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"The
Interview with Dr. Maxine Thompson"
THE ROCK: Who is Dr. Maxine Thompson,
tell us something about you?
Dr. Thompson: I am a novelist, a columnist
for Booking Matters Magazine, a new literary agent, an Internet radio
show host/owner, a speaker, and a seminar conductor. I am the author
of Second Chances, a novella, in the upcoming anthology, Secret Lovers,
issued by Urban Books. (6-6-06).
I am also the author of novels, The Ebony Tree, No Pockets in a Shroud,
A Place Called Home (Short Story Collection), (Ebooks) The Hush Hush
Secrets of Writing Fiction That Sells, The Hush Hush Secrets of Creating
a Life You Love, How to Write, Market, and Sell Your Ebook, and novella,
Summer of Salvation due out in August 2006.)
THE
ROCK: Where are you from, and currently residing?
Dr. Thompson: I grew up in Detroit, but
moved to Los Angeles area in 1981, where I reside to date. There are
many new voices coming out of the Los Angeles area which are part of
the new Black Literary Renaissance. This is an exciting time to be an
African American writer.
THE
ROCK: Are there any other writers in the family?
Dr. Thompson: My late mother and father
were both spoken word artists before it was called that. My father was
a great raconteur; my mother was a natural poet. I grew up hearing the
lyricism of words before I learned to read.
My
younger sister, Sonya Vann, is a journalist and my older sister,
Nancy Vann, is a budding new writer.
THE
ROCK: When did you start writing?
Dr. Thompson: I began writing stories when
I was eight years old. I almost was published at the age of sixteen
when I was the first Black student to integrate an all-white high school
in Traverse City, Michigan. Although I wrote poetry after my youngest
son's birth, I really didn't pick back up narrative writing until my
youngest was six years old, twenty-years after I was almost published.
Between age 16 and then, I had garned a wealth of experience, which
developed me as a writer and a human being. All the disappointments,
the failures, the triumphs, they all show up in my writing now.
THE
ROCK: What prepared you to become an author?
Dr. Thompson: My life experiences as a
former social worker really helped me to become versatile as a writer.
Twenty-three years of working with people from different socio-economic
classes have helped to broaden my scope as a human being. Unknowingly,
it prepared me to be a literary entrepreneur.
Over
those years, I learned how to juggle caseloads as high as 80 children.
Now I juggle between several small businesses. Between down time, I
work on different days of the week on different projects. I try to balance
my work with prayer, meditation, my religious organization and family.
THE
ROCK: What inspired you to become a writer?
Dr. Thompson: When I was about four years
old, my mother took me, her sixth child, by the hand to the local public
library, and although I didn't know it at the time, she ignited my passion.
(When I speak to parents, I tell them how important the public library
is-- regardless of their financial situation.) I remember we had to
catch a bus or a trolley car.
Anyhow,
I fell in love with the printed word and the stories that she read to
me. I remember learning to read shortly thereafter. Reading introduced
me to new worlds where I could be anything or anybody.
Now,
when I speak to young people, I encourage them to read. I believe literacy
is very important to developing tomorrow's leaders.
THE
ROCK: What inspired you to write your book?
Dr. Thompson: My first book, The Ebony
Tree, was inspired by my mother's life. I wrote it a year after her
death in 1993. I wanted my mother's life to be written down as the legacy
of love she left behind to her children. Often, many readers have told
me they saw so much more in her story of struggle and sacrifice.
THE
ROCK: Tell us about your newest creation. What is the
premise?
Dr. Thompson: My most recent published
work, Second Chances, poses the question; Are you really with the one
you love? It is a story about business owner, Caprianna, who is a victim
of employee violence. It is a tale of forgiveness and renewal. This
anthology is due out through Urban Books/Kensington in about three weeks.
THE
ROCK: Any publishing contracts in the working?
Dr. Thompson: As an agent, I have obtained
15 book deals for other writers in the past year. Michelle McGriff,
the most prolific writer I've seen in a long time, now has seven book
deals. She will also be in the anthology, Secret Lovers.
I
have a novella called Summer of Salvation being published as part of
an anthology called All In The Family through Dreams Publishing Company
in August 2006. I have another novella, Katrina Blues, to be coming
out in an anthology, Never Knew Love Like This, through Urban Books/Kensington.
THE
ROCK: Have you ever self-published? Why or why not?
Dr. Thompson: I have self-published all
my books except for the anthologies. I love owning the rights to my
intellectual properties.
THE
ROCK: What are "traditional publishers" looking
for?
Dr. Thompson: Christian fiction is a new
line Urban Books will be starting. They also have a new women's fiction
line called Urban Soul. Horror, paranormal romances, and science fiction
or fantasy are new areas for African American writers.
THE
ROCK: If you were a publisher, what would be your niche?
Why?
Dr. Thompson: My interest is in women's
fiction. I would publish more love stories about African Americans.
I like stories of redemption. I feel as women we have to catch up as
far as telling all the stories we didn't get written down from Biblical
times up until now.
THE
ROCK: For an author, is having a publishing contract with
a "traditional publisher" important professionally? Why?
Dr. Thompson: I don't think having a publishing
contract with a traditional publisher is as important as it used to
be. With the Internet, Internet radio, self-publishing and Ipod, the
playing field has been leveled. I think the trend for self-publishing
is here to stay. Marketing is key.
We now take our books straight to our readers and let them be the judge.
I have paid for my Internet Radio Shows for four years because I believe
self-publishing is a form of economic empowerment and I believe you
should invest in what you believe in.
THE
ROCK: What are some of your professional and personal
achievements?
Dr. Thompson: On April 9, 2005, I received
an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Humanities conferred by Loyola Marymount
University, Westchester, California, through The R.O.S.E. Ministries-Worldwide.
This was for the past six years of work I did with other writers, e-book
publishing, book doctoring, ghostwriting, story editing, literary coaching,
column writing, information marketing, and Internet radio show hosting.
I
earned my Bachelor's Degree with honors from Wayne State University,
Detroit, Michigan, in 1973 as an English major. I have four adult children
who are all good human beings and who are successful. I have been married
nearly thirty-five years to a former police officer.
I
am the proud grandmother of ten grandchildren, with two new babies on
the way.
THE
ROCK: Who are some of your favorite authors?
Dr. Thompson: Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood,
Zadie Smith, Alice Walker, James Baldwin, Gloria Naylor, and many others.
THE
ROCK: Where do you want to be in 5 years?
Dr. Thompson: I want to have written more
of my own books. I would like to become an international speaker. I
would like to grow my Internet Radio Show presence possibly to a visual
medium on-line. I would like to empower more people to write their own
stories down and to keep and protect their intellectual rights for perpetuity.
THE
ROCK: Where can readers find you?
Dr. Thompson: Thank you for this thought-provoking
interview. I can be reached at www.maxinethompson.com
or www.maxineshow.com.
Email me at maxtho@sbcglobal.net.
THE
ROCK: Thank you very much, Dr. Maxine Thompson.
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