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Fernando
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Posted: Wednesday May 5th, 2004 12:33 |
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BACK COVER BLURB:
Set in contemporary London over a 15-year period, Who Is My Brother's Keeper?, is a big, sweeping novel that traces the lives of five young black men - Leslie, Anthony, Jayden and brothers Red and Quincy - who meet up by chance.
Not content with the status quo of their lives, they decide to go into business together. But while the music shop, Brotherhood Music, is a success, on the personal front, the men discover that they have mant demons to confront and conquer, both individually and as a group, that could shake the foundations of their very lives.
I'm accepting any questions regarding the book, which is coming soon.
Last edited on Tuesday May 11th, 2004 10:48 by
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facetygal
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Posted: Wednesday May 5th, 2004 20:26 |
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| where can i get a copy?
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Fernando
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Posted: Thursday May 6th, 2004 14:08 |
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| it will be available in june and will be available via WHSmith, Waterstones, Borders, Amazon.co.uk. , barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com, authorsonline.co.uk, etc.
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facetygal
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Posted: Thursday May 6th, 2004 16:10 |
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| you gonna do a book signing?
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Fernando
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Posted: Thursday May 6th, 2004 16:18 |
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if i can get somewhere, that will agree to sell it and for free!1 shoot, i might just arrange a blacknet village day and then i'll sign them there!
hey thats a good idea!
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facetygal
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Posted: Thursday May 6th, 2004 19:14 |
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Well if u say it's gonna be available in places like whsmith & waterstones then u can do a book signing in there. There are loads of branches, so the larger the area u cover the better it will be for u.
Another thing u can think about for promotion purposes,(if u haven't thought about it already), is going to schools or writing workshops, give a talk there, then afterwards give everyone a token/voucher that they can take to the bookshops that have ur book. The token/voucher could be to buy ur book and they get another book free, or buy ur book at a reduced price for a limited time, or if they buy ur book they get money off something on their next visit. If u do something like that, u are helping urself but also helping the bookshops that stock ur books, u build up a good rapport with them, and use them again for the next book u bring out.
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soulsista
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Posted: Thursday May 6th, 2004 22:57 |
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books4us is a new outlet and is looking for new up and coming Authors, we will be holding a bookparty in july that will give new authors a forum to promote and sign copies of there new releases.
i have had much intrest from various authors, i mainly sell fiction, history, education,ect all by black authors.
from the usa but would also like to stock some homegrown talent work.
So if you or anyone is intrested in participating or attending then feel free to "holla"
Peace& blessings
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Happiness
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Posted: Friday May 7th, 2004 00:14 |
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Fernando wrote: Deep in the heart of east london, five men come together in an effort to change their lives. Can it be done, without violence, drama, rejection and a sunshine day?!
Only time will tell!
I wrote a book which i'm publishing, marketing, paying for myself and i'm accepting any questions on the book
Nando - here are my questions:
1) why 5 guys? why not 3...or even 2??
2) why are they changing their lives??
3) is this a gay love story (cos me i no wan read dat type of nonsense o!)
4) are there any female protagonists in ya tori??
5) how many pages in your book?
6) how much is it??
7) why do u think we ahould buy your book??
8) who do u liken your writing style to??
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Fernando
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Posted: Friday May 7th, 2004 09:57 |
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soulsista wrote: books4us is a new outlet and is looking for new up and coming Authors, we will be holding a bookparty in july that will give new authors a forum to promote and sign copies of there new releases.
i have had much intrest from various authors, i mainly sell fiction, history, education,ect all by black authors.
from the usa but would also like to stock some homegrown talent work.
So if you or anyone is intrested in participating or attending then feel free to "holla"
Peace& blessings
 would i?! i think so! i've been trying to find a place to do a signing but because i'm independent, i've hardly received any love from the major bookshops. but i'll pm you.
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Fernando
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Posted: Friday May 7th, 2004 10:14 |
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Happiness wrote: Fernando wrote: Deep in the heart of east london, five men come together in an effort to change their lives. Can it be done, without violence, drama, rejection and a sunshine day?!
Only time will tell!
I wrote a book which i'm publishing, marketing, paying for myself and i'm accepting any questions on the book
Nando - here are my questions:
1) why 5 guys? why not 3...or even 2??
because i felt that five guys would be enough to describe five different types of black men. i know FOR a fact that not all black men are the same so my five main characters, Leslie, Jayden, Anthony and brothers Red and Quincy are totally different to each other, which gave me more to write about. i could've done more but then the story would get confusing.
2) why are they changing their lives??
if your not content with your life, you do something to change its flow. and each man, for one reason or another, is unhappy with the staleness of their lives so they attmept to make a change TOGETHER, which, for me, is a beautiful thing, black men coming together and working towards a greater goal. like a ghetto man march, lol
3) is this a gay love story (cos me i no wan read dat type of nonsense o!)
believe me, even in my black short erotic stories that i wrote, i never wrote a gay story (not that there's anything wrong with gay stories) but its soooooo not fernando.
4) are there any female protagonists in ya tori??
there are plenty of women in my story, you've got Elaine, Natasha, Mary, Sasha, Melanie-Jo. there are more than enough women spread throughout this here tale. but this is the first book of five so there are four others to come, and i've already written the second one and i'm gonna start work on the third one when this first one is out and doing things.
not all my books are about men, in fact, this is the only book i'm doing with men as the main focus. the next book is a..........ahhhh, not yet! you gotta wait for that! If you like Who Is My Brother's Keeper then you can get the following ones.
5) how many pages in your book?
as far as i know (or what the publishers told me) it is standing at a mammoth 310 pages which is 130,472 words.
6) how much is it??
9.99 or $14.99 (for over 300 pages, that is a definite bargain)
7) why do u think we ahould buy your book??
because i'm writing it for you! not happiness directly but i'm writing it for people who live everyday with struggle pushing at their backs. people who wake up every day and think "i dont want to go to work today!", people who think "i wish my life was different but i cant be bothered to change because i'm comfortable" i want people to read it and be able to relate to it, thats the hook! i wrote it with my community in mind.
8) who do u liken your writing style to??
test-readers have told me Eric Jerome Dickey, who is a massive inspiration to me and i find that very embarrasing for me (i'm shy) because he is a big name in the author game.
but my style is my style, i cant really compare it to anyone because i have not read anyone who writes like i do. not saying that i'm the hottest thing since sliced bread and missy on a diet but i can spin a yarn.
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Happiness
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Posted: Friday May 7th, 2004 12:53 |
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Fernando,
(now it's my turn to be serious),
thank you for the explantions. If your writing is as generous as your spirit, then I think you will be a wonderful success.
Congratulations and best of luck to you.
Happiness
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Fernando
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Posted: Friday May 7th, 2004 13:23 |
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 oh stop it, you'll make me blush! lol
i dont take compliments well so, i'll just say thank you and run and hide somewhere!
Thanks Happiness.
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Sage
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Posted: Friday May 7th, 2004 17:11 |
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@ Fernando
Bro, from one writer to another...Did you take any parts of your own life and incorporate them into the story? Or did you create the experiences of these 5 men from scratch?
Would you like your book to someday be turned into a movie as we have seen with others... for instance, Waiting to Exhale starring Angela Bassett & Whitney Houston and Wesley Snipes, and The Wedding which starred Halle Berry and Lynn Whitfield? And if this is a dream of yours whom would you like to see play the lead characters?
Congratulations Fernando! 
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soulsista
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Posted: Friday May 7th, 2004 21:42 |
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ok i look forward to hearing from you.
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Fernando
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Posted: Monday May 10th, 2004 10:29 |
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Ashanti wrote: @ Fernando
Bro, from one writer to another...Did you take any parts of your own life and incorporate them into the story? Or did you create the experiences of these 5 men from scratch?
Would you like your book to someday be turned into a movie as we have seen with others... for instance, Waiting to Exhale starring Angela Bassett & Whitney Houston and Wesley Snipes, and The Wedding which starred Halle Berry and Lynn Whitfield? And if this is a dream of yours whom would you like to see play the lead characters?
Congratulations Fernando!
well i had to take pieces of my life and include them every here and there, thats just to give it a degree of reality. in fact, the book is so fun BECAUSE its so real. each of the main characters are mirrored on people i know and they are all different people, so, when we all interact together, its a fun time because we all go through different things that spwan soooo many different conversations and such. and i thought it would be a good idea for a novel as well so i just said, why not? and its come out very well.
if i had the chance to make it into a film and i could famous people for the parts, i would have laurence fishburn (in his Deep COver days) as Red, Omar Epps as Quincy, Mekhi Phifer as Anthony, Chris Tucker as Jayden and Damon Wayans as Leslie.
thanks for the love ashanti and i'll make sure you know when its available on yourside of the ocean.
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Posted: Monday May 10th, 2004 16:14 |
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Oh my gosh nando - i am soo gonna buy your book. it sounds wicked!
Let me know when its in the stores
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Posted: Tuesday May 11th, 2004 10:36 |
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Miss Brighter Days wrote: Oh my gosh nando - i am soo gonna buy your book. it sounds wicked!
Let me know when its in the stores
girl, thank you for the love. i'll makle sure that i put a thread in EVERY forum in the Village, if they allow it!
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Posted: Tuesday May 11th, 2004 15:32 |
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@ Fernando....
You are welcome Bro and please do let me know when it's available here.
Laurence Fishburne, Omar Epps, Mekhi Phifer, Chris Tucker and Damon Wayons...talk about one hell of a cast! ...I'd pay to see those guys in a movie together. I hope I don't pass out while watching due to so many hunks in one film, LOL!
All the best to you Fernando and thanks for answering my questions.
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Posted: Tuesday May 11th, 2004 15:36 |
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Ashanti wrote:
@ Fernando....
You are welcome Bro and please do let me know when it's available here.
Laurence Fishburne, Omar Epps, Mekhi Phifer, Chris Tucker and Damon Wayons...talk about one hell of a cast!...I'd pay to see those guys in a movie together. I hope I don't pass out while watching due to so many hunks in one film, LOL!
All the best to you Fernando and thanks for answering my questions.
i wouldnt mind seeing these guys together actually! thanks for the love Ashanti, i'll make sure you are able to buy it over in your neck of da woods. That cast would actually be good to watch!
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Posted: Tuesday May 11th, 2004 15:52 |
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Fernando,
I got another question or two...how long did it take you to complete the novel? and did you ever have a case of writer's block? and if so, how were you able to overcome it?
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Posted: Tuesday May 11th, 2004 16:00 |
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The novel took me, in total, 6 months from start to finish. But I wrote it in a strange way: i wrote Episode 2 first and then wrote Epidose 1 and then Episode 3, so I kind of wrote it like the star wars story. I didnt mean to but it happened that way.
With writers block, the best medicine is music. Well it was for me. I used to just sit at the computer with my fingers ready to write, hovering above the keys and then i would just stare at the screen. So i would turn off my writing music and put somethign that would get my brain moving, which was usally some Talib Kweli, Ghostface, Outkast or Camp Lo.
But then, when i would step away from the computer and turn it off, by the time i had left the computer alone, i would have an idea that would work and i would turn it back on. Sometimes the blocks lasted longer but, other times, it only lasted a few hours.
Best thing to do is get inovlved in something else that is totally away from your book and something will come to you.
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Posted: Tuesday May 11th, 2004 16:12 |
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Thanks.
Stress has been kicking my behind lately so that's why my creative juices aren't flowing like they normally do but I will definitely try music.
I have found the same for me when writing screenplays. Sometimes the ending will come to me first...hardly anything in order, then I just go back and connect them.
Tell me, did you have to do any re-writes?
And besides music...is there any other thing or a place that inspires you to write? For me, tons of ideas pop into my head when I am standing in front of my mirror in the bathroom...don't ask me why?, LOL! but for some strange reason...the creativity just flows, ha!, ha!, ha!
And when something does hit and you're not near your computer...do you carry a micro-cassette recorder or pen and paper with you during those times?
Sorry, if I'm talking you to death, LOL!
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Posted: Wednesday May 12th, 2004 10:23 |
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Ashanti wrote: Thanks.
Stress has been kicking my behind lately so that's why my creative juices aren't flowing like they normally do but I will definitely try music.
I have found the same for me when writing screenplays. Sometimes the ending will come to me first...hardly anything in order, then I just go back and connect them.
Tell me, did you have to do any re-writes?
And besides music...is there any other thing or a place that inspires you to write? For me, tons of ideas pop into my head when I am standing in front of my mirror in the bathroom...don't ask me why?, LOL! but for some strange reason...the creativity just flows, ha!, ha!, ha!
And when something does hit and you're not near your computer...do you carry a micro-cassette recorder or pen and paper with you during those times?
Sorry, if I'm talking you to death, LOL!
oh the re-writes!!! i've been re-writing ever since. i finished my last re-write about three weeks ago. but that was the FINAL re-write. i printed it out and read through the whole thing and made my last changes. I think i did 3/4 re-writes since i finished it!
with me, i get stories in funny, Quentin Tarintino ways. sort of middle first, end second, beginnning last and then i work in a funny order. but the story comes out either way.
i usually get inspiration everywhere! i could be on a train home and a whole idea will come to me, like a main protaginist, his allies, an enemy(if there is one), the person's background, etc. and then i'll think, right, i cant do that, i've already got my book plans. i've got plans for another three books so i've gotta keep them in my scope. in fact, i'm only doing five books, after the fifth one, i'll then decide if its WORTH going on and doing more. i mean, they are five DIFFERENT stories but they are all London tales, which is my hook.
i also get a lot of ideas when i think of them like films. i think that an idea would be a good film and then i break it down into a novel idea.
i ALWAYS havea pen in my pocket, one that can write well which i call my Pimping Pen. so if i need to write anything down, i can do so. its always good to be ready for inspiration because it can hit you anywhere.
i dont think your talking me to death, its cool sista.
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Posted: Wednesday May 12th, 2004 16:56 |
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Those re-writes can be fun, can't they?, NOT!!! , LOL!
 Although they can be a killer, I have found them to be a necessary evil.
Pimping Pen? I like that....I like that!
Anyway yep, like you, I can visualize what I'm writing all the way down to the actor I would like to see in the role.
Question....Did it help that you didn't have a deadline? Was there less pressure? and Although your story is based in London, will brothers all over the world be able to relate to what your characters are going through? I ask because (of my short time on this board) I have noticed our similarities as a group of people but there are some differences as well.
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Posted: Thursday May 13th, 2004 10:33 |
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Ashanti wrote: Those re-writes can be fun, can't they?, NOT!!!, LOL!
Although they can be a killer, I have found them to be a necessary evil.
Pimping Pen? I like that....I like that!
Anyway yep, like you, I can visualize what I'm writing all the way down to the actor I would like to see in the role.
Question....Did it help that you didn't have a deadline? Was there less pressure? and Although your story is based in London, will brothers all over the world be able to relate to what your characters are going through? I ask because (of my short time on this board) I have noticed our similarities as a group of people but there are some differences as well.
i HAVE to be able to see the actor otherwise i wont be able to see the character he's playing. it helps somehow, although in a strange way.
in a way, the deadline thing kind of helped. i wante dto set myself one, but usually, with deadlines, i wont be able to concentrate because i'll begin to think of the consequences and repercussions of what would happen if i didnt meet the deadline so i just work at my own pace. maybe thats why it took me soooo long to get to this point here.
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