A
Conversation on Changing Faces with Kimberla Lawson Roby
By Felecia Jones and Carla Newsome McManus
The Scene
It’s Friday night. Buckhead’s
rush hour has been brutal. But nevertheless,
I zoom into the parking lot Ansley
Mall, almost 30 minutes late…thanks to traffic, and pray that Kimberla is still
there! God really
answer’s prayers. Kimberla, sporting her signature ponytail without a
stray hair, is regal and elegant as she autographs the books of several excited
fans. Just as I scan the room for the Sisters and Brothers of HotLanta Book club’s
president, Carla swings open the front door. She’s been sitting in traffic,
too. The fun begins after all the other excited fans leave the store. Carla and
I are so excited to have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with Kimberla.
The Conversation
Sisters and Brothers of HotLanta: What was your inspiration for writing
Changing Faces?
Kimberla: Because obesity is so
prevalent in this country and has become such a danger to everyone's health, I
wanted to focus on overweight issues and I also wanted to focus on the subject
of women ignoring symptoms of female illnesses and choosing not to do anything
about them.
Sisters and Brothers of HotLanta:
Will you continue to write contemporary fiction or have you considered writing
other genres?
Kimberla: I love writing about
contemporary issues, so more than likely I will continue doing so for years to
come. There is a chance, however, that I will eventually write a
non-fiction book.
Sisters and Brothers of HotLanta:
What were some of the specific challenges you faced in writing Changing Faces?
Kimberla: There weren't a lot of
challenges in regard to the story itself but as with each book I write, I
always feel the pressure of trying to live up to the last novel I've written.
Sisters and Brothers of HotLanta:
Competition among writers in the African American literary is really heating
up. How do you stay ahead of the game?
Kimberla: I decided a long time ago
to stay true to myself and to only concentrate on my own style of writing and
stories. I also decided that regardless of what new genres appear on the
scene, my job is to continue writing the stories my readers have come to expect
from me---which are stories I write straight from the heart.
Sisters and Brothers of HotLanta: How important are book clubs to the success
of your writing?
Kimberla: Oh my! Book clubs
are extremely important to the success of my writing and I honestly don't know
what I would do without them. Book clubs always support me in a huge way
and I look forward to hearing from them and meeting them during every single
tour I travel on.
Sisters and Brothers of HotLanta:
What is your most memorable book club experience?
Kimberla: I've had so many wonderful
experiences and the more I think about it, there are too many memorable ones to
name. But I will say that each year I choose around five book clubs to
meet with privately and I always have the best time with them.
Sisters and Brothers of HotLanta: Who are your favorite authors?
Kimberla: Terry McMillan, Barbara
Delinsky, Victoria Christopher Murray, E. Lynn Harris, Eric Jerome Dickey,
Connie Briscoe and a few others. Right now, though, I'm reading Memoirs
of a Geisha and I'm really loving it.
Sisters and Brothers of HotLanta: What is the most important book that you've
recently read?
Kimberla: I won't say it is the most
important book I've read lately, but Memoirs of a Geisha is proving to be the
most educational novel I've read in a long time because I'm learning so much
that I didn't know about Japanese women and their culture.
About Kimberla Lawson Roby
New York Times Bestselling Author, Kimberla Lawson
Roby, has written seven novels which include, THE BEST-KEPT SECRET, TOO MUCH OF A GOOD
THING,A TASTE OF REALITY, IT’S A THIN LINE, CASTING THE FIRST STONE, HERE AND
NOW, and her debut title, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, which
was originally self-published through her own company, Lenox Press. She has
completed seven national book tours and is currently speaking at expos,
luncheons, writers conferences, libraries, colleges,
universities and other literary events throughout the country on request. Her
novels have frequented numerous bestseller lists, including The New York Times and
those in
Essence Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Emerge Magazine, Barnes and Noble,
Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, The Dallas Morning News, and The Austin Chronicle
to name a few and both BEHIND CLOSED DOORS and CASTING THE FIRST STONE were #1
Blackboard bestsellers for four consecutive months in 1997 and 2000
respectively. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS was the #1 Blackboard Best-selling book for paperback fiction in 1997.
In
addition, Ms. Roby’s first novel was nominated for Blackboard’s 1998 and 1999
Fiction Book of the Year Award, and she received the Blackboard Fiction
Book of the Year Award for 2001for CASTING THE FIRST STONE. She
is also the recipient of the 1998 First-Time Author Award from Chicago’s Black
History Month Book Fair and Conference, her fifth novel, A TASTE OF REALITY,
was a 2004 finalist for the Atlanta Choice Awards sponsored by the Atlanta
Daily World, and TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING received a 2004 Patron Choice
Award from the Central Mississippi Regional Library System.
Each
of Ms. Roby’s novels has dealt with very real issues---in BEHIND CLOSED DOORS,
social status, gambling addiction, and infidelity; in HERE AND NOW,
single motherhood, infertility, and sibling rivalry; in CASTING THE FIRST STONE,
corruption within the church; in IT’S A THIN LINE, domestic
violence, sexual abuse, and care-giving of a parent; in A TASTE OF REALITY,racial
and gender discrimination in the workplace with subplots exploring sexual
harassment; and in TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING (a sequel to CASTING THE FIRST STONE)
and THE
BEST-KEPT SECRET, church issues were revisited.
Ms.
Roby resides in
To share your thoughts with Kimberla
regarding her work, please e-mail her at:
For more information about Kimberla Lawson
Roby visit http://www.kimroby.com