Joey Pinkney

THE NEXT CHAPTER
(The Limitless Possibilities of Literature and Culture)

Kick Off Art Reception:

Friday, September 19th @ 7PM -10PM
The Ven Sherrod Image Gallery
1906 S Halsted
$5 Admission
Purchase Ticket <==click here

5th Annual Authors & Artists Chicago

Saturday, September 20th @ 1PM -6PM
Columbia College
623 S Wabash
$10 Admission
Purchase Ticket <==click here

THE NEXT CHAPTER
(The Limitless Possibilities of Literature & Culture)

Now in its fifth year, Authors and Artists Chicago is striving to become the destination cultural event in the city. This years event takes place Friday Sept. 19th with a kickoff art reception and Saturday September 20th with a book fair. The team at 220 Communications hopes you’ll join us for both these enlightening evenings.

Featuring National Author:

Omar Tyree



Omar Tyree, a New York Times best-selling author, a 2001 NAACP Image Award recipient for Outstanding Literature in Fiction, and a 2006 Phyllis Wheatley Literary Award winner for Body of Work in Urban Fiction, has published 15 books and has sold more than 1.8 million copies worldwide.

With a degree in Print Journalism from Howard University in 1991, Tyree has been recognized as one of the most renown contemporary writers in the African-American community. He is also an informed and passionate speaker on various community-related and intellectual topics. Soon to enter the world of feature film making, self-help / business books, and urban children’s books, Tyree is a tireless creator and visionary of few limitations.

Detroit Authors include:

Stephanie L. Jones, Monica Marie Jones, & Sylvia Hubbard

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P.S.S. If you have news about your even that you want featured, email me at joeyDOTpinkneyATgmailDOTcom or myspace.com/joeyreviews

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Wakiem Freeman, author of Down Low Sistahs
(Apricot Books International)

(click on the pictures to buy this book from Amazon)

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Down Low Sistahs?

Wakiem Freeman: The idea came from an ex-girlfriend who confessed to me that she was sleeping with her cousin who was a female. Years later, I was going through old photos. I ran across her picture and was inspired to tackle the touchy subject.

JP: What sets Down Low Sistahs apart from other urban fiction novels?

WF: Down Low Sistahs is innovative. It stands alone with a unique twist.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Down Low Sistahs getting out to the public?

WF: Discipline, distribution and word of mouth. I’m focused and screaming “they on the down low and you don’t even know, they on that lo-lo” every time I hit the streets of N.Y.C. The public has spoken. I’m on my ninth print run.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Down Low Sistahs?

WF: First, I pick a topic. Then decide if I want my brain to tackle the topic. Next is research, which can take any where from 2 to 4 months. Next is designing a book cover. Then I write my outline of all chapters, which takes about two weeks. I finished Down Low Sistahs in 4 days.

JP: What’s next for Wakiem Freeman?

WF: The re-release of Down Low Sistahs, re-edited, with a NEW cover, summer 2009.

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P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joeyDOTpinkneyATgmailDOTcom or myspace.com/joeyreviews

Release Date: September 15, 2008 (Tour Dates to be announced)
BLOOD OF MY BROTHER II: The Face Off
A novel by, Zoe & Yusuf Woods

(click on the picture to buy this book from Amazon)

(click on the picture to buy this book from Amazon)

What will Roc do when he finds out the true identity of Solo? Will the blood shed come from his own brother Lil Mac? Will Roc and Solo take their beef to an explosive height on the street? Find out as Zoe and Yusuf bring the second installment to their hot street joint, Blood of My Brother.

When the streets are calling for blood and the soul of a hustler has been captured; Power, Money, Betrayal, and Revenge will change the lives of many. The saga continues in the rough streets of Philadelphia now that stakes are at a much higher level as the pieces to the puzzle are put together. Roc realizes that the very ones he entrusted are after more then territory, more than money…they want his life!

Blood of My Brother II: The Face Off unfolds into an even deeper war as the fury of Roc will be felt by many. The overwhelming desire to become the next Kingpin has put Solo in a fight for his life and has set the streets of Philly on fire. Witness the dangerous moves that are made to become the greatest and hold the title of the most powerful. Family, friends, enemies…no one is who you think they are!

This story can only be told by someone who has lived it!

Contact: Zoe Woods
Email: ZoeWoods79@gmail.com
Web: www.ynzproductions.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/50042020

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Essence Best Seller debut novelist T. Benson Glover, author of Sister
(Amaiya Entertainment)

(click on the pictures to buy this book from Amazon)

In Sister, T. Benson Glover takes you on a journey to “the Badlands”, a notorious North Philadelphia ghetto plagued by drugs and violence. It’s a place where love doesn’t exist inside The City of Brotherly Love. This is the neighborhood that the character Sister calls home.

Follow Sister as she winds her way into the depths of a world shrouded in darkness, clouded by murder, riddled by lust, consumed by greed, and overrun by envy and betrayal. In Sister, Glover makes it clear that beneath every inner city there’s a place where’s there’s no love lost, even the City of Brotherly Love .

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Sister?

T. Benson Glover: I got the inspiration to write the novel Sister out of necessity. I felt that there was need to assess how drastic and violent the situation has become for our young black women to grow up in the inner city minus their fathers. And the character Sister is just an example of what can happen to a young sister growing up in urban America.
JP: What sets Sister apart from other urban fiction novels set in Philly?

TBG: What sets Sister apart, is that it is not only set in Philly, but also Pittsburgh, and Fayetteville, NC.
JP: As a debut author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Sister appearing on the Essence Best Seller’s List?

TBG: I would say that it’s the constant grind: going to the book signings, the Harlem Book Fairs, communicating with your readers online, etc. All of those things, on top of having a good product that’s both credible and real, are keys to gaining that position. Key number 1 has got to be that your readers have to feel where you’re coming from. Shout out to Essence for recognizing my hard work.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Sister?

TBG: Actually, I start by developing my lead character and his or her voice. Once I nail that down, I finish the storyline. It took me maybe nine months, off and on, to finish Sister.
JP: What’s next for T. Benson Glover?

TBG: Next up for me is the sequel to Sister. Cash should be in stores by December 2008. Thanks for your time.

JP: No problem.

www.amiayaentertainment.com

www.myspace.com/benniebricks

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P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joeyDOTpinkneyATgmailDOTcom or myspace.com/joeyreviews

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…

Barbara Grovner, author of Even Numbers
(Third Eye Publishing)

(click on the pictures to buy this book from Amazon)

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Even Numbers?

Barbara Grovner: The inspiration to write Even Numbers came from a very close person in my life who had gone through a very similar experience. I actually wrote the book for her.
JP: What sets Even Numbers apart from other urban fiction novels?

BG: Even Numbers is written in narrative form because it was the type of story that had to be told. I found it extremely difficult to give James a voice. It seemed to give him too much power. For a pedophile, power is the one thing we do not want them to possess.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Even Numbers getting out to the public?

BG: I have been trying to target single mothers who date in an effort to hopefully alert them to some of the red flags. Those red flags may make them take a closer look at the men they bring home to their innocent and unsuspecting children.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Even Numbers?

BG: I am a bit Old School when it comes to writing. I prefer to write in a notebook. Then I transfer everything to my computer. My thoughts flow better when I am physically writing. Even Numbers, although a very short book, took about a year to write from start to finish. There was a lot of research involved. Also the topic of child molestation was difficult to write. I found myself having to take breaks from thinking of the horrors some women have endured.
JP: What’s next for Barbara Grovner?

BG: My next novel We Belong Together is scheduled to release in December. It’s a “who-done-it” mystery beginning with a senseless murder of a nurse. The characters are colorful, and the dialogue is off the chain. Nothing at all like Even Numbers, which is a narrative and extremely thought provoking.

At this time, I am working on the sequel to We Belong Together which is also a “who-done-it” mystery as well. I hope to have that book out sometime next year.

I am also offering editing services at the lowest rate in the business. In fact, I am offering first-time authors who are enrolled in school an incredibly low low rate for a limited time. I can be reached at bgrovner@hotmail.com for inquiries.

Thanks so much for the interview. Hope to interview again when We Belong Together drops in December.

JP: I look forward to the opportunity

www.thirdeyepublishing.org
www.myspace.com/barbaragrovner

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P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joeyDOTpinkneyATgmailDOTcom or myspace.com/joeyreviews

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…

D.I., author of Frost Bite
(Madd Mindz Publishing)

Humble, charismatic, charming and determined are characteristics to name a few when speaking of the rookie of the year Author of urban-street novels, D.I. Considered by many as the Steven King of urban-street fiction, no genre or entity can captivate ones mind as D.I. when indulging in his movies on paper. As vivid and raw as a bloody crime scene, D.I.’s no-holds-barred style of writing begs a read to question: are these masterpieces real and titled fiction in efforts to elude possible conviction? Or are these masterpieces truly fiction but just so well written that it leaves the reader astounded to one’s imagination of how he depicts the severity of the street life.

An example of D.I.’s writing prowess is the ninth chapter of Frost Bite. As the Venoms (a murderous female killing crew, led by Shanda) plots on Ghost, (Americas living nightmare) D.I. depicts a brooding scene of carnage as victims fall for the deadly Venoms’ stunning and angelic looks. It shows how there’s no one role a woman or man could play, whether being the villain or victim.

Joey Pinkney: Where did I get the idea and inspiration to write Frost Bite?

D.I.: I was actually writing a poem to my mother, while I was in the ‘box’ aka OBCC’s solitary confinement on Rikers Island. I received a letter from her, and she asked me how did I get to the point where I’m facing 12 ½ - 25 years in prison. It was suppose to be a simple answer which I was setting up as a little poem called ‘Son of a Stranger’. I started writing the poem. I was just thinking of all the stuff I was exposed to while in the streets and what I’ve done or saw first hand. From those past thoughts I realized that question couldn’t be answered with a simple poem. Six hundred plus pages later I gave you Frost Bite.

JP: What sets Frost Bite apart from other urban fiction novels, where the main character is torn between crime and love.

DI: Well first let me answer the second part of that question. The main character is torn apart between crime and love because he is a street monger, just like many other brothers raised with no other choice but the streets. He chases whatever brings him the quickest dollar whether its robbing, drugs…even murder. He does what he feels he has to do in the company of his child hood friend, Fam, at his side at all times.

Then by fate, he comes across a beauty and an ex-street tough turned business mogul which both show him a new way of life. That new way of life is the way he wants to live but because the loyalty and the brotherly love he has for Fam, he’s stricken to choose who to go with and who to leave behind.

The twist is, if he goes with Fam, that new way of life which will bring him sure fortune and a honest living will be just a memory of what he could’ve or possibly achieved. But if he goes with Lisa and all that comes with her, he’ll have to turn his back on Fam, who’s a homicidal maniac. Crossing him can more the surely end with a deadly result.

What puts Frost Bite in a league of its own? Well it’s not the same recycled story of a drug king pin or how someone came from nothing, got it but lost it all in a hail of gun smoke. It’s not a story about some chick chasing some drug dealer or rapper to gain a come up to do whatever she thinks is best for her.

Frost Bite is what I’d consider a bitter street-love story with the main character sacrificing himself to protect those he consider dear to him. With the intertwined connection of the characters, it gives the reader a humorous but shocking cliché on how small the world is. Yes it’s filled with violence, sex, lies, betrayal and all those good elements which one would consider is an urban fiction, but the bottom line is that those elements don’t short change the reader into another too short, undisrupted, and unrealistic street tale. Truly you can kick up your feet and watch this movie on paper unfold in your mind as you read Frost Bite.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Frost Bite getting out to the public?

DI: Well that’s on you and the general public to realize a diamond in the rough, lol! But seriously, some would consider Frost Bite is a reflection of the life I once lived. Of course some areas were exaggerated but for the most part it’s so easy to identify with because you can envision it to be someone’s actual life. The public is tired of make believe stories. They’re tired of people going school, becoming CO’s then proclaiming to be a gangster. You can dissect Frost Bite for what it is and do your homework on me and what I’ve been through, and realize the authenticity in it and come to just two conclusions. This has to be based on him or he’s one hell of a writer, lol. But if you go to one of these other urban fiction writers and do the same, it just doesn’t add up when you do a background check on that individual author. Yeah they’ve been locked up or what have you, but they go to jail for credit cards but write about drug kingpins.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Frost Bite?

DI: Well, when I wrote Frost Bite I was incarcerated. I had nothing but time and hardly any distractions. So it took me about 8 months to pen out. I take it old school with writing: Intro/Body/Conclusion. I start with the beginning, the middle, and ending, then fill in the in between. I do that so I’ll know the middle of the story when I start just as well as how it’ll end. I use that format because I’ve realized how descriptive I can be. Description takes up a lot of space. If you’re zoned out your story can go anywhere, and I don’t want it to lose the reader.

JP: What’s next for D.I. and Madd Mindz Pubishing?

DI: Well the next stop is ‘Black Dayz ‘The Filroy Black Story’. Then I’m putting out ‘The Code’. After that, ‘Frost Bite 2’ will be unleashed. I have quite a few novels already done, about 6 in total. I’m working with other writers as well, which will be released under Madd Mindz Publishing. I’ve been talking to a few people about a possible movie on Frost Bite.

www.maddmindzpublishing.com

www.myspace.com/frostbitebook

www.blackplanet.com/frostbite_

D.I.@MaddMindzPublishing.com

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P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joeyDOTpinkneyATgmailDOTcom or myspace.com/joeyreviews

I was reading a blog post by Monica Jackson on Blogging in Black that interested me simply because it’s something that’s been on my mind lately. Should I start charging for reviews? Somebody sent me a message asking me if I did on MySpace. (http://myspace.com/joeyreviews add me)

At this point, no. But in the future, I hope to broaden the amount of outlets that I have to put my reviews on. When that happens, I might consider charging a fee to review a book. Now that I think about it, I might charge the fee only if I’m going to broadcast it on multiple outlets. Otherwise, send it, I read it and it gets reviewed…

Monica stated that her ideal world would have reviews and advertising at separate entities. The reality is that reviews are indirectly advertising and marketing. It’s advertising in the sense of promoting the book in a public forum. It’s marketing because the strategy of getting reviews for a books is executed in hopes of generating sales of the book.

Another reason I should be compensated is the amount of time it takes to read a book and write something significant. I takes way more than 60 minutes to accomplish this. Why shouldn’t I get paid for my time and effort? Theoretically, you are not going to send me a book for it to “probably” get reviewed. No, you’re sending that book expecting proper time and effort goes into it to see what it’s about.

Right now, I have about 40 books to review. I’ve had to stop accepting books, so I can focus on the ones I have. The cool thing is that I like to read. I especially like to read books that everybody doesn’t know about. It makes if more fresh that way. But if I’m going to put your book out there, shouldn’t I make something off the front end?

What happens if you pay for a review, and I think you book sucks? Shoot, I might just give you your money back. Better yet, half…I still had to suffer the reading of it, lol.

At this point, I’m just coming up with ideas. But I might be asking for a little ching-ching if I’m going to be doing a lot of promoting of my reviews.

It’s been over a month, but I got another book review posted on The Urban Book Source. The book is none other than Mistress Me by the “Urban Barbie Doll” herself, Venesha.

I hope you enjoy this review as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please leave your questions, comments and/or concerns on the book review’s page.

You can either click on the above picture or click on the following link:
http://theurbanbooksource.com/reviews/books/mistressme.php

I just read Shelia Goss’ post on gold digger vs. independent vs. old school vs. clingy women. Yes a mouthful…

Shelia starts her post off like this, “Does it make you a gold digger because you like nice things and want to be spoiled by your significant other?”

Answer: No, you would be a gold digger is your sole interest in being with a man is for what he could spoil you with. If you only like him for his money, his material things and the material thing you can get from him, you’re a gold digger. If you don’t really love him and will be gone once “the well runs dry”, say it with me… You’re a gold digger.

Another question Shelia poses is “As much as men confess to want an independent woman, some can’t deal with our independence. Why?”

Answer: It’s simple. Most men have been mentally groomed to be a provider to their girlfriend, wife and family. (Separately. I’m not talking about the cheating guy…) When a woman is so independent that her man really doesn’t serve a purpose, what’s the point? If you have every single thing together, where do I fit in? The ocassional sexual interlude?

Sure there are some men who want their women to be clingy. I wonder about them, too. But if you are so independent that you don’t seem to need me for anything, then where do we go from there. We have to have a symbiotic relationship where neither on of us are “clingy”. Instead, we have get past wanting each other. We have to need each other to reach a higher common goal.

Let me end by saying this:

Shelia Goss is a very, very classy woman.

Congratulations to Mari Walker for her novel debuting at no. 3 on the Essence Best Sellers List for August! Pretty good for her first time being published. Check it out.

Check out my book review and my interview of the novel Never As Good As the First Timeand Mari Walker on Urban Book Source’s website. We get pretty deep.