The Appetizer by Nicola Mitchell
April 27, 2010 by Editor
Filed under Book Blog Tour, Interviews
Nicola Mitchell is an author on a mission. After the debut of her first novel Over and Over Again, she learned more about the nuances of publishing and how to succeed in the industry. She followed up with her novel less shortly after. We got the chance to talk to Nicola Mitchell about her growth as an author /publisher and her second novel The Appetizer.
UM: Introduce yourself.
NM: My name is Ni’cola Mitchell and I am originally from Kingston, Jamaica. I am a single mother of two daughters Destani age 16 and Diamond age 11. I am currently in graduate school, pursuing a degree in Healthcare Management. I am also a head coach of a youth football league cheer team. I am the CEO of NCM Publishing and a member of the Literary Sistahs National Touring Group.
UM: Tell the audience about your new title The Appetizer.
NM: The Appetizer is a story centering my three main characters Nia, Yazmin, and Monae. They are three friends that live in Los Angeles, California. Nia, even though beautiful, has many self-esteem issues. She is poor trying to find a man that is typically in a relationship, because she believes that they can provide a better life for her three children.
Yazmin is pregnant with twin babies, and is engaged to Trey. She is caring and loving, and will do anything for anybody. She believes that she has the perfect life until one night she has a near death experience, which resulted in her finding out that Trey has been living a double life being married to Jill for the past ten years.
Monae is career minded and very focused. She is one of those people that we all know who can pass judgment on everyone around her, but never finds fault in her own self. While in the mist of setting a date for her own wedding, she finds out that her fiancé Malik has skeletons in his closet as well.
This book is a behind the scenes story of the mistress, and how one falls into this role. This book also will also shed light on how in some instances, the mistress doesn’t even have a clue that she is a mistress until it is too late.
UM: Describe how you came up with the title?
NM: I wanted to incorporate the true meaning of the word mistress. She is not the main course, but just as important. The title too the point, but at the same time still leaves you with mystery.
UM: Who is the audience for your book? What would you like the reader
to take away from your novel?
NM: Men and women are both the audience for this book. I want readers to find entertainment while learning life lessons at the same time. I want people to understand and see first hand that there are always two sides to every story. This story will hit home on so many levels because we all know one of the characters in this book.
UM: The Appetizer is your second book and an introduction to
publishing. What are a few misconceptions you had about the publishing industry before your debut book? Have any of the misconceptions changed?
NM: Over and Over Again was actually my introductory lesson in the publishing field. I learned a lot though from both of these projects. I knew that it was going to be a hard road, so I was actually prepared for the kinks that have been thrown at me. The only misconception that I had was that at some point it was going to get easier. I am faced with a different challenge everyday, but in essence I am always up to a good challenge as well.
UM: Multitasking (marketing, promotion, etc.) becomes apparent after
the debut book. Did your writing process change any?
NM: The only thing that changed about my writing process is the speed. In writing The Appetizer, it took me six months from start to finish; vs. Over and Over Again that took a year.
I try to start off every project in an outline form. I take the topic and use it as the foundation. Then I try to put in as many subtopics as possible. I do not write from beginning to end. I write whatever is in my heart.
UM: Have you learned something unique about your publishing journey or some advice you’d like to share?
NM: The only advice that I have is too never get comfortable. Stay hungry, focused, versatile, and grounded. Remember, whatever God has given you, he can easily take away.
UM: What upcoming projects or plans do you have that you’d like to share?
NM: My next novel is Twisted, and this is the direct sequel to Over and Over Again, and that is not due out in the fall. Candy my villainess in Over and Over Again, has gained her own story, entitled Candy, and it will be out in the end of the year. Also I will be included in several anthologies.
NCM Publishing is also going to be very busy with the releases of Mama Don’t Like Ugly, by Rekaya Gibson, and Strawberries, Stilettos, and Steam by Imani True and Dreama Skye.
UM: How can people contact you or learn about your latest news?
NM: Check out:
www.nicola.ning.com
www.myspace.com/nicolacmitchell.com
That Bird Has My Wings by Jarvis Masters
That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row by Jarvis Jay Masters
HarperOne 2009
$24.99 / $32.99 Canada 281 pages
Reviewed by Terri Schlichenmeyer
By no stretch of the imagination would anyone say that the man in the orange jumpsuit could be called “nice”.
The metal around his waist and wrists attest to his badness, and the look on his face further cements it: this is a man that few people would mess with. But once upon a time, he wasn’t bad at all. Awhile back, that man in the orange jumpsuit was a little boy in blue overalls. He’s a menace now, but he was someone’s baby then.
So where did things go wrong for him? Read the new book “That Bird Has My Wings” by Jarvis Jay Masters and you’ll see…
Until he was seven or eight years old, Jarvis Masters lived in a drug house with his sisters. The children knew they were loved because their mother, a heroin addict, came home now and then. But there was rarely anything to eat, cockroaches were playthings, and strangers constantly wandered in to shoot up in the bathroom.
Then someone called Social Services.
The children were split up and Jarvis was placed with an older couple who longed for a child of their own. Mamie and Dennis treated Jarvis like a son, buying him toys, giving him guidance and nurturing his dreams.
When Mamie fell sick, Jarvis was placed in another foster home where he was physically and emotionally abused. He ran away and was eventually sent to CYA (California Youth Authority), an environment in which he wanted to stay. But case workers needed to find him a permanent home, so they sent him to a military discipline camp for boys. Nobody realized that Jarvis had already become accustomed to institutionalization.
For most of his teens, Jarvis bounced from relatives’ homes to state facilities and back, becoming enmeshed in drugs and crime along the way. He tried to get an education and a career, but family “business” was too strong a pull. Once involved with guns and robbery, he knew it was only a matter of time before he’d be caught.
When I got this book, I was expecting a 281-page howl of innocence, but author Jarvis Jay Masters only briefly touches on that argument in this powerful autobiography. Yes, he decries his harshest sentence but he doesn’t dwell on it. It’s almost as if the charge of conspiracy to commit murder (the reason he’s on death row) is a minor point in this book. It barely takes up a page-and-a-half.
The bigger story – the one that comes blasting through “That Bird Has My Wings” – is one of an eager, smart little boy who was hungry for guidance and structure but gets shuttled aside instead. It’s a tale of regret, remorse, quiet acceptance, gratitude, and strength that lays the blame squarely and surprisingly on its writer as well as on the adults who hurt him.
If you’re in search of something that doesn’t glorify crime or make it seem like anything less than wrong, you can’t do wrong by getting this book.
“That Bird Has My Wings” absolutely soars.
Blackface by Q.B. Wells
October 8, 2009 by Editor
Filed under Book Trailers
Blackface: A Novel by Q.B. Wells
ISBN: 0976806185
Art Official Media LLC
c. 2010
$14.95 US / $17.95 CA
To protect his mother, sixteen year-old Clinton Ray a.k.a Black must run away from home. Forced to mingle with the worst elements and circumstances in urban life, Black bumps into Face, Penny and Zero, who together chase the American Dream.
Inevitably, their experiences provoke Black to reassess his friendships, his lifestyle and his own aspirations. In his journey of self-discovery, Black must learn to survive on the streets of Chicago, reevaluate his life decisions, or perish in the chaos of life.
