Franklin White

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Featured Author 

Franklin White

December 2003 Interview

About the Author

Franklin White is the author of the national bestsellers Fed Up with the Fanny, Cup of Love, and 'Til Death Do Us Part, a short story collection nominated for the Gold Pen Award. Money for Good is Franklin's third novel. His next novel, Potentially Yours, will be released in June 2004. He is the former features editor for Upscale magazine, as well as the writer of the column Author2Author.

Questions and Answers with Franklin White

Q. Franklin, I love the fact that you were inspired to write this story based on your own experience of serving on a jury. Is this how stories usually appear to you (out of nowhere)? What was it about Money for Good that made you eager to write it?

Well, I was on grand jury duty a few years ago for an entire week. From day one, when it all started with everything going on, I thought to myself that the experience was like a movie.   The idea of writing the story didn’t actually jump into my head until about the second or third day.  The idea surfaced at a point when I was beginning to get annoyed by the District Attorney because  he would continually drill us—(grand jury) after each case- about how disgusting some of the people were who we had to decide to send to trail or not. It was like all he wanted us to do was send them to trail and let him throw them all in jail.   Then the grand jury had a case that I thought could have gone either way because of the amount of evidence the DA had and from that point on……my story embedded in my mind, and I walked around with it in my head for a couple of years. When I had all my characters together that’s when I sat down and wrote it.

Q. On the cover of your book, in the subtitle it mentions the word pulp. What are the characteristics of pulp?

For me, pulp is excitement and lots of action and situations that would probably not happen in real life, but there is the slight possibility that they could.  Like in the movie Pulp Fiction-when Samuel Jackson’s character would recite a bible verse each time before he smoked someone. I mean, it would be possible for it to happen but who after reading a bible verse would shoot someone in cold blood then think what they were doing was justified! J 

Also, in the movie he and his partner drive a car in broad day light with blood and brain matter splattered all on the car windows after killing someone, to a friend’s house and then clean it all up in a matter of minutes. That’s what I mean by pulp, “possible, but very unlikely but entertaining at the same time.”

Q. It’s no secret that I love Money for Good. It has a lot going on and was even shocking at times. How did you feel while writing the book? Were you pleased? Scared? Excited? Is it the type of novel you personally like reading?

I am very pleased with Money For Good. Mainly because it’s the type of book that I’ve wanted to write for years. It has a lot of twists and turns.  But for some reason in the industry after you write novels in a certain genre you’re pigeonholed in that genre which is what I never want to be. I think Walter Mosley has done a great job at just being looked at as a writer. He has done so many different genres and I respect that because he’s being creative—not actually recreating what he has done before.

 I have always enjoyed movies, so I purposely wrote this novel with movie-like characteristics (formula) to make the reader see the vision of the characters as well.

 I was very excited while writing it, because I could actually see what was going on like on screen as I went chapter to chapter. It’s the type of novel that I would like to read. I like to  read authors such as Walter Mosley, Elmore Leonard, Sidney Sheldon, Grisham, and Carl Haisson.  They all write novels that you can easily imagine as though they were on the big screen. Plus, I enjoy writing about quirky characters.

Q. How did you develop your characters (West Owens, Lauren, Rossi, Rita, Lex, etc.)? They all had a liveliness and energy.

The characters were just people that I would enjoy in a novel. Their characteristics and mannerisms are of people that I might have run across in an airport or grocery store even out in the streets.

West Owens is definitely a character I plan to continue writing. In fact, I already know what all of the characters are going to get themselves into in the next West Owens novel.   West just reminds me of a working man who needs a break, but at the same time would be content working in his auto repair shop and having a pint of whiskey at the end of the day while he kicks back on his front porch and watches everything that is going on around him.

Lauren, Lex Rita and Rossi are all characters that I wanted to see interact with West. They all had different things going on in their lives. Lauren was homeless living in her car and on jury duty when she meets West, so living in her car automatically gives her the reason to go into a scheme to make some chedda.  Rossi was on the stand in front of the grand jury when he meets West -- for stealing money in a drug bust. So, I made it so he would make a deal with West and Lauren to help him beat the charges on him.  Rita was driving West’s stolen car when she meets West, and she just happens to be owed money from Rossi.  Lex, who is Lauren's sister, was on the streets as well, but with a twist, she has a son to take care of –so I got a chance to show a sensitive side of West when he lets them stay with him in his apartment. I think all of the characters just happened to fall into place. Sometimes as a writer you get lucky and have characters who are just meant to play off one another and these did.

Q. Now, let’s talk about the industry. Your book has the distinction of being Strebor Books International’s first hardcover. Do you know why this decision was made and the differences/pros or cons between releasing a book in trade paper vs. hardcover?

Well, the decision was made because they know my novels sell and the Publisher at Strebor (Zane) is not only a very intelligent business woman, but she and I have had a relationship as writers ever since we both got started in this business years ago.

Secondly, the publisher understood what I was up against when I got started writing and what I went through in my first two-book deal.   You have to realize when my first novel “Fed Up with the Fanny” came out in 1998, There was a big article in Publishers Weekly about me being the male Terry McMillan, and then another article appeared in Essence touting me and my dear friend Eric Jerome Dickey as the male Terry McMillan's.  Then all of a sudden that’s what the marketing people at the publishing house wanted to push when I just wanted to be me…Franklin White.

But no one wanted to hear what I wanted.  Everyone was into this thing where they wanted to go in a certain direction-but if the author doesn’t agree with the marketing-then you have a big problem.  So we did. Then all of a sudden, my editor leaves for another house and I find myself working with an editor who didn’t know me and I didn’t know anything about her and it hit the fan. But I still played the game even though I wasn’t happy and soon enough no one at the house wanted to hear my ideas for a novel outside of the relationship genre because that’s all they thought I could write.

But all along my books have still sold over the years and just this year they were placed in Mass Market Paperback with a deal with Wal-Mart which is huge and I thank agent Victoria Sanders for getting that done. Both my books Fed up with the Fanny, Cup of Love and the collection of short stories Til Death Do Us Part  published with my company Blue/Black Press all made best-sellers list and are still selling- but the first two didn’t have the push that I thought they should have received even with the big endorsements.  So, my new publisher understands this and is willing to let me be creative in my writing. Like I said before, I like to write about what interests me at the time and right now…I’m into quirky people J

Just to add, a lot of new writers don’t understand the politics involved in the publishing industry. It’s just not write a good piece, get picked up, and everyone loves you. It’s about people that you have never met in your life telling you what they feel is best for your books and their reasoning behind it is---that they’ve been in the business for years which to me is lame because first of all, the African-American market isn’t like any other market in publishing, and a great percentage of the decisions being made about black books aren’t being made by people who know the black market.

Some publishers get it or are beginning to understand. But for years they didn’t understand that black book stores are the source of keeping books circulating in the black community. Not Amazon.com or any of the major chains. It’s very hard for some publishers to realize that a black author's book may not reach its peak for six months after it’s released because it needs time for word of mouth to circulate in the street because many times that’s all of the promotion a black book gets.  And it gets sticky when as an author, you have a degree in marketing or communications and have studied the black community at a predominately black school and you know what it takes to sell in that community. But the people who now own your book don’t want to know what you think. They just want you to be the hell quiet and do what they tell you to do.

A prime example of this was this year when I listened to a publishing executive from a particular house at the Harlem Book Fair say that she was willing to take suggestions from people who had marketing ideas on how to sell black books.  That in a nut shell tells me they don’t understand the black market. But if the person would have said we are willing to hear your ideas and then will purchase them, I would have been the first in line to pitch ideas that I know will work. But they’re not getting them [ideas] for free so they can ride off into the sunset without paying a brother first J

Q. How did you initially break into the publishing industry? What road did you travel?

I broke in the industry by self-publishing Fed Up with the Fanny and when it began to take off, I met an editor at Simon & Schuster who acquired it along with a two book deal. 

Q. We know that the industry isn’t perfect by any means, but what are some of the benefits of being an author that makes it all worthwhile?

Personally, I like the freedom of working when I want to.  Even though I might sit down at my desk for many hours at a time. At least I’m sitting down when I want to sit down and if nothing else I’m doing what I love to do.  I also enjoy the fact that I get to make up all these quirky people and see how they fit into a story.  I also like the relationships that I have established in the industry as well as seeing some of the authors who came up when I did, like Eric Jerome, Kim Roby, Victoria Christopher Murray, and Lolita Files all continue to do good work.  I also enjoy the fact that authors like E. Lynn Harris have reached out just out the goodness of his heart to talk shop and give me pointers on sustaining a career in this business.

Q. What are some of the challenges that you’ve experienced as an author?

The greatest challenge I have faced so far is getting a publishing house to just listen to my ideas for a novel.  Yes, I wrote Fed Up. Yes, I wrote Cup of Love, but those were books that I wrote because at that time—the industry wanted those types of (relationship) books. Let’s not get it twisted because it hasn’t been that long ago.  It’s just now recently that we have begun to see different genres by black authors published by more than one author. At one time there was only one genre that the houses wanted.  So, I wrote the books to get in the industry even though I was trying to do other types of genres that are now selling.

So, now that I’m in, I don’t want a publisher to tell me that’s the type of book they want because they’re not going to get it if I don’t really want to write it. I don’t know how many novels I have started to write for the industry and what publishers wanted at the time-only to stop with the entire project because I wasn’t feeling it.  And it’s sad and eye opening at the same time,  because I lost a really good agent who couldn’t understand why I wasn’t being allowed to write what I wanted to write and all of his white authors submitted novels and on what they were interested in.

That is the main reason I went with Strebor. I had another offer but I didn’t feel good about it. Strebor is allowing me to write novels that are fresh, entertaining and they know there is an audience for books outside of the relationship box that are packed with chapter after chapter of sizzling happenings.  I mean, it’s not like my new book is anti-relationship. I still have that flare and readers are gonna be surprised that there is a relationship in the book, but the fact of the matter is….the book is not concentrating on that relationship. The relationship is just a part of the big picture which I think people will enjoy.

But one thing I have to mention that I don’t like is the amount of hating and disrespect between authors going on in the industry. I remember a time when the handful of us who were getting started could call on one another and there was a close knit family. But now with so many authors there is a lot more competition and some of the authors coming up don’t know the proper way of doing things and feel as though they don’t have to pay any dues-they don’t know the difference between competition and respect.

A lot of the new authors have come to me and asked my opinion and direction on how to get things done in their novels-I’m not going to name-names, they know who they are.  Then when they get their deals based on my advice—98% never come back and say thank-you or even kiss my ass! But it’s cool I wish you all luck! But I ain’t forgettin J

And I only say that because when I got started, I didn’t have anyone to go to and info was hard to get. But I just feel that some of the authors that were doing this before the big explosion of black books gave a lot of info to these new writers and don’t get thanked for their time -which to me is just plain and simple proper etiquette.

Q. If you had to do anything different, what would that be and why?

As I look back I would have insisted that my first book be published on a fast track (as soon as it was acquired) because I had so much momentum going when I sold it. Reason being, I had to wait until over a year to re-release the book and by that time the momentum was stalling and we had to work from square one again.  I don’t think I would have done anything else different though because what I have done has brought me to where I am today. I will say I have learned a lot about the business though.

Q. What are your future plans? At one time you had a title KNOWN FELONS? Is this still in the works, or are there other books that will be released?

Known Felons is still being thought out but the characters are just about ready of being released on pen and pad.  My next novel is called Potentially Yours-it’s a novel about a quirky family trying to deal with the decision of a mother/literary agent who has decided that she is not living her life to her full potential and is consequently teamed up with the number one female rapper in the world who she believes needs to change.  It will be out in June 2004! Then it’s another West Owens novel as well as getting a distribution deal for my publishing  company Blue Black Press and the new authors I have coming out with novels.

Q. Any final words? Here’s your opportunity – go for it!

I just would like to thank all of my readers for keeping me busy all these years and all I can do is ask them all to tell a friend about my novels.  Peace.

Franklin White's Official Website

Review of

Money for Good

Cup of Love
 

Cup of Love introduces Vance, a young man who can't handle his lurking lust, but who, after receiving a surprise inheritance from his elderly friend, Stubbs, cleans up his act and marries his true love, Artise. When Vance enlists his good friend Ethan to join him in a business venture, Ethan too realizes that it's time to grow up, stop playing around with WWKs (Women With Kids), and face his ex-fiancée, Tassha, who's now dating a prominent politician. As these young couples try to settle down and build successful careers and relationships, they quickly come to realize that love doesn't always run smooth.. "Mix in an unexpected pregnancy, a corrupted political campaign, a shady real estate deal, and a stunning hotel episode and the ingredients are set for a roller-coaster ride of entertainment.
 

Fed Up with the Fanny

From Franklin White comes Fed Up with the Fanny, the story of Kahlil Richardson, a man with a great job who's socially responsible, devoted to family and friends, and, best of all, he's fine! There's just one problem...the women in his life:. Cece, Kahlil's true love, is ready to commit her life to her man, but when Kelly, Cece's best friend, misrepresents Kahlil's good intentions, a wedge is driven between the once-happy couple. Leandra, Kahlil's sister, is forever dumping problems on him. She's spent her life manipulating those who care for her - including Sid, her troubled teenage son, and his father, whom she's kept hidden from everyone. Events spiral out of control within the family after Sid chooses to give his "friends" and their thug-life organization a chance instead of continuing to work at what he sees as a dead-end job. Sonje, Kahlil's colleague and former lover, is hell-bent on advancing her career in the world of day time talk shows. She presents Kahlil and his hardworking community organization a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to display their accomplishments on national television, but when the tape starts to roll it's clear that Sonje has other motives. Dewayna, Kahlil's close friend, is trying hard to raise her young son after Demitrious, her husband and the father of their child, deserts her without explanation. At Dewayna's request Kahlil tracks Demitrious down and tries to help his friends rebuild the joy they once shared. Fed Up with the Fanny is a novel for every woman who's yearned for men to communicate more, and for every man who's felt blamed for the divide between the sexes. We may think that the choices we face in life are ours alone to make, but Franklin White shows with compassion how those choices affect not only us, but our loved ones as well.