Featured Author - Archives
July-September 2003
A Chat With Author Kendra Norman-Bellamy
ACR: Who is Kendra Norman-Bellamy, and why is she writing? |
 KNB: That’s a good question and one that I don’t believe anyone can answer better than myself. I, Kendra Norman-Bellamy am a woman who loves life, family, and God. I’m a dreamer, and one who believes that with God’s help I can achieve anything that I set my mind to. I’m a wife, mother, and am blessed to receive great support from both my immediate and extended families. Writing has been in my blood for as long as I can remember. My father told me years ago that it was my calling. A poem that I wrote in the fifth grade was the first in a long list of poetic verses for me. Poetry became my way of expressing joy, pride, love and even sadness at different points in my life. Even now, I still write poems periodically, but generally it’s by request for special occasions. Novels – romance novels specifically – are now my passion. I love sharing the reality of love in the Christian community to readers across broader spectrum.
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ACR: Is any of your work based on real-life experiences? |
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KNB: Actually, the first novel-length script that I wrote was based on a true to life experience of mine. I wrote it after a very dear loved one passed away and it was a great form of therapy as I healed and regrouped. I think that every writer, whether admitted or not, uses some of his or her life’s experiences or characteristics in their work. A little bit of me can be found in at least one character of each of my manuscripts.
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ACR: Do you feel that the publishing world is as welcoming and supportive of first time African-American authors as it is of other authors? Was it difficult to get published? If so, tell us about the challenges you faced. |
KNB: The literary market is saturated with would be writers who are trying to become published through mainstream companies. When I submitted my manuscript to publishers, I was very encouraged that it was given serious consideration by one company in particular. That’s a rarity among first-time authors. I don’t necessarily think it’s an "African American author" issue. Having come in contact with several first time authors of different ethnic backgrounds, I’m convinced that the difficulty lies more so in experience, and not ‘race’. Publishers don’t want to take the chance on new, unknown writers. To get consideration as a first time author isn’t an easy task by far. After finding out that my manuscript didn’t survive the final cut, I knew that self-publishing would be the answer for me. I was confident that my work was good enough and took the steps to make it happen. |
ACR: Do you do anything to encourage aspiring African-American authors? What advice do you have for would-be authors?
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| KNB: Writing, for me is a gift. I never took special writing courses to prepare for this time in my life. But even if writing is a gift, I think it needs to be perfected and developed. There are many people out there who want to write, but everyone is not a writer. If a person truly feels that writing is their talent and their future, I encourage them not to give up on that dream. Make it reality in spite of the odds. I advise any author to be thorough in their writing. Read books on character development and sentence structure. Perhaps most importantly would be to find a capable editor! Nothing is worse for a reader than to pay good money for a novel only to find it full of misspelled words and grammatical errors! |
ACR: Who are your literary influences, and why? |
KNB: For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a great admiration for Maya Angelou. When I first started writing poetry, she was my inspiration. Her poems were genuine, heartfelt and sometimes soul-stirring. "Phenomenal Woman" and "Still I Rise" have always been my personal favorites from her. As far as novels are concerned, I have so many authors that I admire! Victoria Christopher Murray is a wonderful Christian romance author who I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with via email and telephone on several occasions. I’ve been honored to have my writing compared to hers by several readers. Victoria’s success keeps me encouraged. Stephanie Perry Moore who writes Christian-based romance for teenage girls is also one who I respect. My thirteen year old daughter loves her writing and it’s a blessing to have someone out there writing quality material about life for our youth. Best selling authors,, Donna Hill and Carmen Green are wonderful writers as well and they never cease to amaze me by remaining so approachable and offering advice to up and coming authors. As far as male authors are concerned, I can’t leave out Travis Hunter, who has become one of my favorite men of the written word. I like his sense of humor and his ability to stay grounded despite his success. Lastly, S. James Guitard has recently been added to my list of favorites. I’m reading his latest novel now and I love the way his writing flows. I like reading books that focus more on the positive than the negative while managing to remain realistic -- and these writers do that.
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ACR: Is there anything that has worked particularly well for you in promoting your book? What if anything, would you do differently the next time around? |
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KNB: I think the best thing that I made the choice to do with promoting my work is to hire a literary agent. When my novel was first released in August of last year, I suddenly found myself not knowing what to do to get the word out there. That’s when I partnered with "Booking Matters", a locally owned literary company who really helped me with setting up book signings and get me acquainted with book clubs and local book store owners. Through the monthly author/reader functions that they sponsor, I have met several authors and others in the industry who have been a help to me in my endeavors. The only major difference I want to happen with my next novel is for it to be published as a mainstream entity. However, if that does not happen, I am prepared to self-publish again because I know that writing is my future.
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| ACR: What is your definition of ‘Christian Fiction’….should there be guidelines and margins for conformity? |
| KNB: In Kendra Norman-Bellamy’s dictionary, Christian Fiction is defined as a group of words brought together to tell fictional stories, that express reality based situations that arise in the Christian community. Sometimes people see ‘Christians’ as something other than regular human beings. The truth is, we go through the same things on a daily basis that everyone else does. It’s the way we handle those situations that sets us apart from the rest of the world. In my opinion, there should be guidelines, otherwise where is the true difference? I think that a novel that is considered Christian, while it should not be preachy, should tell a story of a Christian walk while keeping the reader as captivated and interested as any other well-written novel would. |
ACR: Crafting a story. How does a novel begin for you….Do you involve yourself in a new story through characters you create, or through a story idea you already had in mind?
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| KNB: As I’ve so often said publicly, when I sit down to begin typing a manuscript, I already know three things: the beginning of my story, the ending of my story and my main characters’ names. The rest flows as I type. Writing novels isn’t a hard task for me. On average, it takes me about three to four months to complete a novel and if I didn’t have the responsibility of a full-time job, it would take much less. When I’m writing, I become my characters. I live where they live, eat what they eat and feel what they feel. I’m very focused when I write and if my train of thought is broken, it sometimes frustrates me. That’s why I generally close myself in a room separate from my husband and children when I write and thankfully, most times, they give me the time that I need. Writing is an adventure and if you want your readers to really get into the story, you have to be there with the players, and be detailed enough so that you can successfully express how they look, act and feel throughout the novel. |
ACR: What do you want to accomplish as a writer, and what would your greatest challenges be trying to attain that sense of accomplishment?
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| KNB: In a word – success. I want to be a successful writer who caters to a wide variety of readers. I want readers to see my work and define it as being different and unique, yet intriguing and stimulating. My greatest challenge to this point has been finding a mainstream publisher, but I know that it’s a goal that is attainable and I look to achieve it in the very near future.
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ACR: Let’s talk about For Love And Grace. How did the concept and evolution of this book come about?
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 KNB: For Love And Grace is a project that I am very proud of, yet humbled by. The reception and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I have always been a lover of romance novels, but in my search I discovered very few that really were about true romance. Most of the books were full of lust, sex and deceit – but very little love and romance. I found that many of the books that highlighted African American characters told tales of unfaithful, abusive, sometimes drug addicted men who mistreated their women and children. While I’m not blind to the fact that those men exist, I think that story has been told time and time again.
I wanted to highlight the positives in our community. I knew when I sat down to write For Love And Grace that my main characters would be brothers who were educated, responsible, loving husbands and fathers who loved God and treated their women like queens. They’re not by far perfect, and they make mistakes, but in the end, they handle their business like real men. I’ve had people to tell me that it was unrealistic and that our (black) men didn’t love like that. I beg to differ(!)
All my life, I’ve been surrounded by men who loved like, so those type of men do exist. I wanted my male characters to be responsible, yet passionate. I wanted my women to be respectable, yet sexy. My readers could read about the weakness that the men brought to their women’s knees, or the sweat that the women brought to their men’s brow without reading sexual details of what may or may not have followed. I think that like a good love song, and romance leaves a lot to the imagination. In my encounters, most novels labeled romance are far too graphic. My book, For Love And Grace answers the question that was once posed to me. "Do Christians have romance?" My website, knb-publications.com carries the theme: ‘True love only comes from Christ’ because the Bible tells us (I John 4:8) that ‘He that loveth not, knoweth not; God for GOD IS LOVE’. If anyone knows about love and romance, it should be Christians.
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ACR: On/Offline book and reading clubs are all the rage, and can be arguably responsible for the success of some authors moving and selling their books. What are your opinions concerning this aspect of the industry?
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| KNB: I recently joined a book club locally in Atlanta. I’ve found it to be a wonderful tool in getting to know exactly what readers are looking for in a novel. When people purchase a book, they are sorely disappointed when the author doesn’t meet their literary expectations, and I have heard them let writers know how they feel. My novel has been chosen thus far by three separate book clubs as their book-of-the-month, and I make myself available to be at the book club meeting when they discuss the novel so that they can ask questions if they have any. Thus far, all of my readers have voiced satisfaction and that’s important when you need the word of your work to be spread. Therefore, I know that getting your material in the face of avid readers such as book club members is a great marketing tool. Word of mouth is very important…especially for a self-published author because we don’t have the backing of a big publishing company to help us with the promotion and sales of our novels. |
| ACR: Who is Shunda Blocker and what has she meant to you in this whole experience? |
| KNB: Shunda and I go back a long way. We both have roots in Valdosta, Georgia and met for the first time when we were about nineteen and twenty years of age respectfully. After being acquainted for a year or so, we went our separate ways and eventually moved away from the Valdosta area. Ironically, years later, we both ended up living in Atlanta and about a year ago, we got reacquainted. My book hit the streets about the same time that she launched "Booking Matters". It was all in divine order that we would meet again at the perfect time and have the same interests in the literary arena. I was one of her company’s first clients and they have been a great help to me getting the word of my novel to the public. We not only have a strong business relationship, but Shunda and I have become great friends and she’s a wonderful source of encouragement to me on those days when I need it the most. |
| ACR: Let me throw a few topics at you. I want you to comment responsively and say the first thing that comes to mind! |
KNB:
Self Publishing: A God-send. Without it many successful authors would not have made it. Once publishers see that your work sells, they’ll offer you a contract. Self-publishing give you the opportunity to prove yourself worthy.
Your ideal book tour: A dream come true. I’d love to do a tour with several other authors, particularly Christian fiction authors. I think the gathering of like minds would be a wonderful source of support as I toured to spread the news of my latest work.
Learning the business: Challenging. The information is out there, but you have to look for it and have a zeal and determination to make it happen. Books by new authors don’t sell themselves. It takes sacrifice and a lot of work.
Your interpretation of Love and Grace (the respective words, not the book), individually or collectively: Love is the embodiment of devotion and adoration. Grace personifies beauty, elegance and style. Together, they define true friendship, purity, ‘goodliness’ and Godliness. They define For Love And Grace. |
ACR: What’s in store for you next…have you started on your next great masterpiece?
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| KNB: Recently, my husband and I were blessed to incorporate KNB Publications, which started out as just a name for my website. Now, it is an official publishing company. I’ve completed two manuscripts since For Love And Grace. The sequel is called Because of Grace and it is set for release before the end of the year, and will be the first novel published under the KNB umbrella. This novel will pick up on the lives of the original characters three years later. Another manuscript titled A Love So Strong is now in the hands of a mainstream publishing company. The manuscript coordinator at that company has called me to express interest in publishing the novel and it is now in the hands of the Editorial Review Board. I’m hopeful that things will work out on that end. However, if I have to self-publish that one through KNB Publications, I will. I’m very excited about my literary future because I know that I am finally walking in my life’s calling. |
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