see the Caribbean as a place that is more than beautiful beaches and piña coladas or more than a place of poverty and marijuana…more than any of the clichés, but rather a place of human beings with full, complicated lives.

BPM:  What do you think makes your book different from others on the same subject?While there’s nothing new under the sun, I do think that this book is something close to brand new.  There really isn’t much fiction coming out of the Virgin Islands and getting outside attention. The most well known Virgin Islands fiction texts even in the VI are not by Virgin Islanders.  My perspective is among those that are presenting this part of the Caribbean completely differently.

BPM:  Share with us your latest news, awards or upcoming book releases.   The Boston Globe just reviewed the book and listed me as the writer to watch out for in 2010!  I’m so excited about that I put it in my bio.  Towards the end of last year “The Saving Work” was published in the “Best New African American Fiction.”  The book has been getting positive reviews. My first major book party will be in March at the Teachers & Writers Collaborative in New York City.  The book party in the Virgin Islands will be on March 19th at one of my favorite bookstores, Dockside Books.

BPM:  Finish this sentence- My writing offers the following legacy to future readers...I have no idea what legacy my writing offers. I hope readers will tell me. Whatever I say would be a desire and might be pompous or too humble.  But there is one sure thing I would like to offer. When I was in high school we didn’t read Caribbean authors, certainly not anyone from the Virgin Islands. The vast majority of people who visit the Virgin Islands see it as a place of beaches and rum heavy drinks.  They don’t see it as a place of literary or artistic value.  I hope my book contributes to an image of the Virgin Islands as a place worthy, not only of natural beauty but also intellectually cultivated beauty.  I want this not only for the visitors but also for Virgin Islanders.

How to Escape from a Leper Colony
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Interview with  Lucille O’Neal, Shaquille O'Neal's Mother

Lucille O’Neal  was born into a Christian home in Dublin, GA. She spent her childhood, adolescent years and early adulthood in the Central Ward of Newark, New Jersey. She often speaks of the spiritual foundation and lessons taught by her mother and grandmother as the source of her courage and inspiration for parenting. Lucille refers to them as two of the most humble and strong women she has ever known. As an active mother in the lives of her four adult children and a grandmother of fourteen, she takes her role of parenting and grand parenting very seriously!

In 1992 Lucille and her family moved to Florida where she contributed to the development of the SHAQ NETWORK as the Chief Operations Officer. She managed the day-to-day operations of the first official Shaquille O’Neal Fan Club until October 2003. In addition to the duties in her son’s organization, Lucille co-founded the Mother’s of Professional Basketball Players (MPBP) and served four years as executive secretary (1996-2000). She was very instrumental in the leadership and development of the organization’s goals and objectives. The MPBP was created to provide support to mothers whose sons and daughters were currently playing or had played in the National Basketball Association and the Women’s National Basketball Association. Since the organization’s inception the MPBP has endeavored to support the communities represented by the players and their mothers. Today she serves as the current President of this restructured organization; The Mother’s of Professional Basketball Players, Inc.

Lucille’s gratitude to God for His mercy, grace and abundant blessing on the lives of her family has motivated her passion to help others that are less fortunate. Her sincerity is evidenced by her involvement in numerous youth oriented and community projects. Lucille’s straightforward attitude and ability to adapt to any situation has equipped her with a tireless ability to serve. Whether chairing fundraising events like “Shaq’s Mama Said Knock You Out!” (an annual premier event featuring a variety of celebrity hosts, including Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Dennis Scott, to benefit The Odessa Chambliss Quality of Life Fund; named in memory of her Mother) or rolling up her sleeves to assist other organizations at the grass roots level, Lucille gives her all for the cause.

As a newly appointed Board Member of Orlando’s Ovarian Cancer Alliance and a new member of MD Anderson’s Council of Governors, it is evident that her commitment and devotion to others is conveyed through her extraordinary volunteer efforts (past and present) and her involvement with numerous charitable organizations. Lucille’s dedication to diverse causes underscores her heart for humanity. She has made countless contributions to various charities and continues to be an inspiration to many people, young and old.

After 30 years of raising two sons and two daughters, Lucille resumed her studies in an Adult Education Program at Bethune-Cookman University where she graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration (June 2003).  Most recently she completed her graduate program (Master of Arts in Organizational Management) at the University of Phoenix (March 2005).


BPM:   What makes you powerful as a person, mother and a writer? 
I believe the things that make me powerful as a person, mother and a writer is the fact that I lived the things I write about in my book!  Today I know who I am and I know what I am capable of. As you read the details in my book and it tells about portions of my life, it is clear that the story could have been anyone’s; however, in “Walk Like You Have Somewhere To Go” it tells my personal story. I learned throughout the years that sometime situations remain the same and the only thing that possibly changes is the name.  In my case it a powerful thing to know that I can walk it just like I talk it today!  I live the life I speak about and the publishing world calls it a memoir but I call it a testimony.


BPM:   Who are your mentors? Where do you find your inspiration?My first mentor was my mother Odessa Chambliss who passed away in April 1996.  She was the main one that helped me to see the good in every person.  Next to her was my grandmother Cillar O’Neal and our Pastor, Iola Hartsfield.  Although I did not know they were teaching me life lessons, I never forgot the things these women taught me about being a young lady and being a proud individual. Because of the spiritual instructions these women gave me a long time ago I have a foundation in the church.  My relationship with God today allows me to want to continue to grow and mature in the ministry.  My mentors today are the Mothers at my church and the First Lady.  They pray for me and encourage me to keep on trusting in God while I am in this special place in my life.  In addition to that, I get daily inspiration from bible scriptures and prayers which is what I use to encourage myself and start my days. In my home I keep positive plaques, photos, cards and anything that gives a positive message in eyesight.  My favorite plaque that inspires me says, “This is the day that the Lord has made...don’t mess it up!”

Walk Like You Have Somewhere To Go Lucille O'Neal (Author), Shaquille O' Neal (Foreword), and Allison Samuels (Collaborator)

From being an unwed teen mother and creating a stable home for her children, at times with the help of public assistance; to coping with her unexpected feelings of anger and resentment towards her son’s blinding success; to battling alcohol addiction; to making the painful decision to end a marriage of nearly 30 years, Lucille opens up in her memoir, WALK LIKE YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE TO GO, about the behind-the-scenes personal dramas and triumphs which have made her the determined, compassionate and resilient woman she is today.  “What’s most important to me is that young women today know they shouldn’t doubt God or their own abilities.  It is important for me to talk to them about this because I doubted both for so long, and I lost a lot of valuable time questioning my self-worth,” says Lucille.  “If I am able to prevent just one young person from having to spend any of her precious time or life wondering if she matters, I will have done my job.”


BPM:   Introduce us to the primary message(s) in Walk Like You Have Somewhere To Go.
To be honest there is more than one message, but the primary message I want to give and which allows me to share with the readers one very important fact; it is that we have all that we need within us to strive on  a daily basis and live a fruitful life!  That mental wealth state of mind I talk about in the book is a place where we all could be. Happiness does not primarily come from others it is ultimately coming from within all of us.  This book could fit into more than one category but I know that it fits well into the faith based genre since I call it my testimony.     Read a preview from the book here.

BPM:   Share with us a few life enhancing sections from Walk Like You Have Somewhere To Go.
In the book I talk about two periods in my life when my faith was tested.  Throughout these ordeals I learned how to depend on God for strength.  He allowed me to experience peace in the midst of a personal storm both time.  When I talk about it now it may sound like it was easy for me but it was a battle every day to keep my wits about me. There were days when I really thought I would break down…but God! Another instance was when I was able to see my dream of going to college become a reality!  Not only did I finish and accomplish a long time goal but I was able to achieve more than I ever imagined.  I encourage young people today to dream big and set no limits!  My life has been enhanced just by having to experience certain hardships and to look at me today you would never know that because I keep a smile on my face.


BPM:   What motivated you to publish this book now?
This has been one of my life long goals also and we all have a story inside of us.  For the past 18 years the public has known me as Shaq’s Mama and I do not mind letting everybody know that I have four children (Shaquille, Lateefah, Ayesha and Jamal) and 14 grandchildren.  My babies encouraged me to write the book and Shaquille especially helped me along with Allison Samuels who worked along side me and guided me through the entire process.  She is a true Godsend and helped me bring my story to life so the readers could understand it.


BPM:   Who should read this book and why?
I think everyone can definitely take something away from this book. Men, women, young people and anyone truly looking to find themselves. There is a message for everyone in my life story. But that said, I do feel women of all ages will be able to relate the most to my journey. Becoming a mother at such a young age is something that happens everyday and many young women feel so alone when this happens. I felt that same way at certain points before and after Shaquille was born, so this book, I hope, really speaks to women who feel that there’s no way out of a situation they’re in at the moment. I want to inspire them to keep on going because it does gets better.


BPM:   What issues in today's society do you address in the book?
A few issues that were swept under the rug during my childhood are still going strong in this time period.  Teen pregnancy, low self esteem, alcoholism, and divorce are all topics people deal with today and often just need to hear that others have fought the same battles and won. Teen pregnancy is a subject close to my heart because so many young girls face it and really need inspiration to keep on moving forward. That’s why it was so important to write the book because I had faced so many obstacles that I know other people face as well.


BPM:   What impact will this book have on the community of readers?
That’s a tough question because I can only say what impact I hope it will have and that is the attitude of never giving up no matter how hard times may be.  We as a community have experienced some truly difficult times for decades and it is so easy to give in to the negativity and heartbreak of our collective past. I’d like to think that my book shares with readers the meaning of hope, determination and patience. I fought so many demons over the years and it was only through the love of my family and the conviction of my faith that I was truly able to overcome and ultimately believe in myself. Our community has to do the same. Rely on the only thing our ancestors had to get them by---love and faith.


BPM:   What message in your book do you want readers to share with others?
As I mentioned, the main message is hope and I’d love for readers to pass that on to anyone they can. The importance of hope and determination can’t be overstated at any point and it’s so wonderful when we can inspire each other. You never know when just your words will change a person’s mood or perspective. 


BPM:   Before we end the interview, define SUCCESS. What part does GRATITUDE play in achieving success, in your opinion?
Success is feeling secure in yourself and the decisions you’ve made in your life. Success is being satisfied with who you are and how you treat others. That’s how I define success for me. Gratitude is being thankful for every blessing, every kind word and everyone in your life that you love and loves you back. Gratitude is waking up everyday and thanking God for another chance to do something good in his name.

Walk Like You Have Somewhere To Go  by Lucille O'Neal 
ISBN-10: 159555307X   |   ISBN-13: 978-1595553072