Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s fiction and essays have appeared in The Kenyon Review, African American Review, North Carolina Literary Review and The Richard Wright Newsletter. Born and raised in Memphis, a graduate of Harvard, and a former George McCandlish Fellow in American Literature at George Washington University, Dolen, 36, currently lives in Washington, D.C. A finalist for the 2009 Robert Olen Butler Short Fiction prize, judged by Butler, and a participant in this summer’s Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Wench is her first novel.
Ella: Wench is a historical themed book, tell us the history behind the story.
In 1851, a lawyer named Elias P. Drake purchased a plot of land near Xenia, Ohio with the intent to establish a summer vacation resort where the country's elite could relax and enjoy the mineral springs in the area. At the time, it was believed that natural water could cure illnesses and bring about good health. What made this resort unusual, however, was that it became a popular vacation destination for southern slaveholders and their enslaved mistresses.
Ultimately, these flagrantly open relationships offended the northern abolitionists who also frequented the resort. After four years, the resort closed.
This part of the story has been confirmed by historians. I took this forgotten historical note and sketched in a fictional account of what it would have been like to be an enslaved woman traveling to this free state each summer. Why wouldn't the women try to escape? What kinds of emotional attachments did they have with these men? Initially, I believed that it was entirely possible that they actually loved the men. Ultimately, I discovered that it was much more complicated than that.
Ella:
Are your characters from the portrayal of real people?
No. I specifically wanted to enter this period and historical place from the imaginative side. In other words, I made it all up!!
Ella:
What inspired you to write this story?
Once I discovered this historical footnote, I could not forget it. I had so many questions. Ultimately, because there is so little historical record left behind by women such as these, I felt I needed to try to answer them myself.
Ella:
Who did you write this book for? Why?
I wrote this book for anyone interested in American history and the legacy of slavery. My hope is that I have shed some light on what is a fascinating period. There are still so many stories to be told.
Ella:
Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp and share?
I have one hope: that readers will enjoy the story. I write to entertain, to transport readers out of their daily lives. Yet given the historical nature of my premise, I understand that the book will be more than escapism for some readers. One reader has recently told me that my story answered some of the questions they had about the Sally Hemings/Thomas Jefferson story. To this day, when I think of my character Lizzie and the things she had to endure, I cry. I have literally been driving in my car and thought of her and started to cry. Perhaps readers will come away feeling that they understand a bit more about the difficulties of being a woman during slavery.
Ella:
What was the most powerful chapter or scene in the book for you?
The most difficult scene for me comes early in the book: Chapter 10. I am still praying that I got it right.
Ella:
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I like to listen to jazz and world music. I recently went to a Sara Tavares concert and had a wonderful time.
Ella:
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book?
I don't think so. I edited it until I had nothing left to give. I am now ready to put it out there in the world and share it with readers.
Praise for
Wench Dolen Perkins-Valdez
"What struck me most forcibly about Dolen Perkins-Valdez novel, Wench, was the simple and extraordinary delving into the human heart, the choices destiny doled and how those choices were answered. Perkins-Valdez crawls under your skin and probes and pushes most gracefully and in clear concise lyric prose, ultimately asking the question that only extraordinary fiction can ask -- what would you have done? A striking story of heart and mind, Wench, captures time and delivers it to us. A superb and outstanding
achievement." -- Jeffrey Lent, author of In the Fall & A Peculiar Grace
"Dolen Perkins-Valdez takes on a little known historical reality - an Ohio resort where Southern plantation owners took their slave 'mistresses ' in the 1850s - and creates a finely wrought tale exploring the emotional terrain of four slave women caught in the web of the peculiar institution. Dolen goes far beyond stock characterizations to deliver unexpected fates for each of her protagonists, outcomes that will linger with a reader long after closing the pages of this novel."
-- Lalita Tademy, author of Cane River (Oprah Pick) and Red River
"With Wench, Dolen Perkins-Valdez establishes herself as a remarkable storyteller. Through unforgettable characters and luscious prose, the past is able to breathe and live on these pages. Wench stares down the difficult truths while never losing its beautiful beating heart. With all the weight of a historical excavation and the urgency of a page-turner, Perkins-Valdez establishes herself as a powerful new voice in fiction. "
--Tayari Jones, author of Leaving Atlanta and The Untelling
"This elegantly-structured novel, Dolen Perkins-Valdez presents an engrossing subject, shedding much-needed light on the racial intricacies of America's past."
-- Margaret Cezair-Thompson, author of The Pirate's Daughter (a #1 Indie Next Pick)
"Perkins-Valdez’s power to imagine herself into the hearts and minds of slave mistresses and their masters is astonishing. A shattering story told with dignity, compassion, and some wicked humor.
Wench is a brave, honest, beautifully written book that will shock and move readers to much new awareness."
--Sigrid Nunez, author of The Last of Her Kind and A Feather on the Breath of God
Intimate Conversation with Nanette M. Buchanan
Introducing Author Nanette M. Buchanan
…. An Author with New Drama, Page after Page
Nanette M. Buchanan was born, raised and educated in Newark, New Jersey. After graduating from Arts High School in Newark she attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was then that she first set her pen to pad, written expressions of her love for poetry. She is a proud mother, wife and grandmother, now residing in Somerset, New Jersey. Nanette is employed with the State of New Jersey within the Department of Corrections.
BPM: Nanette, why do you write? Is it healing? To teach or empower others?
Why do I Pen?! My pen is motivated by my spirit, my being, who I am. My pen is motivated by my experiences those I have been forced to accept and those that have evolved into my accomplishments. My pen is motivated by the touch of others, those who have given me a piece of themselves even when they thought it was just a nod of recognition. My pen is motivated by a yearning for peace, the desire to fulfill what God has inspired me to do. My pen is motivated by the decision to share my thoughts, my experiences, my writings, me.....with others. My pen is who I am for that is why I Pen.
Black Pearls family, Nanette’s first published work and debut novel was “Family Secrets…Lies & Alibis.” Since then the publication of the sequel, “A Different Kind of Love.” In October of 2009, Nanette’s murder mystery, “Bruised Love” was released. It is her goal to become a successful author without limits. Writing and producing plays that feature her poems as well as adaptations of her novels on the “big screen.”
Nanette is a member of Shared Thoughts Book Club and Authors Supporting Authors. She is the hostess of ASA’s Blog Talk Internet Radio Show which broadcasts each month interviewing authors, discussing literary events, publications and book promotions. The author is available for personal appearances, chats and signings.
Readers, check out Nanette’s latest release, Bruised Love.
BPM: What inspired you to write this story, Bruised Love?
A. I believe I wrote this story to rid a part of my feelings that I experienced off and on throughout my life. Love is a confusing emotion. We love openly seeking love in return and sometimes those who should love us don’t and those who we cling to as we fall tend to knock us down further. I can relate to Cassandra, her pain and her emotional turmoil. The character is not me at all but I can relate.
BPM: What impact will Bruised Love have on the community?
A. Our society has become one that holds embedded hurt a life time. We have angered homes, schools, jobs, and communities. Our relationships and how we treat others has an effect on everyone we meet. We need to recognize, without healing we can’t just walk away from severed relationships. Our solution has become one of avoidance. We will avoid our families, friends and lovers only to be confronted with building the same type of relationships with another. “Bruised Love” defines these relationships, the novel shows how fragile they become, the hurt and pain; it gives the reader insight on what can happen. There will be those who see themselves in these relationships. It asks the question, “When love leaves a bruise, can it ever heal?”
BPM: Tell us a little about your main characters. Who was your favorite? Why?
A. “Bruised Love” is Cassandra Smith’s story. As a young girl seeking love, after the death of her father, she falls for the high school bad boy Trevor Black. Despite her mother’s warnings she dates the ‘playa’ and is told by her mother to leave home. The tension builds between her and her mother, Brenda Smith, who is battling cancer. The strained relationship and the need for unconditional love, has a guilty effect on the widow. Brenda realizes she should have loved her child regardless to her choices.
Seeking to gain what she lost, she wants to heal the relationship before it’s too late. After talking with the family, she is convinced that Cassandra will come home if she believes her mother is close to death. Cassandra returns home, leaving the abusive cheating father of her children to care for her mother. Now faced with four children, a sick mother and no choice but to focus on her life, reality sets in. She finds the real definition for friendship, responsibility and commitment. All of which she’ll need to heal the bruised relationships she has been living with.
As Cassandra’s life demands immediate decisions, her emotions are torn and her relationships are forever changed. Lamont Dearling, an old friend, is her constant support as she goes through a pivotal transformation. Lamont is that real friend who has always been in the shadows.
Cassandra is my favorite character. She literally transforms in the novel. She carries an emotional load, baggage that is not hers to bear. Through it all she grows, she learns, and she loves. Healing is ridding oneself of the discomfort we take on as we pick at the layers of others mistreatment toward us. Cassandra’s lost of her father leaves an emotional void. Filling it with the façade created by Trevor Black stripped her of the beauty of love. Cassandra returns home depressed and emotionally drained until Lamont gives her a reason to look beyond her troubles. I believe there are women who can connect with her and recognize her path to self love.
BPM: What issues in today’s society have you addressed in the book, Bruised Love?
A. There are a few issues in today’s society that have been addressed in “Bruised Love”. Cassandra is a young, single mother. She fell in love with the neighborhood ‘playa’. His game slowly turned unbearable but it was what she thought was a loving relationship. His other women, the baby mama drama, the drugs, and his abuse became a part of her world.
She lost sight of herself loving a man who didn’t love her. Cassandra had to find the strength to end what she thought was an endless love. She had to regain faith in herself for her children, reunite with a mother that didn’t know how to love her and build new relationships. There are women who struggle with this daily. What they overcome or fall victims to declares their fate. Unfortunately there are many who have walked the path that Cassandra walked.
BPM: Is there a message in your book that you want readers to share?
A. Yes, love thyself. Love thyself more than any other being that God has created or blessed you to know. Without self love you have nothing. Know what makes love important to you. It’s not about settling no matter who the love comes from. There are parents and other family members who know nothing about loving their offspring or each other. We have to build and keep building ourselves to be successful and it begins with self love. I won’t let you hurt me because I love me should be the outcry. It would diminish domestic violence, neglect, and child abuse. If the victims spoke out because they loved themselves more than they loved the abusers. They loved themselves more than accepting this painful love and returning to “Bruised Love”.
A bruise becomes tender, although the outer skin looks well the skin, the tissue below takes a longer time to heal…..sometimes it remains tender, easy to bruise again. We must learn to care for ourselves enough to heal. Love is beautiful and shouldn’t be feared. We shouldn’t have relationships after relationships scar us, or our children, who watch this dysfunctional love. The message is we must learn to love ourselves.
BPM: What sets your book, Bruised Love, apart from other books in your genre?
A. I think we’ve have so many genres that touch the surface of what reality is.
What sells as entertainment sometimes limits or sets the standard for most of the published works. “Bruised Love” has it all. The drama, love, sex, drugs, deceit, betrayal and murder, there is no exploitation, just reality. The way it happens, what could happen, and why. The story brings reality to the forefront, the bling for the reader is at the end. They will not be disappointed.
BPM: Why did you decide to pick the mystery/suspense genre for your book?
A. The book has a little of it all. I love a good suspenseful murder mystery. This novel deals with the emotions that when pushed will cause you to take it over the edge. The psyche of those who kill has also held my attention and in “Bruised Love” I wanted the reader to be stirred by both the psyche and the emotional connection of the characters. It’s a who-done-it murder mystery.
BPM: Share with us your latest news, awards or upcoming book releases.
A. I’m really excited about the upcoming year. Last year held many rewarding experiences, plenty of researching, and learning. My plans are to incorporate it all into this year’s projects. I am looking to publish children stories as well as putting my poems in book format. My next novel is entitled “Skeletons…Beyond Closed Doors” to be released in June or July 2010.
Purchase books by Nanette M. Buchanan today
Intimate
Conversation with Francis Ray
Literary legend Francis Ray is a native Texan and lives in Dallas. A graduate of Texas Woman's University, she is a School Nurse Practitioner with the Dallas Independent School District. In 1999 and 2000 she was nominated for Texas Woman's University Distinguished Alumni Award. Ms. Ray's titles consistently make bestseller's lists such as the New York Times, USA Today, Blackboard and Essence Magazine.
Ella: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Francis: No, the writing bug didn't hit me until I read SHANNA by Katherine
Woodewiss. By her third book I knew I wanted to write similar books. The difference was I wanted people of color to take center stage.
Ella:
How did you get started writing?
Francis: I joined my local chapter of Romance Writers of America, North Texas Romance Writers of America. I'm proud to say I won the first service award, The Yellow Rose. The friendships and mentors were invaluable. I can honestly say that without them I would not be published now.
Ella:
Are you surprised at the success of your novels?
Francis: I'm very surprised, and humbled by the success of my novels. I've truly been blessed and thank God and the many readers who continue to buy my books. It's didn't happen overnight and that makes this time so much sweeter. My goal was one day make the USA Today list. I was stunned when my editor called to tell me NOBODY BUT YOU had made the New York Times' extended list.
Ella:
What authors influence your work?
Francis: Katherine Woodewiss, Elizabeth Lowell, Amanda Quick, and Nora Roberts.
Ella:
Do you ever suffer from writers block? If so, how do you get past it?
Francis: I suffer from writes block with every book. I get by it by going deeper into my character's motivations.
Ella:
If you could pass on one tidbit of knowledge to both your fans and aspiring writers, what would it be?
Francis: Since they're in two different groups, the tidbit would be different. I'd jubilantly thank my fans, and tell the aspiring writing to read Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain. That one book probably helped me more on developing characters than any other book. If readers can't feel 'something' about your character, they wont' finish the book.
Ella:
What is the best piece of advice you have received, from either a fan or a fellow author?
Francis: The best piece of advice from another author was never to compare myself to another author. If you do you can drive yourself crazy, and it is counter-productive.
Ella:
What is the one story you want to write, but haven’t? What obstacles are keeping you from writing it?
Francis: There are two books actually. Lord Radcliffe's story from my first historical, THE BARGAIN, and IRON
MAINDEN, a Medieval historical. The obstacles, time to do the research and my already full writing schedule.
Ella:
What are you currently working on?
Francis: Promoting my new book ONE NIGHT WITH YOU. I'm working on BECAUSE OF YOU, Book # 6 in the Grayson Friends series.
Featured book: One Night with You by Francis Ray
Series: Grayson Friends Series
Intimate
Conversation with Susan Mary Malone
Award-winning
author and editor Susan Mary Malone’s works focus on women’s issues,
touching the inner emotions of the feminine psyche. She is the author of
four Traditionally published books (fiction and nonfiction) and many published
short stories. A free-lance editor, thirty-plus Malone-edited books have now
sold to Traditional publishers.
Ella:
You edit for a lot of Urban Lit authors. How did you get into this genre?
SMM:
I do edit in a lot of different genres, but Urban Lit is one of my
specialties. This genre exploded over the last decade, and I began with
it early on. I edit for Mary Morrison (multi-bestselling author),
Naleighna Kai (Essence bestseller), Jeremy Woodson (nominated for the 38th
NAACP Image awards for Outstanding Literary Work), and a host of other
successful authors.
Ella:
How did this genre become so popular?
SMM:
Traditional publishing has long been a business of the tail wagging the
dog. There was this huge audience of untapped readers, which publishing
had just missed. Once Urban books started hitting the scene, the
response was enormous. Early on, all of the authors self-published, and
began selling thousands and thousands of books (now, that will get the
publishing world’s attention!). One of my first authors in the genre
had self-published, and her book was selling very well. But she knew it
wasn’t as good as it could be, and wanted to learn how to take that one, and
her writing in general, to the next level. She contracted with me to
edit that book, and was shocked at the level of work that still needed to be
done (as she said, “It was dripping with blood.” I use red ink!) But
she dug in, learned her craft as we went along, and produced a bang-up book.
From that one, she got a six-figure, three-book deal from Kensington, and was
off to the races. She got in on the ground floor of the genre so to
speak, and so many other wonderful writers have followed. This is a
genre that shows no signs of slowing down, and now most of the big houses have
Urban imprints.
Ella:
Where do you see Urban Lit going in the future?
SMM:
For one thing, the writing itself has become so much more sophisticated, and
Traditional publishers now require a very high standard in order to offer
contracts. Not only does the manuscript have to be camera-ready, but the
characters have to be fully fleshed out, the plots rich and realized, and the
writing of a high quality as well. This genre will continue to grow, and the
books we see coming out of it will be better and better. I don’t see a
let down any time soon.
Ella:
Do you work with self-published books as well?
Answer:
I do. Not too long ago, I advised my writers to seek Traditional
publication first (although in Urban, both ways worked well). But the
business is changing radically, before our very eyes. The statistic a
decade ago was that over a million manuscripts passed across NY editors’
desks every year, and about 55,000 were published (the vast majority of those
being nonfiction). Now, no one can even count the volumes crossing
editors’ desks, and the published-book numbers are down to about 25,000.
What’s more, the e-book revolution has just turned everything on its head,
and this will continue at an ever-increasing rate. Readers already have
quite a tough time knowing if a book was self- or traditionally published.
With e-books, I’m not sure anyone in the near future is even going to care.
While I don’t list the successful self-published books with which I’ve
worked, that might change in the future as well. Some of those have far
out-sold the traditionally published ones I’ve worked with!
Ella:
What advice would you give a writer trying to break in?
SMM:
Absolutely work with a great editor—and not a copyeditor (which is the last
part of the process)—but a knowledgeable developmental editor, who knows not
only what is wrong, but can also explain why and where and most importantly,
how to fix problems. That may sound self-serving, but I don’t know another
way to put it. From my side of the street (inside publishing), I can
guarantee that great editors are imperative in helping writers turn their
works into great books and their careers into successful ones. An expert
editor also knows the specifics of what makes a book sell—to both publishing
houses and the general public. That’s invaluable as you’re trying to make
a name for yourself as an author.
Before
publication, before all of the publicity and marketing, you have to start with
a great book. Once upon a time, acquisitions editors at publishing
houses worked with new authors and their books, in much the same fashion that
free-lance editors do now (think Hemingway and Max Perkins, etc.). The
business has changed such that this is no longer the case (to all my
publishing-house editor friends’ deep chagrin). And it’s left new
writers out in the cold. There is so very, very much that goes into
producing a good book—characterization, plotting and pacing, organization
and structure, flow, voice and tone, literary devices, overall substance, etc.
Good writing is good writing—no matter in which genre one is working.
And that takes time and effort and great instruction to learn. I speak
at a lot of literary conferences, and I often start my talk with: “Writing
really is rocket science.” We have this idea in our culture that
anyone can write a book.
And
while it’s true that anyone can put enough words on the page to resemble a
book, such does not a book make. You need creativity, inspiration, and
talent. But those are just the things with which you begin. After
that you need skills. And skills can be learned. Takes a bit of blood,
sweat, and tears, but then, nobody said this would be easy, no? It’s
the writers I work with who dig deep and learn and revise and rewrite and
learn some more who make it in this business. And nothing is more gratifying
for me.
Five Keys for Understanding Men, A Woman's Guide by Susan M. Malone
ISBN-10:
192870400X
ISBN-13:
978-1928704003
--- Susan Mary Malone
Author of: By the Book (novel), BodySculpting: The Weisbeck Way; Fourth and
Long; Five Keys to Understanding Men
See Malone's short stories, "Descent," "The Dream
Delicious," "Illusion of the Heart" at Amazon.com/Shorts! www.maloneeditorial.com
Over 30 Malone-edited books have recently sold to Traditional publishers!
Intimate
Conversation with Mel Bancroft
Inspirational Author,
Poet & Songwriter
Ms.
Bancroft has written poetry and articles on a wide range of subject matter:
self-help, spirituality, marketing, business, family, and relationships.
Notably, the poem "Jena Six: Our Strangefruit Is Still Hanging,"
emphatically questioning how far African Americans have come, was published in
TRIBES Magazine. She is a contributing writer for Healthy News and Regal
Magazine, the preeminent online magazine for African American men.
Ella:
Introduce us to your
debut memoir: The Melody of My BitterSweet Blues. The Melody of My BitterSweet Blues is a riveting, true story which is
narrated through the eyes of a woman who has endured sexual abuse as a child,
struggled through coming of age, finding herself in abusive relationships as
an adult. Not only is the story told candidly and graphically, revealing the
secrets that lurk behind abuse, the narrator takes the reader inside a journey
of spiritual healing and unbridled courage through poetic enlightenment and
poignant imagery.
Ella:
What
led you to create this book, The
Melody of My BitterSweet Blues?
Actually it was God-inspired. As someone who has survived several forms of
abuse, it has been on my heart for many years to share my strength with others
who may still be trying to find their own empowerment.
Ella:
Who
should read this book and why?
There are several groups, I believe, that can benefit from this book: adult
survivors of abuse, victims of spousal abuse, even those who have been
perpetrators of abuse who aspire to change how they deal with problems. This
book serves as a reminder to those who have suffered from such dysfunction,
that they are not alone, and encourages them to seek their own healing.
Ella:
What issues in today’s society have you addressed in the book?
Many issues such as coming of age, teenage depression and attempted suicide,
generational patterns of abuse, as well as drug addiction are covered, along
with a range of obstacles that contribute to questioning one’s ability to
overcome what appears to be utter hopelessness.
Ella:
What
sets your book apart from other books in your genre?
I’m
not familiar with everything that’s published in my genre. However, from
what I have noticed about some depictions of abuse is that often we don’t
get to see the process of overcoming abuse as closely as we could or the
systemic foundation of abuse, such as how families are broken down for
generations as a result of the code of silence. These elements are critical to
understanding the role everyone plays in allowing abuse to exist. I think my
book makes an honest attempt to really focus on that as well as show the
methods of therapy that were utilized—the emotional and spiritual mechanics
behind the process of healing that the main character underwent to find her
way through the pain and out of darkness.
Ella:
What
was the most powerful chapter or scene in the book for you?
There are several, so I’d have to say one of the most powerful scenes is
when I realized that my teenage crush had become an extremely abusive man. It
was too late, after I had married him, and I nearly died.
UPDATE
from Carleen: LMN movie version of Orange Mint & Honey will premier Feb.
21, 2010
The Lifetime Movie Network will debut "Sins of the Mother" the movie based on my first novel, Orange Mint and Honey on
February 21, 2010. The movie stars Jill Scott in the role of Nona and Nicole Beharie as Shay.
It was directed by Paul Kaufman ("Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story") and produced by Damon Lee ("Obsessed").
The screenplay was written by Elizabeth Hunter ("The Fighting Temptations"). More info can be found at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1518859
Hope you'll watch the movie and please spread the word! Peace and blessings!
Ella:
Carleen, tell us a little about your main characters in Children of the Waters. Who was your favorite?
The main characters are 36-year-old Trish, who is white. She’s recently divorced and has a high-school aged, biracial son. Trish is kind of lonely and feeling a little loss after her divorce and since her son is growing up and away from her.
Billie is a 32-year-old black woman who is living with her boyfriend. She’s in remission from lupus and discovers she’s pregnant. Her man isn’t happy about that. Billie is very close with her family and loves her career as a Head Start teacher. Her only problem is that Nick isn’t happy about the pregnancy.
"With Children of the Waters, Brice has a new hit....Fresh on the heels of her best seller Orange Mint and Honey, Carleen Brice gives us more family melodrama that works." -- quote by Essence Magazine
Ella: Are your characters from the portrayal of real people?
My characters are typically combinations of real people and fictional characters.
Ella: What inspired you to write this story? What issues in today's society have you addressed in the book?
It’s based on a true story that my sister in law told me. Race relations, adoption, family secrets, health issues and
spirituality are covered in this book.
Ella: What was your primary quest in publishing this book? Who did you write this book for? Why?
To tell a good page-turning story. I wrote this book for women like myself who like to read well-written fiction with a strong plot—sort of a combination of commercial and literary fiction.
Ella: Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp and share?
Sure, my books always have messages about how the past affects the present and how we all have choices about how we react to life.
Ella: What was the most powerful chapter or scene in the book for you?
I don’t want to give too much away, but there’s a scene in which Billie and Trish discuss their views about race that is very powerful. They say the things I think a lot of us feel, but don’t say.
Ella: Do you write full time? Describe your writing schedule for our readers.
I’m fortunate now to write full time. I try to write first thing in the morning and to write every day, but sometimes I don’t write until the evening. Some days I don’t get any work done at all.
Ella: What do you like to do when you're not writing? What does your family think of your writing?
Read, watch movies, go for walks, work in my garden, hang out with friends. My husband is very supportive! He’s a musician so he totally understands the creative process.
Ella: What is the best piece of advice you would give to an aspiring author?
Read a lot. Write a lot. And find your people, your fellow writers, in person or online.
Ella: Share with us your latest news or upcoming book releases.
I’m excited to say that Jill Scott will star in the Lifetime movie version of my first novel Orange Mint and Honey. The movie will be called “Sins of the Mother.” The film was shot in Vancouver and I visited the set, met the cast, director and producer and actually got to be an extra!
Bernice Harris is a long-time resident of the Chicago Englewood community, which has one of the highest crime rates in the city. She has worked with teen runaways as well as with deaf youths through the Chicago Hearing Society.
She has taught early child- hood education in a corporate school owned by the former Secretary of Education, Lamar Alexander, and Bob Keeshan, better known as Captain Kangaroo. As a teacher for Corporate Child Care, Harris taught young children and later became a trainer for early childhood teachers and served on the Improved Child Care Management board. She was also a staff writer for the Collectors Bulletin, where she wrote a column for McDonald's toy collectors.
Pull Your Pants Up and be a Man!
Foreword by actor Malik Yoba. Pull Your Pants Up and be a man! is a book to inspire thought and change. It will benefit the young thirteen-year-old boy who may not be fully aware of the steps he should take in planning a good life. It will be equally beneficial to the eighteen year old who has wandered away from a life of decency and good judgments.
Pull Your Pants Up covers:
* What kills a dream?
* How can you start to dream again? Is it too late for you?
* How important is education in reaching your goal?
* What is a family, and what role do you play in making it work?
* How are you related to your neighborhood?
* How do you show respect?
* What is the honest way to make money and save it?
Ella: What inspired you to write the book?
I live on the edge of the Englewood community in Chicago which has the highest crime rate in the city. Young men are dying weekly from gang violence. Even innocent honor roll and college students have lost their lives in the senseless melee, by simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Ella: Who did you write this book for? Why?
The book was written for young men in neighborhoods that are plagued by violence, as well as the boy regardless of where he is, who just needs to start to plan early to make sure that he fulfills his full potential. Ones attention may be drawn to the cover and title of the book which shows the sagging pants. While wearing pants this way is an issue with parents and schools, and the book certainly addresses the issue, the book does much more than that. It helps the young man who may be at the cross-roads between child and adult to honor his parents
role, while working on his own planned future. The book was also written to help parents and educators in their difficult roles. By the book dealing with problems that are faced by both genders, girls has also stated that they have benefited greatly from the practical advice.
Ella: Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp and share?
Yes, young black men are our national treasures! They are our future decision-makers, they are our daughter's husbands, and our grandchildren's father. Are they being prepared for these roles?
Ella: What was the most powerful chapter in the book?
I feel that they all are very powerful. If I must choose one I will choose "Dreams" it tells how innocently we lose those childhood dreams, but it also gives suggestions on how to get them back.
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Ella Curry, President of EDC Creations
Founder & Editor In Chief Black Pearls Magazine
Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s fiction and essays have appeared in The Kenyon Review, African American Review, North Carolina Literary Review and The Richard Wright Newsletter. Born and raised in Memphis, a graduate of Harvard, and a former George McCandlish Fellow in American Literature at George Washington University, Dolen, 36, currently lives in Washington, D.C. A finalist for the 2009 Robert Olen Butler Short Fiction prize, judged by Butler, and a participant in this summer’s Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Wench is her first novel.
Introducing Author Nanette M. Buchanan
BPM: What issues in today’s society have you addressed in the book, Bruised Love?
Literary legend Francis Ray is a native Texan and lives in Dallas. A graduate of Texas Woman's University, she is a School Nurse Practitioner with the Dallas Independent School District. In 1999 and 2000 she was nominated for Texas Woman's University Distinguished Alumni Award. Ms. Ray's titles consistently make bestseller's lists such as the New York Times, USA Today, Blackboard and Essence Magazine.
Ella:
Award-winning
author and editor Susan Mary Malone’s works focus on women’s issues,
touching the inner emotions of the feminine psyche. She is the author of
four Traditionally published books (fiction and nonfiction) and many published
short stories. A free-lance editor, thirty-plus Malone-edited books have now
sold to Traditional publishers. 
Ms.
Bancroft has written poetry and articles on a wide range of subject matter:
self-help, spirituality, marketing, business, family, and relationships.
Notably, the poem "Jena Six: Our Strangefruit Is Still Hanging,"
emphatically questioning how far African Americans have come, was published in
TRIBES Magazine. She is a contributing writer for Healthy News and Regal
Magazine, the preeminent online magazine for African American men.
Ella:
What issues in today’s society have you addressed in the book? 
Ella:
Carleen, tell us a little about your main characters in Children of the Waters. Who was your favorite? 
Ella: What was the most powerful chapter or scene in the book for you?
Bernice Harris is a long-time resident of the Chicago Englewood community, which has one of the highest crime rates in the city. She has worked with teen runaways as well as with deaf youths through the Chicago Hearing Society. 
