Lust Bites Magazine Diversity Issue Edition 2

Speaking of powerful books for diverse readers, tell us
about Letters to a Little Black Girl. How did this come
about?
daughters, sister, mothers, friends all came out and
said…. I will! I am STILL so blown away! The call was
answered and I got busy! My husband would tell you
I’m never not busy! LOL
OH! THIS is the most important book in my life right
now. More than my very first published story. I was
raised to have respect for yourself and your family. My
grandmother use to say, when you are cutting up in the
street people aren’t just looking at you. They are looking
at me and your mother too. So I am and have always
been conscious of my behavior. Now am I perfect? NO.
But the thought is there. Fast forward to 35 years later
and we have women going to awards shows NAKED…
BUCK STARK RAVING NAKED…… in the words of
Bernie Mac “BUCKED NAKED! I can see your Public
hairs” LOL.
They are “dancing” and practically well some of them
are actually having sex on the dance floor. We have
young girls PLANNING to get pregnant so they can
get on reality TV. We have girls that can’t read, let alone
know how to handle themselves on the job and be professional.
Or 15 and 16 year old girls are in ABUSIVE
relationships! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! Abusive?
NO! We have to do something, our society is going to
hell… FAST!
I had been thinking for years I want to right an advice
book about my experience as a single mother. I knew,
I’d made mistakes and corrected mistakes that other
females were and will be making. But I kept thinking
there is more, there is so much more! So I thought if I
could get a group of women to work with me. All of us
giving advice on various topics and put it all in a book
for young girls, their mothers, and grandmother. I mean
they may already know but haven’t thought to say the
words to their daughter or granddaughter, so this book
could start a crucial conversation in the lives of all three
generations. BUT I didn’t think people would want to
help, AND I was still so new to publishing I wanted to
wait a minute.
So I did, 2 years and then one day, my son was telling
me about this girl he was involved with and what a mess
she was, and I got a bug up my butt and I posted on FB
a request for the women that I am “friends” with on my
page to let me know if they would be willing to contribute
to the book. To be honest, I expected nothing.
But then these amazingly smart, talented, funny, wife,
7
What gave you the idea for LTALBG?
My mother was mentally and physically abusive to me.
For years I use to tell people I was never having kids! I
didn’t like kids. When I had them I realized that wasn’t
true. I was afraid of being like her, the type of mother
she was to me. Each time I have to discipline my children
or give them advice make a decisions pretty much
anything having to do with being there mom, I question
myself. A LOT! So much so it has kept me up at night. I
have often thought, how would someone other than me
with the mother I had, handle this? Is there a side to this
that I may be missing? I have prayed for someone to
bounce things off of or just something to read and help
me know I am making relatively good decisions. Books
have always been my thing so naturally when I thought
of helping that is what I thought of.
What authors did you get together for this project?
Not all of them are authors, some of them are just loving
women in the community but this is the list of women
that have contributed to the book. My hands down favorite
people in the world right now.
Amber Patton
Carla Knighton
Catrina Thomas-Jefferson
Danyell Williams
Ebony Simone McMillan
Leila Lacey
LeTeisha Newton
Linda I. Brown
LiSa Marie
Lydia Evette Ruff
Meka Harris
MidnightAce Scotty
Shawanna Coley
Shea Swain
Author Sherika Lewis
Shyla Colt
Stephanie Pittman
Tracye Osby
What was the message that you wanted to get across with