TELL US YOUR LATEST NEWS?

I am currently in the process of printing MAMA WAS DOWN WITH THE MOVEMENT for the second run, and I am extremely excited about this because it means that there is a demand for this work. I am also working on my second novel which is sort of a sequel to my first work. I am enjoying working with the characters, and watching them develop through this work even more. Although I am not focusing on all of the characters; the ones that I am focusing on are really growing.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

I am from Denver, Colorado.

HOW HAS YOUR ENVIRONMENT/UPBRINGING COLORED YOUR WRITING?

My environment and upbringing has been extremely essential to my writing. I don't think I would of ever became the person I am without all of the various experiences and surroundings. While I was growing up I spent a significant amount of time in Baton Rouge, La. with my grandparents i.e., the summers and holidays. So it was a very different world in comparison to where I grew up in Denver. My grandparents lived in an African-American community, and where I grew up in Denver was mixed (black and white).  Louisiana did not integrate until 1976, so there are still memories of comments and different stories. As for upbringing, I was raised in a very common southern way. You went to Sunday school and church on Sundays and education was a must. There were the ups and downs of course, my parents divorced when I was twelve. Even though money and options were very tight, I never saw it as a hindrance to my life. I just knew that I would have to travel a different path to make it. One thing my mother was adamant about was dreaming, and to do what you love. This raising actually linked directly to my dream to write. Because of my background, I was able to roll with the punches so to speak.

WHEN AND WHY DID YOU BEGIN WRITING?

I began writing and reading very young. I believe I was around four. My mother is an avid reader; she reads everything, i.e. magazines, novels, biographies. My father was in school and there were all of these books throughout the house. The covers were interesting, and I'd sit and stare at certain ones. I remember staring at Malcolm X on the cover of his autobiography and I would be in awe with the look of strength on his face with his fist raised high. What was inside fascinated me, also. We had a little library in the laundry room, so I'd always sit there and just pull books out. Mostly history since my father is a History Teacher, but I loved the books. I began writing poetry around seven. My mother would follow me around and collect them. Many times, she would be very impressed, or so she'd make me feel. (smile) I was very shy as a child and learned note writing in school and always had something to say. Always in trouble in elementary for talking, and I'd be telling the other kids stories. Although I was shy, if you got me started, it was over. When boys came into the picture, I was really shy, so I wrote letters to express everything and wrote poetry. It was like a comfortable habit.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST CONSIDER YOURSELF A WRITER?

When I finished MAMA WAS DOWN WITH THE MOVEMENT, and I have never second guessed myself again. Of course there was a process between the initial sit and begin, and as I went along the strong conviction of being a writer grew. I think I questioned if I'd write another novel, but when the work that I am working on now began to pour out; I fell in love all over again. I am most comfortable writing, and that is what has been scary. I've always kind of put my writing first.

DO YOU FEEL THAT THE BOOM IN AFRICAN AMERICAN WRITERS IS A FAD OR ANOTHER RENAISSANCE?

I do not think that there can be a fad, so speak in African-American writers. There have always been immense amounts of talent in African-American communities. I think that the talent was overlooked and now everyone is acting as if they are in shock that there are so many of us who write. I was blessed that I had my mother who was aware enough to notice my talent early. Even she did not know what route I would have to take to exercise this ability. She just pushed in the direction that made sense and that was education. Another Renaissance, I do not think so. I think that that part of History should stay as it is. Beautiful and exhilarating in its own right. How dare we the new writers bother something so precious. There is no comparison. The times were different as was the thought process. I believe that we have enough to make our own experience and a very beautiful one that can leave a mark. We have always been very diverse within our own communities, but now we are neurosurgeons and publishers and are holding these titles with a little more comfort. We are one, but we have changed the idea of all coming from the same background. It is no longer common for all African-American writers to know each other, or to be connected.

HOW DO YOU FEEL OVERALL ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING?

There are benefits in self-publishing, and honestly my experience has been very good. I self-published because writing has dominated my existence in a sense. I started writing seriously when I was 23, so I was very young. I studied Writing while attending Columbia University, and realized right away that writing was what I wanted to do. I also worked in film with the Graduate Students in School of the Arts, and I always heard the word independent. They were talking about independent films and there I was producing one not really realizing fully what I was doing. I just made it happen; especially when I really liked the Writer or Director's work. My mother also believed that I could print my own work. When my turn to produce for myself came up, everything just sort of fell into place. Organization is the number one key in self-publishing and my experience in producing films helped me with that. At first, I balked a lot and honestly I wasn't up to it. But after years of being rejected and graduating from college; it was time to know if I was wasting my time. I met a man while working my day job who called me for three years, constantly asking me to publish my work. My response was always I don't have the money, but on the last phone call like that I just said okay. To my surprise I made a phone call and had the money in a week. God said to do it and it has been good to me.

WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE OR MENTOR SOMEONE TO BECOME SELF-PUBLISHED?

Yes. There are many benefits to it. The only disadvantage is doing everything yourself. I did not have to use a distributor my first run, but I may this time. I'd like to have more time to write. I still do free-lance work to pay the bills, so you have to absolutely love the written word. You have to want to share your work, and let that be your strongest conviction along with persistence. I think these are some of the things that writers do not know. I love sharing my experience with other writers and hearing their stories because the common thread among us is always, I had to do this. Many famous writers self-published from Mark Twain to E. Lynn Harris, and how sad it would have been if we did not get to know them. You have to believe in your work before anyone else will, and writing is subjective. It is a journey, but it can be done.

IF YOU HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, WOULD YOU CHANGE ANYTHING?

I don't think so. I love writing to tie up loose ends and leave them in their place. I think everyone has something to change, but I try to accept as is. If I can change it in the moment that's fine, but if I can't I leave it. Writing was the toughest decision in my life. The isolation, the discipline and it just dominated everything for a while, but once I got a hold of my own way to balance everything out; I got a life. Actually, even just doing this interview makes me look back even now and say I wouldn't change anything. This is what I love.

NAME ONE ENTITY THAT YOU FEEL SUPPORTED YOU OUTSIDE OF FAMILY MEMBERS?

To be fair there are too many people to list, but the biggest entity that has supported me has been "life". Life makes me want to write, just watching it like a movie is amazing.