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TRRC
is happy to have Ms. Doris Johnson as one of our Authors Of The Month
for October. She has
written several books, and we thought it would be nice to share with
you some interesting facts about her career.
Lora
McDonald
LM:
Ms. Johnson would you tell our readers something about yourself
and how you became a writer?
DJ:
Sure, Lora. I was born in
Jersey City
,
New Jersey
, but from infancy, I was raised throughout the five boroughs of
New York City
. Presently, I reside in
Queens
. I earned degrees from
New York City
Community College
and The College of New Rochelle,
School
of
New Resources
. My concentration was in
sociology.
I've
always written, but a closet writer was I after a childhood friend
called my first ramblings, "syrup stories."
It wasn’t until I started attending workshops that I got down
to business and started penning my first romance novel.
I was having such difficulty with it that I grew discouraged; I
put it in a drawer. What a
joy when I discovered like-minded black women writing romances with
heroes and heroines of color! The
workshop leader insisted that we put away anything that we were
currently writing and start anew.
Alas!
What was going to happen to the characters that I'd lived with
for so long? But I
followed her dictates and wrote my first love story and FINISHED it.
That was back in the late eighties-early nineties.
After that, I pulled my old story from the drawer and finished
it. That became NIGHT AND
DAY, published by Pinnacle/Arabesque.
Genesis eventually published that first story LOVE UNVEILED
with my pseudonym Gloria Greene.
LM:
While you are an established writer, what other writers do you
enjoy?
DJ:
So many, Lora. Years
ago, I discovered and was captivated by the literature of many black
writers who wrote as early as 1760.
Later, I enjoyed a host of others, including Zora Neale Hurston.
Inspired by THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD, I wanted to pen my
own love story. I think
the love of Janie Starks and Tea Cake transcends time.
I devoured Holt, Whitney and Mary Stewart.
Contemporary authors are so numerous I can't possibly name them
all here, but here are just a few.
Kay Hooper and her SHADOWS trilogy is delicious.
Gwynne Forster delights. Rochelle
Alers excites in many ways. Donna
Hill prods the heart and mind wonderfully.
I can travel with Janice Sims.
Return to
Louisiana
with Lynn Emery. Cry with
Layle Giusto. Become
breathless with Shirley Hailstock.
Dean Koontz scares the bad out of me.
Barbara Taylor Bradford, Francis Ray and Brenda Jackson's
characters are unforgettable.
See
Lora, you got me started! But
will cease with Loure' Bussey who pens poignant tales.
Whew!
LM:
Share with us the titles of the books that you have written.
DJ:
LOVE UNVEILED-Genesis Press, 1996. Reprinted by Ballantine,
1998.
NIGHT
AND DAY-Pinnacle Arabesque, 1997.
NIGHT
SECRETS-Pinnacle Arabesque, 1998.
FATHER
AT HEART-From the anthology MAN OF THE HOUSE, Pinnacle Arabesque,
1998.
WHITE
LIES-Pinnacle Arabesque, 1998.
HEART
OF STONE- Arabesque BET Books, 1999.
A
PASSIONATE MOMENT- From the anthology CUPID'S ARROW, Arabesque BET
Books, 2000.
PRECIOUS
HEART-Arabesque BET Books, 2000.
JUST
ONE KISS-Arabesque BET Books, 2000.
MIDSUMMER
MOON-Arabesque BET Books, 2001.
LM:
Which book is your favorite and why?
DJ:
Right now, it's still WHITE LIES.
Unlike my previous work I couldn't believe what those
characters were making me write! What
three sisters and a husband did, affected the lives of a young man and
woman years later, preventing them from fulfilling their dream of
loving until death do them part. As
a botanical artist, Willow Vaughn's career afforded me the opportunity
to spend time with flowers, which I love.
Jake Rivers is determined to protect the woman he loves by
vowing to uncover the horrible secrets that shattered both their
family's lives. I was most
proud of the way they ended their story so happily!
LM:
What would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment as a
writer and why?
DJ:
Touching someone. Each
of my novels has inspired a reader to write about some aspect of the
story that gave them pause to think and question their own motives and
behavior. I am
particularly proud of being awarded the first annual Emma award,
Favorite Book With Controversial Conflicts, for PRECIOUS HEART.
LM:
How do you develop the personalities of the characters in your
books?
DJ:
I write thorough profiles.
Even after I've started the story the character might begin to
exhibit traits that I didn't originally assign.
So I stop, consider what he or she is telling me and then
embellish until I know the character completely.
LM:
Do you ever use real life situations that have happened to you
or to people that you know in your books?
DJ:
No, at least not knowingly. I always play the "what
if" game and my imagination takes over.
I love creating conflicts for my characters to resolve and some
of them I wouldn't wish on anyone I know.
Of course, life's experiences make us who we are and can't help
but be drawn upon even if subconsciously.
LM:
If you did not write books what would you consider doing with
that time?
DJ:
Probably pick up my hobby of crafting with dried flowers and
spending more time traveling. And
of course, reading fantastic novels.
LM:
In your latest book, RHYTHMS OF LOVE, the hero and the heroine
are in the music field, Brynn is a dancer and Simeon is a musician.
Brynn gets hurt, yet with the help of Simeon she overcomes this
obstacle and moves on with her life.
How did this story line come about?
DJ:
Playing "what if" while watching a television
interview with a dancer. I'd
had an idea once to create such a character but didn't have a clue as
where to start. The dancer
had just ended a long run with a hit musical and she was going to
teach. So I asked what if
my dancer was a diva and had no intention of ever quitting and worse,
teach?! Brynn Halsted was
born.
LM:
What can our readers expect from you in the future
DJ:
A PASSIONATE MOMENT from MAN OF THE HOUSE is being reprinted in
time for Father's Day, June 2003.
I'm currently working on a story that takes place in the south.
Since traveling to
Charleston
,
South Carolina
for PRECIOUS HEART and taking Brynn to
North Carolina
, I think I like visiting the
Carolinas
. No release date and
still untitled, it involves a man and a woman who experienced
uncannily parallel devastation in their lives while teenagers.
Their separate tragedies helped shape their lives. Neither
feels that love can ever be theirs.
(Click
here for a review of RHYTHMS OF LOVE)
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