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Carl Weber
February 2004
About the Author
Carl Weber
graduated from Virginia State University with a B.S. in accounting and
has an MBA in marketing from the University of Virginia. He is the
bestselling author of Lookin’ for Luv, Married Men, and Baby
Momma Drama. He lives in Long Island, New York with his family.
Questions
and Answers with Carl Weber
How would you describe
your writing style?
I write my stories so they’re
fast-paced, like a movie. I love to write about drama and from the
reaction of my fans, they love to read it. Sometimes a person might
accuse me of writing drama that is too over the top, but if you’re
honest with yourself, things like I write really do happen to people.
Everything I write about has happened to me, someone I know, or a
friend of a friend. I just condense the different stories and
incidents, change the names to protect the innocent, and put them into
books.
What kind of characters do you like to create?
My favorites are the
characters that people love to hate. I’ve come up with some good
villains in my books, and most of them are people we all know in one
way or the other. I like a character with some attitude.
I would love to know what techniques you used to develop your
reading audience. Everyone knows you have a loyal following and it's
fascinating to know how these individuals learn about and buy your
books. Well, to begin
with, I have a really supportive publisher. You can’t sell books if
they’re not in the stores, and Kensington Publishing does a great job
in that area. But in addition to what they do, I’m on the road 40 of
the 52 weeks of the year doing some type of promotion—book signings,
speaking engagements, meeting with book clubs. I spent every dime of
my first two book advances on self-promotion. Most people aren’t
willing to do that.
What is your definition of success?
I guess some would say I’m
successful now, but I think there’s always room for bigger and better
things. What makes me successful now is that I’m making a living
doing what I love to do, but I’m the type of person who will always
strive for even greater success.
When you write books, do you have certain objectives in mind?
My main objective is to take my readers away
from their own problems and give them humorous glimpses into someone
else’s world. I get a lot of feedback from my readers, who tell me
what they like and don’t like about my characters and plots. They
like to read about people who remind them of themselves or someone
they know. In each book, I try to incorporate their suggestions to
give them what they’ve come to expect from a Carl Weber novel.
What are so of the most difficult things you have to deal with in
being an author?
Believe it or not, stalkers! It might sound crazy, but I’ve had my
share of overzealous fans who think they know me just because they’ve
read my books. It’s a shock for any author the first time he gets an
email about the baby he conceived with a woman he’s never met before.
I just change my phone number often. It’s just something I have to do
to avoid the few kooks. Most of my fans are just great.
What was the inspiration for PLAYER HATERS?
Trent is loosely based on a relative. He’s such a
character, with so much drama, that I just had to write about him. I
always wondered if an ultimate playa could ever be changed. The “real
Trent” hasn’t changed yet!
Do you name all of your books? If not, which ones did you name?
My first book
Lookin’ For Luv was named by my publisher, but now I name my
books.
Married Men,
Baby Momma Drama, Player Haters, A Dollar and
a Dream, and the book I’m working on now, The Preacher’s Son;
those were all titles that I chose.
When you first wanted to write novels, did you always know you
wanted to do several books, or were you initially happy just to do
that first book? I
was pretty sure I wanted to make career out of it, but I can’t tell
you how happy I was just to get my first manuscript sold.
What is the worst criticism you've ever received? What is the
biggest compliment a reader has given you?
I’ve had a few
people call me a woman-basher, but I don’t agree with that. Yes, some
of my female characters do some pretty stupid things, but so do some
of the men. Because I’m a male author, it’s pretty easy for someone
to assume that any negative trait I give a female character means I’m
bashing all women. I’m not writing about all women, though,
just a few that I’ve come across in my lifetime. Really, I don’t see
myself as bashing women any more than Terry McMillan’s books bash men.
Does writing books get harder or easier?
It definitely gets harder, but not because I don’t have
good ideas for plenty more books. It’s harder now to find the time to
write. Most people take years to write their first book, but after
that you’re expected to write a book every year. It’s not easy to do
that while you’re still busy promoting the first one. But as hard as
it might be, it’s definitely worthwhile.
Do you plan to tour to promote PLAYER HATERS? If so where will
your travels take you?
Beginning in February I will be traveling to twenty
cities throughout the U.S. Interested readers should check with their
local bookstores to see if and when I’ll be in their area. They can
also email me for a schedule at
cmweb@earthlink.net
Am I asking too many questions? Okay, one more - what do you
enjoy doing besides reading and writing books?
I love being
a dad and spending time with my family. If this cold, cold northeast
winter ever ends, I look forward to finally getting my boat in the
water and doing some fishing.
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with including developing a relationship with an irresistible new man,
and trying to decipher the behavior of her flaky acting roommate
Desiree.
