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The Romance
Reader's Connection is pleased to welcome
author/playwright David E. Talbert. David is well
known for his stage plays, one of which was adapted
for the UPN television network as a situation
comedy, Good News. This month, his debut novel
BAGGAGE CLAIM , a romantic comedy, hits bookstores.
We consider it an honor that he agreed to this
interview.
Lora: For a young African American
man, you have been very successful in your career as
a playwright. With hits such as Love Makes Things
Happen, (which I personally enjoyed), The Fabric of
a Man, and He Say, She Say But What Does God Say,
I'm sure our readers would like to know what
motivates or inspires your themes?
David: Love is always the inspiration.
Whether it be the love for
God, love for mankind, or the love between a man and
a woman.
Lora: For the readers that have not
had the opportunity to see any of your work, please
tell us something about yourself.
David: I'm simply a young Black Man
whom God has gifted with words as my expression of
His love. For years Theater has been my training
ground. And really it still is, it helped me
understand people more and ultimately understand
myself more.
Lora: Your first book, BAGGAGE CLAIM
portrays a desperate young woman searching for Mr.
Right in a hurry because she is over twenty-five,
single, and ashamed of never having at least one
marriage under her belt. Now there have been other
books that have had similar plots, but you have
created a character that is a flight attendant,
flying from city to city looking up past loves for a
quick engagement. How did you come up with that
idea?
David: Just by looking at how we all
search for love. And more importantly the ridiculous
lengths we are willing to travel to find it. Montana
is every woman. She's every man. I wouldn't say
she's as desperate as much as she's determined to
rewrite the script that has been written by her
mother. So many of us are motivated by things other
than the purity of love. Usually it's because of
social pressure, family pressure, or in Montana's
case-some make believe rule.
Lora: How do you think most women
overlook Mr. Right?
David: It's not just women. Most of us
overlook love, because very few of us have ever
really experienced love. Most of us have just
experienced lust masquerading itself as love. Real
love isn't based on perfection or fairytale type
preconceptions-real love makes the imperfect seem
perfect.
Lora: How difficult was it to
transition from writing plays to writing a book?
David: Very difficult at first. I had
to learn narrative prose as opposed to just writing
dialogue. And still I'm learning. Writing is a never
ending process where you'll be a student until the
day you die. I can tell you without question that I
have gained a great deal of respect for authors. And
I plan to be in the game for a very long time as I
grow, not only as a playwright but now a literary
craftsman.
Lora: How have you evolved as a
writer?
David: Greatly. Mostly my evolution
has been to allow myself to be affected by the
subject matter. To allow myself to be moved by the
characters and their experiences so that when they
laugh, I laugh. When they cry, I cry. I'm probably
much more in touch with my emotions than I care to
admit. But as a man and a husband, that makes me
more in touch with my wife and more attentive to her
needs.
Lora: What advice would you give to
anyone trying to get his or her first book
published?
David: To write what you know. Write
what you feel. There is no formula other than
telling a good story with good characters. And if
you build it-rather, if you write it-they will come.
Really, I never set out to be an acclaimed writer. I
simply set out to do the best I could given what I
knew at the time. I always believe that if you do
your part, God is faithful to do His.
Lora: If there was one thing that you could
change in your career what would that be?
David: In retrospect it's easy to say
I'd change this or I'd change that, but really, I
thank God for the journey. And the journey has
really just begun. Did I do some things wrong? Did I
make a left turn when maybe I could have gone right?
Sure. But I believe that all things work together
for the good of them that love God. And truly, with
all my heart and soul, I love God. Still, after 12
years in the business, I'm just as passionate about
my craft as I was day one. I believe that we owe an
Excellent God, an Excellent work.
Lora: Do you think one of your plays
or your book will be made into a movie?
David: Sure. One of my plays He Say
She Say was turned into a television series-Good
News that aired on UPN. Forrest Whitaker has signed
on to produce the feature film of Baggage Claim that
I will write and direct for the screen. And I'm in
the midst of a deal to convert some of my plays into
features. So, the future in other mediums is bright.
Lora: What can our readers look
forward to in the future from you?
David: More novels, more plays, a film
here and there. Really just my feel good brand of
entertainment. It's always my desire to tell real
stories with real people that we can relate to. I
believe that real people heal people.
Thank you David for such a wonderful interview!
Lora McDonald
(Click
here for review of BAGGAGE CLAIM)
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