WELCOME AUTHOR
SELENA HASKINS
Author bio: Selena Haskins is a native Washingtonian who enjoys music,
reading, spirituality, and spending quality time with her family. Besides
writing, she loves watching an intense game of NBA Basketball. You can find her
in front of the TV cheering for her Boston Celtics!
Personal favs:
Drink – iced
coffee with a shot of mocha
Food – seafood
Vacation – anyplace
where there is beautiful quiet beach and palm trees
TV show – Scandal
Movie – Saturday
Night Fever
Animal – Dolphins
Sport – Basketball
Book – Big
Girls Don’t Cry
Book title: A
River Moves Forward
Brief synopsis of
your book: A coming-of-age story that travels through the time
periods of the 60’s and 70’s, where Connie Morris grows up in Chicago’s tough
Cabrini Green. Tragedy strikes her family and Connie must prove she can survive
on her own. She meets Dean, a police officer and they fall in love. But when
they discover their paths have crossed before, it sends them on an emotional
ride that could prove to be too much. With the odds against them, they must
decide if they will forgive and move forward together or move on without each
other.
Current book or
project you’re working on: I am working on the sequel to A River
Moves Forward, titled, Riding the Waves.
What was the
inspiration for your novel? The inspiration came from the everyday struggles
of women. Sometimes many obstacles are thrown our way all at once, and it’s
hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, there is always hope.
Every problem has a solution.
Please share
three interesting facts about your book which are not covered in the synopsis.
1) Connie
becomes the first African American woman to host her own radio show.
2) Dean was
once a track star, but he quit college when his girlfriend became pregnant.
3) Originally,
A River Moves Forward was just a short story about three sisters living in the
south.
Who is the most
complex character from your current novel? Connie’s sister,
Peaches.
Are there any
characters in your book that remind you of yourself?
Both Connie and Peaches remind me of myself. I can be as
calm, cool, and collected as Connie, but when I’m provoked I can be as feisty
as Peaches.
If you could pick
any well known or famous author to review your book who would you pick and why?
Terry McMillan because I know she will be honest and
encouraging at the same time.
What, who, and
when were you first inspired you to write? When I look back
on my life growing up, I was always a writer, but I never knew it until high
school. When I was a little girl, my mother would buy activity books, and
composition books and all I would do was write stories. If I was grounded and
sent to my room, my escape was to write. Perhaps my mother didn’t realize she
was helping me to hone my craft. LOL!
Genre/Author/Reader:
What genre does
your book fall into? Fiction/Urban Fiction/African American
Literature. I enjoy writing stories about the African American family life. My
stories are always family-based, dramatic, suspenseful, funny, high-energy, but
will always have a positive message in threaded into it.
What is the first
book you remember reading, that affected how you thought or felt about
something? Judy Blume’s, Forever. That book pulled on my every
emotion in ways that I can still remember
today. It is a classic YA book that all youths today should read.
Which three
authors have inspired you the most, and why?
1) Terry
McMillan- she creates wild and crazy characters, but they speak the truth!
2) Margaret
Johnson-Hodge- because she uses simple descriptions and simple sentences that
paints a gigantic picture, and you “get it!”
3) Omar
Tyree- because he was the first to talk about urban life from a middle-class perspective.
His stories are never one-dimensional, but packed with realism. He’s also a
great entrepreneur.
Have you ever read
a book you couldn’t finish reading? Yes, but I shall
plead the fifth on listing names. LOL. Put it this way, stories with too many
details and not enough dialogue bore me to tears. I hate staying inside a
character’s head for too long, it makes me think they’re crazy or just mute.
LOL.
Do you read a
book, while you are writing a book? I have, but not
when I’m just starting out. I don’t like for my ideas to clash with someone
else’s. Usually I wait until I’m pretty much finished my book first, and then I
will read someone else’s.
The process:
How many books
have you written? Which book is your favourite and why? I have
many “unpublished” manuscripts that I hope to get out in the near future.
However, A River Moves Forward is my “firstborn” published book, so it’s my
favourite for now.
Is there anything
that helps get you in the mood to write? Talking with my
author friends about writing puts me in the mood. Also, when I receive messages
from readers telling me how they enjoyed my book, it inspires me to hurry up
and finish the sequel so I can put out my other stories afterwards.
What were three
challenges you faced when writing your book?
1) My
challenge was not to be so edgy that my fellow Christians would become
stumbled.
2) I also
found it hard not to think about whether the book would sell or receive good
reviews.
3) Publishing
is always a challenge when you’re an independent author, like me because if
you’re not careful, your book project can become expensive.
What lessons have
you learned as an aspiring writer? Patience! I’m
still learning that actually. That’s a broad answer I know, but it covers many
things with writing books and publishing them. You have to be patient with
telling your stories, and not rush them. You also have to be patient with
publishing your stories and make sure you’re putting a good product out there
as well.
Do you ever
experience writer’s block? If so what helps you to ‘overcome’? I do,
but I find that taking a brain-break usually helps me to get going again.
What is the most
important thing you’ve learned, either in the self-publishing or traditional
publisher, route? With self-publishing, I learned to select
the people I work with carefully, and make sure I chose people who will not
only do a good job, but not break the bank in the process.
How long does it
usually take for you to complete a book? I don’t write
full-time so it takes me a while. If I don’t take any breaks, I can finish a
book within a year. A River Moves Forward only took awhile because I had
stopped writing and nearly given up. When I came across it years later, I
decided to finish it. I just felt it was worth it, and I’m glad I finally did
it!
Do you have any
ideas for your book and Hollywood? Actors, directors, music. All
the time! My ultimate goal is to turn one of my novels into a screenplay. It
doesn’t matter who I work with as long as they know what they’re doing, and the
actors can act. The important thing would be to keep my vision and the theme of
my book.
Which book to
movie conversion is your favourite? The Notebook by
Nicholas Sparks.
How can people
connect with you?
Where can readers
find your book?
Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-river-moves-forward-selena-haskins/1114591561?ean=2940016227955
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