New Book Cover Keith Lee Johnson
The Dare to Imagine Newsletter
Welcome to the only Newsletter
authorized by Suspense/Thriller Author Keith Lee Johnson!
December 01, 2006 (Vol. 03 No. 12) www.keithleejohnson.com

Bio


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Keith Lee Johnson
Hello all!

By the time most of you receive this, I'll be on a plane to sunny Miami! I'm a Miami Dolphins fan (no jokes about my team either), and have been since I was eleven years old. With all the traveling I do now and when I was serving America in the United States Air Force, I have never been to Miami. So I'm really looking forward to it. Another treat is that I'll be staying at former Miami coach, Don Shula's Hotel! I didn't even know he had one until I got my itinerary last week. I must say, 2006 has been a marvelous year for me. I thank God for it all. I'm truly expecting 2007 to be even more blessed. I'll give you all the details as the year unfolds. Maybe not. (LOL!)

Anyway, for you lovers of Johnnie Wise, for you fans who just could not wait for Little Black Girl Lost 3: Ill Gotten Gains, it will be in stores February 2007. LBGL 3 should be the final installment of this popular series and give everyone the closure they've been seeking. To be clear, you will learn what finally happens to Johnnie, Lucas Matthews, Marla Bentley, Napoleon Bentley, George Grant aka Bubbles, Sadie Lane, Ethel Beauregard, Katherine, the Beauregard's cook. I even tell you what happen to Morgan, the Beauregard's educated butler. Hopefully this highly anticipated conclusion will be well received by the fans of Johnnie Wise.

In this month's issue, there are two interviews. One with author Wendy Coakley. I was supposed to send her interview out earlier this year and had forgotten. Wendy was quite gracious and forgave a brotha for the oversight. The other interview is with author Cydney Rax, who discusses her hot new novel,

I hope you all will take ten minutes to read what these two beautiful people have to say about their books and other matters.

Thanks one and all for both buying and reading my novels!


Heather and I cordially invite you to join us in showing Keith, and all of his honored interviewees, some love this holiday season by giving their novels to friends, family, and anyone else to whom you wish to give a gift that will not only entertain but stimulate their mind. For those of you who just can not wait, be sure to

to receive the lowest price! Be sure to visit the following areas of Keith's website for more gift giving ideas and we look forward to bringing you more sexy and thrilling news next year!

As always, we ask for your honest opinion on any section of "Dare to Imagine" that you do not like and dare you to imagine any new sections you wish to see. Simply click on our names below to contact us for back issues or any other administrative concerns you may have regarding "Dare to Imagine". For any personal messages to Keith, please E-Mail him through his web site.

Heather & Cory Buford

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Author Spotlight: A Conversation with Wendy Coakley-Thompson January 28, 2006


Wendy Coakley-Thompson
Keith Lee Johnson: Hi Wendy

Coakley-Thompson: Hi, Keith. How are you today?

Keith Lee Johnson: I'm good and you?

Coakley-Thompson: Hangin'. I've never done an interview like this before. Be gentle with me! :-)

Keith Lee Johnson: LOL! Okay. I need one minute.

Coakley-Thompson: K

Keith Lee Johnson: How many books have you written?

Coakley-Thompson: Two. Back to Life, my first, came out in September '04. What You Won't Do for Love, #2, came out in November '05. I also wrote a dissertation entitled The Use of Popular media in Multicultural Education: Stressing the Implications for the Black/Non-Black biracial Student, but I don't think that's a pot-boiler! :-)

Keith Lee Johnson: Okay, let's do the last one.

Coakley-Thompson: What You Won't Do For Love? Okay

Keith Lee Johnson: Yes, are you ready?

Coakley-Thompson: Yes

Keith Lee Johnson: Tell us about Chaney Braxton of your latest book, "What you won't do for Love".

Coakley-Thompson: Well, she's 36, harried, the baby sister of three, working in the cutthroat world of government contracting in DC. She's had horrible experiences with men and abandonment, so her mantra is no plants, no pets, no men. So, when her middle sister Daisy gets her to baby-sit her dog while she runs off on tour to get her swerve on, Chaney needs a vet. That's when she meets Devin, the vet who's a baby at 28

Keith Lee Johnson: How did you come up with this storyline?

Coakley-Thompson: Well, talk about "Write what you know." I am the youngest of three sisters, the middle of which is something of a free spirit. I also have a dog who is hell on wheels. I worked as a government consultant. And I was kinda clocking this younger guy. But, I maintain, it's a work of fiction!

Keith Lee Johnson: So did you use yourself as the model for Chaney and created the story?

Coakley-Thompson: God, that sounds so vain! No, I wouldn't say that. I think the story came to me, and I used some of the traits that I knew existed in people I knew to add flesh to the skeletons of the characters.

Keith Lee Johnson: So how long did it take to write this one?

Coakley-Thompson: It took me about five months to write this one, from outline to finished product. Then it took me an extra two weeks to edit.

Keith Lee Johnson: That's pretty quick. So how did you get published?

Coakley-Thompson: Well, I'd finished Back to Life in 2001, and I set about looking for a publisher. From having worked at Harlequin Books, I'd know[n] some people in the industry. They couldn't have been less interested in a book with Black characters. So, coincidentally, my cousin had given me a subscription to Black Issues Book Review, and one of the issues, they talked about self-publishing. So, I self published Back to Life with Infinity Publishing in February of 2002. Then I was at the Delta Sigma Theta convention in Atlanta, who gave me the number of a woman who subsequently became my agent. She got me a book deal with Kensington Dafina Books in 2003. Back to Life came out in September 2004.

Keith Lee Johnson: Who's your agent?

Coakley-Thompson: Janell Walden Agyeman with Marie Brown Associates.

What You Won't Do for Love Cover

Keith Lee Johnson: So how was your experience at Harlequin? And what did you do there?

Coakley-Thompson: It was my first job out of college. I was the assistant to the Editorial Director and the editorial assistant in charge of the slush pile -- the unsolicited manuscripts. It was the typical first job out of college -- you're the "Do Girl."

Keith Lee Johnson: How long were you with Harlequin?

Coakley-Thompson: I lasted six months.

Keith Lee Johnson: You say that like you left under less than favorable conditions? Did you?

Coakley-Thompson: I think my fiancée at the time put it best: "Just because you like reading the books doesn't mean you need to like working there."

Keith Lee Johnson: So you didn't like working for Harlequin?

Coakley-Thompson: To quote Forrest Gump, "That's all I'm going to say about that."

Keith Lee Johnson: Okay. Are you aware that Harlequin has acquired BET Books? A friend of mine, author Phillip Thomas Duck told me about the acquisition. Apparently they've changed their minds about black romance novels.

Coakley-Thompson: Yup. It's now called Kimani Press. So, yes, I'd say they've done a complete about-face from the time when Sandra Kitt was trotted out as the one Black author who wrote for Harlequin.

Keith Lee Johnson: Uh, I think we better move away from Harlequin. Um, how long have you been writing and what made you start writing?

Coakley-Thompson: I've been writing since I was eleven years old. I started writing because, at the time, I lived in The Bahamas, where for the bulk of my childhood, had three radio stations and got television signals from Miami. God help you if there was bad weather, because your TV-watching was killed. Bad reception. So, writing allowed me to escape my life living on island that was seven by twenty-one miles.

Keith Lee Johnson: How many books do you have in you and what are you currently working on?

Coakley-Thompson: How many books do I have in me? Well, I have tons of ideas, so that's hard to say. Right now, I'm working on a book with Bahamian radio personality Christina "Krissy-Luv" Thompson-Russell. She went on tour with Lenny Kravitz for about four years, and boy has she got some stories to tell!

Keith Lee Johnson: So this is a nonfiction work?

Coakley-Thompson: Yes. I'm the not-so-ghostly ghostwriter.

Keith Lee Johnson: When will that one come out and is Dafina publishing that one as well?

Coakley-Thompson: We're in the beginning stages, so I'm planning for Spring 2007. Right about now, we do not have a publisher.

Keith Lee Johnson: Will this be an Unauthorized tell all?

Coakley-Thompson: No, the book is about Krissy Luv, and she's participating. It's not an unauthorized bio of Lenny Kravitz.

Keith Lee Johnson: Ah, okay. Well it sounds interesting. Let me know when it's out. Now, tell us all about What you won't do for do for Love.

Coakley-Thompson: I really loved writing this book. It's my favorite thus far. I know, people ask me about Back to Life, and I have to explain AGAIN that my interracial relationship informed that book. I feel though, that I'm talking about ancient history. And worse, people want to prop me up as the spokesperson for interracial relationships. But I love What You Won't Do For Love, because it's about relationships: male/female, brother/brother, sister/sister, and friendships. It's also about following your dream and loving who you want to love, but the mechanism for telling the story is different from Back to Life.

Keith Lee Johnson: Will there be more books like this in the future?

Coakley-Thompson: About relationships, yes. I tell people I write socially-conscious relationship-driven fiction.

Back to Life Cover

Keith Lee Johnson: Tell us exactly what you mean by socially-conscious relationship driven fiction.

Coakley-Thompson: I define the fiction in this way, because people say, "Oh, you write romances." If people come to my books by way of the romance readers' networks, that is fine. But I think there's a connotation to the word "romance" that I don't think defines my work (i.e., heaving bosoms, throbbing manhood's, etc.). My fiction is so much deeper than that and explores the effect of issues [i]n people's lives. Like in Back to Life I explored marital rape and interracial relationships, both platonic and romantic. In What You Won't Do For Love, yes, I explore the reverse May-December thing, but I also look at blacks and mental health, the DL, infidelity, etc. So that's what I mean when I talk about social conscious relationship-driven fiction.

Keith Lee Johnson: Tell us a bit more about what the novel discusses in terms of infidelity.

Coakley-Thompson: At the beginning of the book, Chaney finds out that her fiancée, Shane, has cheated on her, and in a way in which she cannot forgive. Chaney's older sister, Anna Lisa, has recently reunited with her ex-husband, a reformed (she hopes) serial adulterer. Devin's father, also a serial adulterer, was married three times and had sons with each of his three wives. Devin and his brothers look absolutely nothing alike.

Keith Lee Johnson: How common do you think the above is?

Coakley-Thompson: Too common!

Keith Lee Johnson: Do you offer moral lessons in your novels?

Coakley-Thompson: I wouldn't say that I offer moral lessons, but I think I show the consequences of the behavior in how it affects the characters. It's different when KL, Devin's father who was married at the time, cheats, as opposed to Devin's unmarried buddy Andre, who unabashedly likes to play the field.

Keith Lee Johnson: So are just the men cheating or are the women cheating too?

Coakley-Thompson: The men, I have to say. It is implied that Daisy, Chaney's sister, is sexually profligate, but we see her in bits and pieces of her lusty escape in Europe with her musician lover.

Keith Lee Johnson: In your opinion, do you think women are cheating more today than they have in the past say 20 years. If so, why do you think that is?

Coakley-Thompson: I can't really speak to that; I don't know. I do know that you're hearing more about women cheating tha[n] one did in the past 20 years.

Keith Lee Johnson: Okay, is there anything you'd like to say that I haven't covered?

Coakley-Thompson: I want to thank everyone who've bought my books, or who have taken time out of their busy days to write and say how much they've enjoyed what I'm putting down. And for those who are still on the shelf, I'd just say check my work out. I think they'll like it. I'll be touring soon, but in the interim, folks can check out my web site www.wendycoakley-thompson.com or my blog http://wendycoakley-thompson.blogspot.com.

Keith Lee Johnson: Thanks for your time Wendy. Be sure to let me know when that nonfiction title comes out.

Coakley-Thompson: I sure will, Keith. Thanks for the press. Where can I see the interview when it comes out?

Keith Lee Johnson: It will be sent to your email address. The subject line will read D2I, which stands for Dare to Imagine-the title of my newsletter. However, this one won't come out for a few months. Next month's issue will be my interview about me and my new novel: Little Black Girl Lost 2.

Coakley-Thompson: Okay. Is your novel in stores? How can I get a copy and have you autograph it?

Keith Lee Johnson: Where do you live? What city?

Coakley-Thompson: Alexandria VA

Keith Lee Johnson: You just missed me. I was in Baltimore last weekend. Next week, I'll be in Memphis. But you can get part 2 in stores February 1. If you're near a black bookstore, you can get it now, I'm told.

Coakley-Thompson: Karibu and The HUB (Howard University Bookstore) dominate in this area. I can get it there?

Keith Lee Johnson: Probably Karibu. I'd call first to make sure though.

Coakley-Thompson: Will do.

Keith Lee Johnson: Okay, listen, thanks again for the interview. I really appreciate it.

Coakley-Thompson: No problem. Thank YOU

Keith Lee Johnson: Take care and best wishes in all thing good!


Author Spotlight: A Candid Conversation with Cydney Rax November 23, 2006


Cydney Rax
Keith Lee Johnson: Okay, are you ready? Cydney Rax: yep

Keith Lee Johnson: Tell us a bit about your latest effort, My Husband's Girlfriend and how you came up with the concept.

Cydney Rax: Around six years ago, there were stories popping up in the news about men that had two families, but the women didn't know about each other. Basically these men were polygamists. And there would be TV movies-of-the-week that would also feature the same type story-a man with two families, two women with kids. I found that intriguing and wanted to write a novel about two women that did know about one another. I like the tension that type of relationship would cause and basically that's how I came to write this novel.

Keith Lee Johnson: Well it certainly sounds intriguing. The first thing that came to mind when I read the storyline was Abraham and Sarah from the bible and all the mess that followed. Are you familiar with that story? If so, how does your story differ from theirs?

Cydney Rax: LOL yep I am familiar with that story and how Sarah didn't mind that Abraham hooked up with the concubine. Mmm, I guess it's a similar thing going on except Sarah was not able to have children, and my main character can conceive. The Bible has some great stories with juicy plot twists so hey...

Keith Lee Johnson: So what's the name of the concubine in your tale and how did she find herself in such a tangled web?

Cydney Rax: Anya Meadows is the main character, the married woman that actually does encourage her hubby to find another woman since she isn't always up to having sex. I'd like to say that in real life there are married women who, for one reason or another, don't want their husbands touching them. The thrill is gone, the women are too tired from working and chasing after the kids, so they may not care if hubby gets some on the side.

Keith Lee Johnson: Hmmm, well, I'm perplexed as to why Anya gives quasi permission for an extramarital thing, yet won't allow intercourse with the concubine.

Cydney Rax: She is doing it for her husband. But doesn't want to go overboard?

Keith Lee Johnson: LOL. Blowjobs are not overboard?

Cydney Rax: Depends on who ya ask. Some people don't think of BJ's as sex. Men certainly don't.

Keith Lee Johnson: Well, Anya must have been a President Clinton fan, huh? LOL!

Cydney Rax: LOL I guess so.

Keith Lee Johnson: Okay, so the concubine is with child and that's when it hits the proverbial fan, right?

Cydney Rax: Yes, pretty much. The wife wants to deal with the situation head-on and some pretty juicy and dramatic things happen between the two ladies.

Keith Lee Johnson: Yeah, I can imagine which is what reminded me of the biblical story. Tell us, in your opinion, can one man and two or more women ever work? Why or why not?

Cydney Rax: It depends on each person involved in that type of relationship. If you're the jealous emotional type, don't even think about it. If you aren't possessive and don't mind sharing your guy with another lady, openly mind you, then maybe you can pull it off. I'd like to think the average female, that's educated, upwardly mobile, etc., may not be eligible or open to this kind of situation. LOL I think most men, if they had their chance and if it were legal, they'd want a wife and a girlfriend. NO DOUBT.

Keith Lee Johnson: Why, in your opinion, would an uneducated, bus driver, consider sharing her man, if the educated, upwardly mobile woman wouldn't consider it?

Cydney Rax: If you have more options you're likely to exercise them. The less options you have, the more you feel trapped and perhaps are forced to accept your dilemma.

Keith Lee Johnson: That's interesting, Cydney, because I know of well-educated black women who have found themselves in similar circumstances and they too feel trapped. Education didn't do anything for them in terms of helping them decided to exercise their options. Why do you suppose that is?

Cydney Rax: I really [don't] know, Keith. I'm trying to answer your questions, LOL. Sometimes women are mentally trapped...and that is just as worst as being physically unable to help themselves.

Keith Lee Johnson: Earlier you mentioned that men would like to have a wife and a girlfriend. I think you're right for most men, but tell us, why do you suppose that is? Why don't men want just one woman who's right for him and leave the rest alone?

Cydney Rax: It is hard to find one person that possesses all the qualities you'd want. She may be able to cook, but isn't very attractive. She may have money, but is boring in bed. She is uneducated but she's very kind. Or she's beautiful and educated but an Ice Queen. You can never really get it all, it seems. Or the man could be greedy, or just have a love for many women which makes it difficult for him to pick just one. He could have an ego that says the more women he has, the badder he is so to speak. It really just depends. I'd love to pose that question to a man that feels he must have lots of women on top of his main squeeze.

Keith Lee Johnson: Good luck finding one who would even admit to it. Do you know any pimps? They can answer that one, I'm sure.

Cydney Rax: Hey I know guys that will answer these questions for me. It's hard getting in touch with them though; they always seem to be very busy.

My Husband´s Girlfriend Cover

Keith Lee Johnson: LOL! I guess so. Why do you suppose women tend to only want one man? Or do they? Do women want more than one man and settle for societal norms?

Cydney Rax: I think a lot of women would want more than one man, quiet as it's kept. If it weren't taboo, sure, why not have it both ways. But if a woman didn't want that type of situation, I think it's because she is more traditional and she wouldn't want her man to do to her what she is doing to him (having more than one lover). And also it has to do with people's morals and values, what they've been taught as being right and wrong.

Keith Lee Johnson: Okay, well said, but let's go deeper, shall we? If, as you say, quiet as it's kept, women want more than one man, and we know that a generous amount of men want two women in bed at the same time, do women secretly want this as well?

Cydney Rax: Easy, because we're not supposed to want those kinds of things. It isn't ladylike. It's different from the norm. It's just like how recently women are becoming more vocal about what they want sexually, but 25-50 years ago, no way would they admit those things openly. You just didn't go there.

Keith Lee Johnson: So then, can we conclude that while women openly criticize men for their sexual proclivities, women want to do the same things? Is that why they get so angry with men when men do the very things women want to do?

Cydney Rax: Hmmm, first of all not every woman would want the same thing as men. Only some of them. I think women get angry with men because they want to be the man's one and only and wants him to love her as much as she loves him. She doesn't want to share. Now, the women that want more than one, shoot, they could also get angry too. Women are so emotional that sometimes their actions don't line up - seem erratic, seem conflicting.

Keith Lee Johnson: Seem? Judging by your answers, I think we can safely remove the word "seem" and still be accurate, if you are correct in your above assessments. Certainly not every woman wants to get buck wild with a bunch of different men. However, I don't think anyone can deny that a growing number of women do and are. The pendulum has seriously swung in the other direction. We see it everywhere with shacking up and other ideas that were once considered immoral. Being a virgin until marriage used to be important, at least from women; so important was it that the father of these deflowered females forced the young men, at gunpoint, to marry their former virgins in their local chapel. Societies norms have changed to the point that now a woman's virginity is something to be gotten rid of as soon as possible, and adultery is the order of the day. Do you disagree?

Cydney Rax: I do agree, absolutely, it's shocking too.

Keith Lee Johnson: So now in walks Cydney Rax and flings the door of secrecy wide open. I think you're going to have a huge hit, Ms. Rax.

Cydney Rax: LOL oh really? I'm not sure I've opened the door of secrecy but I get what you're saying. Sure, c'mon readers, check out my book.

Keith Lee Johnson: Well, you've stated that a lot of married women no longer want to be touched by their men. The thrill is gone. If that is the case, and I don't doubt for a second that it isn't, why wouldn't they want to read about what they actually feel. Isn't that why romantic books and films still do extremely well? This is true even in a society that for all intents and purposes, doesn't believe in monogamy anymore?

Cydney Rax: I don't quite understand your question. Are you asking if women want to read about ideal romantic relationships?

Keith Lee Johnson: No, basically I'm saying that if all you've stated is true, why wouldn't a lot of women want to read about it?

Cydney Rax: Want to read about...?

Keith Lee Johnson: What's in your book? LOL!

Cydney Rax: LOL Ohhhhhh okay. Well, if you like juicy relationship books you may want to read My Husband's Girlfriend. On the other hand if you have experienced this situation in real life, or something similar, and you were hurt from it, it may prohibit you from reading this. The subject hits too close to home. I've actually had a reader tell me that, so it's understandable that she didn't want to read MHG.

Keith Lee Johnson: Funny you should say that. I just met a banker who was in a similar situation as the characters in The Honeymoon is Over and she loved the book. So I got just the opposite reaction. However, I'm sure there were people who read the book and saw themselves as one of the not so popular women and that hit too close to home so I feel you. Where can the people pick up your books?

Cydney Rax: Go to www.amazon.com, www.bn.com, www.cushcity.com and the local bookstores should have them. I read Honeymoon Is Over. Those characters were craaaaaaaaaaaaazy. :)

Keith Lee Johnson: You finished the book?

Cydney Rax: Yes I finished today. Why was the book named The Honeymoon Is Over?

Keith Lee Johnson: That's not my title. I called it Man and wife. Carl wanted to call it, THIO.

Cydney Rax: Ahh okay, I didn't realize that. So it was a marketing decision?

Keith Lee Johnson: Yes. If you notice or even remember, one of the last things the lead character says in his narration is, Man and Wife. That, as I said, was the title.

Cydney Rax: Okay I remember now.

Keith Lee Johnson: Man and Wife isn't as sexy as THIO. So that's what they did. I'm fine with it because covers and titles make a huge difference in sales as you know.

Cydney Rax: Oh definitely, covers and titles are so critical. And I do like the title.

My Daughter´s Boyfriend Cover

Keith Lee Johnson: Yeah, but did you like the book? hehehe

Cydney Rax: LOL it was very interesting, funny, graphic, and the main male character had a diabolical mind. He was a trip.

Keith Lee Johnson: Yeah, but you didn't answer the question. hehehe. It's okay if you didn't like the book, Cyd.

Cydney Rax: So you want me to rate it?

Keith Lee Johnson: Not necessarily. A yes or a no would be sufficient.

Cydney Rax: LOL it was a good read. I'd give it a 4 out of 5.

Keith Lee Johnson: Okay, well, I've only written two 5 star books and this was one of them. Keep in mind, I've got like 8 books and I wouldn't say that about 6 of them.

Cydney Rax: Ah ha.

Keith Lee Johnson: Did you have any questions about that book?

Cydney Rax: Wow you actually rate your own books??

Keith Lee Johnson: Yes, most are 3s in my opinion. For example, my best selling novels are the Little Black Girl Lost series. I only give those 3s, but fans go crazy over those books, which is a bit frustrating because they miss the point of the books. I guess they identify with the lead character, which is frightening because I don't like the idea of so many black women identifying with the kind of person that Johnnie Wise is on the inside.

Cydney Rax: Oh okay. I couldn't rate my own books, that would be hard. But I did have a question about Honeymoon, but I'd have to look for the page where something caught my attention.

Keith Lee Johnson: What would be so hard about it?

Cydney Rax: Because as a writer you aren't going to be objective about your book. But then again, it is your opinion but I'd think it would be difficult to RATE it, not state what you feel about what you've written. Like one time an interviewer asked me how I'd rate my first book and I told her that it's impossible for me to do that.

Keith Lee Johnson: Well, did you like your first book, Cyd?

Cydney Rax: You like your first book because you finished it, you accomplished a goal, it was published, you remember exactly when you started writing and how hard it was to complete so you like the fact that you DID it. You wrote your first novel, that's what I liked!! :) I like the 2nd book too. Certain things about it.

Keith Lee Johnson: Well, if you liked it, don't you think others will like it? If so, it's at least a 3. And 3 out of 5 ain't a bad book in my opinion.

Cydney Rax: Okay I can't find the page I was looking for, but how did you create the main character, Nelson? He has an interesting mind and philosophies. He felt so many different emotions.

Keith Lee Johnson: Easy, like I put into the mouth of Nelson, just about everyone has been hurt in the game called love. All I had to do was draw on that like I do with every other book. All my books are based on truth and when I deal with a certain truth, it's easy to let the characters go where they need to go.

Cydney Rax: Okay gotcha. He was an interesting funny character.

Keith Lee Johnson: I think Sterling is the funny one. You probably don't remember him from PRETENSES. What's so interesting about Nelson?

Cydney Rax: The range of his emotions.

Keith Lee Johnson: Did you get the point? All men, bar none, have the same emotions. Most are too insecure to deal with them openly which is why men kill women they love.

Cydney Rax: Well that is a revelation there. :)

Keith Lee Johnson: I don't know why it's a revelation, but I guess it can be. Like Nelson mentions in the book. "I had tear ducts, don't I?" Or something like that. I also mention the same thing in LBGL 1 and I wrote that like 7 years or so ago. I'm quite secure in my manhood which is why I could write a deeply emotional tale from a man's perspective without worrying who's going to think what about me. I don't think a writer can be effective if he's afraid to go somewhere with a character.

Cydney Rax: Ok well yeah, people read the book just to get to know Nelson.

Keith Lee Johnson: I think it should be the same with any tale. The problem is, lots of readers who only use their imaginations for sex, tend to think the stories we tell are about us. Lots of authors think this too, which, in my opinion, is why most can't go beyond their sphere of living. For example, not many men are going to write about male on male rape like I did in PRETENSES. Most would be too afraid to do that, which says something about their manhood. Most would be too worried about people thinking they are on the down low or something. To me, you have to be fearless to be effective and to have longevity.

Cydney Rax: Okay.

Keith Lee Johnson: Any more questions?

Cydney Rax: No sir. That's it for me.

Keith Lee Johnson: Okay, thanks for sitting in my chair and answering my questions. Best of luck with My Husband's Girlfriend! Will you be touring? If so, where and when?

Cydney Rax: LOL no true touring. I'll be at a couple of conventions in 2007 like Book Expo and Romantic Times Convention (in Houston). That's about it. Thanks for the interview!!!

Keith Lee Johnson: What??? I thought for sure you'd be touring. My I ask why not?

Cydney Rax: Hmm, touring like flying here and there?? Nope, not doing that. If I don't have to tour, I don't.

Keith Lee Johnson: Again, may I ask why you feel that way. I know a number of authors who feel the same way.

Cydney Rax: I'm a homebody. I like doing local things (book clubs). I like meeting fans online and at conventions, but I don't do a lot of bookstore signings at all.

Keith Lee Johnson: Okay. Well, again, sincere best wishes to you and your new novel.

Cydney Rax: Okay same to you. Happy Holidays. (Get some sleep!!)

Keith Lee Johnson: I've gotten my sleep. I may get some more though. hehehe Peace!


Who's a Critic

The Sentinel DVD Cover
Clint Eastwood may be a little too old (plus he kind of already did his own version of this movie in 1993's ), but Harrison Ford could have been The Sentinel's lead and lent the same kind of top-flight Hollywood superstar craft that Michael Douglas brings as a superstar secret service agent fighting a frame-up in a panicky countdown to peril. That the marquee name could have belonged to anyone with the same chops as Douglas is no slam to him, Ford, Eastwood, or anyone else of their ilk. The Sentinel is a crackling good thriller because everyone involved is working at the top of their game. Pete Garrison (Douglas) is on the presidential protection detail when another agent is murdered. A creepy informer tells Garrison about an elaborate assassination conspiracy that's related and well underway. Garrison also happens to be having an affair with the First Lady (Kim Basinger), the stress of which causes him to flunk a lie detector test when word of the plot to kill the president becomes more than just paranoia. Garrison is soon on the run, being hunted by his protege David Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland, whose experience gives his performance an extra edge). But Garrison is the best, using all his secret service wiles (and there are plenty, the details of which give added tension and authenticity to the taut script) to evade his former comrades as the clock ticks. You can often see the plot thickening a mile away, and as much as the movie wants to keep us guessing, the real bad guy is an easy mark for the audience. But the energy and kinetic skill which propel the action are always spot on and enough to keep us from caring about the giveaways. Co-star Eva Longoria is miles away from her role and miles away from any real import of character in the movie. But the rest of the cast and the whooshing forward momentum of style and anxiety are plenty to keep The Sentinel in full-tilt suspense mode from beginning to end.

Features:

Message From
Keith

Message From
Heather & Cory

Author Spotlight

Who's a Critic

Facts About


Hell has no Fury Cover


Coming in Hardback Soon!!!

Little Black Girl Lost 3 Cover


#9 Sizzling Black Expressions Fiction!

The Honeymoon Is Over Cover


Little Black Girl Lost 2 Ranked #2 on Black Expressions for May 2006!

Little Black Girl LOst 2 Cover


Fate's Redemption Ranked #19 on Black Expressions for August 2005!

Fate´s Redemption Hard Bound Cover


Little Black Girl Lost has been on Black Expressions' best seller list for 8 months! Thanks one and all!

Little Black Girl Lost Hard Bound Cover





PRETENSES Hard Bound Cover

Facts About:
The Honeymoon is Over!

Released:
October 2006

Publisher:
Urban Books

Paperback:
300 Pages

ISBN: 1893196690


Neologism:

prescient

\PREH-shuhnt; -shee-uhnt; PREE-shuhnt; -shee-uhnt\

adjective:

Knowing or anticipating the outcome of events before they happen.

Despite Carroll's unfamiliarity with military matters he had an astonishingly prescient view of how the war for independence would be fought and won.

-- Richard M. Ketchum, Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War

The skepticism of Socrates about the application of physical theories to human thought and behavior has proved to be extraordinarily prescient.

-- John Horgan, The Undiscovered Mind: How the Human Brain Defies Replication, Medication, and Explanation


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