C. Kelly Robinson - June 2000

My target audience is African-American readers, plain and simple. I don't think there is a segment of our community - young, old, college-educated or not - that can say they see enough positive Black male imagery in today's literature. Not All Dogs addresses that shortage.

Beyond that, the book provides female readers with a better understanding of Black male complexity. It's an opportunity to look "behind the mask" and get a better feel for what motivates us, while reading an entertaining and suspenseful story. Not only that, but the book has already touched a lot of female readers who buy the book, enjoy it, then go back to the store and buy it for a man in their life - son, husband, lover, nephew - because it can help them get in touch with challenges in their own lives. That's been a great payoff from my standpoint.

Your book has been out since 1999. What has the author experience been like thus far?

It's been rewarding, challenging, and confusing. I love to write and I love to see the impact of my work. I get constant feedback from readers via e-mail and when I make personal appearances, and this helps validate my sanity. In other words, [it lets me know] that I do have something to say and readers want to hear it!

That said, I won't misrepresent the challenges inherent in self-publishing. Everything depends on you as the author, and for me, the transition from author to salesman has been difficult. I have help from my wife, but we both work "day jobs", so progress with the books is sometimes slower than it would be if I had a major publishing staff behind me. But I didn't get this far in life by sticking to what comes easy. I won't stop getting the word out, not until I know most readers have at least had the opportunity to buy Not All Dogs.

Was it difficult for you to write in four different male voices? How did you keep from getting the characters confused? Or did you do anything specific to make sure their personalities didn't overlap?

It would have been VERY difficult to get these characters confused. The four leads are housemates at a historically Black college, but the similarities end there. Each brother has his own history, musical and fashion tastes, career aspirations, and personal conflicts. For instance, you have a character like Brandon the "Choirboy", who is celibate and wears Dockers slacks and oxford dress shirts, living across the hall from Larry the "Smooth Operator", who has a long string of former lovers, a closet full of Armani suits, and the finest girlfriend on campus! Kind of hard to mix up those two.

The real secret to keeping them separate was to carefully build each character before I started writing Chapter One. I came up with everything from what they were like as children to what their biggest fears and failures were. In short, I made them real. After that, there was no way I could mistake one for the other.

To me, O.J. was a very interesting character. Did you purposely write about a preacher, or did the character just evolve into the story?

I purposefully wrote about an aspiring preacher because the Black church is near and dear to my heart. I am a product of the Black church and have much love for the good it has done in our community. Unfortunately, our faith in our spiritual leaders has often been rewarded with mismanagement and fraud. I created O.J. as a full-bodied example of the internal struggles and past disappointments that can lead our leaders (present and future) into behavior that contradicts the very things they stand for.

How is the publication of "Ladies Man" coming along?

Ladies' Man ... Not my favorite topic these days. To use corporate terminology, I "accepted the resignation" of the literary agent who was representing that manuscript. Although I am keeping it in play with agents and editors as we speak, my focus right now is on selling as many copies of Not All Dogs as possible. There will be time to get Ladies' Man published after that.

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently concerning your publishing journey?

The one thing I would suggest to aspiring self-publishers is to be honest with yourself: There are only two ways to competitively go about this thing. Either you are a skilled salesperson that will pursue self-publishing full-time and travel the country to get notice for your book, or you will have to invest wisely in the services of professionals who can do some of this for you. It is very difficult to break through the growing crowd of books by selling only on the Internet and relying on people to walk into bookstores looking for your book.

Whichever way you choose, there is no shame. Just set your course from the start. I have recently adjusted my strategies and feel it is paying off; however, I could have saved some frustration if I'd realized earlier that I'm better off letting professionals do most of my marketing and PR.

In your opinion, what is the greatest thing that has happened to you since deciding to become a writer?

There really is no one greatest thing yet (not until Oprah comes calling!). However, it has been very rewarding to see my wife and family enjoy my writing, and to get constant reviews and feedback from strangers across the country, who say Not All Dogs is among the best books they have ever read. That goes a long way when I get frustrated with other aspects of this publishing game.

Click here to access C. Kelly Robinson's Official Web Site

Between Brothers introduces us to four housemates: Terence, OJ, Brandon, and Larry; dynamic young men with brilliant futures ahead of them. But before they can get to graduation from Highland University, and begin the rest of their lives, they must first examine their pasts in preparation for their futures. C. Kelly Robinson successfully shows the reader that not all black males are about boozin', druggin', and sexin' it up, and that college kids can and do think globally, but act locally. These four young men, while far from perfect, take an active role in their community and dedicate themselves to one another, while taking up the cause of saving the community icon of Ellis Center, which has fallen on hard times financially and faces closure.

Gangsters, preachers, old school politicians, conniving businessmen, and a myriad of female characters entertain and enlighten us. Secondary virginity, escaping our pasts, making life choices based on one's personal beliefs, faith, and fidelity are just a few of the subjects addressed. While this book was entertaining, Robinson occasionally takes off in too many directions, placing these young men in seemingly implausible situations. The bond of their friendship is not tested or really described until the last one hundred pages or so. Even so, Between Brothers demonstrates that young African American males think for themselves, love deeply, and champion the causes of others, and that they are sincerely interested in getting educated and making a difference. The men of Highland learn and grow, and provide love and support for one another as they barrel towards their futures.