Chatting with L. Divine on Rhymes, Views & News Talk Radio (Oct. 7th)

On October 7th I interviewed L. Divine, the young female author of the young adult fiction series Drama High. L. Divine has three books that are currently out: The Fight, Second Chance and Jayd's Legacy. All of her books feature Jayd Jackson, a high-spirited, independent, sassy teen who is loved by her circle of friends. During our interview L. Divine shared with me her background as a former school teacher and that at one time she lived in Jamaica. L. Divine is also a priestess who is originally from California but she now resides with her children in Atlanta. L. Divine also holds advanced degrees in African American studies from UCLA. The author talked about her work as a writer and the fact that she initially self published her first book, she said, "Remember Mya on 'Girlfriends' selling her book on Crenshaw Avenue? Well that was me." From there she received a two-book contract with a major publisher, Kensington Books.

L. Divine revealed that many (I believe other authors) didn't take her seriously at first because she was a young adult fiction author. I myself thought this was ridiculous. Perhaps she was speaking of her colleagues in academia, but anyone with any real intelligence should understand the skill, imagination and discipline it takes to complete a full manuscript of any genre. Because many people are just not able to do it. I can't tell you how many people I have met since living in New York who want to write a book, but they don't know how to start. Or they have been working on the same book since the 70's, but their job or other distractions have kept them from being focused on completing it. And this is real. You can't judge people if you yourself aren't putting forth great effort in your work, or because you don't understand that someone's niche in writing may not be the same as yours.

Creative people just do not always get the respect they deserve. I gave L. Divine her due propers by stating, "Anyone who reads your background would have to know that you are a serious person..." I went on to say that people love to label and box other people and that no one ever knows the extent to what a person can do or is planning to do. This is when L. Divine mentioned "haters" and she quoted the comedian Katt Williams who during his stand-up on a cable special remarked something like, "If you don't have anyone hating on you, you must not be doing anything great" or "Haters hate, that's what they do, just keep doing what you're doing..." What I took from this part of our interview is that L. Divine is talented and focused and that the people who are criticizing her are probably jealous (this is usually the case). L. Divine mentioned she has not just one or two, but several books coming out in the near future and she's working on her memoir. You have to respect someone who is dedicated to their craft.

L. Divine told me she writes everyday, runs a household and takes care of her children. She remarked that some people figure she doesn't do much of anything within her day. Again, people just do not understand the skill and discipline it takes to write a book, and to keep writing and being focused each day, despite daily life drama. L. Divine made it clear that once she received her book contracts she had to leave her full-time job in order to dedicate herself to completing the books and staying on deadline. Anyone who doesn't understand this type of grind needs to 1) Read This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley , and 2) read my previous post on the prolific playwright Suzan Lori Parks (who completed a phenomenal feat by writing one play per day for a year, having them all published in one book and staged all over the country).

I enjoyed my interview with L. Divine. She and I have had similar experiences and I wish her the best in her endeavors. Her books are great if you have tweens or teens who love to read.

The next Rhymes, Views & News Talk Radio interview is with Cartoonist/Author, Jerry Craft - Sunday, October 21st!