Thank you Keith for sharing information with readers!  -The SCBC, Inc.

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio.

Tell us your latest news?

My latest news is the imminent release of PRETENSES, my much anticipated novel about an extraordinary assassin named Coco Nimburu.

When and why did you begin writing? What inspired you to pen your first novel?

Actually my introduction to fiction writing came by accident. I was going to school to study psychology. I happened to be taking a literature course and a fiction course in the same semester. My fiction teacher encouraged me to continue a short story I was writing in my literature class and it became a 579-page novel. It was then that I realized I had something, but I wasn’t sure I could do it again. To me, one book doesn’t make you a writer. A true writer can write book after book.

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?

My writing and my life is influenced by three self-made men; Philosopher, actor, and martial artist, Bruce Lee; Fiery, self-taught, revolutionary, Malcolm X; Civil Rights Leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In each book I’ve written to date, readers sample the meal they served.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I don’t know that I have a specific writing style as I am a seat of the pants writer. In other words, I tend to make it up as I go along. It’s so much more fun for me that way. So, basically, I let the characters reveal themselves to me, which keeps it interesting.

What genre are you most comfortable writing?

So far I’ve written dramas and thrillers. I am comfortable with both. But, if I had to pick one and stick with it, I would choose the thriller because there are so many stories to tell. For example, I could writer Legal thrillers, FBI thrillers, Military thrillers, Political thrillers, et cetera. Dramas, on the other hand, will basically deal with relationships.

How did you come up with the title for your book(s)?

The idea came to me spontaneously at Union Station in Washington, DC, while I was waiting for Steven Spielberg's AI to begin back in the summer of 2001. At that time, there was a film with the same Sugar & Spice title, which I found intriguing. I took the title and constructed a story that took my breath away!

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Yes, there are several messages. But the reader has to look beyond the surface to get them. Most of them are too subtle for most readers to get. I would make the messages more obvious if I were writing non-fiction. People want to be entertained by fiction so that’s what I do for the most part. And every now and then, I slip something into the reader’s subconscious mind.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your life?

SUGAR & SPICE is purely fiction. I have often told new writers to learn how to make stories up before they tell their true life stories so that they know they can actually create a fictional world that has absolutely nothing to do with them or people they know. And in so doing, prolong their careers. I believe that if one can create one fictional world, one can create many. But, if a person tells their true life story and passes it off as fiction, they have not yet learned to create, which is well within their grasp!

What books have most influenced your life?

The Autobiography of Malcolm X. And Alex Haley’s Roots.

What are you reading now?

The Devil’s Tear Drop, by Jeffery Deaver.

What are your current projects?

PRETENSES will be released in June 2004. This is my favorite Phoenix Perry novel to date, but, I'm working on one titled SCARECROW, which has the potential to surpass PRETENSES. I'm also working on a political thriller titled THE WHIRLWIND. LITTLE GIRL LOST, a drama set in 1952 New Orleans, should be re-released early 2005 by Carl Weber's house, Urban Books.

Do you feel that the boom in AA writers is a fad or another renaissance?

I think the boom in black writers is neither a fad nor a renaissance, but, there is definitely a resurgence. The real question is this: How many published/self-published authors of African descent will be around ten years from now?

What are some of your aspirations as far as the writing profession?

My ultimate goal is to write screenplays as I am an avid movie fan and have been since I was 6 or 7. I used to live right down the street from a theater. I went to the movies every Saturday and stayed all day. I love movies and would like to see one of my books made, and be a major part of the script writing process.

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

Hopefully that will happen. There is but one name that comes to mind and that is Tee C. Royal, founder of RAWSISTAZ. Tee C was very instrumental in not only getting me notice by Zane and Strebor books, but she single handily spread the word about my work to anyone who would listen.

www.keithleejohnson.com

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