July 18, 2012

Fun with Deatri King-Bey

I’m sure all of you have heard of Deatri King-Bey, and if you don’t know who she is, you should. Deatri is the hardest-working woman in the literary world. In addition to writing a steady stream of novels of romance and women’s fiction in variety of sub-genres (her title Whisper Something Sweet won the Emma Award for Best Steamy Romance of the Year in 2008), Deatri has also dabbled in suspense under the pseudonym L.L. Reaper. Deatri, who has a background in editing, writes nonfiction as well, having penned Be A Successful Author, and she operates the website of the same name, both of which are must-reads for any aspiring writer. If that isn’t enough, Deatri has chaired the Romance Slam Jam for the last four years (and that ain’t no small job, folks). This civic-minded writer organized Authors for Trayvon earlier in 2012 and helped raise over $2000 to assist the family of murdered Florida teen Trayvon Martin. Deatri also runs the Black Romance & Women’s Fiction Book Club group on Facebook and coordinates monthly book club discussions.
 
 
I don’t know about you, but I get the feeling that Deatri’s next nonfiction title should be a guide to organizing one’s time to the fullest…because she certainly does just that!
 
 
Having embraced indie publishing, Deatri’s latest novel, Tease, concludes her popular Write Brothers series. This book debuted on the Amazon Top 100 bestselling lists in the categories of both multicultural romance and African-American fiction. In addition, Deatri also issued a multi-eBook bundle of the entire Write Brothers series to allow new readers to get the entire set for one low price! 
That said, heeeeeere’s Deatri!
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When Bettye said she’d like to interview a character or two from the Write Brothers Series, I thought what a great idea and how much fun this would be. Then I took my puppy for a walk and something happened. People think I’m joking when I say I write to release the voices in my head so they don’t drive me crazy, but I’m not completely joking.  
You see, when characters are created from my imagination, they take on a life of their own, and I let them. So there I was, walking Scooby-Doo when Gloria and Uncle Joe, the two characters from the series who were to be interviewed, popped into my mind to tell me what they wanted to talk about. Okay, I’m not crazy—not completely crazy. Trust me when I say it’s a good thing when the characters an author creates seem real. If they don’t seem real to the author, they won’t seem real to the reader. Anywhoooo, for those of you who have read any titles from the series, you know these two are loveable, but a hot mess. There is literally no telling what they will say. So instead of the traditional interview of Q&A, I thought I’d tell you the gist of what the series is about, then allow Gloria and Uncle Joe to describe the Write Brothers.  
Before we get started, the final book of the series, Tease, was just released. Also released was the eBox set of the entire Write Brothers Series called Sons 4 Sale. After the first title (Tell Her How You Feel) was released, I allowed the readers to decide whose story would come next. I did this for each book, and we had a ball debating and deciding who to fix up next.  
So what’s Sons 4 Sale about? Gloria has four sons who are great men and deserve a happily ever after, but her sons have issues they needs to work through before they can accept love. Gloria sets out to ensure each son finds his soul mate, but at times she needs to call in the troops for assistance, the troops being her granddaughter (Marybeth) and Uncle Joe. These three are a hoot! 
Enough from me for now. I’m about to step back and allow Gloria (the Write brothers’ mother) and Uncle Joe (the Write brothers’ Great Uncle) to tell you a little about each brother.
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We were all in my living room. Uncle Joe said he was too old to be sittin’ on them low couches, so I got him a ladder-back chair from the kitchen. Gloria, just as beautiful as ever, was across from me on the sofa… 
“I’m Uncle Joe, the patriarch of the Write family. To make a long story short, Gloria married a knucklehead and had four boys by him.”  
“Tex isn’t a knucklehead,” Gloria defended.  
“He abandoned you and them boys. I could have called him a lot worse.” 
“We’re not here to discuss Tex.”  
“Well, he’s the cause of their problems. He done made them boys emotional cripples is what he done.”  
Gloria sighed. “Why are you always so melodramatic?”   
Arms folded over his chest, Uncle Joe said, “You refused to give your sons their father’s name because you were mad at him, but I’m melodramatic.” 
“The boys have grown up to be fine men. Houston is the youngest District Attorney on record, Dallas is a master chef, Austin is CEO of a billion-dollar corporation and Tyler…well, he’s a fine young man.” 
“I aint heard nothin’ ‘bout no women in there. Unless the laws have changed in the great state of Texas, there needs to be some women in the mix for them to get married.”
Eyes narrowed on her uncle, Gloria said, “Don’t listen to Uncle Joe. Austin’s marriage ended when his wife cheated on him. We all feared the baby she carried was this other man’s child. That type of betrayal is hard to overcome. Houston’s wife died, and he’s grieving. I know both are hurting, but it’s time for them to continue with their lives. Dallas has been married twice and engaged numerous times—” 
“What’s that boy’s problem?” Uncle Joe cut in. “Come to think of it, that boy is the perfect candidate for an arranged marriage, and I know to who.” 
“Uncle Joe.”
“Don’t 'Uncle Joe' me. Then there’s Tyler. That boy loves the ladies but won’t allow anyone close to his heart.” He pointed at Gloria. “I’m telling you. This is all Tex’s fault.” 
“I’ll admit, Tex leaving us has had a tremendous impact on us, but we survived. My boys have grown into fine young men but need their happily ever after.” 
“Now, that’s somethin’ we can agree on. It’s time for them boys to get married.”
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Dee here:  I’m back, more terrifying than before. I hope you enjoyed the little cameo from Uncle Joe and Gloria. Below is the title information about Tease, the final book of the Write Brothers series. Tyler, the ultimate ladies’ man, has finally met his match. I’ve also released the eBox set, which includes the entire series.
Tease:  After Eva caught her fiancé in bed with her cousin, she swore she'd never be played for the fool again. Now the ultimate bed-hopper—Tyler Write, has set his sights on her and she’s having difficulty resisting him. 
Tyler can have any woman except the one he truly wants—Eva Simpson. Smooth lines and sweet talk won't work with her. To have a chance at Eva’s heart, he’ll have to show her who he really is. 
Purchase this eBook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble. The print version will be released in a few weeks. 
Sons 4 Sale (Write Brothers Series eBox Set): If Gloria Write hears “There are no good Black men…” one more time, she’ll scream. She has four sons who fit the bill and not one is married.  Desperate times call for desperate action. During the course of four novels, Gloria sets out to ensure her sons marry. The eBox set includes all four Write Brother novels.
Purchase the eBox set for $7.99 or each novel for $2.99 from Amazon or Barnes & Noble
To learn more about my titles, visit me online at http://DeatriKingBey.com
Bettye, thank you for allowing me, Uncle Joe and Gloria to tell everyone about the Write brothers. This was fun!
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That it was, Deatri!  Thanks for stopping by, and for all you do.  I wish you continued success...and be sure to get plenty of rest!

2 comments:

Angelia Vernon Menchan said...

Very nice.

Deatri said...

Thanks Angelia!