Meet Tina Brooks McKinney

Intimate Conversation with bestselling author Tina Brooks McKinney

EDC: Tina please tell us about your passion for writing.

TBM: Sometimes Ella, it’s like a fire burning a hole in my brain. Like this morning for example. All I wanted to do is write but I knew that I had to finish this interview. But writing allows me to express my feelings without opening my mouth. I get to talk about the things that trouble me and hopefully when folks read me they will feel the relief I feel when it’s over. Add your bio at the end and include all of your contact information and website addresses at the end.

EDC: Introduce us to your new book.

TBM: My new book is titled, Dubious. Let’s start here: Atlanta’s hotshot attorney, Felicia Clark, is bored as hell, deprived of sex, and is watching helplessly as her marriage careens toward divorce court at ninety miles per hour. Her growing feelings for her new client, Sherman Jennings, a handsome and successful software developer, is a distraction that promises to increase the momentum of her emotional free fall. Before Felicia can welcome Sherman into her life with any degree of certainty, she needs time to learn why her husband no longer desires her and is hell-bent on sitting their thirteen-year relationship out with the trash. What Felicia uncovers—cloaked beneath a dark fetish—is a secret so vicious that if it were brought to light, it might literally rip her world to pieces.

EDC: Where are you from?
TBM: Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland

EDC: Who are your two main characters and what do you like most about them?

TBM: Felicia Clark is the epitome of a strong black woman. Raised with old fashion values she would do anything for her man. That is until he ripped her heart out and stomped on it. After that, she put on the gloves and came out the corner swinging. I just love that about her.
Randy Clark, her husband, has no problem taking all the things his wife doled out to him but deep down inside he resented her success. Instead of admitting his

EDC: What makes your book stand out and would make a reader pick it up?
TBM: The cover is intriguing. You can look at that brother and tell he’s up to something. Most think he’s cheating but they will never guess who’s been getting his time.

EDC: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
TBM: Wow, unlike my other books, I didn’t have this deep underlying message to portray, but since you’ve got me thinking about it, there is a message in it and it’s still the same one that I’ve been preaching all along. Learning to love you enough to say no, I don’t think so. Some woman will do anything just to keep a man—sometimes to their own detriment. It is only when we wake up and say enough is enough that things start to change. The hard lesson is that sometimes we have to give up the people we love the most.

EDC: What is the one most surprising thing you have learned in creating novels?
TBM: I wish I had some great witticism to share with you but I don’t. The most surprising thing has come from me. I continually battle with low self esteem and writing allows me to escape into a world that has no boundaries. Most times, I walk away feeling good about myself.

EDC: What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
TBM: Through my stories, I’ve been able to touch and tell the stories of many women who were afraid to stand up for themselves. From what my readers tell me, I’ve taught them that it’s okay to make a mistake, just don’t dwell on it, and move on. How did you do it? By creating characters and situations that we all can relate to. I also did it with the help of Zane. Without her believing in me from the beginning, none of this would have happened.

EDC: What advice would you give a new writer?
TBM: The best advice I can give is to tell new writers to not give up if this is their passion. Don’t write to make millions—write if you feel it in your soul. I would also advise them to be careful in whom they trust. There are many snakes in the grass in this business and everybody doesn’t wish you well. Would you change anything about your journey? I would have started my journey earlier in life.

EDC: What can we expect from you in the future?
TBM: I just finished a new novel entitled The Set Up scheduled for a May 2009 release date. Once again I have stretched my boundaries. It’s about a Chinese family that ultimately got duped by this black woman.

I’m also looking forward to seeing where my new publishing company goes. Part of me wants to publish other people but that scared part of me that is unsure of me—is afraid that I won’t do them justice. We shall see.

Tina Brooks McKinney is the author of All That Drama, Lawd, Mo’ Drama, Fool Stop Tripping, and The Set Up (May 2009). She is also the editor of Taboo Publishing.

To learn more about Tina visit her website at http://www.tinamckinney.com/ or visit http://www.taboopublishing.com/. Contact: tybrooks2@yahoo.com or editor@taboopublishing.

Bookclubs and new fans, you can also be reached at myspace.com/tinamckinney or myspace.com/taboopublishing.

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