On the ‘Net with Author Karla Brady
By APOOO • Nov 12th, 2009 • Category: Author of the Week •
Email This Post
• 
Print This Post
In 140 words or less, tell us a little about you.
I’m a 40-something, God-fearing, single mom , a hard worker, and a dreamer. I’ve been a closet writer for most of my life, mostly keeping my work confined to journals and letters. Writing has been very cathartic and healing for me, especially when I’ve gone through trying times, but when I hit forty and really assessed my life, I realized that I was hiding a major part of who I am as a person. I have two college degrees but nothing has taught me more than the University of Life, and I truly believe in channeling my experiences into my writing to make people laugh, reflect on their own situations, and gain a greater understanding of themselves and those around them. With the exception of prayer, I don’t think there anything more empowering and healing than laughing through your pains and tribulations. And what good is learning from your mistakes if you can’t share the lesson and help someone else avoid the same pitfalls? That’s what I hope to bring to the world through my work.
In 140 words or less, tell readers why Bum Magnet would make a great addition to our personal library.
The Bum Magnet addresses some serious issues, particularly for women, in terms of our relationships with men and how we deal with our emotional baggage, but it’s done in such humorous, non-preachy, real way that you’ll hardly realize there’s a message until you reflect on it later. It’s also rare that you’ll find a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that’s also a stay-up-late-at-night, can’t-put-this-down, lawd-let-me-get-some-sleep page turner, but The Bum Magnet will keep you gripped until the very end because characters are so engaging and real, and the story is filled with many unpredictable twists and turns. The Bum Magnet has, so far, been blamed for multiple sleepless nights and missed subway stops.
When you wrote Bum Magnet, what did you develop first–the plot or the characters? Why?
The characters definitely came first. The first person I heard was Charisse’s mother saying the first line of the book. After that I heard Charisse, the main character, and Nisey, her best friend. The men actually came later. Kevin, the FBI agent, wasn’t even planned in the initial “outline.” He came later and the book took a whole different direction from the one I planned. The characters ran the show–and for the best I believe. For me, writing is more like transcribing the little voices in my head. For some people, hearing voices would mean it’s time for medication and a trip to the psychiatrist. For me, it means a novel is about to be born.
What’s the main message you want readers to take away from The Bum Magnet?
When you find yourself repeating the same mistakes over and over again, whether it be in your relationships with men or in some other aspect of your life, at some point you really have to stop pointing fingers at other people and really look inside yourself to see what issue you’ve not dealt with. Being a bum magnet is usually just a symptom of deeper issue, for some women it’s a history of sexual abuse and for others it may be low self-esteem or something else. Find the root of your problem and deal with it so you can be happy and have healthy relationships.
Autumn is HERE, when you think of this season, what’s one memory that stands out?
Raking leaves…lots and lots and lots of leaves.
Complete this sentence, the best way to spend a beautiful, fall day is _____________________?
Taking the scenic route through the mountains and looking at all the beautiful colors in the trees. Where are my car keys?
How do you plan to spend your Thanksgiving holiday? Whether you cook or not, what’s on the menu?
I’ll be flying to Houston for my cousin’s wedding, but my family is from North Carolina–so you know we hook up a Thanksgiving dinner! There’s usually a turkey and honey ham, chicken casserole, green bean casserole, homemade macaroni and cheese, stuffing and gravy, collard greens, yams, potato salad, sweet potato pie, honey bun cake, rolls, and that’s the short list.
How would each of these individuals describe you:
Your spouse/significant other: Wishy-washy
Your BFF or a good girlfriend: a bum magnet lol
Your Boss: diligent
Your Kids: crazy
Your Parents: very crazy…but responsible
Describe the make/model and features of your dream car.
A self-cleaning black BMW 760 Li with a driver, mini-bar, latte maker, and helicopter propeller (to fly over rush hour traffic).
Name one thing that you wish you would receive this holiday season.
A 7-figure advance and 5-book deal from a major publishing house.
Karla, thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to hang out with APOOO!
Related Posts
APOOO is an online author and reader community dedicated to advancing African American literature. Our mission is to expose readers of all ages to a good book in any genre; to support African American authors, books, literary events and bookclubs; to provide marketing resources, tools and tips to authors; and, to promote literacy within the African American community.
Email this author | All posts by APOOO
Get New Posts via Email
I love this book cover, but I have to say I never realized it was fiction. Every time I saw the cover I thought it was a non-fiction book. Now I’m curious about the genre. What would you classify it as?
I love it. People talking in your head. I know that’s right and the thing is they won’t stop. You have to get them down on paper or something. They really come alive.
Rhonda,
Thanks so much for your comment. I tend to classify the genre as women’s fiction or contemporary women’s fiction. Most people call it chick lit because of the humor, but I think the story goes a little deeper than typical chick lit. The main character is on a quest for something more than the perfect shoe or handbag. It really is more of a romantic comedy but that’s a label we usually put on movies, not books. Maybe I’ll call it romantic comedy contemporary women’s fiction chick lit.
And my editor told me to put “A Novel” on the cover. Bonehead that I am, I didn’t remember until after the illustrator finalized the cover. So I get that comment quite often. A lot of folks think it’s non fiction
Hello Karla,
I was wondering while reading “The Bum Magnet”, if the main character Charisse is based primarily on yourself ? Secondly,do you now have a plan of how to “de-magnetize” yourself or help others with this? If so, what a great follow up book ???