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For Staten Island author Tracy Brown, struggle as single-moman inspiration for successful literary careerPublished: Wednesday, March 02, 2011, 3:07 PMBy Deborah E. YoungSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When TracyBrown was a 15-year-old student at McKeeHigh School, her plans for college and atidy future unraveled as her belly began tobloom under her baby face."I had a teacher who told me I wasdoomed to be on welfare for the rest ofthe life," recalled Ms. Brown, now 37,during a recent interview in the sunsplashedoffice of her New Brighton home.But even then, the spunky, book-lovingteenager from the Mariners Harbor Housesknew how to draw on her inner steel andstare down the odds.Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-HammelTracy Brown smiles at her son Quaviel Carruthers in the family's NewBrighton home."That’s what makes this accomplishment more special; because it’s not over until you think it is," she saidabout her recently released seventh novel, "Aftermath: A Snapped Novel" (St. Martin’s Press; $14.99).Indeed, Ms. Brown’s determination to keep her baby — Ashley is now a 21-year-old student at the College ofStaten Island — launched her on the path as a hard-working single mother, putting in full days on the job tosupport the family she was raising in the borough’s gritty, urban corridors.And her life experience became the stuff of her fiction: True-spoken, fast-moving Essence Magazine bestsellersabout tough choices made by strong women, all set against the backdrop of Staten Island.Interview with Staten Island author Tracy BrownStaten Island author Tracy Brown just released a new book 'Aftermath:A Snapped Novel.' She'll be signing copies on March 5 at Barnes &Nobles in New Springville at 2 p.m.Page 159 of 179