|
There is so much that you do - author of non-fiction empowerment books for teens, book publisher, empowerment speaker, fiction author, event planner,
and the list goes on, that for this interview, I'm going to try to stick to two of your gigs: fiction author and book publisher.
You are the author of two works of fiction, EXCLUSIVE and its sequel, PRIVACY. A writer must always be at the ready to pitch her story, and with all the hats you wear, I can't see you being anything BUT quick on your feet. Pitch EXCLUSIVE and PRIVACY to us using only 50 words for each.
Exclusive: Tisha's no video vixen--wanting more than a roll in the hay with a rapper, she wants the main man to be her main squeeze. Shout, hotter than a blue flame, got groupies on the brain and snakes in his backyard. Together they're better than
Beyonce/Jay-Z with twice the heat. (click the cover to order
EXCLUSIVE!)
Privacy: Tisha's not for wearing prison orange, but the court must decide, as Shout deals with trickery and family losses. Jordan, left for dead, got paybacks to deliver once she regains consciousness. But, when her female
partner uses seduction to twist her brain, Jordan's life becomes more than sex and
intrigue. (click the cover to order PRIVACY!)
I know that for six years, you were the publisher and EIC of Mad Rhythms magazine and interviewed the elite of the hip hop and urban entertainment
world. Do you think this experience helped you in shaping both of your novels?
--Exclusive was almost exclusively (pun intended) based on my life as a magazine publisher. I tried to include plot lines in both Exclusive & Privacy that pulled from my world as an entertainment journalist.
Every story has a
back story, the tale of how and/or why a book came to be; what's yours for PRIVACY?
--I received tremendous feedback from readers who had read EXCLUSIVE and wanted to know what was going to happen next in the story. I wrote PRIVACY
because I didn't want to let the readers of EXCLUSIVE down.
What is your favorite thing about EXCLUSIVE? About PRIVACY?
-- About Exclusive: I was able to insert a lot of my social and political opinions on hip hop culture into a novel. I really enjoyed that.
-- About Privacy: I enjoyed working on characters who I absolutely didn't know. The characters grew so much from Exclusive to Privacy that I felt I was making new friends when I wrote Privacy.
You state on your website that one of your goals is to empower others, and your life definitely reflects how important empowerment is to you. You write about publishing: "When 100 agents rejected my first manuscript, I didn't say, 'I must not have what it takes to become an author." I said, "I will do whatever is necessary, including becoming a book publisher so that my message reaches the masses.'" You knew that your works were important and you created your own publishing company, Rolling Hills Press, in order to achieve your dream of being published and reaching the masses. It's been five years since you took on this publishing initiative; how has your journey gone?
--It's been a long, hard road. Nothing is easy. But, I knew that from magazine publishing. The book publishing industry is full of the same kind of people who are in the entertainment business with a lot less cash. So, people seem to try to hustle you and with my background, it's like a total joke. The black publishing industry has to step up their game and realize the role that they play in the legacy of black people-- all black people. I'm not saying everybody has to try to heal the world, but whatever product that you're pushing, be professional about it.
For those who are in similar situations to what you were in - rejections upon rejections and having people tell you that you CAN'T do it, what kind of advice do you have for them if they are interested in going into self-publishing?
--Read a couple of books on self-publishing and keep it moving. Your fans are waiting.
Is Rolling Hills solely a vehicle for you and your creative endeavors, or are you now or do you plan to open up submissions to others?
--I definitely plan to open up submissions to others. But, when I sign some other people, I'm signing them not because of the quality of their manuscript only, but the dedication of their hustle. If they don't want to hustle, I can't be bothered. The game is simply too hard if folks aren't ready to work for it.
Going back to your writing, what type of writer are you: an outlining writer, a jump-right-in writer, or a combination of both?
--I start my concepts by jumping in, but when the water gets too deep, I gotta get an outline!
What is the inspiration that keeps
you penning stories and continuing to run your publishing business?
--I feel that my role in life is to empower other people. I know that I touch others. That's what I'm good at. So, people inspire me because they make me feel close to my calling.
There are those who believe that good writers are also well read. What are you currently reading?
--I'm reading Walter Dean Myers and Denise Nichols. I give honor to writers like Alice Walker and Pearl Cleage, but I also appreciate K'wan's grittiness, Brandon Massey's attention to detail, Jamise Dames' flair for words, Walter Dean Myers's commitment to young people, Sharon Draper's storytelling, and the list literally goes on and on.
Word Association. What comes to mind when you see the following words:
EMPOWER: Helping people get ahead
PRIVACY: Sultry, Sexy
WRITING: grueling, but satisfying
EXCLUSIVE: Behind the scenes
YASMIN: creative, exceptional, dedicated
What projects are you currently working on?
---I'm writing, writing and writing some more.
|
