Dallas writer Cheryl Robinson, takes the time to answer a few questions for our project...

-SCBC, Inc.

Where are you from? I am a native Detroiter who currently resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I've lived in Dallas for just over one year and I love the area so much that I plan on making it my home.

Tell us your latest news? My latest news would be the completion and publication of my first novel, Memories of Yesterday as well as the development of my new website www.CherylRobinson.com.  The novel will be released on August 16, 2002. 

When and why did you begin writing? I started writing short stories at four with the assistance of my aunt. When I was ten, I wrote a poem and my teacher took me to the side and told me I had talent. That was the first time I was encouraged from an artistic standpoint so I can remember thinking then that I wanted to become a writer.

When did you first consider yourself a writer? I was in my junior year of college and I signed up for a fiction-writing course as an elective. I received an A with what I felt was little effort on my part.  I was just doing what seemed so natural for me, which was developing characters.  I entered a writing contest in college that same year with only two weeks advance notice. I wrote a manuscript that was comprised mostly of dialogue and I submitted it without making any revisions or even reading through what I had written. I managed to win a honorable mention and $25.  I think it was then that I said this is what I'm going to do someday.  I just never assumed that day would take fifteen years to arrive. 

Do you see writing as a long- or short-term career?  I see writing as a long-term career.  It's my passion.  It's not just something I'm doing for book sales.  When I sit down to write time flies and I feel at peace.

What do you do to set the mood for writing? I sit at my computer and start typing.  Even when I have a block, I force myself to write.  Even when it means I may come back the next day and delete everything I wrote the day before.  The best time for me is when I'm starting fresh on a blank page.  It's so exciting because it's the start of the creative process and I literally get goose bumps.

How do you feel overall about self-publishing? Overall I'm excited about it.  I look at it as mixing business with pleasure.  The business is publishing and the pleasure is my joy for writing.  The whole idea is to get your book in the hands of readers.  I write to be read and for my characters to be understood.  Getting published is difficult so self-publishing is the next best alternative and for some authors the only alternative they wish to explore.  Ideally, I just want to write full-time and leave all the business stuff up to people who are experts in those areas.  But for now I'm going to work hard at getting the word out myself and with the assistance of my family and close friends.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of promotion for self-published authors?  The strength would be that self-published authors control every facet of their book's development.  They select the editor, the book designers, etc.  But at the same time that can be a weakness because it can take away from your writing. Another weakness is distribution.  It can be very difficult to convince bookstores, especially the major chains to stock your title when you’re new, unknown, and self-published.  That's where target marketing comes into play and the support of African American bookstores, book clubs and readers.    

What are you reading now? I'm not reading right now because I'm writing.  When I write I can't read until I'm finished with my final draft.  But I'm so anxious to pick up a new book.  I'm almost finished with my second book so I'll hit the bookstore real soon and pick up at least five books to start.  I know for sure Eric Jerome Dickey's, Thieves Paradise is on my list. The other authors with new books that I plan to read in the near future are Bernice McFadden, Zane, Mary Morrison, and Michael Baisden and any new authors, especially self-published authors I will have to support. 

What new author has grasped your interest? Zane has grasped my attention for a few reasons.  She started off as a self-published author as I am and I think she did a great job marketing herself and her book.  I think her books generate a lot of buzz.  Also, I read her book, Addicted and loved it.  And the more personal reason is because I sent her an email asking about AAA-HA (African American Authors Helping Authors) and she replied right back, providing me with other useful information as well.  Mary B. Morrison did the same thing when I emailed her requesting information about self-publishing.  Mary's website is very informative for self-published authors and those interested in self-publishing.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? If I had to choose a mentor, I would say Terry McMillan.  While I support all of the African American writers, I would have to say in my opinion it was the success of Terry McMillan's books that opened the doors for so many black writers today.  When I read my first Terry McMillan book, I honestly believed I too could write.  I stopped trying to be Maya Angelou or Toni Morrison.  My style will never come close to theirs, but I still have stories to write that I hope readers will enjoy.

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members. My first form of support has come from The Sistah Circle Book Club.  You responded immediately to my email, posted my book cover in your new release section and told me about the online interview.  I just felt welcomed, and I'm not just saying that, I truly mean it.

What are your current projects? I usually write two books at a time.  Usually when my book is with my editor and I know it's going to be there for eight weeks, I start on my next book. My current project is a novel entitled, When I Get Free.  It is based on the real life events of an ex-con recently released after serving ten years for drug trafficking.  I am very excited about this project to say the least. 

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?  When I started writing, Memories of Yesterday it was right after my brother's death and the September 11th tragedies the week prior.  My message is that no matter how bad our past was we must not become prisoners of it.  We don't have to forget it, but we must forgive it in order to live a better today.  I have many past issues that I will never be able to forget, but I have forgiven each one of them.