Author Terra Little

Terra Little

Terra Little is the author of Running from Mercy (JAN 2008: Q-Boro Books) & Where There's Smoke (Coming JAN 2009: Urban Books). You can find her online at http://www.terralittle.com/ and write to her at writeterralittle@yahoo.com. She also writes under the pseudonym, T. Kaye Browne.

Tell us a little bit about you outside of being an author.

I've worked as a probation/parole officer for the past seven years and my one and only child will be 17 in a couple of months. I'll be experiencing "empty nest syndrome" and I won't even be 40 yet! How cool is that? In the not too distant future I'd like to learn to ride a motorcycle and do some traveling.

What is your earliest writing memory?

Putting together a "fashion magazine" using looseleaf notebook paper, staples, crayons and colored pencils; sitting there after I'd stapled the pages together, wondering what in the world I was going to write articles about, being less than 10 years old and all.

What feelings do you experience once you are satisfied with your completed manuscript(s)?

Sadness and anxiety. Sadness, because by the time I'm done, I've developed a relationship with the characters and I'm sad to see them go. I miss them for a while afterward. Anxiety, because, what if I just think I'm done, but it sucks? What if I'm the only one who thinks it's good?

In your upcoming release or newly released book, how did you come up with the idea of your main character(s)?

My upcoming release, "Where There's Smoke", was conceptualized after I came in contact with a client who was struggling with crack cocaine addiction. She came to me after a stint in inpatient treatment, so she had gained weight and was healthy looking, and, looking at her, I was curious as to how she had come to be addicted to crack. Here was this attractive, well-spoken sista, who was far from your everyday idea of a "crackhead", and I asked her what her deal was. As I talked with her, the idea of Anne, one of the main characters in "Where There's Smoke", was coming to life in my head. That client inspired me. I empathized with her and I wanted to do something positive for women who struggle with drug addiction and prevail, as sort of a tribute to that client and women like her everywhere. I was visualizing Anne and thinking, "Who are you and where are we about to go with this?"

Tell us a little bit about your work in progress and/or your upcoming release.

"Where There's Smoke" will be released in January 2009 by Urban Books.

Imagine the inevitable conflict when a two-decades sober drug addict and her former drug dealer, who's been out of the game and in classrooms teaching math, of all things, for almost as long, meet again. Especially when there's a 16 year old son that one of them had no idea existed in the picture. Their son is out of control and Anne is at her wit's end, so she tracks down his father, hoping he can help get the boy back on track. Will she live to regret her decision?

I’m a big believer that word of mouth creates more sales than advertisements. Let’s say I’ve never read any of your books before, how would you pitch the idea of your latest release to me?

Women's lib, bay-bee. LOL. Women don't get a fair shake where drug addiction is concerned. Everybody remembers how Pooky used to smoke crack and how he used to do those things he did for crack. But when he gets clean and jumps up into the pulpit to testify, suddenly everybody has amnesia. On the other hand, Peaches can't live her drug addiction and those things she did for drugs down. Peaches can be clean for twenty years and folks will still be whispering about when she was "out there." This book celebrates women and the awesome spirit that lives within us all. As wives, girlfriends, mothers and sisters, when we give of ourselves, we truly give of ourselves. This book features a sista who will go to the mat for her own life, her son's life and her self-respect. You gotta love it. Who doesn't have an addict of some sort in their family?

I consider myself a tough critic when reviewing books. What do or would you do when you receive a mediocre or less than average rating from a reviewer or reader?

On a basic level, consider the source. In general, I'm going to be considerably more disappointed by a mediocre review from, say, Toni Morrison, than, say, Bey-Bey from the hood. However, both of these reviewers have equally important voices. If I'm going for street-lit flavor and Bey-Bey is a voracious street-lit reader, and she says it stinks, then I need to take a look at that. If I'm trying to dabble in some serious literary fiction and Toni Morrison suggests that I not quit my day job, then I also need to take a look at that. Overall, though, we like what we like and what one dislikes another may love. It's all relative. Content? Mechanics? Style? What is the review saying? That's what I try to focus on. Maybe I can learn something for the next go-round.

What authors influence your writing dreams, goals and aspirations?

Jodi Picoult; Toni Morrison; Alice Walker; James Baldwin; Barbara Delinsky; love me some LaVyrle Spencer and Nora Roberts's older stuff; Sidney Sheldon... (not exhaustive and in no particular order)

What books would you recommend on writing?

I've never read any books on writing or taken any courses, so, unfortunately, I can't recommend any.

If you could change one thing you did during your road to publication, what would it be and what would you have done different?

Everything. Nothing. I don't know. I could've been wasting time on this or that, or I could've simply been getting my feet wet. Who knows? It's definitely been a learning experience and I think I'm better for it. Maybe, not spent as much money as I spent self-publishing? But where would I have cut corners? (shrug)

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

Mama, Grandma Bea, Cousin Mookie and them aren't necessarily the best manuscript critics. Get objective, knowledgeable feedback from somebody who doesn't do your hair every other Friday, and listen to it.

Where can readers learn more about you and your books?

My website (http://www.terralittle.com) and my blog (http://www.terralittle.blogspot.com).