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Books of Soul Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Question With Shakara Cannon on JoeyPinkney.com
Click to read the interview!
Author Q&A
Q. What do you love most about writing?
A. What I love most about writing is creating characters and developing them into people we can all relate to on some level. Writing fiction is like forming one huge make believe story in your head. Nothing is off limits or taboo. You can take a story wherever your mind and creativity will allow you to take it. I become so engrossed in my characters and the lives that I create for them, that I cry when they cry, I feel happiness when they do. There is a euphoric feeling, that I’ve never experienced before, that I get when I am writing. It truly is an amazing gift.
Q. What inspired you to write This Can’t be Life?
A. I was inspired to write This Can’t be Life after I learned that I’d repressed memories from my childhood. That is the only part of this story that is directly related to me. As an adult I began having a recurring nightmare that made me aware that I’d been molested as a child. It’s really amazing how our minds work and how it will protect us from events that are too difficult to deal with.
Q. This Can’t be Life opens with what seems to be a suicide or suicide attempt, what made you want to delve into a topic such as this?
A. The suicide rate in the African-American community has grown exponentially over the last 10 years. African-Americans are susceptible to mental illness just as every other race is and possibly more so because of the hardships we as a people have faced. Although this is the case, we tend to shy away from receiving help by mental health professionals. Depression is real and wide-spread. It affects us all at some point in our lives; therefore, it is something that should be discussed more. The more we talk about it the less taboo it will become. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeing someone who can help you iron out your problems and help you talk through it without any bias or judgment.
Q. You also delve into atheism or non-believers in God, is this something you’ve encountered personally?
A. No I’ve never encountered someone on a personal level who didn’t believe in God, but I thought it would be interesting to touch on this subject. So many of us are believers and Christians, but there are those who aren’t and who don’t believe. Does this make them evil? Would you continue to date or be with someone who doesn’t believe in God although you do? Do you think you could make someone become a believer? I answer those questions and more in This Can’t be Life
Q. I love the relationship between the 3 main characters, Simone, Stacey and Talise, how did you create such different characters and keep them true to who they are.
A. I love them too! Simone, Stacey and Talise are friends that anyone would want. Their bond runs deep. In writing their stories I had to ask myself, would Simone do this? Or, would Stacey say this? You have to make sure they stay true to who they are and not who you as an author are. Before I begin writing any character or if a character just happens to pop out as I’m writing, I stop and do a bio on the character: background, home town, parents – divorced or still together? - Education, career, how he/she walks or express themselves when they talk. Are they moody, confrontational or the peace keeper? Do they believe in God? Are they heterosexual? If not, how was it for them growing up? I go as far back as needed to make sure my characters are well rounded, relatable and most of all believable!
Q. Deon Bradford isn’t your typical athlete. He wants a family, is good and faithful to the woman he is with. What made you decide to write about the non-stereotypical athlete?
A. I love Deon. He is the man that any father would want for his daughter. I wanted to show that although a man can be a famous millionaire, with women throwing themselves at his feet, he still yearns for some sense of normalcy. Deon wants to take a stroll down the street without being noticed, he wants to hang out with friends at a bar without being hounded. He is a private guy who wants to find a woman who loves him for him, a woman he can trust, but in a city like Los Angeles, it isn’t that easy.
Q. Why did you decide to self-publish?
A. I decided to self-publish after having a hard time finding an agent after writing query letter after query letter, which was harder than writing the actual novel! In the back of my head I always knew that I’d self-publish. The politics involved in being with a major publishing house and the control you lose, is a bit alarming to me. Also, what people don’t realize is that even when you are published by a big publishing house you still have to do as much work as if you were self-published, yet you make less. You have to market and promote tirelessly whether you are with one of the big boys or not! Yes it takes some up-front money to do it on your own, but the control you have is priceless. Distribution on a large scale is possible when you self-publish you just have to do the research. My book won’t sit for a year or until they are ready to release it. It won’t go out of print unless I decide to take it out of print. I have the final say on the overall look and content of my book, and what is best of all, I’ve created a business for myself that will live on if I do things right.
Q. What can we expect from you over the course of the next few years?
A. Great question! You can expect a lot, I promise to live up to it! I’m currently working on 2 novels, one being the sequel to This Can’t be Life and the other being an experimental General Fiction novel that will cross all racial barriers. Both of those will be out within the next few years. I’m also working on a self-help book titled How Your Thoughts Can Ruin Your Life with hopes of teaching our youth the positive thinking concept. I truly believe that anything we want to accomplish is possible if we first monitor and control how we think. A lot of people don’t realize how detrimental negativity is especially in regard to our inner dialogue.
A. What I love most about writing is creating characters and developing them into people we can all relate to on some level. Writing fiction is like forming one huge make believe story in your head. Nothing is off limits or taboo. You can take a story wherever your mind and creativity will allow you to take it. I become so engrossed in my characters and the lives that I create for them, that I cry when they cry, I feel happiness when they do. There is a euphoric feeling, that I’ve never experienced before, that I get when I am writing. It truly is an amazing gift.
Q. What inspired you to write This Can’t be Life?
A. I was inspired to write This Can’t be Life after I learned that I’d repressed memories from my childhood. That is the only part of this story that is directly related to me. As an adult I began having a recurring nightmare that made me aware that I’d been molested as a child. It’s really amazing how our minds work and how it will protect us from events that are too difficult to deal with.
Q. This Can’t be Life opens with what seems to be a suicide or suicide attempt, what made you want to delve into a topic such as this?
A. The suicide rate in the African-American community has grown exponentially over the last 10 years. African-Americans are susceptible to mental illness just as every other race is and possibly more so because of the hardships we as a people have faced. Although this is the case, we tend to shy away from receiving help by mental health professionals. Depression is real and wide-spread. It affects us all at some point in our lives; therefore, it is something that should be discussed more. The more we talk about it the less taboo it will become. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeing someone who can help you iron out your problems and help you talk through it without any bias or judgment.
Q. You also delve into atheism or non-believers in God, is this something you’ve encountered personally?
A. No I’ve never encountered someone on a personal level who didn’t believe in God, but I thought it would be interesting to touch on this subject. So many of us are believers and Christians, but there are those who aren’t and who don’t believe. Does this make them evil? Would you continue to date or be with someone who doesn’t believe in God although you do? Do you think you could make someone become a believer? I answer those questions and more in This Can’t be Life
Q. I love the relationship between the 3 main characters, Simone, Stacey and Talise, how did you create such different characters and keep them true to who they are.
A. I love them too! Simone, Stacey and Talise are friends that anyone would want. Their bond runs deep. In writing their stories I had to ask myself, would Simone do this? Or, would Stacey say this? You have to make sure they stay true to who they are and not who you as an author are. Before I begin writing any character or if a character just happens to pop out as I’m writing, I stop and do a bio on the character: background, home town, parents – divorced or still together? - Education, career, how he/she walks or express themselves when they talk. Are they moody, confrontational or the peace keeper? Do they believe in God? Are they heterosexual? If not, how was it for them growing up? I go as far back as needed to make sure my characters are well rounded, relatable and most of all believable!
Q. Deon Bradford isn’t your typical athlete. He wants a family, is good and faithful to the woman he is with. What made you decide to write about the non-stereotypical athlete?
A. I love Deon. He is the man that any father would want for his daughter. I wanted to show that although a man can be a famous millionaire, with women throwing themselves at his feet, he still yearns for some sense of normalcy. Deon wants to take a stroll down the street without being noticed, he wants to hang out with friends at a bar without being hounded. He is a private guy who wants to find a woman who loves him for him, a woman he can trust, but in a city like Los Angeles, it isn’t that easy.
Q. Why did you decide to self-publish?
A. I decided to self-publish after having a hard time finding an agent after writing query letter after query letter, which was harder than writing the actual novel! In the back of my head I always knew that I’d self-publish. The politics involved in being with a major publishing house and the control you lose, is a bit alarming to me. Also, what people don’t realize is that even when you are published by a big publishing house you still have to do as much work as if you were self-published, yet you make less. You have to market and promote tirelessly whether you are with one of the big boys or not! Yes it takes some up-front money to do it on your own, but the control you have is priceless. Distribution on a large scale is possible when you self-publish you just have to do the research. My book won’t sit for a year or until they are ready to release it. It won’t go out of print unless I decide to take it out of print. I have the final say on the overall look and content of my book, and what is best of all, I’ve created a business for myself that will live on if I do things right.
Q. What can we expect from you over the course of the next few years?
A. Great question! You can expect a lot, I promise to live up to it! I’m currently working on 2 novels, one being the sequel to This Can’t be Life and the other being an experimental General Fiction novel that will cross all racial barriers. Both of those will be out within the next few years. I’m also working on a self-help book titled How Your Thoughts Can Ruin Your Life with hopes of teaching our youth the positive thinking concept. I truly believe that anything we want to accomplish is possible if we first monitor and control how we think. A lot of people don’t realize how detrimental negativity is especially in regard to our inner dialogue.