7 Questions with New York Times Bestselling Author Kimberla Lawson Roby
By Shelia M Goss

Fans will be happy to see that Curtis Black is back. We feel like we know Curtis personally. What do you think it is about Curtis Black that readers love so much?
I think the reason my readers love him so much is that they know who Reverend Curtis Black is in real life. What I hear more often than not is that Curtis is alive and well in every city in the country. So whether readers have experienced a man such as Curtis Black first-hand or they know of men who fall into this category, they are always able to relate to the Curtis Black storylines.

How do you feel Charlotte has grown since we were first introduced to her or does she have some more growing up to do?
Charlotte has grown in a number of ways in terms of having more wisdom and toward being a good mother to her children, but she still has a good, long way to go when it comes to overall moral and maritalvalues.

What are you hoping readers take away from reading THE REVEREND’S WIFE?
My hope is that readers will recognize that while all human beings make mistakes, God still wants us to have a forgiving heart, even when friends, family members, co-workers or others have hurt or betrayed us. In Curtis’s case, he insists he has forgiven Charlotte, but at the same time, he still wants a divorce. So after reading this particular story, I think readers will walk away asking themselves, what does true forgiveness really mean.

What song would you use as the soundtrack of your life and why?
GRATEFUL by Hezekiah Walker

What is your most valued possession?
Nothing tangible, but the five things I value most in life are my faith in God, my wonderful husband, my family members, closest friends and my very kind and supportive readers.

What would your best friend say about you?
That I am very loyal and caring, and that I will do absolutely anything I can for her.

What’s your favorite quote?
One of my own: “Believe in God, believe in yourself, and believe in whatever you are trying to accomplish.”

About The Reverend’s Wife:
It’s been months since Reverend Curtis learned that his wife Charlotte had affairs with two different men, and for now, he continues to be cordial and respectful to her. But he’s also made it clear that once their son Matthew graduates high school, he will be filing for divorce. Charlotte, on the other hand, continues to do everything possible to make amends in hopes of saving their marriage. Unfortunately, Curtis is ready to move on and is being propositioned by a woman who desperately wants to become the next Mrs. Curtis Black. When the situation heads down a path that is frighteningly shocking, could it be the final blow to this once blessed union?

More about Kimberla Lawson Roby: She has nine consecutive New York Times bestsellers and her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists: The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Essence Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Emerge Magazine, The Dallas Morning News, and The Austin Chronicle. Kimberla is the 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010 recipient of the Author of the Year – Female award presented by the African-American Literary Award Show in New York, among others. She lives with her husband in Rockford, Illinois.  For more information, please visit www.kimroby.com.

The Reverend’s Wife is Kimberla Lawson Roby’s latest book and readers will not be able to put the book down. It will keep readers talking for days so get your copy so you can join in the discussions.

Tune in to On Air with Trice and Brian, tonight, 4/12 at 8pm EST. I’ll be interviewed by Trice and Brian along with Daniel Black and Eric Jerome Dickey. ! www.blogtalkradio.com/onairwithtriceandbrian

I participated in a roundtable discussion about indie publishing. The interview was done by Bettye Griffin.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’d love to. I’m from the Midwest, majored in Liberal Arts, and am blessed to have (and have had) an exciting life full of “slashes”, i.e., artist/author/artist manager for musicians/small business owner/wife.

Describe your book ‘His Wife’s Diary (Love Bites)’ in 30 words or less.

India Reinhart’s discovery of another woman’s diary sets in motion an emotional roller coaster that will bring hers and ex-superstar Langley Monza’s life on a heart stopping collision course.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

It is a novella, so making sure the plot was fully developed and compelling within the confines of that format was challenging. The majority of my reviews thus far suggest I was able to achieve that goal, thank goodness.

What books have had the greatest influence on you?

Almost too many to try to isolate only one or two, but a novel I read many years ago, ‘The Chaneysville Incident’ by David Bradley, along with more recently Walter Mosley’s ‘The Man In The Basement’ influenced my desire as a writer to reach up in and over a reader’s emotions and leave them with both answered and unanswered questions long after the book ends, yet somehow still very satisfied with the experience.

Briefly share with us what you do to market your book.

One method is that I definitely believe in the principal of ‘paying it forward’ as a marketing method, but it is a very genuine ‘paying it forward’ endeavor. Writers whose works I admire and that I think are worthy of notice or praise I make a point of doing publicly. It is amazing how many reciprocate, as do their readers, when it comes to yours. But, I also utilize marketing tools offered by professionals that my small promotional budget can justify, the very best of those being thus far BookBuzzr! For me, they have been like having one of the big four Hollywood management agencies at work for me. Honestly!

How do you spend your time when you are not writing?

I’m an artist so I spend as much time as I can carve out making art dolls, jewelry or other fiber art, but I also am a consultant/manager for a few Blues, Southern Soul and R&B artist so that keeps me extremely busy as well.

What are you working on next?

Not sure which project I’ll complete first, but there is another novella in the Love Bites series entitled ‘If Only I Had Known’ in the works and a full-length novel that will introduce my mystery character, Cari Pompey, as well.

About His Wife’s Diary:

India Reinhart, a 33-year-old successful Kansas City graphic artist, is torn as to what is the right thing to do when she finds a diary in a box of old books she purchases at a yard sale. Things get very dicey once she steps deeper and deeper into the quagmire of the lives that have unfolded in the pages of that diary. It is a quagmire that India realizes is turning out to be almost as unsettling as the life she is already living.

To make matters worse, India finds herself attracted to, rather than repelled by, the man she has come to despise based on his wife’s written words. He’s Langley Monza, a Kansas City favorite son and ex-NFL star. The unwelcome attraction is a very complicated emotion for her since she still has some unfinished business with her own ex-fiancé and feels guilt and betrayal towards the diary writer whom she knows is dead.

India discovers there is much more than just a broken heart hidden in the pages of Langley’s wife’s diary and it is that discovery that she realizes may easily drastically change the course of a number of lives, including her own.

COMING DECEMBER 27, 2011 MORE DRAMA IN BETWEEN THE SHEETS

FIND OUT DELILAH’S FATE IN RUTHLESS

Below is an interview with John A Wooden, my co-author of the psychological thriller, UnAuthorized:

Why did you decide to collaborate with another author?- Shelia originally wrote a short story version of UnAuthorized, which she
posted on her website. I was her freelance editor back then, and I thought it
was a great story that should be a novel more so than a short story. When she told me she wanted to explore the dark side (murder and suspense thrillers), I recommended we make UnAuthorized a full blown novel.

How was it collaborating with Shelia for your new release Unauthorized?
- Working with Shelia was a great collaboration. She gave me the freedom and authority to expand on the storyline and make it an interesting venture. She added the romantic side with various inputs and insight on the mystery and suspense parts. I primarily concentrated on the mystery and suspense, and left the romantic, love, relationship stuff to the expert (laughing).

Tell us a little about Unauthorized and why do you think readers will be interested in reading it.
- The story is centered around the murder of a male nurse who discovered an unauthorized research experiment by a staff doctor. Prior to his death, the nurse sent anonymous emails to investigative reporter, Rachel Murphy, to do a possible expose on the unauthorized research. Now Rachel and homicide detective, Michael Henderson, must team up to solve the murder of the nurse and the possible murders of unwilling experiment patients. Btw, did I mention that Ms. Murphy and Detective Henderson have a contemptuous history, and can they put their rocky relationship aside while trying to solve the case.

Do you plan on any more books with the characters Rachel and Michael?
- That remains to be seen. If the story is well-received, I think this could easily be a three-part series. We have already inked the first 30 pages of the next adventure with Rachel and Michael, tentatively named UnLucky.

What’s next for John A Wooden?
- In September/October, I will be releasing a new book, Sasha McCoy, Freelancer, about a rogue female CIA operative, off to avenge the murder of her mother,while simultaneously trying to find out who framed her at the CIA. Then in March/April 2012, I will be releasing the third book in my Special Agent Kenny”KC” Carson series.

About UnAuthorized:

UnAuthorized by Bestselling Author Shelia Goss and fiction crime writer, John Wooden, is an eventful work of cat and mouse. The authors do a great job in keeping the mystery and intrigue alive from start to finish. UnAuthorized is engaging and a great ‘whodunit’ tale of love, deceit and murder. Ms. Goss and Mr. Wooden gelled their talents well in this must read thriller. ~Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant – Literary Wonders! and Author of Circumstances and Revelations

UnAuthorized

Available Now

What happens when a know it all reporter meets an overworked detective – you get UnAuthorized.

Rachel Murphy is used to getting threats. It came with the job of being one of the top investigative reporters in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Michael Henderson has received many accolades as a detective with the Dallas Police Department. He is known for investigating a case with the tenacity of a hungry lion in search of his prey.

Detective Henderson’s investigation into a brutal murder leads him to Rachel Murphy’s doorstep. Their personalities immediately clash. Rachel sees Michael as an obnoxious and overbearing cop. Michael sees Rachel as a meddlesome overeager reporter. In order to solve the case, they must push their personal feelings to the side and work together.

Danger and suspense draws these two unlikely people together in more ways than one.

1. Why did you write your latest novel, LA Blues, which was chosen as one of two top picks for June by book Reviewer, Fran Lewis?I wrote LA Blues as I followed a curiosity as to what happened to the children I worked with who were in foster care during the 80s and 90s. I wondered “What if a child whose mother was a Crip became an LAPD officer? What could happen?”

My curiosity also came from my research. Until I researched gangs, I never realized how there were female Crips and female Bloods. It gave me my next plot twist. What if my protagonist’s mother was a Crip? What would happen then?

2. What are some other questions your book LA Blues raises? It raises the quest as to why the government doesn’t do anything about the murder rate among black and brown gang members? How have drugs in America contributed to the foster care and prison system? What has happened to the first and sometimes second generation of children raised in the foster care system?

3. What do you plan to write next?I am working on the sequel to LA Blues. I am also in the process of putting up 3 more books to my ebook, Hush Hush Series. These 3 books will be “The Hush Hush Secrets of Creating a life you love, Book 1, Book 2, Book 3.

4. What are some of the other things you are doing? As you know, I’m a literary agent, an Internet radio Show host of 9 years, an author of 13 other titles, (some which need updating, such as my 2000 ebook “How to write, market and sell your book using Ebook Publishing”J), an editor, a ghostwriter, and a book reviewer. I will be making more connections with Hollywood for book to film deals.

5. What do you see for the future of publishing? I see a bright future for writers due to technology and the coming of time for ebooks. I’ve been writing and publishing ebooks for 11 years, but now that we have the technology for people to read the books on a wider level, it has sent shock waves through the industry. I also like how self-publishing is being seen as a respectful, business choice.

What do you love about being a blogger?

I love the interaction with readers. I like having my own platform to talk about a variety of subjects: books, fashion, entertainment and current events. As an author and avid reader, one of my goals for my blog is to make others aware of books by African-American authors.

To read more of my Savvy Sisters profile, clck here: http://www.mysavvysisters.com/2011/04/savvy-blogger-we-love-shelia-goss.html