Welcome to APOOO, Sabrina!

In 140 words or less, tell us a little about yourself.

Sabrina a former stand-up comedian and the best-selling author of “Have You Met Miss Jones? The Life and Loves of Radio’s Most Controversial Diva?” Sabrina was named 16^th on the list of 50 Top Black Women in Entertainment in Black Noir magazine. She has written cover stories for Essence, Heart and Soul and Black Elegance, been featured in Essence magazine and was the columnist to Black Elegance Magazine’s He Say/She Say column.  Sabrina co-hosted “The Morning Show” on 1600 WWRL and contributed to “Open Line”, “Week In Review” and “Wake-Up Club” on WRKS-FM. She has appeared on CNN’s Nancy Grace, BET’s “Meet The Faith”, “Tonight with Ed Gordon”, “Sharp Talk with Rev. Al Sharpton” and produced “Laughing, Lying and Signifying – the history of Black Comedy” on WBAI-FM.

Sabrina appeared on Lifetime Television’s Girl’s Night Out, where she wove her comedic skills around issues such as homelessness, foreign policy and spousal abuse. Sabrina got laughs and delivered the message. Sabrina appeared on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”, The Original Improv, Comedy Cellar, Stand Up New York and BET’s Comicview.

In 140 words or less, tell us why Kettle of Vultures would make a great addition to our personal library.

It’s about time that black literature shine a light on crazy black folks. Not crazy in the medical sense, but ‘crazy’ in the sense of people want the world to believe that they have both oars in the water. Joining the satirical sorority of Ishmael Reed and Zadie Smith, “A Kettle of Vultures” is a rare work in African-American satire, as the comic novel introduces characters, rarely seen in black literature. These are characters, we may know or may have heard of, but have rarely encountered. A “Kettle of Vultures” can also be distinguished in your personal library as characters of African descent are front and center and characters of other ethnic groups are comic support.

How did you come up with the title…Kettle of Vultures…Left Beak Marks On My Forehead?

Iris Chapman, the lead protagonist, is surrounded by predatory, vulture-like people, who are determined to mold her according to their own standards, instead of respecting who she is. The stress of their picking away may take it toll.

The cover is intriguing–did you have any input regarding the cover and how did you come up with it?

I had zero input other than to provide the designer to the story. I am fortunate to have a designer who ‘gets’ my satirical artistic vision. We did a couple of minor tweaks before the final cover was approved.

Tell us about the main characters in Kettle of Vultures.

1) Ms. Chickie, 80 year old, grandmother, who believes it her duty to offer her unique brand of advice

2) Iris Chapman, an image consultant with a questionable level of self-esteem.

3) Lee Artist, Iris’ mother, snobbish, delusion, determined to create Negro royalty

4) Achilles, Iris’ part time Muslim boyfriend

5) Tammy, Iris’ close friend and assistant, who is obsessed with multi-level marketing

6) Cleo, Iris’ close friend in New York City

7) Vernon, a New York City syndicated radio personality.

Victor, Iris’ self-absorbed, bad credit brother

How did you come up with the characters for Kettle of Vultures?

The characters were created in  three ways: 1) Influenced by members of my family, 2) People in my life and, 3) Who the characters told me that they were.

What are some of the main themes you portray in Kettle of Vultures?

Self-esteem

Internal and external conflict over hair texture, skin color

Religion

Race relations

Internal race relations

If you had to put Kettle of Vultures in a box, what genre would it be included in and who would be the target audience?

Genre: Humor, satire

Target Audience: Black women, Natural hair community, Hispanic women, Satire lovers of all races.

What advice can you give to writers who are looking to be published authors (one day)?

People who dream of becoming published authors often edit themselves before their words reach the page. Today, there are no barriers to being published, primarily with the online publishing companies that are available at a modest cost. Whether or not a publisher acquires your work, determine to tell your story, write everyday and never give up. Lastly, never seek approval outside of yourself.

What lessons have you learned about the publishing industry?

The publishing industry is a business. Once your manuscript is complete, the real work begins, as writers must work together with their publisher to make sure that the world know about your book.

Finish this sentence: In order to hone my writing skills, I would be honored to sit under Ishmael Reed’s tutelage. Ishmael Reed taught Richard Pryor how to create his onstage characters.

What can readers expect from you in the future? More satirical work. However, in June 2011, my book of erotic fiction ”The Man Whisperer” will be published.

Is there anything else you would like to share with APOOO readers?

Thank you for your invitation to share “A Kettle Of Vultures”. Please enjoy Kettle’s Book Trailer:

Please embrace the beauty inside of each of you, know that you are perfect as you are. Should anyone have any questions, feel free to email me: childhush@aol.com.

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