S.B. Redd, Author
"A different voice. A different style. No
apologies, always with an edge," is the motto S.B. Redd lives
by. And, if you're fortunate enough to have read his latest release,
TEMPTATION.COM, then you'll
understand. He holds no punches and makes no excuses. His writing is
completely out of the box and in-your-face raw and sweaty hot!
I had the pleasure of sitting down with with S.B.
Redd to delve into the mind of the creative genius behind the
hottest selling novel,
TEMPTATION.COM. Who is S.B. Redd?
He's a different voice, with a different style and offers no
apologies!
Enjoy the interview. I know I did!
JT: Who is S.B.
Redd?
SB: He is an
award-winning former sports reporter who has made a successful
transition to becoming a published author. He likes bowling, poker,
and writing in no particular order.
JT:
What is Temptation.com?
SB: This is a
book that delves into Internet dating and sexual and online porn
addiction. The two main characters, Royale Cole and Ulyssa Howard,
meet on a fictitious website TheBlackNFreaky.com and they indulge in
an affair that knows no boundary.
JT: How did you
come up with the concept behind the novel?
SB: I’m aware
that a lot of people meet others online. There are your generic
dating sites, and then there are your adult dating sites where it is
implied that everyone is on to make sex connections.
JT: How does a
writer create a "page turner"?
SB: I think that
the term page turner is very subjective, but the basic premise is
that the story is interesting and engaging enough to entice a reader
to keep turning the pages. So that means the characters have to be
realistic and entertaining. And the plot and storyline has to be
something that a reader can follow and find believable. When I
write, I’ll bounce character and chapter ideals with non-writers to
find out if what I want to accomplish is realistic, and it’s
something that a potential reader might identify with.
JT: Do your
characters ever surprise you?
SB: I’ve heard
how authors become so engrossed in their work that they almost
become in one with their characters. I can’t say that. I write with
a specific topic and issue in mind that I want to convey to a
reading audience; the characters only help tell that story.
JT: Who should
read this book?
SB: I want to say
first the grown and very sexy reader. But I think there are a lot of
readers out there that are always intrigued to read about something
that has sex in it.
JT: What was the
reason for writing this book? Did you see a need for this book?
SB: My initial
motivation for writing Temptation.com served two purposes: It was to
offer readers a book written from a black male author’s perspective
and with a black male as its main character. And felt confident that
I could write something that would make people blush and cause their
glasses to fog up on them.
JT: Where can we
find more information?
SB: You can visit
www.maverick-books.com.
JT: How concerned
are you with the tone and the shape when you’re drafting? Are you
simply writing to find a story, assuming that you’re going to go
back and change everything later?
SB: No, when I
write I’ve already thought of an issue or topic and there is little
varying from it. If there is any thing usually changes are the
characters. That happened in Temptation.com, as well as the other
manuscripts that I’ve completed. Once, I changed the setting because
for some reason I could not connect the dots with the storyline and
plot.
Looking at the
book now, what surprises you? I’d rather not say. But I can promise
that it won’t happen again.
JT: What’s the
next book? More fiction?
SB: Yes. More
fiction. More scorching and raunchy scenes. Another topic or issue
that has a black male as the main character.
JT: How do you
start your day?
SB: Straight for
the computer. I’m checking e-mails, my social networks, and my
website.
JT: What are you
reading now?
SB: Victoria
Christopher Murray’s Too Little, Too Late
JT: Tell us
what’s next for S.B. Redd.
SB: Most
immediately, I’m working on my fourth manuscript which I’ve
completed about 70 percent of it. This is one that I started on back
in 2007. I realized what I first completed was only the end of the
story. When I tried bridging that gap with a beginning, I ended up
writhing a third manuscript that I completed in 2008. Now I’m
completing that circle.
JT: You’ve taken
to the Internet airwaves. Tell us about your BlogTalkRadio show.
SB: I’m going
solo with a new show called Maverick Media. It will air on
Wednesday nights starting at 11 p.m. I promise that there will
always be an edge to it as with all my written work.
JT: Many writers
have alter egos that they use when they write. Do you have an alter
ego? Who is S.B. Redd the author? The person? Are they the same?
SB: Yes, they’re
the same. Just ask my wife and a few others who have known me over
the years.
JT: Describe your
journey to becoming an author? Were you ever rejected in the past
by publishers or agents? If so was it an extensive amount of
times? How did you keep pressing on?
SB: I’ve
received probably 99 percent rejections from agents and a smattering
of no responses, but that never deterred me from trying. I always
felt that it only takes one. I actually signed with an agent and
that relationship lasted for about a year. I only had one publisher
to pass on me, but that was not a situation worth feeling
disappointed over. Bottom line, my goal after I completed writing
Temptation.com was to be published by the end of 2008; my book was
released in February 2009.
JT: Most books
now have very raw and provocative characters. Who inspires these
characters? Do they have characteristics that you have?
SB:
Of course. I’m not called The Maverick just for window dressing.
JT: Who are some
of your favorite writers?
SB: Toni
Morrison. Walter Mosley. Marissa Monteilh. Can I also include
myself?
JT: What are
some of your favorite books?
SB: The Song
of Solomon. Fortunate Son. Something He Can Feel.
JT: What
inspires you to write? Is it the love for written expression or the
paycheck at the end of the day?
SB: I’ve always
felt it’s been an unique privilege to inform, educate, and sometimes
entertain people through my writing. Of course, I like to be paid.
But I remember starting out at a weekly newspaper back home in
Houston writing for free while I was at TSU. I eventually was paid
$50 a week by the time I resigned.
JT: Explain your
life (e.g. place of birth, childhood, parents, siblings, schooling,
job before becoming an author).
SB: I’m a native
of Houston, as were my parents. I’m the oldest of three; I have two
sisters. I spent most of my childhood in Los Angeles, but I returned
to Houston in my early adult years. My formal background is a
newspaper reporter. In all, I worked 10 years as a sports writer at
daily newspapers in Texas, Florida, Virginia, and South Carolina. I
also worked on a free-lance basis for seven years at a prominent
magazine based in Florida; my entire time in print journalism was 15
years. I’ve been a licensed insurance agent since 2001, and I’ve run
my own insurance business since May 2003.
JT: What is next
for your writing career?
SB: I’ve already
ventured off into editing books for other authors, and I’ve already
seen some success in that. I would like to complete a master’s
degree in Creative Writing within the next five years, and I hope to
parlay that into an opportunity to teach at the collegiate level.
But I do expect to continue writing. Who knows? I might venture away
from erotica and write a Christian fiction novel. It’s not beyond my
capability.
JT: S.B., thanks
so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with
me, and, most importantly, share a lot of yourself with your
readers.
To learn more
about S.B. Redd and TEMPTATION.COM, visit
www.Maverick-Books.com.
J.T.'s Book Corner
is the brainchild of best-selling author
Jessica Tilles
and Black Men In America.com Publisher Gary Johnson.
Jessica is the author of
Anything Goes, In My Sisters' Corner, Apple Tree, Sweet Revenge,
Fatal Desire, Unfinished Business, Erogenous Zone: A Sexual Voyage
and Loving Simone. She is also the award-winning
publisher of
Xpress Yourself Publishing, LLC,
a publishing house specializes in all genres of fiction
and
The Writer's Assistant.
For more information
about Jessica visit her official
web site located at
www.JessicaTilles.com.
