Pamela Samuels Young
Give the Gift of Knowledge Campaign
EDC Creations, The Sankofa Literary
Society and The Black Authors Network announced the launch of their 2009-2010
"Give the Gift of Knowledge Campaign," bringing readers and authors together to
help improve literacy. In 2004, during the Christmas holidays, Ella Curry, the
founder of EDC Creations, reached out to women's groups and literary
organizations to help promote early literacy by giving new books to children
from low income homes.
Today, the "Give the Gift of Knowledge Campaign," seeks
to expand even further! “Based on the “each one teach one,” model, our goal is
to help people introduce reading and new books to their family and friends,”
says CEO and founder of EDC creations, Ella Curry. “Instead of giving expensive
gifts that don't shape lives----let's “Give the Gift of Knowledge” and help to
strengthen our future generations!” We now invite you, the readers, to
join us by supporting the authors below and buying books as gifts!
Each year thousands of people — educators, concerned parents, community leaders,
authors, poets and publishers — devote their time and resources to presenting
the reader with great books! However, too many outstanding books do not get the
attention and reader support that they deserve. It is our mission to connect
readers with these hidden gems and bring them books that will change their
lives.
Each week EDC Creations will sponsor bookclub chats, live readings from authors,
podcast presentations, seminars, community relations discussions, and radio
shows that deliver the best our writers have to offer. All we ask is that the
readers of the world spread the word. Check out the information below and
invite this author to chat with you and 5-10 friends via Skype, tele-conference
or a speaker phone meeting. If you would like to spotlight this author on
your blog, website, magazine or radio show, email Ella Curry at: elladcurry@edc-creations.comIf
you have already read the book, share your reviews with us by clicking here.
Pamela Samuels Young is the Essence bestselling author of Murder on the Down Low, In Firm Pursuit, Every Reasonable Doubt and the forthcoming Buying Time. The former journalist and Compton native is the fiction writing expert for BizyMoms.com and is on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Murder on the Down Low raises awareness about HIV and AIDS in the African American community.
Website: www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com
MURDER ON THE DOWN LOW by Pamela Samuels Young is an intense
eye-opener!
A high-profile lawsuit erupts into chaos, revealing its place in a larger
spree of violence in this scandalous tale of lust, lies, and vengeance. A
brazen gunman is targeting prominent African American men on the streets of
Los Angeles, and police are completely baffled.
At the same time, savvy big-firm attorney Vernetta Henderson and her
outrageous sidekick, Special, lead the charge for revenge against a man whose
deceit caused his fianceé's death.
For Special, hauling the man into court
and suing him for wrongful death just isn’t good enough. While she exacts
her own brand of justice, a shocking revelation connects the contentious
lawsuit and the puzzling murders.
"Murder on the Down Low is an entertaining read,
filled with heart-pumping suspense. Pamela Samuels-Young weaves a
sitting-on-the-edge of your seat plot that keeps you guessing and turning the
pages!" —Best-selling Author Victoria
Christopher Murray, The Ex Files
"Right
up to the twisted and unexpected slam-bang ending, Murder on the Down Low will
keep you teetering precariously on the edge of your seat the whole way
through."
MURDER ON THE DOWN LOW
is an intense
eye-opener!
A high-profile lawsuit erupts into chaos, revealing its place in a larger spree of violence in this scandalous tale of lust, lies, and vengeance. A brazen gunman is targeting prominent African American men on the streets of Los Angeles, and police are completely baffled.
At the same time, savvy big-firm attorney Vernetta Henderson and her outrageous sidekick, Special, lead the charge for revenge against a man whose deceit caused his fianceé's death. For Special, hauling the man into court and suing him for wrongful death just isn’t good enough. While she exacts her own brand of justice, a shocking revelation connects the contentious lawsuit and the puzzling murders.
Special Moore has vowed to extract revenge on Eugene Nelson. She's willing to do any and every thing to make him pay. Even if it's with his life!
When Special's lawsuit and J.C.'s case begin to sound alike everyone becomes desperate to figure out the extenuating factors. With Special knee-deep in drama, there is no way Vernetta is going to allow her to sink. What will this do to her chances at O'Reilly and Finney?
(ISBN-10: 0981562701; ISBN-13: 978-0981562704) Purchase
the book.
--
Murder on the Down Low Book Intro by Pamela Samuels Young
--
Murder on the Down Low reading by Pamela Samuels Young,
"Meet Special-Chapter 2, Murder on the Down Low"
--Pamela Samuels Young, Murder on the Down Low, "Meet Auntie Pearl Washington-Chapter 8, Murder on the Down Low"
Murder on the Down Low
Video Trailer by Pamela Samuels Young
A brazen gunman is targeting prominent African-American
men on the streets of L.A. The victims are all quintessential family men.
Well-educated. Attractive. Successful. But appearances can be deceiving. When
the baffling murders are linked to a high-profile lawsuit, a savvy L.A. attorney
and a tenacious female detective soon expose a scandalous tale of lust, lies and
vengeance. www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com
(Book info: ISBN-10: 0981562701; ISBN-13: 978-0981562704)
Buy at Amazon.com
Why
write Murder on the Down Low?
What
motivated you to write Murder on the Down Low?
I
often have a hard time recalling exactly when or how the idea for a particular
novel originated. For the most part, the ideas simply pop into my head
from some unknown place. That's not the case with Murder on the Down
Low. I have a crystal clear recollection of watching an Oprah show
featuring J.L. King, author of On the Down Low. As I listened to his
insider's account of the mindset of men on the down low, I was completely
stunned. My emotions went from shock to anger to fear. The
next day, while driving to work, the concept of a killer who targets men on
the down low, popped into my head.
Writing
Murder on the Down Low gave me an opportunity to both entertain and
raise awareness about how HIV/AIDS is impacting the African-American
community, African-American women in particular. While
African-American and Latina women make up 24% of the U.S. population, we
account for more than 80% of the total AIDS diagnoses for women. It's my
hope that Murder on the Down Low helps people understand that HIV is
not a gay disease. Until we take our heads out of the sand, it's going
to continue to devastate our community.
Based
on your research, why do you think HIV infection rates are so high among
African-American women?
We
can't deny that men on the down low contribute to the problem since more than
three-fourths of women infected with HIV contracted the disease through
heterosexual sex. But there are other factors as well. Many
people – male and female, straight and gay -- don't know their status
because they haven't been tested, so they're unwittingly spreading the
disease. Many men who engage in high-risk sexual behavior while
incarcerated, return home and spread it to women. Some women still
refuse to demand that their mates use protection. We also still think of
HIV as a gay disease and assume that it won't impact us. Finally, women
must learn to honor their bodies as sexual promiscuity also plays a role.
Talking
Points for Murder on the Down Low by Pamela Samuels Young
1.
Are men on the down low solely to blame for the high HIV infection rates among
African-American women?
2.
Is the black community ignoring the AIDS epidemic?
3.
Is the black church failing the black community when it comes to the AIDS
epidemic?
4.
Are African-American women to blame for their high HIV infection rates?
5.
What will it take to stem the high HIV infection rates among African-American
women.
6.
Is the African-American community more homophobic than other racial groups?
7.
Are black men on the down low because they are not accepted in their
communities?
8.
Why do African-Americans refuse to be tested for HIV?
9.
Is promiscuity to blame for the high HIV infection rates among
African-American women?
10.
Is the misconception that gay men are effeminate to blame for the ability of
men on the down low to deceive women regarding their sexuality.
Important
messages from Murder on the Down Low is to relay to the reader
1. Women cannot afford to blame men on the down low for their high HIV
infection rates, but must start taking charge of their own bodies (i.e., get
tested, used protection, know your mate).
2.
The black church must stop ignoring the AIDS epidemic and use the pulpit to
educate.
3.
HIV is not a gay disease.
4.
The black community's religious-based views of homosexuals as doomed to hell
is wrong.
5.
Men on the down low must end the deceit, and the black community must accept
them for who they are.
Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young (Paperback - Nov 1, 2009)
Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck lawyer. But just when he's about to hit rock bottom, he stumbles upon a business with the potential to solve all of his problems.
In Waverly's new line of work, he comes to the aid of people in desperate need of cash. But there's a catch. His clients must be terminally ill and willing to sign over rights to their life insurance policies before they can collect a dime. Waverly then finds investors eager to advance them thousands of dollars—including a hefty broker's fee for himself—in exchange for a significant return on their investment once the clients take their last breath.
The stakes get higher when Waverly brokers the policy of the cancer-stricken wife of Lawrence Erickson, a high-powered lawyer who's bucking to become the next U.S. Attorney General. When Waverly's clients start dying sooner than they should, both Waverly and Erickson—who has some skeletons of his own to hide—are unwittingly drawn into a perilous web of greed, blackmail and murder.
(Book info: ISBN-10: 098156271X; ISBN-13: 978-0981562711)
Murder on the Down Low by Pamela Samuels Young
Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young Website: www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com
Black
Pearls Magazine interview with Pamela Samuels Young
Pamela Samuels Young is the Essence bestselling author of
Murder on the Down Low, In Firm Pursuit, Every Reasonable Doubt and the forthcoming
Buying Time. The former journalist and Compton native is the fiction writing expert for BizyMoms.com and is on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Ella: Tell us about your passion for writing. Why do you write? What drives you? What impact do you want your book to make on the readers?
I definitely have a passion for writing. Nothing else could explain my willingness to sit in front of my computer for ten hours a day or my eagerness to rise at four in the morning to write before going to work. I enjoy creating characters and putting them in precarious situations. I want readers to get wrapped up in the mysteries I create, to love, hate and root for my characters, and to close each book and feel as if they got their money’s worth.
Ella: A Legacy is something that is handed down from one period of time to another period of time. Finish this
sentence: My writing offers the following legacy to future readers...
I want to help destroy the publishing industry’s belief that only African American readers will read stories with African American characters. People who love mysteries want a compelling story. My primary goal is to write entertaining thrillers with diverse characters and a storyline that keeps readers turning the page.
Ella: Pamela, introduce us to your book., In Murder on the Down
Low.
In Murder on the Down Low, a string of successful, attractive African-American men are being gunned down on the streets of L.A. and no one knows why?
When a shocking revelation connects the baffling murders to a contentious wrongful death lawsuit, the deadly scandal erupts into a tale of lust, lies and vengeance.
Ella: What inspired you to write this story?
I have a crystal clear recollection of exactly when the idea for Murder on the Down Low came to me. I was watching an Oprah show featuring J.L. King, author of On the Down Low. I was completely stunned as I listened to his insider’s account of the mindset of men on the down low, who are guys (many of them married) who profess to be straight but have sex with other men. My emotions during that sixty-minute program went from shock to anger to fear. I was driving to work the next day, still disturbed by the show when a thought came to me. What if a serial killer was targeting some of L.A.’s most prominent family men who weren’t quite what they appeared to be? Within 24 hours, I had sketched out the basic plot for Murder on the Down Low.
Ella: What major issues in today's society have you addressed in the book?
Murder on the Down Low gave me an opportunity to both entertain and raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. While African-American and Latina women make up only 24% of the female population in the United States, we account for more than 80% of the total AIDS diagnoses for women, according to the latest statistics published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. I wanted to communicate to women that in order to change these disturbing statistics, we must take responsibility for our own bodies.
Ella: How difficult was it to complete the novel?
I still practice law, so it’s always difficult to find time to write, but I found the plot for Murder on the Down Low so compelling that I made the time. Sometimes I got up to write before work and sometimes I wrote late at night. I wrote on weekends when I wasn’t on the road promoting my other novels. Whenever I had vacation time, I used the entire week to barricade myself in my timeshare to write. I’m lucky that my husband is so supportive. When we first got married five years ago, he didn’t know how to cook. He’s now learned to prepare quite a few tasty dishes since I rarely have time to make a home-cooked meal.
Ella: Did you self-publish? How difficult was it to find a publisher to pick up your novel?
While my first two novels, Every Reasonable Doubt and In Firm Pursuit, were published by Harlequin, I was forced to self-publish Murder on the Down Low after my agent wasn’t able to sell it. I really didn’t want to self-publish, but I wasn’t about to sit on the sidelines and accept the publishing industry’s view that there isn’t a large market for the type of book I’m writing. They’re wrong.
Self-publishing Murder on the Down Low was definitely the right decision for me. The book has received tremendous praise from readers, particularly book club members. My decision to self-publish was further validated when Murder on the Down Low was selected as an Editor’s Pick by the Black Expressions Book Club. Just recently, Murder on the Down Low was a finalist for the 2009 African American Literary Awards in the mystery category alongside, two incredibly talented writers I have long admired: Walter Mosley and Tananarive Due.
Ella: Why did you decide to write legal thrillers?
I’m a big fan of legal thrillers, but I got tired of never seeing women or African-Americans depicted as lawyers in the novels that I read. So, I sat down at my computer and started writing the kind of legal thriller that I wanted to read. I wanted a diverse cast of characters and a protagonist who wasn’t always a white male.
Ella: What is your most valuable lesson about the publishing industry?
You need to have faith in your talent to survive in this business. Even the mega-successful writers—e.g., J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer and John Grisham, just to name a few—were rejected by multiple publishers. The writers who survive are those who ignore the rejection and just keep writing.
Ella: Share with us your latest news, awards or upcoming book releases.
I’m thrilled that Murder on the Down Low is a finalist for the 2009 African American Literary Awards in the mystery category. I don’t need to win. Just being nominated alongside Walter Mosley and Tananarive Due is honor enough.
I’m extremely excited about the upcoming release of my fourth legal thriller and first stand-alone novel, Buying Time, which goes on sale November 1st. In Buying Time, Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck lawyer who comes to the aid of terminally ill people in desperate need of cash. Waverly finds investors eager to advance his dying clients thousands of dollars—including a hefty broker's fee for himself—in exchange for rights to their life insurance policies. Once the clients take their last breath, the investors reap a hefty return on their investment. When Waverly's clients start dying sooner than they should, both Waverly, and a high-powered lawyer who’s bucking to become the next U.S. Attorney General, are unwittingly drawn into a perilous web of greed, blackmail and murder.
Ella: How may the readers contact you and purchase your books. Author Website: www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com Author Email address: author@pamelasamuelsyoung.com
MURDER ON THE DOWN LOW
Publisher: Goldman House Publishing
Publication Date: September 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-9815627-0-4
Price: 14.95
Do you ever fantasize about leaving your current career behind and pursuing something totally different?
Perhaps you've thought seriously about it for a day or a week, but then the fear of leaving the virtual security of your current job floods your head with dozens of sound reasons why you should stay put. Whether your dream is to write a novel, start your own business or go back to school, you can make it happen. Here are five tips that will help you begin your journey.
1. Find Time To Plan Your Career Move
With the demands of work, family, church and community activities, you may feel you don't have a spare moment to even think about, much less pursue, your dream career. You're wrong. It may not be easy, but you can find free time where you least expect it. The next time you're taking a neighborhood jog or walking on the treadmill, use the time to mull over the plot for that book you've been wanting to write or to think about possible locations for the day spa you've dreamed of opening. Instead of listening to your favorite CD during your morning and evening commute, use the time to work on the business plan for your catering business. Even if it's only an hour a week, use it.
2. Don't Reinvent The Wheel
You may not realize it, but you have a multitude of resources all around you – family, friends, colleagues, church members, sorority sisters, and even strangers. Don't be afraid to request an informational interview. People love to talk about themselves and many will be flattered to have someone asking them for advice. The Internet is also an invaluable resource.
3. Join Professional Organizations
It's a good idea to surround yourself with others who share your interests and passion. There are dozens of professional groups whose sole function is to help their members develop their creative talents and realize their business goals. Find the organizations that can be most helpful to you and join them.
4. Understand That It Won't Happen Overnight
Achieving your goal will take time. I recently read an article in Writer's Digest about a writer who received more than 400 rejection letters before getting his first book deal. Now that's what you call perseverance! There will no doubt be disappointments when things don't happen in accordance with your time schedule. But if you remain faithful and focused on your goal, it will happen.
5. Ignore The Naysayers
We all know people who believe you should find a good job, work as hard as you can for 30 years, then retire and enjoy life. For them, the thought of leaving a secure, well-paying position for the uncertainties of entrepreneurial life is unthinkable. That kind of limited thinking won't help you realize your dream. You have decide what you want to do and go for it. And don't be surprised if you turn out to be your biggest obstacle. When that happens, just look your self-doubt squarely in the face and command it to go away.
So don't just dream your dream, make it happen!
* * *
Attorney Pamela Samuels Young is the author of the legal thrillers Murder on the Down Low, In Firm Pursuit and Every Reasonable Doubt.
Buying Time coming Fall 2009. Visit her website at www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com
You, Too, Can Write a Novel
by Pamela Samuels Young
Have you been wrestling with the idea for a novel or non-fiction book for months, maybe even years, but just can't seem to find the time or the motivation to get going? Well, it can be done.
Here are Pamela's top
5 tips for not just starting your novel, but finishing it.
■ Plan a Writing Schedule and Stick To It
Schedule your writing time the same way you would plan any other important engagement. Write it down in your day planner and stick to it.
■ Master Your Craft
Pick five great writers in your genre and study the elements that make their books an enjoyable read, such as pacing, story structure and writing.
■ Outline Your Entire Book
Spend a month or more outlining your story before you begin writing. Once you're ready to start writing, you don't have to stick to the outline. Simply use it as a roadmap to get going.
■ Concentrate on Finishing a First Draft
Write your first draft from beginning to end without making any extensive revisions. Once you finish, go back and revise your manuscript until you are satisfied with the final result.
■ Seek Support and Ignore Rejection
Share your goals with those closest to you and ask for their support. Above all, ignore the naysayers. Most successful writers have faced rejection and conquered it.
* * * Attorney Pamela Samuels Young is the author of the legal thrillers Murder on the Down Low, In Firm Pursuit and Every Reasonable Doubt. Buying Time coming Fall 2009. Visit her website at
www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com
Just Keep Writing by Pamela Samuels Young
For writers, coping with rejection comes with the territory. Though the way may be long, and even painful at times, persistence often pays off.
"I couldn't get arrested let alone published," says writer Jeri Westerson. But after 14 years and eleven completed manuscripts, her first novel, Veil of Lies, hits bookstores in October 2008. Now, she looks back on her years of rejection as "a blessing in disguise" because it forced her to become a better writer.
Westerson urges other writers to get into a good critique group with" people whom you trust, people who aren't close to you, who are writers. They can give you honest feedback and you can learn to be more thick-skinned and take it. Things turned around for me when I took advice from my critique partners."
J.A. Konrath, author of Fuzzy Navel, takes determination to a new level. After penning ten manuscripts and racking up more than 500 rejection letters over a twelve-year period, he was rewarded with a six-figure, three-book deal.
"All writers get rejected," Konrath says. "It's part of the business. A rejection letter is proof you're working toward your goal."
Konrath has published more than sixty articles and short stories, as well as five novels, and says being a successful author doesn't mean an end to rejection. In fact, Konrath's rejections have now topped the 600 mark. "I still get stories rejected. When you're just starting out, quality is one of the main reasons for rejections. Work on improving your craft. But after you reach a certain point, the rejections are more about editor needs and good fits. Publishing is a business. If you want to sell stories, you need to understand what editors are buying."
Like the writers he represents, agent Paul Fedorko of Trident Media Group, also has to deal with rejection. "I realize that, like baseball, if you get a hit (not a homer), just a hit about once every three times, you are pretty much a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. That's what keeps me going. And just because an editor rejects it, doesn't mean it's not good, or shouldn't be published. It just means that that editor didn't 'see' it."
Fedorko offers the following advice to unpublished writers: "This is trite, but true—just keep writing and querying agents. At some point it will come together. And be serious about the work."
"This business is about persistence and luck," Konrath says. "The more you persist, the luckier you get. There's a word for a writer who never gives up . . . published."
* * *
Attorney Pamela Samuels Young is the author of the legal thrillers Murder on the Down Low, In Firm Pursuit and Every Reasonable Doubt. Buying Time coming Fall 2009. Visit her website at
www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com
Female Mystery Writers
Bring Diversity to Genre by Pamela Samuels Young
An expanding group of female writers is at the forefront of a literary cultural shift. As a result, the typical protagonist in today's mystery novels is no longer white and male. He, and more often, she may range from a Puerto Rican prosecutor to a Japanese gardener to an African-American schoolteacher.
Asian writer Naomi Hirahara, who has been writing stories since she was eight, says her early characters "were always white—usually blonde and blue-eyed." When a fourth-grade teacher encouraged her to write about characters more like herself, she initially resisted that advice. Later, in college, after reading about the reparations movement for Japanese-Americans held in detention centers during World War II, her perspective changed.
"Learning about that historic experience and also reading many Japanese and Japanese- American authors opened a door for me. I've been writing mostly Japanese-American or Japanese characters ever since. The main character of my mystery series, Mas Arai, was inspired by my father, who, as a gardener, got little respect from strangers. I wanted to rectify that in my series. Mas is now the hero."
In Hirahara's third Mas Arai mystery, SNAKESKIN SHAMISEN (a 2007 Edgar nominee in the paperback original category), Mas, an atomic bomb survivor, becomes entangled in a world of heartbreaking memories, deception, and murder that reaches from the islands of Okinawa to the streets of Los Angeles.
It was a desire to see a totally different kind of sleuth that prompted Angela Henry to pen her first novel. "I wanted to create a character that I'd yet to see in mystery fiction," says Henry, "a single, educated, young black woman who isn't a member of law enforcement, or a private eye, and doesn't live in a big city." In her third Kendra Clayton novel, DIVA'S LAST CURTAIN CALL, the small-town Ohio school teacher and reluctant sleuth is called on to solve the murder of a Hollywood diva and find her best friend, who has disappeared just days before her wedding.
Former federal prosecutor Michele Martinez turned to writing as an outlet after leaving the U.S. Attorney's Office, where she spent eight years prosecuting big-time drug dealers and notorious gang bangers. "I was looking to re-experience a career I loved in a different format, and my protagonist was my alter ego," says Martinez, author of NOTORIOUS.
Martinez and her protagonist, Melanie Vargas, have a lot in common. They are both mothers and lawyers, they both come from modest backgrounds and have high-powered educations. And both are half Puerto Rican.
"I'm trying to show a Latina professional going about her day-to-day life," Martinez says. "Being Latina is part of who Melanie Vargas is, but it doesn't define her any more than being a lawyer or being a mother does. Her culture is woven into the story in a seamless way intended to acquaint a wide readership with a smart, tough Latina professional."
Do these authors of color have a particular message that they want to communicate to readers? Definitely.
Hirahara seeks to communicate that "we are not monolithic. Many Americans mix up Japanese nationals with Japanese-Americans. I also try to depict Japanese-Americans as honestly as possible—our strengths but also our weaknesses."
This attempt at cultural honesty isn't always well received by the Japanese community. "When I write about gambling addictions and other secrets, some older Japanese-Americans feel that I'm airing our dirty laundry," Hirahara says. "But I feel that we should represent ourselves as whole human beings, not cardboard model minority stereotypes."
Neither Martinez nor Henry set out to create protagonists who are superwomen. "I'm trying to show a Latina professional going about her day-to-day life," Martinez says. "Her culture is woven into the story in a seamless way intended to acquaint a wide readership with a smart, tough Latina professional."
Henry echoes that sentiment. "Though my main character is a black woman, and sometimes deals with race-related issues, she also deals with all the same everyday issues that any other woman deals with. Job issues, relationship issues and family issues."
* * * Attorney Pamela Samuels Young is the author of the legal thrillers Murder on the Down Low, In Firm Pursuit and Every Reasonable Doubt. Buying Time coming Fall 2009. Visit her website at
www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com
Sankofa
Literary Society Interview with Pamela Samuels Young
Ella:
What inspired you to begin writing legal thrillers after careers in journalism
and law?
I've always loved reading mysteries, particularly those that involve
fascinating legal cases. It bothered me, however, that the legal
thrillers I read never depicted women and African-American attorneys. So
. . . I decided to fill the void.
I knew pretty early that I wanted to be a writer, having worked on school
newspapers in junior high, high school and college. When I decided to
major in journalism at the
University
of
Southern California
, I didn't give much thought to creative writing. At the age of 18, I
didn't have the guts to even consider a career as a novelist. The
writers I enjoyed reading – James Baldwin, Richard Wright, Toni Morrison,
Joan Didion – were incredibly talented literary writers. I knew I
didn't have that kind of poetic writing talent. So I pursued a career in
journalism and later, earned a law degree. Flash forward several years
and I somehow gathered the courage to give fiction writing a try.
Ella:
What motivated you to write Murder on the Down Low?
I
often have a hard time recalling exactly when or how the idea for a particular
novel originated. For the most part, the ideas simply pop into my head
from some unknown place. That's not the case with Murder on the Down
Low. I have a crystal clear recollection of watching an Oprah show
featuring J.L. King, author of On the Down Low. As I listened to
his insider's account of the mindset of men on the down low, I was completely
stunned. My emotions went from shock to anger to fear. The
next day, while driving to work, the concept of a killer who targets men on
the down low, popped into my head.
Writing Murder
on the Down Low gave me an opportunity to both entertain and raise
awareness about how HIV/AIDS is impacting the African-American community,
African-American women in particular. While African-American and
Latina
women make up 24% of the
U.S.
population, we account for more than 80% of the total AIDS diagnoses for
women. It's my hope that Murder on the Down Low helps people
understand that HIV is not a gay disease. Many people – male and
female, straight and gay -- don't know their status because they haven't been
tested, so they're unwittingly spreading the disease. Until we take our
heads out of the sand, it's going to continue to devastate our community.
Ella:
What is your process for creating a novel?
I will spend any where from a few weeks to as long as three months
outlining a book before I sit down to write. I also mull over my story
quite a bit. I'm thinking about it in the shower, while I'm standing in
line at the grocery story, during my 45-minute commute to work. I can
almost see each chapter as if it were a scene in a movie. Only after I
have a completed outline do I start writing. And when I write, I go from
page one to the last page without doing much editing. For me, it's
psychologically motivating to complete that first draft, even if it's so bad
I'd never dare show it to anyone. Once I have a first draft, then the
real writing starts. I revise, and revise and revise some more.
That process can last six months or more.
Ella: What are some of your favorite authors or books
(past, present, or future)?
The book that had the greatest impact on me as a kid was Claude Brown's Manchild
in the Promised Land. I can still remember stumbling across a copy of the
book at my aunt's house when I was about twelve. It was the first book I
remember reading that had African-American characters and I was thrilled to be
reading about people who looked like me. It was also a very gritty and
graphic coming of age story. I promptly "borrowed" the book
without asking for permission for fear that my aunt would think I was too
young to be reading such a sexually graphic book. After that, I
developed an insatiable appetite for African-American fiction.
These days, I read more mysteries than anything else. Some of my
favorite authors include Walter Mosley, Sandra Brown, Tami Hoag, Joseph
Finder, James Patterson, Valerie Wilson Wesley, John Grisham and Greg Iles.
I love a good plot and I think all of these writers write very entertaining
novels. I also enjoy contemporary fiction and I'll buy anything Terry
McMillan decides to write. I spend a lot of time studying the story
structure of novels that I've enjoyed reading, which has helped me
tremendously with pacing.
Ella:
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Find the writing process that works best for you. When I wrote my first
book, I struggled a lot with the writing. I didn't prepare an outline or
even have the storyline worked out in my head. I had an idea for the
characters and the setting and I just sat down and started writing. I
would spend weeks on a single chapter, rewriting what I had written during the
previous session. Later, I ended up tossing out several chapters
that I spent weeks working on.
Now, I have a completed outline before I begin writing a single word. It
can take me weeks or months to complete an outline. Then, I sit
down and write my story from beginning to end without doing any major
revising. My goal at the start of a new novel is to produce a decent
first draft with a solid, engaging plot. Once I'm satisfied with the
plot, then I go back and spend as much time as it takes to polish the
writing—as long as six months. This process helped me cut my writing
time tremendously. It took me three years to write In Firm Pursuit
(written, first but sold second) and only one year to finish Every
Reasonable Doubt.
Ella:
What have you learned about the book industry so far?
I learned that it's a very tough business. As a result, you have to have
faith in your talent and keep going despite the rejection. I've
worked in both television news and law and I never faced anywhere near the
rejection and difficulties in those careers that I faced trying to become a
published novelist. In fact, both law school and the
California
Bar exam were way easier. I also learned that you have to think
like a businessperson, not a writer. My books are products. I have
to be inventive and unrelenting about getting my product to readers. I
focus heavily on connecting with book clubs. During a trip to the D.C.
area, I did three book clubs in one day, along with a reception at a friend's
home and a panel discussion at a bookstore. It was a long day, but I
reached a lot of people. Book clubs are social networks and they are
great sources for word-of-mouth promotion. If the book club members
enjoyed reading one of my books, it's likely that they're going to mention it
to their friends, family and co-workers.
Ella:
Have you received any sound advice from fellow authors?
Just recently, Christian fiction author Victoria Christopher Murray told me
that the writers who survive in this business are the persistent ones.
She said that producing a book a year has been one of the keys to her success.
Her fan base has followed her with each book and continues to grow. It's
definitely my plan to produce a new book every year.
Ella:
What is one piece of advice you can give to aspiring writers about
juggling full-time careers and personal lives?
Learn to say "no" and don't feel guilty about it. Right now,
I'm practicing law, promoting my books every weekend, working on my next
novel, and teaching a business law course at the University of Redlands School
of Business. I'm also on the Board of Directors of the Southern
California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and I write a column for
Global Woman magazine. I love teaching, but I recently decided that I
just don't have the time or energy to teach another course this year. I
also turned down a request to join the board of directors of a local
non-profit group. I wish I could do it all, but there simply aren't
enough hours in the day. For now, my primary focus is on finishing my
next book and making sure I spend some quality time with my husband, who
rarely sees me because I'm gone so much promoting my books.
Ella: What are you currently working on?
I’m
currently working on my fourth novel, Buying Time. In my first
stand-alone thriller, a disbarred lawyer finds himself an unsuspecting pawn in
a rather unusual murder ring.
10. What do you want the world
to know most about you?
That I grew up in
Compton
,
California
, which I'm very proud of. When I mention my hometown, people
automatically assume that I dodged bullets on the way to school every day.
But it was nothing like that. I had two strong, hard-working parents,
who still live in
Compton
today. The foundation they laid – faith in God, hard work and
education – is responsible for who I am and everything I have achieved.
Attorney Pamela Samuels Young is the author of the legal thrillers Murder on the Down Low, In Firm Pursuit and Every Reasonable Doubt. Buying Time coming Fall 2009. Visit her website at
www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com
Media
Interview Questions and Bookclub Discussion Questions
Pamela Samuels Young
is a practicing attorney and author of the thrillers, Murder on the Down
Low, and the Essence bestsellers, Every Reasonable Doubt , In Firm
Pursuit and Buying Time. A desire to see engaging African-American
and female attorneys depicted in today's legal fiction prompted her to begin
writing despite a busy legal career. Every Reasonable Doubt won the
Black Expressions Book Club's Fiction Writing Contest and In Firm Pursuit was
a finalist for Best African-American Novel of 2007 by Romantic Times Book
Reviews. The Compton native and former journalist is the legal columnist
for Global Woman magazine and served as legal consultant to the Showtime
television series Soul Food.
Murder
on the Down Low Synopsis
Murder
on the Down Low takes the readers into the clandestine world of men on the
"DL"—guys who insist they're heterosexual, but have secret gay
lovers. When a brazen gunman starts targeting prominent men on the
streets of L.A., police are completely baffled.
The victims are all quintessential family men. Well-educated.
Attractive. Successful. But appearances can be deceiving. When the
puzzling murders are linked to a high-profile lawsuit, a tenacious female
detective soon exposes a scandalous tale of lust, lies and vengeance.
Murder on the Down Low
Goldman House (September 2008)
$14.95 U.S. ($16.95 CAN.)
ISBN 13: 978-0981562704
Potential
interview questions
1. Where did you
get the idea for Murder on the Down Low?
2. How long did it
take to write Murder on the Down Low?
3. Did you do any
research for the book?
4. Did you learn
anything that surprised you while writing this book?
5. What do you want
readers to take away from the book?
6. Are you
concerned about a backlash from the religious community because of the subject
matter of the book?
7. Have you
received any reaction to the book from the gay community?
8. Why did
you decide to self-publish, rather than just wait for your agent to sell the
book?
9. How did
your self-published book end up in bookstores?
(As a result of being selected for the The Independent Book Publisher's
Association's Trade Distribution Program the book is in the major bookstores.
People need to know about this program!)
10. Why are
African-American women the fastest growing segment of the AIDS population?
11. Do you think
black women are partly responsible for the impact the disease is having on
them?
12. What role does
the black church play in solving this crisis?
13. Why do you
think African-Americans are less likely to be tested for HIV?
CONTROVERSIAL
NEW THRILLER TACKLES IMPORTANT TOPIC FOR BLACK WOMEN
Los Angeles -- When Los
Angeles attorney and Essence bestselling author Pamela Samuels Young began
writing her third legal thriller, Murder on the Down Low (ISBN: 978-0-9815627-0-4),
she was not prepared for the impact that it would have — on her.
“I consider myself fairly
enlightened,” says Pamela, “but I realize now that I was completely
ignorant about HIV and AIDS.”
Murder on the Down Low grapples
with the devastating impact of HIV on African-American women and also takes on
gay bias in the African-American community. The idea for the book
stemmed from an Oprah show featuring JL King, author of On the Down Low:
A Journey into the Lives of “Straight”Black Men Who Sleep With Men.
“I listened to King describe this
secret world of African-American men who engage in sex with other men, but who
insist that they aren’t gay and I was completely floored,” Pamela recalls.
While listening to
King’s frank conversation with Oprah, Pamela’s emotions went from shock,
to anger to fear. She was even more astonished to learn that
African-American women were the fastest-growing segment of the AIDS
population. “I just didn’t understand how that could be. Once
I started talking to people, I realized that African-American women are being
infected at such alarming rates because we think HIV is a gay disease that
can’t touch us. That’s just not the case.”
The day after watching that
Oprah show, the idea for Murder on the Down Low came to Pamela while
stuck in traffic. In Murder on the Down Low, a brazen gunman is targeting
prominent African-American men on the streets of
L.A.
The victims are all quintessential family men, well-educated,
attractive and successful. But appearances can be deceiving. When
the baffling murders are linked to a high-profile lawsuit, the frantic search
for the killer exposes a scandalous tale of lust, lies and vengeance.
“I didn’t begin writing Murder
on the Down Low with the goal of sending a message about HIV,” Pamela says.
But after researching the subject, she quickly realized that the novel
provided an excellent opportunity to educate as well as entertain.
“I hope readers are
intrigued by the mystery that unfolds in Murder on the Down Low,” Pamela
says, “but I’m also hoping they’ll learn something that might just
save their lives.”
About the Author
Pamela Samuels Young, an attorney who specializes in discrimination law, is
the legal columnist for Global Woman magazine and a member of the Board of
Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
The
Compton
native is a graduate of USC,
Northwestern
University
’s
Medill
School
of Journalism and the
University
of
California Berkeley
,
Boalt
Hall
School
of Law. She is married and lives in the
Los Angeles
area.
EDC Creations, The Sankofa Literary
Society and The Black Authors Network announced the launch of their 2009-2010
"Give the Gift of Knowledge Campaign," bringing readers and authors together to
help improve literacy. In 2004, during the Christmas holidays, Ella Curry, the
founder of EDC Creations, reached out to women's groups and literary
organizations to help promote early literacy by giving new books to children
from low income homes. 
Pamela Samuels Young is the Essence bestselling author of Murder on the Down Low, In Firm Pursuit, Every Reasonable Doubt and the forthcoming Buying Time. The former journalist and Compton native is the fiction writing expert for BizyMoms.com and is on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Murder on the Down Low raises awareness about HIV and AIDS in the African American community.
Website: 
MySpace:
Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck lawyer. But just when he's about to hit rock bottom, he stumbles upon a business with the potential to solve all of his problems. 
Pamela Samuels Young is the Essence bestselling author of
Murder on the Down Low, In Firm Pursuit, Every Reasonable Doubt and the forthcoming
Buying Time. The former journalist and Compton native is the fiction writing expert for BizyMoms.com and is on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Do you ever fantasize about leaving your current career behind and pursuing something totally different?
Perhaps you've thought seriously about it for a day or a week, but then the fear of leaving the virtual security of your current job floods your head with dozens of sound reasons why you should stay put. Whether your dream is to write a novel, start your own business or go back to school, you can make it happen. Here are five tips that will help you begin your journey.
Here are Pamela's top
5 tips for not just starting your novel, but finishing it. 
For writers, coping with rejection comes with the territory. Though the way may be long, and even painful at times, persistence often pays off. 
An expanding group of female writers is at the forefront of a literary cultural shift. As a result, the typical protagonist in today's mystery novels is no longer white and male. He, and more often, she may range from a Puerto Rican prosecutor to a Japanese gardener to an African-American schoolteacher. 
I’m
currently working on my fourth novel, Buying Time. In my first
stand-alone thriller, a disbarred lawyer finds himself an unsuspecting pawn in
a rather unusual murder ring.
