Get to know Imani...

 

 

 

“Strawberries, Stilettos, and Steam,” or “SSS,” as we call it, is a collection of erotic stories that I co-authored with Ms. Dreama Skye. The stories revolve around bold people who live out their fantasies with husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, best friends, and total strangers. It’s very hot, and for grown folks only!

 

 

Dreama and I really thought outside the box with this one. So readers will find stories that will appeal to everyone. We want the readers to experience fantasies that they may have but, for whatever reason, might not get the chance to live out themselves. By the time they’re done, we want them to feel like they’re inside the stories just like our characters!

 

How did you come up with the concept and title for this newest book?   I’ve always written stories, so I knew I could write them. But I wanted to do something erotic for readers who may have never read anything in the genre. I mentioned the idea to Dreama, who is an erotic poet, and she thought we could really do well with the project.     As for the title, I was trying to use it for a story title, but it never went anywhere. I told Dreama about the story fizzling out, and she thought “Strawberries, Stilettos, and Steam” worked much better as a book title. We began writing stories, compiled them, and “SSS” was the result.

 

 

The industry is changing with more of an emphasis on e-books, virtual tours, and electronic promotion. That means publishing differently, promoting differently, and touring differently. Growing up in the era of the paper book, I still enjoy the feel of a book in my hand, but there’s a whole generation of readers who have grown up with laptops, iPods, and other mobile devices that allow immediate access to worldwide media in a small package. We have to accept that and either adapt to it or perish. Plus, with more stores closing daily, to remain viable, writers like me will have to be more innovative in our search for non-traditional places to sell our books and bond with our readers. It’s all new, but I’ve waited my whole life to become a published author, so nothing’s going to discourage me at this point. I’m up for the challenge, and I can’t wait to dive in!  

 

 

I was born a writer, Elissa. I wrote my first story when I was just six years old. My teacher liked it so much, that she arranged for me to read it to the whole school. I was hooked after that, and never wanted to do anything else!

 

I enjoy writing because it’s very cathartic to spill my soul on the page, tell a new story, or even an old story in a fresh way. It’s amazing to be able to put into words what so many people feel and think, but cannot express. I love it.  

 

 

I’ve spent my whole life writing, and always wanted to be published. I think most writers do.

 

From that first story, I made sure I’d saved everything I’ve ever written in a footlocker, knowing that one day, I would be published. But life interrupted that dream - I got married, started a career, and focused on raising a family. Then, on the verge of turning forty years old, I decided to self-publish “The Soul of a Black Woman.” When my son finished high school and moved away for college, I wrote for a few more years until I met some people who liked my work. Within months, Dreama and I were published by NCM Publishing (Ni’cola Mitchell), and ewe both had stories published in Tamika Newhouse’s book, “Between the Sheets.”

 

 

In 2003, I received a handwritten note from Nikki Giovanni about “The Soul of a Black Woman,” and was so honored that she’d taken the time to even read it, much less write me about it. Nikki Giovanni! I was speechless!

Then in 2006, I was mentioned in “Literary Divas: Top 100+ Most Admired African - American Women in Literature,” written by Heather Covington and published by Amber Books, which is Tony Rose’s company.

 

 

I remember being asked to speak at high schools right after “SOBW” was published. It’s a collection of poems and stories written from the age of 7 to almost 40. The works speak about overcoming the obstacles of childhood and adolescence: poverty, not fitting in, first love, self-esteem, and all those things we all go through. I remember some of the students telling me that it made them feel better to know that their problems were not unique, and they realized that life would get better for them just like it did for me. I was humbled.

 

As for “SSS,” we want it to encourage those in relationships to keep things fresh in the bedroom, and that it will open dialogue between partners to try new things, be more open, and to communicate more about other issues. One couple has already written us about a pregnancy that resulted from reading “SSS” together-lol. 

 

 

A lot. First off, Dreama and I are in the middle of a book tour for “SSS.” We’ll be hitting the East Coast in April; Texas, Georgia, and Florida in the summer. Then we plan to tour the West Coast in the fall.

 

Next is the release of my first novel entitled, “A Little Sumthin Sumthin,” which will debut this fall. I’m getting great response to the cover, which was just unveiled a few weeks ago.

 

In addition, I have a few stories circulating for 2011 anthologies, but I don’t want to jinx anything by mentioning the anthologies, so we’ll see.

 

Finally, I have plans to release “SOBW” in an e-book by Christmas, and I’ve recently started writing a 3-part crime thriller that should be finished in late 2012.

 

 

 

If you’re a writer, write. It doesn’t matter what you write, or how long you write. Just write something every day.

 

Hold on to your dream with one hand, but make it a reality with the other. You have to work at it. Success doesn’t just happen.

 

Remain humble. People remember your willingness to learn. Make a good impression no matter what the situation may be- you might meet that person at a business meeting, or some other setting where your work will come up.

 

 

The promotion involved, and realizing there’s more to the publishing process than I thought. There are so many steps between the finished manuscript and seeing your book on the shelves. And every step requires your attention. As a writer, I never realized that. Like most, I figured the hard work was done once I wrote the book.

 

 

That even though I know I’m going to eventually write for a living, I have a background in Forensic Science and Criminalistics. I am trained in the areas of Blood Stain Analysis, Fingerprints, Ballistics, and Crime Scene Analysis. My dream job if I wasn’t a writer? A Forensic Investigator, or Criminal Profiler.

 

 

Ernest Gaines (The Autobiography of Ms. Jane Pittman) and Alex Haley (Roots)-I love historic pieces, and wish that I could write them. I also enjoy reading books that become movies.

 

Sistah Souljah, Eric Jerome Dickey-They tell great urban stories that make you feel like you’re right there. Their characters are like people that I know.

 

 

They can contact us on social networks through Facebook (Imani True and Dreama Skye) or via our website at www.trueskyemedia.com where we will sign it prior to shipment.

 

We’re on Twitter as well, and we each have our own blogs (I’m at truerotica.blogspot.com and Dreama is at skyeserotic haven.blogspot.com)

Our books are available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and all online book retailers. Copies can also be purchased at Books-a-Million stores, The Dock Book Shop in Fort Worth, Charis Books in Atlanta, and Tamika’s Book Stands on military bases in San Antonio (Tamika Newhouse, of course). Contact our publisher at www.ncmpublishing.com for bulk copies or book club orders. With the tour, we’re adding new stores at each stop. So if they don’t see the book, they should ask for it!

Imani True

April 2011