Interview with Lee Brooks

I recently had the pleasure of reading Talk To The Hands: Anthony’s Days Shopping With Mom and Dad. I found it to be a wonderful read and Brooks is to be commended for addressing a need in our community.

It is not often that African-American children can pick up a book and read about themselves, especially as told by an African-American male. I would suggest that all households with small children obtain a copy of this book. Please read our BlackRefer interview with Lee Brooks below:

DT:  Talk To The Hands: Anthony's Days Shopping With Mom and Dad, is an excellent teaching tool. Did you know it would be when you penned it?
LB: I knew from the start that it would be penned as such. I am patient with children because I know that they are just trying to find their way when they make mistakes. And, if a mistake happens on their part, I try to teach them the logical way through trying times.

DT: What inspired you to write your book? Did you interview children or study them?
LB: Anthony is my first born. I thought of different ways to show him how much I love him. He is actually a sickly child who suffers sporadic bouts with Sickle Cell Anemia, a life-threatening blood disorder. But, getting back to your question,

Talk To The Hands by Lee Brooks

Anthony and I waited on his mom as she tried on various clothes shopping at a local mall. I sat him on my knee, and soon after that, he began talking to his hands out of the blue.

Initially, he would play as if his left hand was too nice, so he'd pretend as if his right hand was mean. His right hand would be used to choke the left hand’s imaginary neck. The left hand would then say, 'thank you'. As a concerned parent, I stepped in to show him how to play correctly and used this time to teach Anthony how not to mistreat others, which included his newfound playmates. Picture this, he had me speaking to his hands as he held them up to eye level. This had gone on for about 20 minutes.

An elderly female shopper approached me, from what seemed like thin air, and told me that it was nice to see such a well behaved little boy playing with his dad in the manner in which we were doing. She noted that he wasn't running through the store and that he listened intently as I taught him to not play violently. I didn't study any children in the making of this book. My mother and father taught me and my siblings by using unorthodox ways. I just happened to write a story about it. You could say, goofiness runs in the family.

DT:  How have readers received your book? Have you submitted it to readers' groups and/or book clubs?
LB: :  Readers love my book. I have sold some to people while working and have donated some to local schools. They love the book. I have not submitted to readers groups as of yet. I am studying their criteria for submissions and watching how the groups or book clubs review books as a whole. But I will. This is new to me, so I want to make sure I do things right by them the first time around.

DT:  Do you have a strong support network?
LB: I do have a strong support network, and it is steadily growing. Nobody supports me more than my own Mommy though.

DT:  Have you learned any valuable lessons you'd like to share with beginning writers?
LB: I suggest that if anyone wishes to write, find a specific time and place that makes you feel comfortable and without distractions. Once you are done with your manuscript, find an editor before submitting to an agent. By the way, agents mostly want manuscripts. A book that is already bound and has an ISBN number doesn't play well with them. A Galley will be sent your way, (Your manuscript on CD), so be prepared to find mistakes, then deal with them accordingly. Don't sign off your Galley until it all looks good.

DT: Where can readers find an excerpt of Talk To The Hands?
LB: Excerpt can be found at http://1stbooks.com/bookview/13700

DT: Any new works on the horizon?
LB: I am working on a Sci-Fi. I am in the process of having it Beta-Tested by readers to see if there is a market for my particular story. So far, a lot of people like it. I actually did a lot of research for this story, this way, if someone who reads the story is a scientist or historian, they'll get a kick out of the technical aspects that have been placed within the text.

DT: We here at BlackRefer.com thank you for your time and we wish you all the best.

Interview with Bertha Davis

Growing Up in Mississippi, had me teary eyed! Bertha Davis has given us an honest look at the South, painful as it may be. In her book she reflects on the bigotry and hatred of a small town in Mississippi. She agreed to an interview and you’ll find it below:

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DT:  How long did it take for you to write Growing Up In Mississippi?
BMD: It took me over a year to write the book. It took two years or so for research, editing, revising, and traveling back to Mississippi for recaps. After about three years, I was accepted by Eaton Literary Agency who said they would place my manuscript with a publisher, but after one year the manuscript was returned saying that they were unable to place the manuscript. I was back to square-one. More searching for publishers, editing, revising, etc.

DT: The story seems so sad at times. Was it difficult for you to recall of the details of hatred and bigotry?
BMD: No, it just brought back memories.

Growing Up In Mississippi By Bertha Davis

DT:  Were you surprised by the attitudes of people in Indiana when you migrated from the South?
BMD: :  Yes it was for the simple fact that people in Indiana seemed to have had a lot going for them. But when I came to Indiana, I didn't even have a place to stay, I was living with in-laws struggling to make ends met. Living among friendly, black people in the South who always spoke to each other, and seeing proud people who didn't, was a bitter pill to swallow.

DT:  You've accomplished so much in your life, but please share your greatest achievement.
BMD: My greatest accomplishment was to complete my education by getting my GED and then go to college, something I wanted so badly.

DT:  What's next for Bertha Davis?
BMD: Complete my Marriage booklet title: "Before You Say I Do", complete my book of poetry, and finish my book that I'm working on.

DT: Any words of advice for aspiring writers?
BMD: Definitely. Set a goal and work hard to fulfill it. I almost gave up writing because so many obstacles were blocking my focus and I couldn't see through the cloudy windows of success, but I hung in there in spite of.

DT: Please share a brief excerpt.
BMD: Watching my mother as a hero in her times is one of my earliest memories. Webb was a quiet town most days of the week. It was an ordinary town by Mississippi standards, where ordinary people hung out to get away from the hustle and bustle of life.

On the weekends, men boozed, and ran the street red-eyed and wild, trying to forget about hardships and frustrations. On most occasions, there was at least one man who argued with his friends, and insisted on walking home. The Klansmen were known for hiding out, waiting for that lone walker.

DT: We are so happy you shared your book with us here at BlackRefer.com, and we salute you!

http://www.maedavis.net