How did your love for writing began?
I have had a love for writing for a very long time. At four, whenever I became bored I would ask for paper, fold the paper in half so it would resemble a book, and write my short stories. I was never any good at poetry, but I always wanted to be so I would enter contests that were advertised in national magazines when I was in high school but I never won. Then, during college I took a fiction writing class as an elective and I felt completely at home. It was a small class of maybe fifteen students. We sat at a long conference table and shared our story ideas. I loved the class and it was the easiest A I had ever earned.
Describe Sweet Georgia Brown . . . What was your inspiration for the story?
I saw an interview on television about a housewife who felt there was a void in her life. She loved her husband and loved her kids, but she wanted more. I could feel her inward struggle and imagined how she must have felt. It was at that moment that I knew Georgia was going to be a housewife. The name Georgia came to mind immediately and I don't know why, as did the tagline she was a housewife determined to become a household name. But I had to brainstorm and figure out the title and the real theme of the book. Sweet Georgia Brown is different from my other two novels. In this novel, I am really dealing with dreaming out loud. Making things happen. So many people get caught up in reality shows and when I am able to watch television I admit I gravitate toward them as well. I find it amazing how others live. And often, I get caught up into watching how the stars live, Kimora Lee Simmons reality show is one of my favorites. That all said, we need to make our dreams become our own reality. And that's what Georgia Brown attempts to do. We can all be rock stars. LOL.
Tell us about your previous releases, If It Ain't One Thing and It's Like That?
If It Ain't One Thing is my first novel that was originally self-published under the name Memories of Yesterday. It's a special book to me, because it was the book that I sat down and wrote in close to a years time with the goal to self-publish. I sent the manuscript to one New York agent, who, by the time he responded with his rejection letter my book was already in print and doing well. If It Ain't One Thing and It's LIke That deal with the relationship between Porter Washington and Winona Fairchild - a mixed status couple. What does that mean? One of them is HIV-positive while the other isn't. And initially as the two meet the status is withheld. It is a love story that truly captures the essence of conquering all.
We Sistahs of the SFBC love Black erotica . . . tell us about your novella Strapped in These Are My Confessions?
It was a departure from my normal genre of contemporary romance. Following is one of my favorite descriptions of my anthology taken from Disilgold Magazine:
Cheryl Robinson presents “Strapped,” a fantastical and humorous story about perilous internet dating centered around a Black Widow Serial Killer that becomes the intrigue and obsession of Alexis Cartwright, a teacher who confronts her own inner demons and learns a few tricks from this serial killer in handling her own dilemmas. The question is, are these dilemmas by accident or on purpose. Men need to be careful with the objects of affection they desire. In Strapped the consequences can be deadly
Is there a common theme or message in all your work?
The common theme is empowerment of women. Usually my main character is a woman in her 40's. I want to show women of all ages how wonderful life is at various stages. It's amazing to me how many people think 40 is old. And if you think 40 is old then you must think 50 is ancient and so on. It's important for young women in their 20's and early thirties to realize that life just gets better with time. Often my female characters have to overcome either an illness, insecurity or some dilemma. I have always liked the against all odds theme. Recently, I have shifted from character driven themes to plot driven. My next novel after Sweet Georgia Brown will be character driven with an intriguing subject matter.
When you’re not writing, do you get a chance to read? If so, what’s your preference? Do you have a favorite book or author?
For the past couple years I have been busy writing, but I still find time to read. Terry McMillan has been my favorite author for several years now. With that said, I read a variety of genres and authors and I have several books that I have enjoyed and recommend.
What can your fans expect from you in the future?
Well, of course, Sweet Georgia Brown that will be released January 2, 2008 in bookstores and online nationwide. I'm proud to say that Black Expressions has selected it as a Main Selection, which is a great accomplishment for me because my other two were alternate selections. After Sweet Georgia Brown follows another novel that I'm SO very excited about. It's too soon to talk about it, because my agent is still finalizing the details with NAL but let's just say I foresee this being a book club favorite also.
What advice can you give aspiring authors?
First of all, write. I never asked any authors for advice until I had a finished manuscript and then I called upon Mary Morrison for advice and she was extremely helpful. Before, I asked her anything, I visited her web site for self-publishing tips because initially I started off as a self-published author.
Tell us something interesting about yourself that you wouldn't normally expose when first meeting someone (we call this the sistah-confession :)
Humm, I hate to sound boring but the truth is I live vicariously through all of my characters. Well, there is one thing, but I can't tell you until I announce my next book...so stay tuned.
