VBT# This Side of Crazy- Kimmie Thomas -PART ONE/ THREE

                                                 

As part of Pump Up Your Book Promotions, I am proud to present Part One of Three VBT# of Urban Street Lit Authoress Kimmie Thomas.

                                                                   What's Happening :

1. December 7th - Interview with Kimmie Thomas
2. December 9th- Guest Post with Kimmie Thomas
3. January 18th - Review of "This Side of Crazy" by Kimmie Thomas

Bio of The Author:

Kimmie Thomas is a native Detroiter. She is a writer, teacher, mother, and wife. Her first love has always been reading and writing. She has been motivated by writer such as Donald Goines, Maya Angelou, Zane and E. Lynn Harris. Kimmie has worked as a psychiatric nurse for more than 10 years. She uses her vast knowledge of mental health to make her characters real for her readers.

For More Information on Kimmie Thomas visit http://www.kimmiethomas.com/?page_id=2

Interview With the Author:

1) Tell us about your book This Side of Crazy?

It is a story of a woman with low self esteem named Maxine Payne. She marries an abusive man who only married her so that he would have a mother and a baby sitter for his children. She finally finds enough strength to leave him and take control of her life again. She falls in love with another man, but discovers that just because a new door opens, the old doors don't always close. She finds out that her husband and her childhood friends harbor secrets that will change her life forever. She has to decide whether to move forward with her new life or go back to her old one.

2) In the blurb you talk about the old saying “what’s done in the dark will eventually comes to light" how does this play a part in the book?

The main character Maxine, finds outs that her husband has been running around on her with another woman and the perfect lives of her girlfriends aren't as perfect as she once thought. Once she finds out what's going on she has to decide what to do with the information. What Maxine discovers can destroy her girlfriend's happy homes. She has to decide if she is going to to tell her friends what she knows or continue to hide her head in the sand.

3) What gives you the innovation to write a particular genre?

I like the urban genre because it is always simpler to write about what you know. Living in Detroit and experiencing the good and the bad of urban life made writing about it easy. I have also worked as a mental health nurse for many years and I have had the chance to see what life stressors can do to others. Combining both streams of knowledge came in handy.

4) Has your characters or writing been inspired by friends/ family?

Small elements of each of my characters both male and female are inspired by friends and family. For example, one of my closest friends mother had Alzheimer's. She cared for mother at home until her death. We talked often about the experience and I used it to add another dimension to my main character Maxine.

5) Did you experience writers block? If so, what did you do to get rid of it?

I think I have been lucky so far. I write each day and so far I have not had writers block.

6) What are you working on now?

I am currently editing a story in progress that I developed online for my blog, called Nursing Dr. Miller. It will be completed in March and available for purchase. It is the first installment in a series of books called the Kingdom Hospital Series. It is a story about the sexual and romantic exploits of the staff at Kingdom Hospital.

7) What is your favourite scene in your book?

When Maxine goes to her estranged fathers house to confront him just before she goes away to college. He has been absent from her life and Maxine wants to know why.

8) Had you previously written anything?

This is my first published work, but it won't be my last.

9) Were there any scenes that were cut in the editing process you wish had made it into the book?

There were several scenes that were deleted or removed, but I am pleased they were removed. Those scenes were either removed or will be used later in the next segment of the book "The Other Side of Crazy."

10) Can you give us one fun fact we might not know about This side of Crazy ? Something about the story itself or the writing process?

Yes, the title of the book came from a conversation that I had with my girlfriend in South Carolina. She was describing a situation that she knew about between a man and a woman that was abusive, yet the woman choice to say in the relationship. When she was done describing the relationship she said, "That is just this side of crazy don't you think?" That's how I choice the title for the book.

11) How did you get into writing? Did you always want to become a writer?

I wrote for the school newspaper in high school and I have always maintained a journal. I have always loved to write and read.

12) If you were stranded on a desert island, what are three material things you couldn't be without?

A box of books, a pencil and a case of paper.

13) What are you reading now?

I just finished reading the Cartel Series. My sister bought all three of them for my birthday.

14) Which author has inspired you most and why?

Hands down, I would have to say Donald Goines. I first read his book Whoreson when I was fifteen. I found it in a box of my mother's old books. After the first two pages I realized I couldn't let her know I was reading them, so I only read them when I wouldn't get caught.I have always been drawn to graphic content.

15) What advice would you give aspiring authors?

Just write. Write something everyday. Don't edit your work yourself and then learn to take criticism.

16) As a Quotes Person I always like to ask To finish off, do you have a quote or poem that has stuck with you over the years and what is the story behind it?

"80 percent of success is just showing up" — Woody Allen

This is what I tell my students at every orientation. Nothing happens unless you make it happen. You have to show up.