Questions My Readers Ask
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Did you ever have a writing mentor?
What is it like being a writer?
Why didn't you use a pseudonym for Outlaw Cravings?
Are your characters based on real people?
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
How do you find working with your daughter, Seneca Johnson?
How do you go about writing a novel? Do you have the book plotted out in your mind before you begin? Are you ever surprised by the direction a book takes?
Lots of research piles up before I write a single word. There is little point in making a literary journey that does not inform as well as entertain the pleasure reader. When it comes to plotting, my map is generalized since I concentrate more on knowing and understanding each character. One of the great joys to writing fiction is that the characters decide which actions they will take and they always surprise/anger/fascinate/disturb/delight me.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
One of my earliest memories at about age four is being awakened by my mother, Sadie, for the purpose of entertaining her quilting club with my "stories." I was so shy before age six that I rarely spoke and this was Sadie's way or helping me to gain confidence. When I learned how to write the stories down, she encouraged me to read them to everyone who came to the house. At age 8, Sadie entered my essay in a What Mother Means to Me Contest. For twenty-five words or less, I won ten dollars and considered myself an heiress and a professional writer. I've been at it ever since.
Did you ever have a writing mentor?
Oh yes. I had the world's best.
At age thirteen, I read Go Tell It on the Mountain and decided that James Baldwin was the most prolific writer ever born.
A few months later, I won first prize in the state of Ohio for a writing contest sponsored by the American Lung Association. As a surprise reward Sadie took me to a lecture at Ohio State University in my hometown, Columbus to hear my idol in person.
After Baldwin engaged the crowd of thousands with his witty repartee about life in Paris for two hours, Sadie pushed her way through to the head of his reception line, bypassing hundreds and dragging me alongside her. To my horror, she thrust me into the poor man's line of vision and said, "Mr. Baldwin, please tell my child how to be a great writer the way you are."
Gracious to a fault, Mr. Baldwin turned to me, eyes twinkling and said, "Well, Sweetheart, always remember one thing: Whatever you write, it ain't gonna be Shakespeare. So just have fun and love doing it."
After that, whenever Mr. Baldwin was in town, Sadie and I were in his audience as close to the front as possible. Sometimes, he even acknowledged us from the podium. Each one of his books resided next to the Holy Bible in the bookshelves over Sadie's bed.
What is it like being a writer?
It is frustrating when the words come slowly and exhilarating when the words flow. I consider my life as a writer to be the ultimate privilege since nothing except spending time with my children makes me happier than "falling through the rabbit hole" and creating new friends, I mean, characters.
Why didn't you use a pseudonym for Outlaw Cravings?
I'm proud of what I've written. I consider it my life's work to delve into the inner lives of characters from a woman's perspective. The only way I can do justice to this endeavor is to write about the sexual as well as the emotional and the spiritual. If allowed, I'd read passages from Outlaw Cravings in the middle of Times Square.
As an advocate for woman's rights, how can you justify writing a novel from a male perspective? Isn't the purpose of female-authored fiction to present the feminine perspective?
The purpose of erotic stories by women is to reflect our diversity, using our own sensual words and images. Terry Outlaw's character has been whispering in my head for years, requesting emergence. With the state of diminished social relationships in the Information Age, the time seemed right for his arrival.
Besides, the sexual history of black men has been marred by violence and censure with their bodies and minds perceived through a lens of physicality, virility, prowess, and exploitation. I consider it my responsibility to present a balanced, realistic portrayal of an intense man who happens to be African American. Also in my view, it's logical for a straight woman to choose a man as the subject of her erotic imagination. God knows, I've never had more fun or more arguments with any character than I did with Terry Outlaw.
In your previous novels, Colorstruck and Skindeep, there were few erotic passages. Why did you make the change in Outlaw Cravings?
I find one of the great ironies of American society's saturation with sexual imagery and detail is that this preoccupation does not tally with any great rolling back of inhibition in individuals. When sexual intimacy is approached in American literature, film, even television talk shows, I've observed most speakers exhibit uncomfortable verbal and non-verbal communication unless sex is framed through a comedic lens.
I believe it is time for a major overhaul on these attitudes within literature, that sexual desires or cravings can be explored in an intellectual way without giggles or snickers. I wanted to explore the joy, passion, and fulfillment of a character's erotic life along with his disappointment, confusion, and despair.
Are your characters based on real people?
No. My characters gestate in my imagination until I'm compelled to give them a life on the page.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Miles Davis once said, "Sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself."
With that in mind, I would advise young authors to concentrate on studying the craft of writing. Find your writing voice and expand your vocabulary. The beauty of possessing literary talent is that improvement is progressive if you write each day and open yourself to constructive criticism. Do not publish until you are certain that you have compiled the best book you ever could.
Once the book is written, your new job as a marketer begins. So learn all you can and stay abreast on current events.
How do you find working with your daughter, Seneca Johnson?
Who wouldn't love laughing your way through every business meeting? That's what we do twenty four/seven.
Our skills really complement each other since I want to write and talk, but I hate details and deadlines. Seneca is organized about all things business, loves nothing better than hammering out a deal for top dollar, and most important, she has no aspirations to become a writer. She is the most perfect agent/ publisher anyone could ever have. And she is the love of my life.
