This Weeks Featured Reader: Carla Towns

Good morning, afternoon or evening depending upon when you are tuning into my blog! Today was the first day that my kids went back to school and this year is extra exciting because it is my eldest daughter, Takeyha's senior year of high school, my son Asa's freshman year of high school and also Boston's first year of school period! This morning was a flurry of people fighting for their alloted fifteen minutes of bathroom time, complainging about who had whose who-knows-what and why, wondering who was getting a ride verses who was walking or riding the bus to school and why they had to eat this or that for lunch! As crazy as my house may seem to some of you, the one thing that it is not is disorganized.
When you have a large family space is limited, time for each is limited, but the one thing that we cherish more than those two every important aspects of life is our ability to be properly prepaired and organized. The lunches were packed, the school clothes were ironed and sat out, the book bags were packed and arranged, five pair of socks were tucked away in five pair of shoes and sat by the door and showers were taken THE NIGHT BEFORE. That proper preparation ensured that admist our cahos we were organized. I shed a tear watching the teenagers walk to their bus stop, watching the pre-teen jump out of the car and walk into her school and leaving Javier and Boston after meeting their teachers. The ride home was quiet, as my husband and I breathed a sigh of relief and exhaustion, but our hearts were big with the love that we have for our kids and the amazement that we once again pulled it off without a hitch.

Introducing Avid Reader Carla Towns

As you may have noticed, I have been interviewing different authors on my blog and while it is always exciting to know what some of my fellow authors are up to I also wanted to give my readers a chance to get to know some of the people who read what we write. So today's blog is dedicated to avid reader, Carla Towns.

Let’s start with the boring but necessary questions first, who is Carla Towns? Is she an author or is she just an average everyday woman who enjoys reading as much as I do?

I'm certainly just an average, everyday , 25 year old woman, who just so happens to be an avid reader. lol. Reading has always been a passion of mine since childhood. I couldn't imagine not being able to curl up with a good book. I definitely think writing is in my future but it has to be right. Timing is everything and if I'm going to do it, it has to be done the right way. No half stepping.

I can remember the first book that I read and understood which was Amelia Bedelia in the third grade and from then on I was hooked to the written word. Can you recall one of the first books that you read and what made you fall in love with the written word?

I was a huge R.L Stein fan growing up. The Goosebumps and Fear Street series were my absolute favorites. Back then you couldn’t tell me nothing lol. Even though it meant I was scared to death when it came time to go to bed.

You are a very active participant in your Facebook book club, Black Faithful Sisters & Brothers Bookclub. What made you be a part of an online book club and are you a member of a traditional book club?

Zaneta Powell is the creator of Black Faithful Sisters and Brothers Bookclub. She started the group in June of 2011. Back then it was just myself, Zaneta, Sandy Barrett Sims, Gabrielle Dotson, and Shaniyah (or the Fab 5 as we refer to ourselves lol) along with authors Mimi Renee and Cha’ Bella Don, in the group but we kept it fun and interesting. Flash forward to today and we are still going strong. It’s definitely more than a bookclub, it’s a family. We encourage one another, we interact daily, authors come through and interact and we just try to be as informative and up-to-date as possible. Teamwork definitely makes the dream work and we love each and every one of the members. I’m not currently in a traditional book club.

Why are book clubs so popular?

 Book clubs not only give readers a chance to interact with other readers who share a similar passion for reading, they also give you a chance to discuss books, find some great, new reads and discover new authors.

What type of books do you enjoy the most?

 I love reading period. Urban fiction, horror, fantasy/ adventure are some of my favorite.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Wow, Shimeka are you sure we have the time lol. I’ll just name a few. T. Styles, Ashley and JaQuavis, Takerra Allen, Traci Bee, Clever Black, Shan Richardson, Mimi Renee, Queen Brown, Nene Capri…this list could go on for a while lol.


What is the one thing that you find authors doing that annoys you the most?

Some of the older authors are really slacking.Not all of them but some. I mean with these brand new authors on the scene like Joe Awsum, Sa'id Salaam ,Jackie Chanel, Fabiola Joseph...the more established authors should be coming with the hotness. Instead, I'm finding that some of them are starting to release books just for the sake of releasing a book.At the end of the day, you're only as hot as your last book. These newer authors are definitely giving them a run for their money, if I do say so myself


There are three things that draw me to purchase a book from an author that I’d never read before: the book cover, the synopsis and the reviews. What factors do you consider when purchasing a book?

There are three things that draw me to purchase a book from an author that I’d never read before: the book cover, the synopsis and the reviews. What factors do you consider when purchasing a book? Most definitely the synopsis first then the book cover. I don’t usually pay attention to reviews beforehand because what one person may hate, I may love and vice versa. However, if I see a book has 27 one star reviews and nothing else then I skip right on over that lol.


You are an avid reader who often posts reviews on Amazon what makes you give a book a one star review?

 I rarely give a book a one star review. I know authors put a lot of time and effort into their books and I have to put myself into their shoes. However, a couple of books I've read did warrant a one star. Editing is major for me. A few mistakes here and there don't bother me but when I am struggling to understand what is written or the story constantly goes from 3rd person POV to 1st person, that's when I have a problem. Other than that: lack of storyline, taking too long to get to the point, unbelievable or under developed characters, and confusing story lines are some of the factors that affect my review.

 From risqué book covers to graphic sexual content, do you think that authors are using sex to sell their books?

I don't want to say all authors are using sex to sell because that's not the case but it does happen. Whether it's a scantily clad model on the front cover of the book or a chapter full of hot, sweaty lovemaking, sex is definitely there.I just don't think that's the main focus in all cases . Now erotica sure lol.

Last question, many authors choose to self-publish their books, such as myself, do you think that is a good thing or a bad thing and why? How has self-published authors changed the literary world?

I think the option to self publish is great. I've heard soooo many horror stories about people being lied to and deceived when it comes to their book being published and sold. Self publishing has allowed authors to be in total control of their book. From the cover to the release date to the price...authors have taken back control. They get to be there for the complete journey. From the writing process to the bookshelf.

 Thank you Carla for your candid interview!



Twenty-Somethings vs. Thirty-Somethings

Hello all! First of all I would like to thank you all for taking the time out of your busy day to read my blog, you guys are amazing. With my blog being a little over one year old I can actually sit back with a smile of admiration on my face and say, wow I did it and every day people read. I am truly blessed.
In case you haven't noticed, I have changed things up a little bit. Normally I blog about every day things and relationships, but lately I have been conducting interviews with some of my fellow authors. First up was the young, but talented author, mother and businesswoman Pinky Dior. Then veteran author Deatri King-Bey dropped by my page to tell us what she has been up to. And last week I had the pleasure to interview Aaron Bebo which was gnarley. So many people dropped by to view their interviews so I've decided to keep it going by bringing you not only veteran authors, but also authors who are new to the game and I will also interview the people who read what we write by interviewing readers! So stay tuned for more...I'm so excited.

Now on to the topic of this week's blog:

Twenty-Somethings vs Thirty-Somethings

I was casually scrolling through my Facebook news feed when I noticed that my beautiful first born child, Ta'Keyha (Chee for short) posted a picture of me that was taken over ten years ago. After I screamed bloody murder I then looked at the picture and I laughed. I thought, gosh I was so young, gosh I was so naive and gosh I was so SKINNY! I almost couldn't believe that it was me in the picture, but I remembered taking the picture one night at a local night club with an ex-boyfriend. My daughter took the liberity of blacking out the ex-boyfriend (Thanks Chee).

Then I sat back and remembered my twenties. My twenties were a time of going to night clubs with my girls, coming home at wee hours in the morning, drinking whatever it was that I could afford or sweet talk my way into, dating different guys and most importantly being able to fit into a size seven pant.

Ahh my twenties those were times to remember.

Did I have fun? HELL YEAH!

Would I change anything? HELL NO!

Would I like to do it all over again......HELL NO!

See I look at my twenties as a time of discovery, in my teens I had no clue who I was, but I didn't have the freedom to find out because I had a cerfew, but in my twenties I set out to find myself, but mostly I was out to find the next kickin' it spot. But I digress. In our twenties we only THINK that we are adults, but we are still learning what it really means to be an adult. We learn that when you have an apartment that apartment comes with bills and those bills aren't the responsibility of mommy and daddy they actually come in YOUR name. We learn that we like having lights and water, but in order to have lights and water we must pay bills and in order to pay those bills we have to get a job. It is in our twenties that we learn that in order to keep that job we cannot spend every night in a night club partying. Well we can because unlike in our thirties we have the stamina to stay up all night shaking our groove thang.

In our twenties we find love or so we think. We think that hunk in the grey wife beater that we met at the laundry mat is our soul mate. We don't care that he has three kids by four different baby momas or that he lives in his grandmother's basement those things pale in compairson to his hazel bedroom eyes and the little dimple on the right side of his nose when he smiles. Who cares that every time he uses your car (that you paid for with your money) he always brings it back damn near on empty because the amount of electricity that we feel when he touches us only makes us swoon.

The twenties are a time when our favorite jeans fit our slender hips like a glove no matter how much Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia we eat. Forget sweating it out at a gym, in your twenties you work the weight off on the dance floor to some Lil Wayne!

Now when I'm at the mall school shopping for my half-dozen and I run into a giggly bunch of twenty-somethings do I look at them in envy? NOPE.

Not because I have a few more hooks on my bra than them and not because I don't have a care in the world. Instead I smile because I remembered how bliss ignorance can be. Now that I am in the thirty-something club I have one thing that these twenty something don't. I have a sense of self.

See in your twenties you are still busy discovering yourself and how you fit into the world around you, but when you get into your thirties suddenly a lightbulb turns on in your head and you know exactly who you are and how you plan to fit into the world around you.

Being in my thirties dosen't make me bitter, so I can't go braless on any given day or that my ass has seemed to drop a few inches below the equator. Who give a shit that don't I know how to do the catdaddy. I am actually proud of the fact that I finally have to use my vision insurance that I pay $13.45 for each paycheck and I know how much I've paid into my deductible this year and that I actually compairison shop to get the best value on dish washing liquid! I relish in the fact that I make sure that I am in bed by 9:30pm so that I can wake up fresh for the work day. I love it that instead of marathon sex my husband and I now run a marathon to see who can get into the shower first so they won't have to be in the cold zone. I love the fact that my friends and I have other things to talk about besides men, clothes and night clubs we now talk about our kids, the difference between an IRA and a Roth IRA and how to get the best vacation deal to Mexico, not to party and meet men, but to relax.

One piece of advice that I'd give my twenty-something self is: Nothing. I wouldn't change one thing about my twenties. Sure I stayed up late, partied hard, wasted time on the wrong guy, but it was through my twenties that I learned to be the amazingly confident thirty-something that I am today.

I love being thirty because I love knowing exactly who I am and what I want. So to all of you twenty-somethings good luck because I wouldn't trade places with you for the tinest Joe's Jeans in the world.

TTYL!



Change For A Dollar author Aaron Verblekent Bebo

I do not think that I am alone when I say that there is nothing more sexy than a well read man, besides a man that also writes. I once heard that black men don't read and for the longest I thought that stereotype was true because I never met a man that enjoyed the written word as much as I do. That is until I broadened my circle and met men that not only read, but also men who write.
In today's blog I bring you the man with a pen, author of urban fiction hit, Change For A Dollar, Aaron Bebo!

First things first where are you from?
I am from New York, I lived in the Capitol until around age fifteen then moved to The Bronx.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
I have a lot. I am a fan of Sidney Sheldon, Jackie Collins, Iceburg Slim, Alice Walker, Rayven Skyy, Donald Goines, Fabiola Joseph, Nikki Turner, Treasure Blue, Al Saadiq Banks, Walter Mosely, K’wan Foye, Julia Press Simmons. I like a lot of authors I am a love of reading before I am an author.

How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing all my life. I started writing poems and short stories at a young age, I had a huge imagination. I eventually started writing song lyrics; and need a larger forum for my over-all expression led me to writing novels, along with the spark that was brought back in to urban fiction while I was going through this transitional faze, the books were so closely related to the lifestyle I was writing about for music it was almost a smooth transition.

What prompted you to begin a literary career?
Well once I begin writing and completed my first novel I reached out to someone in the industry, and was met with warm reception, once that happened I started getting more serious about learning craft so I could improve on my writing.

What is one of the most suprising things about the literary world?

This is solely my opinion. I think that the comprehensive component is lacking from both the readers and authors. I grew up reading all types of writing, I think that a large portion of the literary community were swept in on a wave of trend for the genre, I’m not saying these people weren’t readers before the urban fiction craze picked back up in the late nineties, but I am saying they weren’t reading as much and certainly not the content that they are reading now. In that it is my opinion that it makes them subjective as readers, because they are only searching for a certain type of content when they read, as oppose to reading for the purpose of pleasure, they moreso pleasure reading, looking for hot spots in books that contain the content they’re most intrigued with. It takes away pieces of substance to the academics of reading. Concerning the authors I am not sure at times if authors don’t know or just don’t care about craft. Because a genre allows you to bend the rules of writing to a small degree of expression it is not to be taking out of context, some books in the genre are just written in a manner as if there is a conversation going on curbside in front the corner store! I am by no means perfect, but I am learned and show great signs for growth. To me books and writing is about education if you are going to offer the people something in that arena at least first be educated on what it is you are presenting. I think that writers should stretch those laws but not so far as to the point that they can’t be put back in place when presented to another audience. I apologize for being long winded here, but really the things I described above really surprise me especially in an industry whose root is based around education.

 Why did you choose to self-publish?
Well once I learned about self publishing I figured it would be a better route to get to the major companies by having a finished product to show them. My debut ‘Change For A Dollar was only supposed to be printed to shop around, but I used createspace and they automatically upload for sale once you approve your proofs. It started selling and I just ran with it, also publishing had began changing and ebooks were becoming more popular, opening up the market for the independent to reach the same masses as the majors through web channels. So it became a question of do I really need the majors to achieve enough success to constantly build. I’ll always self publish even if I was to sign a major deal, I would never allow them to take away my right to self publish.

What is one thing that you would change about the literary world and why?
I’d just want to see more unity and structure, because without it there will be chaos. I will say before the ebooks there were many more guidelines in place. Structure.

So I've heard some rave reviews about your book Change For A Dollar can you tell us a little about it?
CFAD is a story about transition and the way it effects a group of individuals living in the street life. It is a real serious tale that is told in true fashion of the streets in vivid detail without all the over the edge props it’s just a real story. I would suggest all that love the genre go out and get it so they can really see what I’m talking about.

 What is next for Arron Verbalkent Bebo?
My next immediate release is Author Wives is a fictional look at urban fiction and really just the AA role in publishing on a whole, the FB interaction, the blog talk shows, the different personalities. It was just something I came up with after seeing all the hype for the reality shows and viewing the structure in our industry, there is something in there for anyone that is a part of this community authors and readers alike. Although the title is Author Wives it is not concentrating on any one relationship as much as the characters and the industry they are in.

Where can readers find your books?
My titles are Change For A Dollar, Boo Thang (collaboration with LaTonya West), Areas of Grey, On The Green, Accidental Nut, Mischievous. They are all available @ amazon.com

Thank you Aaron! If you would like to connect with Aaron via Facebook
click the following link: http://www.facebook.com/AaronVERBALKENTBebo
 

Guest Blogger Deatri King-Bey!

Hello everyone, from what I hear many of you enjoyed my interview of Author Pinky Dior last week so I'm going to keep the cross promotion going while I busy myself with my soon to be released title, Son of A Preacher Man.

Today I welcome guest blogger Detri King-Bey who has been in the game for quite some time and has several titles under her belt such as Third Time's A Charm, Sons 4 Sale, Santa's Helpers, Love's Desire, Picture Perfect, Beauty and the Beast, The Other Realm, Operation White Rose and Jodie's Choice....WHEW! Detri has recently released yet another title, Tease to follow along with the fan favorite Write Brothers series of books. Read on to learn more about what this Phoenix, Arizonan has going on:

Dee, this isn’t the type of book you usually write, but I still liked it. What happened?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard something on those lines this past year as the four titles of my romance series, the Write Brothers, were released.
What had happened was… Seriously, as an author, I’m always looking for new challenges. I write romance with a big dose of reality and women’s fiction, but not traditional romance and not series romance.



So what better challenge than writing a traditional romance series?
When I started on this journey, I worried writing a series wouldn’t keep my interest so I took steps to help in that department. I enlisted the readers to help me decide the order of the series. And we had a BALL. Thank you all for your assistance. You kept me laughing the entire time.

Soooo, here we are. The final title of the Write Brothers series was released and I’m proud of the result. If you’ve enjoyed the first three titles, you won’t be disappointed Tease. For those of you who haven’t tried the series, I’ve also released an eBox set of the entire series.

TEASE: After Eva caught her fiancé in bed with her cousin, she swore she'd never be played for the fool again. Now the ultimate bed-hopper—Tyler Write, has set his sights on her and she’s having difficulty resisting him.

Tyler can have any woman except the one he truly wants—Eva Simpson. Smooth lines and sweet talk won't work with her. To have a chance at Eva’s heart, he’ll have to show her who he really is.
Purchase this eBook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble. The print version will be released in a few weeks.


SONS 4 SALE (Write Brothers Series eBox Set): If Gloria Write hears “There are no good Black men…” one more time, she’ll scream. She has four sons who fit the bill and not one is married. Desperate times call for desperate action. During the course of four novels, Gloria sets out to ensure her sons marry. The eBox set includes all four Write Brother novels.
Purchase the eBox set for $7.99 or each novel for $2.99 from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Shimeka, thank you for letting me to visit your slice of the cyberworld. I appreciate it and you.

Deatri King-Bey http://DeatriKingBey.com, http://www.LLReaper.net

No, thank you Deatri! You can connect with Detatri on the following social networks: