Stacy-Deanne Interview Questions (Part I):
 
What inspired you to write Divas?
 
The concept of " Divas of the New Millennium " started with three biographies I did on the singers Mya, Jennifer Lopez and Ashanti.  I never intended on doing a biography since my game is fiction but I was so interested in these singers that I decided to write about them. The books were supposed to be a part of a series I created called, " Millennium Divas of Color ".  Things changed and the publisher decided to put my work with the work of two other authors who wrote bios on Alicia Keys and Destiny's Child.  The compilation idea was strictly the publisher's. The company thought that including all of these ladies in one book would be amazing. At first I was disappointed to learn that my books wouldn't be separate anymore but once I read " Divas of the New Millennium " I was confident in the publisher's choice.
 
Did you interview the artist or did you have to seek permission to discuss them?
 
No we didn't interview them. I told the publisher I wanted to but he said that due to the time taken to get in touch with the artists, it wouldn't be worth it. You have to make bios as current as possible. The company didn't want to go through the hassles and since biographies are their specialty, I respected that. Plus we (the authors) had presented our books to the company with the work already at hand. No, you don't have to seek permission to write a biography. As long as you are honest and sticking to facts then there should be no problems.  The publisher handles all the legal aspects during the process of the book.
 
How long have you been writing?
 
I have been writing professionally since I was nineteen years old. My first novel, " Sunday Morning " was published in 1999 when I was twenty-one.  It will always be special because it was my first novel ever written.
 
When did you know you wanted to write?
 
When I got my first computer in 1997. I kept seeing a boy sitting on a beach in my head.  I don't know why but I kept seeing this. I guess that was a sign because once I couldn't get the idea from my head I wrote the scene.  I added to it daily and before I realized it, I had a pretty good story going on.  That was how " Sunday Morning " was born.  The joy I got from writing is what forced me to pursue this career. I never thought I could love something as much as I do writing.  Just thinking up characters and various situations is so exciting to me.
 
How did you get started?
 
Well for " Divas ", I wrote the Mya biography then I contacted Amber Books. They told me they were interested in reading it. After a few months they gave me a contract. I informed them that I was also doing Jennifer Lopez and that it was part of a series. They liked that as well and that was how " Divas " (at least my parts) came to pass. After I submitted Jennifer Lopez they took the Ashanti story as well.
 
Did you send off a manuscript or seek an agent first? 
 
Because writing the biographies had just been a whim, I didn't go the agent route. I just checked out some publishers and when I came across Amber Books, I had a feeling it was for me.  They loved the work and in return I hooked up with a very successful company.
 
How did you become a best selling international author?
 
(I'm laughing). Well all I can say is that I was lucky to have a publisher who loves to promote. Promotion must be on going for a book to survive. Everyone worked his or her butts off for the book. Amber toured and informed contacts before the book was set for release. On my end I used word of mouth. I talked about my books for at least two years before the compilation was put together. Before the final stage, I promoted it in Yahoo music groups, to teens, to music fans, to family, anyone who would listen. I heard it was a best seller when it sold out at the Harlem Book Festival. I didn't even know it was heading overseas so quickly.  I can definitely vouch that word of mouth is a powerful thing. But also, an author has to have a publisher who cares enough to promote them or the book will be doomed from the start. And last but not least the book was written with extreme confidence and devotion in order to give potential readers a book they could really enjoy.
 
What words of encouragement would you say for a new author?
 
My best advice is to know the business and learn the business.  You should interact with others in your field to find out what's going on. You should join writing groups to stay in the know. You need to also perfect your craft. This is very important with fiction. You should read books in your genre.  How can you be a successful author if you don't read what's on the market?  How would you know what's selling or how to compete? Also, new writers should be careful of agents and publishers who are out to scam them.  These people pretend to fuel your dreams when they only want to line their pockets. The literary world harbors a lot of creeps. You must educate yourself in the business in order to reach your goals. The most important thing is to know your audience and focus on them. It makes your work a lot easier to promote even before you've landed a contract. 
 
What do you think of the current trend in writing to urban literature?
 
It's wonderful and I see it getting even better in the future. Latino and black authors are selling like they never have before. People are making movies and plays based on a lot of urban books these days.  This gives minority youngsters books to relate to. When I was growing up all the books I read in school were with white characters or from white authors. That was all you saw. Now there are so many minority authors out there for readers to choose from.  Hopefully this helps younger readers appreciate what literature has to offer.