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Ms. Brown will be at Barnes and Noble Saturday at 2 p.m. to speak about "Aftermath" — a sequel to her lastbook, "Snapped" — in which four African Americans see their friendship tested by what is revealed in theriveting opening pages: Murder."The theme of each of my novels is the triumphant woman," said the petite Ms. Brown, flashing a smile."Adversities galore, but they come out triumphant."She said the role model for that strength was her mother, one of 19 children in a family from Alabama, whoraised three successful daughters in a tiny Mariners Harbor apartment — playing strict disciplinarian to Ms.Brown’s gentle father.Still, graduating high school and staking out on her own as a single teen parent, then becoming a mother totwo boys — Quaviel and Justin — only to see the relationship with their father fail, taught Ms. Brown to finda way outside her own, traditional two-parent upbringing.Hard work was always the subtext, said Ms. Brown, who despite the success of her writing career still does 9to 5 at an attorney’s office in Manhattan."I’ve had so many jobs," she said with a laugh, ticking off everything from stints as a day care worker, astock broker trainee, doing customer service for AT&T at the Teleport and in the E-ZPass office."I was a young single mother of three trying to keep my head above water," she said, describing a low pointin the journey when she didn’t have enough money to buy food for her family and pay for bus fare, so shewould walk from her Park Hill apartment to the ferry and then to her Wall Street job every day. "Now I seethat as a blessing. God gave me so much adversity so I would have the stories to tell."An avid journaler and poet, she said she was inspired by a woman who approached her after she shared herwork at a poetry slam. "She came up and said, you’re really good, you should write a book’" said Ms. Brown.And so she did, writing what would become "Black" — her semi autobiographical novel — at the age of 29,filling three marble notebooks during the ferry rides to and from work."I would crunch down and pull out a pad and paper. I’m a master of not seeing anybody on the ferry," shejoked. "You know how it is on Staten Island, you’re always seeing someone you know. I was able to hide."On a whim, she said she sent the first few chapters to some small publishers and they all bit."When the first check came I remember jumping up and down in our Jersey Street apartment with my kids;I felt like we had made it."Page 160 of 179