The Real Housewives of Literature - WEEK TWO

Celebrating Women's History Month



March is Women's History Month! Celebrate with us as we recognize and highlight just a few women making a mark in the literary industry as we bring you...

The Real Housewives of Literature

They are mothers, wives, daughters, aunts and sisters, yet they have found time to make a name for themselves and pursue their dreams.

O.O.S.A.'s goal is to not only acknowledge African American women in literature, but to educate and encourage others. We hope that you will join us as we recognize, respect and applaud their efforts as these phenomenal women make history or in this case, HERstory!



Status: Divorced
Children: 1
Books: 4

K.L. Brady is the award-winning author of The Bum Magnet and Got a Right to Be Wrong. With a BA in Economics and an MBA, she works as a senior technical writer and technical editor for a large government contracting firm and lives in the Washington D.C. area. She loves reading, writing, and chocolate and is hard at work on her two teen series, Soul of the Band and The Jane Series, 12 Honeymoons (a new hilarious romantic comedy), and a spy novel series.

Behind the Books

How do you balance being a mother and author? This is simple. I sacrifice sleep so that I can fit more hours of work in my time. I consider myself working three full time jobs—motherhood, writing, and the 9-to-5 that still pays most of the bills. Motherhood trials and tribulations are compounded by the fact that my son is diagnosed with high-functioning autism which makes some days a little harder than others, even though years of various therapies has helped make him a very well-adjusted child who is thriving in school and life. But it’s all hard work. And nothing is easy. But writing is what makes me whole and I don’t need much sleep to stay sane, so I don’t mind sacrificing sleep.

Why do you write? Because I don’t know how not to write. Honestly. I’ve been keeping journals and diaries since I was 7 or 8 years old. Only my parents have been a part of my life longer. It’s the one thing in this world that I can do for 15 hours a day and not feel as if I’ve worked five minutes…except that I’m getting old and my body tells me so. The fact that I can now get out of my own head and share my stories “insights,” hilarious and otherwise, with readers who actually enjoy my work makes it even more addictive.

From your perspective, do you think female authors have it better or worse than their male counterparts? I don’t think it’s a fair comparison to make. Let’s face it. Women comprise the majority of readers in the literary market. That’s just a fact. We support ourselves well, but men are bestsellers too. I think female authors give women readers stories from perspectives they can often relate to and identify with more readily, while men give female readers perspectives that are often educational because men are a mystery to most of us. So, better or worse? I don’t know that the comparison can be made. Good authors, male or female, will rise to the top. I think a better question would be do we encourage boys/men to pursue writing/the arts and read to the same extent that we do our girls? My answer would be no…and that’s the real challenge. That’s why I’m raising a reader.

What female authors have influenced you? Terry McMillan was probably one of my biggest influences because by reading her work I learned to accept my writing “voice,” which is very conversational. I never thought I had the talent to be a writer because my prose wasn’t poetic or flowery (Maya Angelou or Toni Morrison)…it was just real and funny. Reading her work helped me to accept my voice and talent for what it is. She gave me a certain level of validation and the courage to share my stories with others without fear that they wouldn’t be accepted. She opened the door for contemporary African American authors, male and female. As for honest, well-told stories, I don’t know who does them better than J. California Cooper. My grandmother, a great reader, introduced me to her and I loved her storytelling style, very honest, very real.

What is your favorite book? I could no sooner name a favorite star in the sky. I read everything from Jane Austen to Stephen King, and I like books for different reasons. Some books that I love I can’t read more than once because they are so powerful and heart wrenching (The Color Purple or Beloved). Then there are others that I read almost annually because they are so classic (Pride and Prejudice). Right now I’m reading Ernest Hemingway and Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and am enjoying them both. So, while I can’t name a favorite book, I can certainly name my favorite things to do—write, read, and write some more.

Stay tuned next week as we highlight another phenomenal woman!

This Week's Reviews Include...

Tuesday Recommendations

If you enjoy good reading like we enjoy good reading, check out our TUESDAY RECOMMENDATIONS.

The Real Housewives of Literature - WEEK ONE

Celebrating Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month! Celebrate with us as we recognize and highlight just a few women making a mark in the literary industry as we bring you...

The Real Housewives of Literature

They are mothers, wives, daughters, aunts and sisters, yet they have found time to make a name for themselves and pursue their dreams.

O.O.S.A.'s goal is to not only acknowledge African American women in literature, but to educate and encourage others. We hope that you will join us as we recognize, respect and applaud their efforts as these phenomenal women make history or in this case, HERstory!

Status: Married

Children: 3, ages ranging 5- 9

Books: 1

Sadeqa Johnson, a former public relations manager, spent several years working with well-known authors such as JK Rowling, Bebe Moore Campbell, Amy Tan and Bishop TD Jakes. She is the award-winning author of Love in a Carry-on bag, which won the 2012 USA Best Book Award for African-American fiction, and has been nominated for the 2013 Harlem Book Fair QBR Wheatley Book Award for best fiction.  

An inner peace advocate, Sadeqa Johnson is a meditation teacher, public speaker and motivational blogger. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently resides in the New York metro area with her husband and three children. She will be featured in the Motherhood Diaries by Reshonda Tate Billingsley, and is currently at work on her sophomore novel, Second House from the Corner. 

Behind the Books:

Knowing the path you took to where you are now, what is one thing from your experiences that you wish to save other authors from experiencing (OR hope all authors experience)? I know it is very popular now to crank out a book in three months but for first time writers, I implore them to take more time. It took me over ten years to write my first book. I know that sounds like an incredibly long time, and perhaps I could have gotten it done a lot faster, but what I will say is that your first book is where you learn to write. You have all the time in the world to write your first book, and you never get a second chance at being a debut author so you want it to be the best that you are capable of offering. The first book is where you cultivate your voice and develop your style. Take your time to learn your craft. Take classes, join a workshop and surround yourself with like minded writers who can help you grow.  

Do you have a special way to prepare before you sit down to write? If so, what is it? I meditate every morning for about fifteen to twenty minutes, then I grab a cup of coffee and head into my basement office to write. Lately, I've tried to write a page or two of long hand before I start typing away on my novel. This gives me a little creative freedom before diving into the structures of working on a book. I sometimes light a candle for lighting my creative path. I always listen to music when I'm writing. Right now I've been playing a lot of Marvin Gaye, Marsha Ambrosia and this indie artist my friend hipped me to named Bago.  

When did the writing bug first bite you? I was always a major lover of reading. I read so much that my best friend in high school used to steal my books so that I'd pay attention to her during our lunch period. My first memory of really feeling like I could be a writer was in the seventh grade. I wrote an essay called "The Roof is on Fire" about the mayor of Philadelphia dropping a bomb on the Move organization, a ‘radical' group in Philadelphia. It was for a writing competition and I came in first place. I went on to become an actress, and actually my major in college was Theater Arts. When I graduated, I went to work for Scholastic, and it was there that I started working on my first novel. Being surrounded by so many wonderful children writers like Walter Dean Myers, Virginia Hamilton and JK Rowling, it was easy for me to put pen to paper. 

What female authors have influenced you? I’ve been inspired by so many writers over my life. Maya Angelou was the first author I fell head over heels in love with. Zora Neale Hurston touched me so deeply that I named my first daughter Zora. Bebe Moore Campbell was my first writing mentor. Terry McMillan and Judy Blume were the first writers to inspire me to read their novels more than once. Right now I’m inspired by Tayari Jones, Lorene Carey, Bernice McFadden, Victoria Christopher Murray, Lolita Files and Ernesta Carter. 

How do you juggle a career, writing and home? To be honest, it's an everyday struggle and I rarely go to bed feeling like I've got it all right, and all done. I'm a full time stay-at-home-mom first, so their needs, my husband's needs, the house’s needs, always comes first. But when I am not creating I'm cranky, so I aim to be up at 5:00am to get that morning writing out of the way before I wake my children at 6:30. There is something very magical about tapping creative energy that time of morning that really gets my day started and off on the right foot. When I write early, there is no guilt if I get sidetracked by the other areas of my life and don't make it back to the computer.  

Stay tuned next week as we highlight another incredible woman!

Real Reader!

Stepping to the stage is: Crystal

Real Reader!

Thanks to social media, readers and authors who do not reside in the same zip codes are able to connect and share much quicker now than ever. Where readers used to have to wait until their favorite authors came to their cities or nearby locales, with Facebook, Twitter, and other cyber entities, readers are only a click away from the inside stuff. While you and that author may become friendly, share laughs, and even stand on the same sides of certain discussions, when you review their work and it doesn’t sway the way they wanted, you may just be... irrelevant.

Say what now? You’re confused because your author friend knows that you’re an opinionated person who doesn’t mind standing alone, especially when the book’s integrity is called into question. So why, after reviewing their book, do they all of a sudden feel as if you are no longer the person they thought you were? Interesting.

Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. There are some very special authors who are able to handle your truth. They ask the tough questions and truly want to fix what’s wrong so they can mature in their craft. They are both thankful and grateful for your time and assessments. And when asked, you can truly tell another reader that that author is someone worth reading. Then there are the others, the cyber thugs, dusting off a space on their FB wall and Twitter feeds with attacks against you. Everyone has a right to their opinion, right? Then why is okay for authors to feel they can find solace in attacking a person because their opinion of their book is not what they wanted? See what your form of honesty gets you?

Have you ever stared at an inbox message filled with rage, after reading an email filled with praise from the very same author? I have.  If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering if they’re bipolar, right? The jury is still out. When did being honest make you a hater? I get it; not everyone is going to like, love, agree with or even at times understand you. But to say that because I didn't like a book, that I must not have read it. Seriously? Or to say because I only focused on one specific thing, I couldn’t have read the book. Then there are the authors that haven’t had their books edited, they KNOW they didn’t have their books edited, and they get mad when my review reflects such. How is that the reader’s fault? When I go to McDonald’s I don’t want to hear that Ronald couldn’t afford to pay Mayor McCheese, so Quarter Pounders are no longer on the menu. If you can’t afford to pay an editor and you’re serious about pursuing your dream, then perhaps you should look into finding another job to finance your dreams. Is that so unimaginable? Then let’s not forget the authors whose book is so profound that apparently my limited education couldn’t grasp it. No, it’s not them and their book; it’s me and my lack of education. If I couldn’t follow the multiple plots and overabundance of characters, that’s my problem again, right? I mean, I can’t ask the author, the person who wrote the book in the first place, to shoulder the blame. Can I? Why shouldn’t the blame be on you, the author? It’s your job is to keep me, the reader and paying consumer, intrigued, entertained, and page flipping. Since you failed to hold my attention, aren’t YOU the real hater? Sounds stupid doesn’t it? Imagine how I feel.

Other people’s opinions do matter. Perhaps it's not the opinion you'd hoped for when asking me to read your book, but my opinion will hopefully help you to see what's needed to get you to the next step if writing is truly for you. Or, you can continue to believe that I'm a hater, without putting any thought to what I've said and stick to the readers that only sing your praise. Sure, that won't get tiring (insert sarcasm). Their way doesn’t demand you to challenge yourself to be better. Besides, any reader who LOVES every single book they’ve ever read is suspect. And let’s keep it real, they don’t have any real value for you; they’re simply trying to be friends with everyone. That’s not a reader, that’s a groupie.

Reading consists of comprehension. As a reader, I read things, and even if I am in disagreement with the characters’ actions, afraid of what is to come, if well written, I can’t wait to flip that page. Now readers are dealing with the same unoriginal story lines that lack a plot or depth. Character development is left on the first page next to the character’s overly detailed physical description, if at all. Every single chick is of mixed breed with the best cooch in town. It's like the book game has hit the spin cycle and whack is the new 5-star rating. If that’s the author you’re looking to be, then I’m definitely not the reader you want to meet.

You don’t have to like me, but you will respect that my opinion is unbiased and your friendship is unnecessary. I read because I love it. But when I find that authors are abusing my first love, READING, it’s personal for me. So call me a hater, if that makes you feel better. Look at the people singing your praises, now back to me, now back to your fans, now back to me... I’m a REAL READER!

In the cyber world I'm Nardsbaby (a combination of hubby's name and what he call me) I'm a Queen married to my real life King, with three royal heirs - two princes, and one princess.  Our kingdom is located in the hood on the West Side of Chi~town.  I'm the co-founder of OOSA Online Book Club.  

I don’t just enjoy reading; it’s my first true love. If you follow my reading lists you'll see that I'm the ultimate contradiction. I am a child of God who believes in love with happily ever after, and my heart is open to that misunderstood gangster, as long as it’s well written.

This Week's Reviews Include...

March Reads