Interview with K’wan by Niccole Simmons

Interview with K’wan by Niccole Simmons

*What are your titles and publication years of your books?

Gangsta (2002), Road Dawgz (2003), Street Dreams (2004), Hoodlum (2005), Eve (2006), Hood Rat (2006), Still Hood (2007), Blow (2007), Gutter (2008), Section 8 (2009), From Harlem With Love (2010), Welfare Wifeys (2010), Gangland (2011), Eviction Notice (2011) and Animal which will be released under Cash Money in 2012.

*Which of the books you have written is your favorite?

I don’t know if I have a favorite. My stories are like my children and I love them all dearly. I think the book that I had the most fun writing was Street Dreams, because I wasn’t necessarily writing it to shop to a publishing house. By this point I had had enough of the publishing biz and convinced myself that I was going to retire. So when I wrote Street Dreams I was writing it for me, because I wanted to prove to myself that I was a great writer. The fact that it ended up being my first major release was a bonus.

*If you have a mentor, who is it and how have they helped/inspired you?

My mother was my inspiration. In the beginning the plan was to help her get published. I had no desire to be a writer, but when she got sick everything changed. When my mother passed I picked up the torch and discovered a talent that I never knew was there. This was her dream, not mine, but when the time came I stepped into her shoes and carried on. I didn’t really have a mentor when I was coming up as a writer. Most people wanted to keep me ignorant to the business and writing non-stop. I was worth more to them dumb than smart, if that makes sense. Shannon Holmes gave me a lot of positive game early in my career, but the person most instrumental in me making the jump to the majors and really realizing what I had was L.A. Banks (RIP). Leslie didn’t know me from a hole in the wall but when I laid my problems at her feet she welcomed me with open arms and directed me to submit to St. Martins. I can honestly say if it wasn’t for her I probably would’ve never come to the attention of St. Martins (at least that early in the game). She told her editor “This kid is gonna be huge one day and you need to check him out.” She helped me in a BIG way but most have never heard this story because she wasn’t the type of person to do something to say she did it. When Leslie helped you it was from the heart.

*What is the best thing to you about being an author?

Freedom. I make my own schedule, have no boss, and do not punch a clock. If I don’t wanna work, I don’t have to work, but I understand that I must “Write 2 Eat” so I go balls in all the time. Becoming a writer provided me with a way to feed my children and not have to worry about the other shoe dropping and being left out in the cold. I write because I MUST. It’s the same thing with people who have to breathe air to live. These stories are my air and my salvation.

*What is the most challenging/difficult thing about being an author?

The most challenging thing is dealing with industry politics. I never got into writing for money or fame, I kept at it because I grew to love it. As my name got bigger I was introduced to the dark side of publishing. This is a shady business and nobody cares about you if caring about you doesn’t create wealth for them. You’re only as good as your last favor and this is something that I had to learn the hard way. I’ve seen quite a bit over the last few years; backdoor deals, cliques, scandals, people hating for nothing and people who you go out of your way to help that don’t even offer so much as a thank you for your time. I have no stomach for the B.S. which is why for the most part I keep myself isolated. You used to see me at all the industry parties flicking it up, and inviting people into my circle who didn’t deserve to be there because their intentions weren’t pure. So I had to cut the cancer before it spread. I’m a good and genuine dude, but that doesn’t mean everybody else is.

*If you could establish 5 Rules of Conduct every author must adhere to, what would they be?

1. More individuality and less ball riding.
2. Be true to yourself and not to what the new trend is.
3. Learn how to take criticism without automatically calling it “hating.”
4. Conduct yourself in a professional manor when you’re at an event or social networking.
5. Probably the most important; educate yourself about this business so you know what you’re getting into before you get into it. So many people are content to take short cuts or ask a bunch of pointless questions instead of taking the time to try and learn.

*How did you acquire your publishing deal with Cash Money Content?

As with all the authors on the roster; Cash Money came to me. When I initially heard that Cash Money was putting together a wish list of authors I said “No.” I had done the G-unit thing a few years back and didn’t want to be a part of another gimmick devised by rappers and publishers. As I watched from a distance I saw that Cash Money was actually taking publishing seriously. The Cash Money situation popped up again this summer. I was a free agent for the first time in 8yrs and of course there were a bunch of publishers who wanted me, including Cash Money. It was a rough summer for me because I wasn’t used to dealing with this kind of pressure. I walked around looking like a homeless person all summer weighing my options. The blessing in it was that I got to see who my real peoples were. Everyone assumed that I had been dropped from my publisher, which was untrue. So thinking that I no longer had value a lot of people backed away from me, which was good because it put a lot of things into perspective. We had narrowed it down to four or five publishers, Cash Money being one of them. I was still hesitant because I wanted to give my current publisher a chance to give me what I was asking for, but they dragged their feet about it. So I did what was best for me and my family and told my agent to pull the trigger on the Cash Money deal. There’s no love lost between my former publisher, in fact I still have several projects that I will be releasing with them but I move the Hood Rat series to Cash Money.

My agent is a genius and structured the deal so I not only was taken care of monetarily but I also had the freedom to do other projects with other houses. Two more big factors in me signing with Cash Money were Ashley and JaQuavis Coleman. They recruited me the heaviest to come over to Cash Money. Those kids are young, but very sharp and they saw the bigger picture. Separate we are all formidable but united we would instantly become a powerhouse. I probably had more conversations about it with JaQuavis then I did with my agent lol. He broke everything down to me as far as the pros and cons of signing with Cash Money and there were more pros than cons, so it was really a no-brainer.

*In your opinion, how is the music industry, specifically the rap game comparable to the literary industry? (This question is relevant because some of the sites I am submitting the article to are heavily music related).

The publishing industry is the same as music because of the common principal of Big Bank take Little Bank. The major houses hold the keys to the kingdom as far as product placement and budgets, but we are the talent and therefore the cash cows. Still, even with being the talent we get the coins while the houses take the dollars. What most people don’t understand is that when you take that advance (which is just borrowing against yourself) it’s not for you to buy jewelry and cars, its to invest in yourself. For the last five years or so I’ve paid for my own book tours, marketing and everything else besides printing the book. That’s because I understand the hustle and I apply the same rules I learned as a starving artists to help keep this major machine going. A major publisher may place you in Walmart but it’s up to you to get the people into Walmart to buy the books. I see a lot of people fall back when they get a major deal thinking the battle is won, but in all truthfulness the battle is just beginning. They’re gonna get their money back regardless, but it’s up to you to get out there and hustle so you can make those coins add up to dollars.

*What are your long-term goals?

My long term goals are to write and direct my own films. Getting a movie option is great, but I need to be more hands on with my stuff. Nobody is gonna see my vision like I do.

*Any highlights or hardships you’ve had during your career?

The hardships of my career would have to be the lessons I learned early on about understanding paperwork. People have no idea how many times I’ve been cheated, exploited and everything else getting to the point where I am today. I put out a lot of material that to date I still have not been paid for. I could gripe about it or I can brush myself off and keep fighting. I chose to do the latter. These publishers will smile in your face to distract you from the knife being driven into your back.
One of my biggest highlights to date was seeing the looks on the faces of the people who thought it was over for me when they found out I was not only going to Cash Money but also had one of the most uniquely structured contracts I’ve ever seen. If you’ve been around me then you should know; I’ve always got a trump card up my sleeve. Lesson learned in this; never count K’wan out because you’ll lose that bet every time.

*What is your personal view on the self-publishing craze?

I think it’s a good and bad thing. Every man/woman has the right to feed themselves but some of these situations are ratchet at best. I’ve seen people who were just so thirsty to say “I wrote a book” that they’ll slap anything between the pages of a half ass cover, put it out and call themselves a bestseller. My generation of authors EARNED that title whereas some of these mofos ain’t even sold a book and are slapping it on their covers. Are you serious? On the flipside of that, you have some self-published authors who I have a great deal of respect for, because they did it the right way. They did the research and actually invested in making their project a good one. Those are the authors who will win in this game and when the time comes will be handed the keys to the city. The rest…..do I really need to finish this statement?

*What do you feel is in store for urban literature in the future?

I see great things in the future of Urban Fiction once the BS is weeded out. Today it’s a lot easier to self publish than it was ten years ago and there are more promotional and publishing outlets like E-books and social networking sights. We didn’t have all that when I came in; we actually had to get in the streets to get our product to the people. The times are changing and some are resistant to the changes, while others are going with the flow. We must change with the times or become obsolete.

Follow K’wan on Twitter @kwan141

Visit the Kwan Foye Website

Interview with Fallen Author Quiana

Interview with Fallen Author Quiana

UM: Can you Introduce yourself to readers?

I’m Quiana, a new author from Philadelphia! Writing is a passion of mine that I am eager to share. It’s been a long time goal of mine since age 17 to become a published author by the age of 25, so I am very proud to have met that goal and to deliver a great story to my audience.

UM: How did you get involved in publishing?

Well, I consulted with several authors that I know to decide if self publishing was the best option. I was proud of my completion but had no Idea how to go through the publishing process. I did a lot of research! I decided to go with self publishing due to the amount of freedom it allows, it’s just a lot of work.

UM: What prompted you to write Fallen? Anything based of true events?

The story is not based upon true events, however people can relate, I think that is why my readers love it so much. The plot just came to me one day in my living room after I already started another novel. I felt strongly in my heart that Fallen should be my first novel, and so far it has proven to be a good choice. There aren’t many stories, if any, about this new wave of cougars in the dating world. Fallen explores that type of a relationship with the upsides and downfalls. Throw sex, lies, and adultry in it and you have a very captivating story!

UM: Who is the audience for the book? What do you hope they take away after reading?

I have had young, old, white and black readers so far who all loved the story! I am very proud to say my audience range with this story is wide. Fallen was intended to be a story for mothers. Mothers who like myself, gave up youth in exchange for stability or to raise a family. Ramae, the main character, spends a lot of time reflecting back and wondering if things could have been different. I think for men and women, we have a hard time fighting selfish temptation, and thinking that we missed out on something. I want my readers to take the lesson of thinking before acting from this story. Is lust and youth worth risking for stability? Should we be accepting of the life that we have chosen or is it never to late to live our dreams? These are questions people deal with on the daily bases.

UM: Who was your favorite character? Why?

Well of course I have to say Ramae! As the main character she expereinces several transformations, which always makes a plot great. You see her at her strongest and weakest, you root for her while secretly wishing for her downfall. You will find yourself identifying with her internal conflicts, while wondering what is she thinking! But I also love her friend Porscha because she reminds me of myself! The fun friend who will always tell it how it is! I love her character because she doesn’t sugar coat things with Ramae, she focuses more on being a true friend not a good one.

UM: DId you have any challenges while writing the book?

With Fallen being my first book the greatest challenge was sticking to it! I had to remind myself that this was something that I’ve wanted for a long time and if anytime was the right time it would be 2011! I had prayed for time off from work to write my first novel, and when God blessed me with it I knew it was time to focus! Being a single parent also created challenge. I would feel guilty for giving up hours to writing somedays.

UM: Whats Next?

My next novel will be Uptown’s Princess! I am working on it now and I hope to release it in the spring. There will also be a sequel to Fallen in the future, and I would love to turn it into a stage play! Hopefully 2012 will be a big year there are lots of plots in my head that I am ready to put on paper.

UM: Tell readers how to contact you or attend some of your events.

You can always follow me on twitter @authorquiana, facebook Author Quiana, or my website www.Quianawrites.com which has my email listed! Readers should also checkout my video blog on my about me page to get a better sense of me as a person! My website also has info on my upcoming book party in Philadelphia and will have postings for radio interviews, book signings, and other events.

Interview with A Beautiful Satan Author RJ Champ

UM: Introduce yourself to the readers.

R.J. Champ – I’m the fresh new author and creator of the hot new urban thriller A Beautiful Satan, which is my first release under DC Bookdiva Publications. I’m a newcomer to the urban industry and I’m bringing a fresh new vibe that will enlighten the urban genre with my unique creative style. A Beautiful Satan is my freshman project, which is fire!

UM: Tell us about your book A Beautiful Satan.

Well, A Beautiful Satan is a thugged-out psycho-thriller with a fresh new vibe that’s my signature trademark. The story centers on infidelity and puts a sadistic twist on the subject of cheating. Heartbreak, murder and mayhem come full circle in this sadistic saga where the main character, Angel Rising has a duel personality, a secret alter-ego name Natasha, and Natasha is meticulously stalking and murdering loose women who are involved in some form or fashion with Angel’s husband – Jovan, who is a prolific womanizer, to say the least. Jovan’s antics and his womanizing ways set his wife off, sending her alter-ego on a hellish killing spree within our nation’s capital.

UM: How would you describe your writing style? Who are some of your favorite authors?

My writing style is urban with a dark creative twist that is intriguing and captivating and exciting for my readers. Every time I pick up the pen I challenge myself to bring something fresh and different to my readers…stories they can feel…stories they can identify with…stories that arouse the senses.

My favorite authors; at the top of my urban authors list, I would have to say Donald Goines. His writing introduced me to urban literature, and from there I gravitated to other urban authors such as Dutch, K’wan, and Wahida Clark.

UM: Who is the audience for your book?

Well, A Beautiful Satan is an urban thriller, so my target audience are readers in the urban genre; also readers who enjoy reading thrillers, the kind of story that’s dark, captivating and exciting. I’ve labeled my books Urban Adult/Urban Universal…pretty much anyone who enjoys a good read will enjoy A Beautiful Satan.

UM: What do you want readers to take away after reading the book?

Well, this particular novel A Beautiful Satan, my intention with this story was to highlight the effects of infidelity in a relationship, how it literally destroys the soul of the innocent partner. The story shines the light on psychological abuse, and the adverse consequences which are brought on due by infidelity. This story is meant for entertainment purposes, however, there is a lesson to be learned from this dark and twisted plot, beware, infidelity can transform a woman, literally bring out the darker side you never knew existed.

UM: Who is your favorite character? Why?

Well, from a man’s point of view I’d have to roll with my man Jovan—he really puts it down when it comes to being a playa…He has the look, the dress, the money, the cars, the swag—He’s the quintessential player through and through.

Raw Law by Muhammad Ibn Bashir

“Raw Law” by Muhammad Ibn Bashir, Esq.
c.2011, Cash Money Content / Atria Books
$15.99 / $17.99 Canada 203 pages

Reviewed by Terri S.

There was no way you weren’t going to walk.

You weren’t carrying. There was nothing on you, you weren’t armed, and the cops couldn’t catch you at something you weren’t doing. But you were there when it all went down, and you were arrested just the same.

Now the only walk you’re doing is in leg irons. You got fifteen with six and you’re still wondering how it happened.

Could you have done anything differently to avoid arrest, trial, or prison? According to Muhammad Ibn Bashir, Esq., there are lots of things you could’ve done, starting with staying clean in the first place. In his book “Raw Law: An Urban Guide to Criminal Justice”, he explains.

It’s no secret that today’s prisons are filled with young black men who didn’t follow the “rules” of the courts or the hood. Bashir blames Hip-Hop for the problem, in part. He also points to lack of education and mixed messages sent to the younger generation. And, he says, when someone is caught doing something illegal, the “little rock slinger” wasn’t mature enough to handle the level of respect he demands.
So, okay. You know you’re committing acts that could get you arrested. You’ve already been in trouble, or someone in your family has. What next?

Rule Number One of criminal justice, according to Bashir, is “DO NOT GET IN” to the system. The second rule is to “come correct” when arrested. The third rule is easy: know your friends and your enemies.
Understand, says Bashir, that there are “only two truths” to what you’re about to experience and you won’t like either one: no matter how the case ends up, there will be no justice. And “you may get exactly what you deserve.”
Be willing to call the best lawyer you can afford, and listen to him or her. Keep your mouth shut and answer when asked. Never sign anything blank. Take the plea if your lawyer advises it; it often really is the best deal.

And if you’re tempted by illegal activities and wondering how much trouble you could get into for real, read this book. In a few chilling pages, Bashir envisions a future for you that also affects everybody you love…

Part guidebook, part dictionary, and part wake-up call to anyone considering doing something illegal or stupid, “Raw Law” is just about the scariest book you’ll ever read – particularly if you or your family is heading down the kind of road that may need this book.

Author and attorney Muhammad Ibn Bashir is brutally honest with his readers from start to finish, and he doesn’t hide a thing. Bashir speaks directly to his audience in language they’ll understand, which not only makes the legal system a bit more understandable, but which gives readers something hard and “real” to think about.

While “Raw Law” can be read by anyone, it’s mainly for African Americans who are trouble or are going in that direction. If that’s you or someone in your family, don’t walk – run – and find this book.