Author’s Bio: MaRita Teague has a
master’s in English from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a
bachelor’s from The Ohio State University.
She has taught college English composition for many years. MaRita has published both fiction and
non-fiction and has written the inspirational blog, Abiding in the Vine, Writing to Bear Fruit, for almost ten
years. She also does freelance writing for Urban Ministries,
Inc., among other organizations. She has
contributed to a number of publications, most notably, A Cup of Comfort Devotional for Mothers, All My Good Habits I Learned
from Grandma, and Living the Serenity Prayer. Every
Closed Eye Ain’t Sleep is her second novel (Urban Books-Kensington October
2015). Her first novel, The Taste of Good Fruit was published by
Harrison House Publishing Company.
MaRita speaks to women’s groups and is on the leadership team for the
American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Washington, DC. She resides in the Washington, D.C. area with
her husband and three sons.
What inspired
you to write your book?
One of my inspirations for
the book came from the losing my dear Aunt Gaile to inflammatory breast
cancer. She was a jazz vocalist and a
light in my life. I had never heard of
inflammatory breast cancer, which is very aggressive. When she passed away a short time after her
diagnosis, I decided that even in fiction, I could bring some level of
awareness to the disease. That’s one
thing that was important for me to do in the story.
On another very different note, I’ve always been
intrigued by the complexity of the mother/daughter relationship. I wanted to delve into that relationship with
what happens when one woman takes the road of settling in a relationship and
what the fallout is for the other. Both
women in the story find out what happens when they’re forced to face the very
thing they’ve feared the worst.
Finally, I wanted to really show how difficult it
can be for professional women, but more specifically African American women, to
find love. Internet dating is still a
hot topic among some, so I wanted to show the fun side and the risks of that
issue as well.
Is there any
particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or
as an adult?
Aside from the Bible, I
think that it would be too difficult to pick one book. However, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker have
influenced me greatly. They showed me
early on that it was possible and acceptable for me to write about African
American women. They also take risks and
stretch me as a writer. They give me so
much inspiration to work harder. I also
really loved Delores Phillips’ novel, The
Darkest Child, and Tayari Jones’ Silver
Sparrow. I think of these women
authors often when I’m writing, and they stretch and inspire me as a writer.
Is this your
first book? How long did it take to start and finish your book?
This is my second novel,
and it took me much longer than expected to write it because I had several
relocations and a baby in the process. I
really took my time to get the story where I wanted it to be.
Do you write
with an outline, or just let it flow organically?
I really admire writers
who can use outlines. I’ve attempted and
found that it’s better for me to let it flow organically. Often, when I write, the characters don’t do
the things or say the things that I expect them to, and I’m okay with
that. That being said, I do always have
a general plot and characters mapped out early on in the process.
Do you listen to
music when you write? If yes, is there a theme song for this book?
I often listen to jazz,
and I think John Coltrane’s Naima fits the mood of the story.
What are the
keys to success in getting your book out to the public?
If I only had that figured
out! Aside from the normal book signing
events and book club meetings, I think that using social media has been very
important for me. I have also found that
resting in who I am as an author and letting that be my brand instead of
forcing something that isn’t has been effective. People are drawn to authenticity. I’ve also been blessed to connect with a
small group of women authors who have been helping me to develop new strategies
to market since so much has changed in the book industry over the years. Connecting and collaborating is smart. It’s difficult to try to do it all yourself.
What advice
would you give to new authors?
My advice would be to read
what you love, and write what you love.
So many people tell me that they want to write, but they aren’t avid
readers. It’s amazing how helpful it can
be to read, especially in the genre you’d like to write.
I guess another thing
would be to set aside a time to write.
Writing takes a lot of discipline, and it’s a lonely process in some
respects. You have to get to know your
characters and develop them so that you can’t wait to spend time with
them. That takes the loneliness out of
the process for me. They are so many
things vying for our attention, so I think actually setting aside time often to
write is very important.
How about
sharing an excerpt from Every
Closed Eye Ain’t 'Sleep?
Backing out wasn’t an option.
For the third straight year, I didn’t
say no to my secret crush, Lionel Banks, who naturally possessed a charisma
rivaling President Obama’s. With aspirations to run for mayor, Lionel, the
coordinator of the festival, treated every woman like the only one on earth.
Crush or not, I planned to run in the
opposite direction of Lionel’s cool and easy swagger this year. That soothing
baritone had done nothing to offset my third straight financial loss from
participating as a vendor at the Harlem Renaissance Festival, even if the
vendor fees assisted Huntsville’s inner city cultural arts program.
Enough was enough, I decided while
putting the finishing touches on my booth area. This would be the last year.
People wanted to buy ribs, grilled corn, and bootleg DVDs and CDs, not the
handmade upscale jewelry I sold.
After hanging the final set of earrings
up, I was struck by the massive chocolate-covered body headed directly for my booth. I
held my sigh on the inside, and asked, “May I help you with something?”
“I believe you can, sweet sister.” He
cocked his head to the side, scanning my curves.
I placed my hand on my hip. “What
exactly do you need?”
His squinty eyes hid when he smiled, the
twinkle of mischief narrowly escaped. In spite of his dirty sneakers, a
definite turnoff, his amber-scented cologne wafted through the air just enough
to send a quick tingle down my spine. The muscle man clouded my good sense, and
overlooking his shoes became easier as I reflected on my lonely days and
nights. In mere minutes, as I had done too many times before, I threw my
graduate degree–toting, upper class–reared and etiquette-trained self out the
window, relinquishing my power to the inviting smile.
The dark stranger pretended to admire my
jewelry and casually picked up a pair of iridescent purple and gold chandelier
earrings, my personal favorite. “These are some nice earrings. You make
these, girl?”
The jewels sparkled, gleaming in the
blazing August sunlight. He dangled them and grinned, obviously feeling my
gaze. Nothing irritated me more than a brother who talked like a caveman. As a
college English instructor at an HBCU, I loved when men used correct English;
yet, I couldn’t deny that the man’s charisma held me in a trance.
“Girl?” I asked, looking behind me as if
the mysterious “girl” would appear. “I’m nobody’s girl, but I did make them,” I
said with enough attitude to run any sane man off.
He turned away grinning, holding his
hands up. “My bad, my bad. Missus?”
I ignored his question and in a much too
high pitch remarked, “Those took me the longest to make. Good taste.”
Muscle man scratched his gleaming bald
head. “People do always tell me that I got good taste.”
I winced. Subject verb agreement is
always a plus in a man but again I reminded myself that education wasn’t
everything.
His grin widened as he rhythmically
moved his head to the calypso jazz resounding through the park, flashing his
too white teeth. I couldn’t help noticing that his top teeth were shades whiter
and perfectly straight. The bottom row, the color of dirty snow, peeped through
every now and then when he spoke. Had he whitened the top and not the bottom?
He flipped the earrings over to check
the price and then gripped his chest as if he were having a heart attack. “Whew!
You proud of these, ain’t you, girl?”
I looked away and folded my arms. “If
you don’t stop calling me girl, we’re going to have a serious problem. My name
is Desiree.”
He stepped back to examine the sign on
the front of the table skirt. “Yeah, okay, Desi’s Designs, I get it,” he sang,
mimicking my business name to the rhythm of the music. “Desi, nice to meet
’cha. I’m Taye, and I guess I’m gonna risk starvin’ next week ’cause I just
have to buy these earrings. See, it’s my li’l sis’s birthday. She just loves
this kinda stuff.”
Maybe he wasn’t so bad, I thought,
trying to grasp at words that wouldn’t come while slowly wrapping his earrings
in tissue paper and a customized box. He couldn’t be half bad if he’d buy his
sister a relatively expensive gift. I reasoned that even with his raggedy
tennis shoes and poor grammar, he did have good taste. The earrings were the
best I had on display. “Forty-four dollars and ninety-five cents,” I said,
handing the box to him. I made a point to brush his hand as he took the box.
He pulled out his weathered wallet and
gave me two twenties and a five. “Keep the change.”
What’s next for
you?
I’m near completion on a story that I’m
really excited about. It’s set in New
Orleans and is about a former attorney turned pastor and his attorney wife who
lose their small church and several members after the flooding in Hurricane
Katrina. The couple gets a windfall and
builds a very successful megachurch.
They agree to be featured on a reality television show and get entangled
in much more than they bargained for.
Overall, the story is about what can happen when we allow others to
steer us off course of our God-given purpose.
I plan to continue writing stories that
I hope provoke conversation and thought and of course, to inspire and connect.
Where can
readers find out more about you and your book(s)?
• Website: www.MaRitaTeague.net
• Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/MaRita-Teague/e/B002ZH3VPM
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marita.teague
• Twitter: @MaRitaTeague
• Blog: MaRitaTeague.wordpress.com
It’s
been a pleasure having you here with us today. I know my readers will enjoy
getting to know you and your work.
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