In "A Blessing and A Curse" Malika has the life every woman wants, a
hard working husband who makes it happen financially; kids, both adopted as well
as biological; her career as an artist with partners who own an art gallery;
nice house, nice neighbors and the gift of foresight.
Malika couldn't ask for much more, until her gift of sight and infrequent
ability to read minds opened her up to her husband's disgust, followed by his
uncaring desire to leave her. She can't figure it out, what has gone wrong? But
a well needed vacation helps her find her worth but to what detrimental end?
Malika finds a different type of groove in her story, A Blessing and A
Curse.
Intimate
Conversation with Andrea Clinton
Hosted by BAN Radio Show
Previously an English teacher and high school principal, Andrea Clinton
is a Novelist, Poet, Essayist and aspiring Screenwriter and Filmmaker. Andrea is
a Montclair State University Graduate, who's achieved a degree in English, Film
and Journalism. She's the founder and CEO of the non-profit organization, People
Helping People, Inc., whose mission is to help citizens become independent and
self-sufficient; Andrea is Editor in Chief of AMISTAD newspaper and magazine;
and is presently working on a biography and screenplay featuring her uncle, Rock
and Roll Hall of famer, George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic and the Clinton
family.
Struck with Lupus in 2002, Andrea decided that if she were blessed to live, she
would bring her countless stories into fruition by publishing them for the world
to read. Her first novel is one of five in the first volume of, "Life Knows
No Bounds." Andrea began this chronicle to exhibit to the world and address
through fiction, the many directions life leads us in, regardless of which class
we belong to. Andrea also set out to express to the world that life isn't after
anyone in particular, it just doesn't know boundaries.
With the goal of helping people to understand and accept life, Andrea is said to
write with that same creative gene and knack that made her uncle George Clinton
the musical great that he is. See her many book reviews that support Andrea
Clinton as a creative and entertaining great writer on the rise.
BAN: You have overcome many obstacles in life, how do you stay focused and
keep writing? Do you have days when you just want to give up writing?
Many. In fact, it’s the reason I’m just now publishing. I had heard so many
horror stories about the book industry that I ran like a chicken for many years,
sharing my stories in magazines and newspapers as well as with friends. Even
when professors encouraged me to send my work out to authors I wouldn’t
because it seemed too cut-throat and I wasn’t up for the task. After all the
research I did and an agent who seemed rough around the edges, I just did away
with the thought. But, when I was struck with lupus in 2002, I regretted having
10 or more year old stories that received rave reviews, but were all packed in
trunks and storage boxes. It was too heavy on my mind as I lay sick that I never
published, nor attempted to. All this, while laying and worrying about dying
from lupus. So when I was well, a publicist I’d consulted with at that time
said with having lupus and being fearful of not having the time to live to
publish my finished books, I should self publish. Thus, the 1st book in the
“Life Knows No Bounds series.”
BAN: Do you have any favorite authors or books?
Sure, J. California Cooper, she’s outstanding. I started out writing stories
like the ones she writes, with the same aim to enlighten others about previous
goings on in the south and things they forget about. I also love Terry McMillan,
Alice Walker, Michael Baisden and Eric Jerome Dickey. Other Books in African
Literature.: Mother To Mother, Mema, and Devil On The Cross.
My literary muses are, and I say it proudly, Richard Wright who made me want to
tell my story; and my favorite author, J. California Cooper who pushed me to complete
my first short short story after I read family. Charles W. Chestnut who was the
first African American realism writer in the 1800′s, he shed light on
slavery from a different angle; and Charlotte Perkins Gilman who wrote, “The
Yellow Wallpaper” after experiencing some mental health issues and felt the
condition and the treatment of women needed to be exposed so male doctors at
that time could stop treating women as if they were insignificant and limp. They
make me not just want to write, but they make me want to blast off in the
literary world! They are my Duracell batteries... my muse.
BAN: Name three people who inspire you and the community.
Dr. Cornell West because he’s attacking issues. He knows we sleep and he’s
right there in the trenches with that gong in our ears saying, “Wake up! See
what’s going on around you!? Look, it’s right there.” He’s really
giving us the 411, and often times many others when he’s on shows like Bill
Maher.
Monique, because she is truly one of us and showed us when she was doing
comedy shows, on Apollo, telling plus size ladies to love themselves and she
even took it to a TV show and a movie. Then topped herself by winning an Oscar
and topped that with a TV show where she’s putting the spotlight on others and
helping them promote their projects. Monique is good people and we need that.
Also, whether people realize it or not, I believe Russell Simmons inspires us.
In the front of our mind we may not give it too much thought but, you see a man
who came from the same neighborhood we everyday folk come from, where he made it
from scratch and still moving ahead, it makes you want to get back up when you
fall down; he delivers hope just by doing his own thing.
BAN: How did you start your writing career? Who influenced you the most?
I think I knew I wanted to be a writer when my grandmother, a teacher who
specialized in Early Childhood Education, gave me books to read to her at around
six years old. After each story I read, I began to sit and tell her stories. So
one day she gave me a pencil and paper and said, "Here, sit down right here
and write your story." I did, and a few years later when I was reading a
play for homework, she introduced me to writing plays. Experiencing those
different ways to tell stories, I knew at that point I was going to be a writer.
BAN: What do you want to accomplish as a writer?
My plan is to do a lot with my writing. I have a few screenplays I’m holding
out until I get a few books published. A few of them I wrote with Queen Latifah
in mind, our families know one another. I would like to do a few screenplays for
Latifah, Sean Blakemore and Treach and a few others such as: Jada Pinkett-Smith
who I fully support; Will Smith in his Sci-Fi adventures; and Laurence Fishburne,
Robert Dinero and Al Pacino, all of whom I admire, and many more. Also, I would
like to bring some of my books to life in screenplays and stage plays.
BAN: Tell our readers about Life Knows No Bounds
Series latest release
"A Blessing and A Curse."
In "A Blessing and A Curse" Malika has the life every woman wants, a
hard working husband who makes it happen financially; kids, both adopted as well
as biological; her career as an artist with partners who own an art gallery;
nice house, nice neighbors and the gift of foresight.
Malika couldn't ask for much more, until her gift of sight and infrequent
ability to read minds opened her up to her husband's disgust, followed by his
uncaring desire to leave her. She can't figure it out, what has gone wrong? But
a well needed vacation helps her find her worth but to what detrimental end?
BAN: What's the best literary advice you would offer other writers?
"Keep writing until you find your voice, and realize some people spend a
life time never finding theirs."
BAN: Do you have any upcoming projects that we can look forward to?
Yes, Clinton Family Ain’t No Robinsons, which is a biography I’m working on
for my uncle George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic. Also, a few more novels
from the Life Knows No Bounds chronicle: A Blessing and A Curse; Where Do We
Go From Here; One Man is Smoke and The Other is Fire; Notes & Messages,
and a few non-fiction books: Death of my Other Half; and, Why Men Aren’t All
Alike & How to Deal With Them. I innovated on a few of these books so things
aren’t so typical-usual.
BAN: Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your
novel?
I would like to say to the money grubbing gold diggers, especially those
aspiring to wear this title like a tiara, to please take note of the gold
diggers in this book. They used men for money or played mind games with men and
look at where it got them. The examples in the book were the bare minimum of
what really happens when people find they’re being played for their hard
earned money or that their feelings are being toyed with. I plan to further the
goal of enlightening you of the consequences and repercussions of a money
grubbing gold digger in a novel titled, "Tracy," one of the characters
in this novel. Due to our insufficient-dependent women out there who like to
gamble with their life using and toying with men, this book is necessary.
To those who want to know the history of Islam here in America, I offer you
another view in this novel. Although the characters and details are fictitious,
the tragedies, issues, hardships and interruption of the Muslims of that time
period are factual. What was developed to give a sense of direction and self
worth was strategically ripped apart and many many Muslims went astray.
Andrea Clinton
is a novelist, poet and essayist, and aspiring screenwriter/filmmaker. As a Montclair State University graduate, she
possesses a degree in English, Film and Journalism. She’s the founder and CEO of the non-profit organization, People Helping People; worked as Editor in Chief of AMISTAD newspaper,
in New Jersey; and is presently working on a biography and screenplay featuring the life of her uncle George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic and the Clinton family.
BPM: Finish this sentence- My writing offers the following legacy to future readers...
Realness with an understanding that: Our upbringing/what and how we're taught, our environment, innate qualities that we get thru genetics or are God given, instincts and drives such as Self-preservation and Desires all play a role in how we turn out, how we think and the decisions we make. We have to look at all of these things and decide who we will be, hopefully enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong.
BPM: Introduce us to your new book, Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You
More.
The book is about Alisa, a money grubbing gold digger who's following in the foot steps of the older girls who came before her. She's got several men thinking she's their woman, and when one drops her off at home, another picks her up.
She has gold, diamonds, money and more, but when her family gets on her case about the trouble it's causing, Alisa decides to get her one man with riches to take care of her, thus Omar.
Omar has his own issues trying to stop hustling drugs and going back to being the Muslim he grew up as without the street troubles, but when he and Alisa come together, it's like clash of the titans and he loses his focus. Then, Hell erupts in, "Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More."
BPM: Introduce us to your main characters in
One Who Loves You More.
Alisa is the main character and she is a hand full. She's not too long out of high school and acting a fool. She thinks she's grown but has much the behavior of a young minded girl in a woman's body. She shares her mind set with you but this doesn't make her inviting. She is who she is, young and dumb. But, you couldn't tell her that because she is head strong in what she feels, but is always contradicting herself with her behavior and her tongue lashes that cut like a knife. She doesn't want to face that she loves Omar because in her mind, she's still a gold digger; no strings attached and still tries to wear this title like a tiara.
BPM: Who were your favorites? Are your characters from the portrayal of real people?
Omar was probably my favorite, he and Man-Man; I loved their friendship and dedication to having a true and real friend. I made them alike so that they would appreciate that about themselves. Omar is like most of us, succumbing to his environment but knowing he can do better and wants to do better, but stuck in the game because it's all he knew for over 10 years or so. Man-Man seems so “street” you think he just doesn't care, but, he wants peace, just doesn't know how to get it, feels trapped and never shows what he's really thinking or feeling. But they both accept where they are and have each others back while there.
Man-Man is much like my brother Salaam, he's dead - was murdered. You could never know when he was up to something or not because like Billy the Kid, he always had this little laugh or smirk. When Omar is mad, he bites down on his jaw bone and you see the veins in his head pop out, but when Man-Man is mad, he does this little giggle, like, "humph - hmm hmm!"
Omar, I created from a character I felt I could see my friend Sean Blakemore play. Sean is an actor who played in "Motives I & II" with Vivica Fox and "Restraining Order" with Robins Givens. I always wanted to make this book into a play and maybe even an HBO or SHOWTIME (or some other cable channel) series. So, I tried to envision Sean as Omar, especially since he inspired me to add more male characters and said he was down to play the role.
BPM: What makes you powerful as a person and a writer? Who are your mentors?
I would say as a person, Islam humbles me and any power I feel should probably be interpreted as blessed. As a writer, my professors back at college who helped me to think of the type of writer I wanted to be and if I wanted to be put in a little box or write creatively in many genres, they are my mentors. A good professor shows you paths and gives you one to grow on; they should mentor. My mentors are my professors I listed in my book and people I barely met like Whoopi Goldberg who graduated from Montclair State University with her masters when I graduation with my BFA. The words she spoke reminded me of the obstacles to come and helped me to set my mind straight to continue full steam ahead and not listen to naysayers, and as she emphasized, "Know that they are coming."
BPM: What specific situation or revelation prompted you to write your book?
There were too many young girls out there using men for money. Like the main character, they use men so much it's almost a form of prostitution, but they don't see it that way as they may never have sex with these men, just use them for what they can get from them.
BPM: Take us inside the book. What are two major events taking place?
I would like to say, when Alisa and Omar decide there is definitely something there, and speak to each other with their eyes just after he gave her his leather trench; and a cross between when he addresses her about another guy and/or when they have it out at her house. I say that part because it reminds me of so many relationships where we allow our emotions to make us stubborn and hide how we really feel, and we end up not giving in to our mate and are left sad and alone.
BPM: Who do you want to reach with your book and the message within?
All the girls out there using men for money like it's a profession. They need to know the dangers of such Ways of life. I could tell you some despicable situations women have gotten themselves into messing with men in such fashions.
BPM: How will reading your book shape the readers lives?
It will give young girls something to think about. The book challenges girls to consider getting an education; get your own money instead of using men for their money and suffering what there is to suffer, because, there is a price to pay.
BPM: What are some of their specific issues, needs or problems addressed in this book?
I guess using men for money is a quick resolve to being poor or getting the things they want. With sex so free - for - all these days, some of them look at it like a quick harmless gain if they do partake in sex for money. But majority in this new game they play are not having sex with these men they make their mark. They instead make the man think they're his woman, and then get that money, jewelry, credit cards, etc. And it's dangerous because these men REALLY think these girls are their woman, their mate.
To top it all off, the girls have rules also. Three, four or six months tops. Then, they find some ill excuse to drop them and get a new sucker. Because there was no sex involved, meaning he waited on her, a lot of the men take it personal and feel played and some have been known to be dangerous.
BPM: What do you think makes your book different from others on the same subject?
I don't know; I think I might, might help the reader experience the characters instead of just reading about them and saying, "Oh, that Omar is something else" or "Alisa is a trip." Because Alisa has a lot of crap with her; she's no walk in the park. But the readers will experience her and what she's going through even when they don't agree with her or understand fully what the heck she's doing or her motives. Omar, you can't help but love him, and I did that on purpose. He's much like my brother, he and Man-Man in the sense that they are lovable people, but out there doing wrong, and you hope they get it together before it's too late. For my brother, it was too late; let's see how it goes with Omar or Man-Man.
But you don't just read this; you feel this in your chest at times. I've had some tell me as they read the chapters, they went through so many emotions from chapter to chapter and sometimes from page to page. That's the Realism genre. Real stuff making you feel mad, glad, happy or sad for the characters. Naturalism stems from Realism and Naturalism, which is the basis of the book, shows the character's self-preservation/greed drive, hustling and their desires via their attraction to one another throughout.
And, the reader feels it, gets goose bumps or chills, and is excited to move on in the book hoping Alisa get's hers, hoping Omar get's a grip. But it's all thru the emotional aspects of the novel, not just the words on the page. I believe it's heart felt and how I arrived there, or so I've been told, was, I wrote it with the flow of a soap opera in my head. I took myself through all of that drama just to appease my readers.
BPM: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
Enlightenment; enlightenment on the dangers of playing around with people's emotions, etc. When you put the book down, walk away feeling like, "What? Wow! That's an aspect I haven't heard of, thought about, seen in a while, etc."
I want them to feel like they gained something that can help them or help them, help someone else. Really, I want them to sit as many young girls/women down and like they used to say in the '70's, "Tell 'em like it is!"
Let them know feelings are precious and not to be taken lightly. Get your own! Get a degree; get a trade.
BPM: Share with us your latest news, awards or upcoming book releases.
We're about to launch our newspaper again, this will help us to contribute to supporting the hard working authors, artist, actors, and so on, as well as keep our community up on the news around the world. I think the reward right now is to be exposed to so many opportunities. I think I'll be even more rewarded when I began speaking engagements, speaking to the youth and young girls and women about this new trend.
Upcoming releases: There's the second book in the "Life Knows No Bounds" chronicle titled, "A Blessing and A Curse," then there is a non fiction book on Writing. So many students in high school and college are having a hard time writing properly; scoring low on SAT's and essays and research papers in school. So, I want to shed light on that. I have a writing component I used with my students and they still email me today saying
Thank You because it helped them with their college writing. Those books will be forthcoming in the Spring season 2011.
BPM: How can our readers reach you online, Andrea?
The readers can connect with me in various ways. My website is the best way to find out more information, but I will list several
modes of reaching me.
According the popular website *Renaissance Women Foundation,
"A renaissance woman is someone who sets her own agenda for personal achievement and will not allow herself to be manipulated or intimidated by self-proclaimed spokesmen."
She understands that she has been created for such a time as this and embraces her destiny as a challenge and not a curse, no matter what her personal circumstances. She is a winner not a whiner, a leader not a follower, a victor, not a
victim."
Meet our Renaissance Woman, Andrea Clinton. Andrea Clinton is a novelist, poet and essayist, and aspiring screenwriter/filmmaker. As a Montclair State University graduate, she
possesses a degree in English, Film and Journalism. She’s the founder and CEO of the non-profit organization, People Helping People; worked as Editor in Chief of AMISTAD newspaper,
in New Jersey; and is presently working on a biography and screenplay featuring the life of her uncle George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic and the Clinton family.
Andrea can remember telling stories as far back as eight years old when she and her younger sister would lay in bed at night waiting to fall asleep. She remembers this gift maturing as she went to summer camp where telling stories around the camp fire and in the cabin with cabin mates was a ritual. In grammar school Andrea’s grandmother, Dorothy Louise Carter, introduced her to playwriting. She says it was hard to concentrate in school because she would always be writing plays, on paper and in her mind.
In 1984, Andrea began writing stories and poems about young girls and their trials and tribulations. Since her teens, Andrea has been writing and storing her stories. In 1990 however, there was a fire at her home and some of her work was ruined. But that didn’t stop Andrea; instead, it encouraged her to write more. In 1994, Andrea continued this by writing her first novel, Mary Mary, which is still under construction. The novel is an ode to all of her grandparents and others who migrated up north from the south. After her first novel, Andrea dabbled in poetry, learning styles she was unfamiliar with.
As a Journalism major, in 1998, Andrea began writing for Union Counties’ The Scroll newspaper.
She’s held the positions of journalist, news editor, layout editor, roving reporter and editor in chief. It was here that Andrea began thinking of starting her own newspaper to continue speaking to the public. She also began a non-profit organization which strives to help citizens become independent and self sufficient through big sister/big brother programs, drug intervention, counseling, and other services.
In 2002, Andrea was struck with Lupus. Feeling she was on her death bed, with no gumption, she had no feeling to write; but with the 103 fever, a story plagued her mind. Once given appropriate medication, Andrea began to feel better and one of the first things she did was to write. The story the fever drudged up was When It All Went Down, which is a story about a terrible thing that happened to the earth, and set man back centuries.
Andrea achieved her degrees in Journalism, English and Film. Since then she’s been working diligently with her non-profit organization, writing poetry and short stories.
Having left, The Scroll, newspaper, in 2005, Andrea was about to start her own newspaper when she met the owners of AMISTAD newspaper, New Jersey. Soon after, Andrea became the Editor in Chief and assumed the responsibilities of generating the newspaper for public review.
She contributed articles as a journalist, short stories and poetry as a creative writer. Her fictional short stories will soon be combined into two short story books she’s started, with a focus on men and women’s points of view, issues and their plights.
Today, Andrea is bringing the novels and stories she wrote into fruition. Her first novel is one of five novels in her first volume of the Life Knows No Bounds series. She started this chronicle because she wanted to address through fiction the many different directions life takes, in and effort to show readers life isn’t after them in particular, it just doesn’t know boundaries.
Life Knows No Bounds
Virtual Book Tour
One Who Loves You More
Virtual Book and Blog Tour with author Andrea Clinton
Tour Dates: September 1- October 1, 2010
Coming to a blog or social network near you
Join the virtual book tour at your favorite site or blog by visiting the links below and leave your questions or comments
about the content. Author Andrea Clinton and Ella Curry of EDC Creations would like to thank each of you for supporting new authors and
for allowing African American literature to grow.
Purchase the novel, One Who Loves You More, as gifts for your family and friends. Give the Gift of Knowledge 365! Shop for books today: Black Pearls Magazine Bookstore, click here.
View a digital excerpt from Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More by Andrea Clinton and leave your comments in the section below the presentation.
Click the "Full Screen" button on the widget to view clearly. Can't view the book excerpt widget, click here today. Enjoy!
1.Book Launch Party on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 9-10 pm EST
Black Authors Network Radio Show, host Ella Curry
Readers, call into the show at 646.200.0402 to join the party
Join the us in the BAN Radio chatroom: www.blogtalkradio.com/Black-Author-Network
Thank you for supporting new authors and EDC Creations Media Group Virtual Book Promotion!
This blog tour was brought to you by Ella Curry, the Black Authors Network Radio Show and EDC Creations Media Group. You can find out more about the book tours by visiting: http://www.edc-creations.com
Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More by Andrea Clinton
•
Alisa is a money grubbing gold digger who sashays through her days wearing this title like a tiara. Feeling life’s all about the expensive gifts and money a man can give her, Alisa follows the steps of her mentor and basks in the glory of using men, until she stumbles upon Omar.
• Omar is an African American Muslim trying to fight his demons and find his way back to the Islamic life he knew as a child. Distraught over disagreements that divided the Muslim community a decade prior, where many Muslims became victim to inner city chaos, Omar became a product of his environment and is at the head of that chaos.
Tired of hearing her mother rant and rave about her gold digging ways, Alisa decides to take her great grandmother’s advice, "Always get a man who loves you more than you love him." Stumbling upon Omar in his brand new Cadillac, Alisa decides to make him her man, or rather, her victim, or will the tables turn? Hell erupts, splatters like geysers, while skeletons and bones fly out closets in, Life Knows No Bounds, “1 Who Luvs U More.”
Author Andrea Clinton: What impact will this book have on my readers?
Readers will learn about a very overlooked profession on the rise, "Gold Digging." They'll get to see that there's more than what meets the eye when women toy with men's emotions and use them for their hard earned money.
Alisa Speaking: My Plight
Some would say I was ungrateful, and I guess to a degree I was. But more than ungrateful, I was blind, too blind to see straight. Even now I can’t see what it is I should’ve done. I just know what I shouldn’t have done. And I know I wasn’t happy. I was unhappy with myself, with what was going on, and it was the unhappiness that drove me. It drove me to do things, drove me to where I am today, nowhere, with no one. Just sitting here playing the song,
I know how it feels to be lonely by Morgana King, in my head, over and over and over again.
I was a mental-mess, and I mucked things up really bad, and now they can’t be fixed. Forgive me if my story’s scrambled, but how else can I tell it when my mind is scrambled. So, when my story sounds twisted, shaky, and unclear at times, just know, so is my mind. Why else would I be sitting here talking to a Greek statue of a white woman with cellulite thighs, barely any clothing and no pupils? Yes, I’m really messed up in the head, and my nerves are shot. But that’s how it is when you see yourself as a casualty, and the world deems you the antagonist. ###
"Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More," Andrea Clinton's first installment in the LIFE KNOWS NO BOUNDS chronicles, is a harsh realistic portrayal of urban love and life in mid-1980's New Jersey. Alisa, a boastful, self-proclaimed gold-digger, finds herself lost in a world of love and conflict as she tries and fails to apply her great-grandmother's wisdom to her complicated love life.
Alisa is well known in her hood for her selfish, gold-digging ways. Despite aggressive warnings from her family, she has mastered the game of getting a man for everything he has and gracefully moving on to the next. But when she hooks up with Omar, she soon realizes that she has entered into a game that she is ill-equipped to play.
Omar, a young, sexy hustler from around the way, knows what it takes to get Alisa's attention. He uses his flashy car and genteel manners to lure her in, but he has so much more in store for her. They start a tumultuous love affair that's riddled with gun fights, jealousy, expensive gifts, explosive arguments, and Alisa's spoiled rotten attitude. When Alisa's antics push Omar to the limit as he struggles with the conflict of his religion and his love for her, the future of their relationship is gravely threatened. "Always get a man who loves you more than you love him", the powerful last words of her dying great-grandmother which Alisa vowed to follow. When she finally understands the meaning of those words, it may be too late, as she comes dangerously close to losing what she fought so hard to gain.
With Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More, Andrea Clinton has created a dynamic urban love story, decorated with realistic dialogue and hard-hitting pragmatism. The story was compelling and the characters were vibrant. Although Alisa was a spoiled brat with an ugly attitude, I found her to be relatable and worthy of my empathy. I felt Alisa's and Omar's struggle until the very end and found myself
rooting for them despite their flaws and troublesome relationship. Life is no fairytale and Clinton has colorfully portrayed that truth through this novel. I was able to thoroughly enjoy the read. I recommend this novel for those looking for an explosive urban love story with a realistic perspective.
--- Reviewed by Monique D. Mensah, The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
About The Author:
Andrea Clinton is a novelist, poet and essayist, and aspiring screenwriter/filmmaker. As a Montclair State University graduate, she
possesses a degree in English, Film and Journalism. She’s the founder and CEO of the non-profit organization, People Helping People; worked as Editor in Chief of AMISTAD newspaper,
in New Jersey; and is presently working on a biography and screenplay featuring the life of her uncle George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic and the Clinton family.
Readers
Guide Questions: Life Knows No Bounds:
One Who Loves You More
1.If Alisa was your niece or little sister in the crux of all that happened in the story, what advice would you give her or how would you scold her if that is your
preference?
2. Is it comprehendible that Alisa's age and immaturity in life and inexperience with having one man in her life, is the reason for her behavior towards Omar?
Or do you think that her behavior is a direct sign of her personality?
3. When Omar pops back up after taking a break for a few days, Alisa and the dude are in front of Shakirah's
building, did you catch any feelings about the spot that Alisa put that man in or see how these women's actions involve or could endanger other people?
4. Omar was outside, and Alisa's brother Man-Man was holding him back, Omar yelled to Alisa, "Stop trying to play me out...I'm not no
sucka. I'm a
man." How did you feel about him, her or the other characters who found themselves caught in the middle?
5. Was Kareemah proper for taking matters in her own hands, after Alisa had done so much mental harm to her brother?
List of the major talking points
and discussion questions from the book
1. When Alisa and Omar had the short dialogue when leaving the club and at the end when they spoke with their eyes.
Did you sense a immediate connection or was it more like "game recognizes
game?"
2. When she departed from him at the pool hall and it intrigued him to no end.
Why? Were you impressed or angry?
3. When Omar is in the kitchen re-living his past and expressing that he wants the peace he once knew back into his
life, how did you feel?
4. When Alisa visits her father in jail and her father looks into her eyes and peeps her cards, i.e., the kind of young woman she has become, playing games with men.
Did you feel as if he judged her at this point?
5. Omar's fight to try not to sin/fornicate yet he continued to sell drugs was
interesting. Do you understand this inner conflict? How can he justify one
and struggle with the other?.
6. Discuss Alisa's situation when her brother snatches her up and is ready to hit her, because of how she treats Omar. Finally, one of her family members sets her straight.
Who was right or wrong here?
7. Discuss what happens the night of the break up and how Alisa always thought
Omar would one day hurt her physically because of her bad ways; then, she learns the power of mental lashings.
8. Discuss the irony in the big blow up at Alisa's mother's house and their want to embrace but their emotions won't let them.
9. Discuss the fact that Alisa's telling her story to a statue she names Athena who's said to be the Goddess of Wisdom, and the fact that she's seeking advice knowing the statue won't speak back to her (and Athena's looks and non-verbal responses being that similar to her mother's, where Alisa responds as if knowing Athena won't agree or will be an adversary).
Share
with us your news, events and articles. If
you would like to submit articles for the Black Pearls Magazine, please check
out our editorial calendar and send in your stories at least two weeks prior to
the deadlines. You can post to any topics designated for that month. Edit your
work well and share it!
Read the submission
guidelines here. Your submissions to EDC Creations signifies that you
agree to our terms and policies. We also accept book excerpts, reader's guides
and audio interviews. View our current
newsletter for an idea of the types of articles we share.
Did you
enjoy the interviews, book previews and the articles above?
Well, we have more! Check out more of today's hottest topics and
featured authors by exploring the other BPM pages listed on the right. If
you are an author and would like to see your book here, visit
our advertising page here.
The
Black Pearls Magazine family wants to take the time to thank each of you for
joining us monthly in celebrating the best in literature and the arts. Our
team of writers, bookclubs and authors are so humbled that you have allowed us
entrance into your life. It amazes me each month as I check our subscribers how
many of you deem us worthy of your time and support. We appreciate
each of you for telling 10 people about the magazine and for driving people to
this site. YOU make Black Pearls the magnificent publication that it is, by
sharing the gift of knowledge!
Please
know, as we prepare each issue for you, we look for those stimulating
conversations, the most thought provoking articles and most of all the best
books on the shelves. We want each page of this magazine to add value to your
lives! Your comments and feedback are welcomed. Join our
blog and share your news, advice and wisdom with the other readers. Tell us
what you want to read too!
As we take off in this new decade we hope to bring you more provocative topics
and life empowering books to shape your lives. We have contest for the readers
and more interactive sections added to the magazine. Let us know what you think
of the fresh new content by emailing
us here. Thank you!
Ella Curry, President of EDC Creations
Founder & Editor In Chief Black Pearls Magazine
Disclaimer The
articles on this site are for entertainment purposes and should not be taken as
financial or medical advice. Please contact a financial or medical professional
for specific advice regarding your situation. Any references to contests,
giveaways, deals, products, and websites are subject to change without notice.
We try our best to keep the information current, but things are always changing
so it may be different now than when it was first published. Please take a
moment to read our service terms and conditions. Here
is a complete listing of regulations and terms for using this site.
In "A Blessing and A Curse" Malika has the life every woman wants, a
hard working husband who makes it happen financially; kids, both adopted as well
as biological; her career as an artist with partners who own an art gallery;
nice house, nice neighbors and the gift of foresight.
Previously an English teacher and high school principal, Andrea Clinton
is a Novelist, Poet, Essayist and aspiring Screenwriter and Filmmaker. Andrea is
a Montclair State University Graduate, who's achieved a degree in English, Film
and Journalism. She's the founder and CEO of the non-profit organization, People
Helping People, Inc., whose mission is to help citizens become independent and
self-sufficient; Andrea is Editor in Chief of AMISTAD newspaper and magazine;
and is presently working on a biography and screenplay featuring her uncle, Rock
and Roll Hall of famer, George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic and the Clinton
family.
BAN: Tell our readers about Life Knows No Bounds
Series latest release
BPM: Introduce us to your main characters in
One Who Loves You More. 
Meet our Renaissance Woman, Andrea Clinton. Andrea Clinton is a novelist, poet and essayist, and aspiring screenwriter/filmmaker. As a Montclair State University graduate, she
possesses a degree in English, Film and Journalism. She’s the founder and CEO of the non-profit organization, People Helping People; worked as Editor in Chief of AMISTAD newspaper,
in New Jersey; and is presently working on a biography and screenplay featuring the life of her uncle George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic and the Clinton family. 
Andrea achieved her degrees in Journalism, English and Film. Since then she’s been working diligently with her non-profit organization, writing poetry and short stories.
Return to the main page of Black pearls magazine,