This interview was conducted by Tobias A. Fox of nHouse Publishing.

Fox: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

Brown: I grew up in Vauxhall, New Jersey all of my life. Reading and writing was always a major part of my life. I lived five houses down from the library and it was my second home when I was a kid. I loved to create characters in different stories since I was about six. I had a vivid imagination and I could make you believe the sky was purple when I told a story. My earliest influence was my Great Grandmother. She raised me to believe I could be anything and do anything but because I was an African-American female I had to work harder and never give up. And that is what I do, work hard and never give up.

Fox: Why do you write?

Brown: I write because it is fun and relaxing. When you are writing you can be anybody you want to be. You need to just let your imagination flow and stay focused. Once writing is not fun anymore, then it will not be the thing for me.

Fox: Briefly tell us about your latest novel.

Brown: My first novel, How Blind is Love...Really? Is based around the lives of two best friends who go through everything we all go through as teenagers. As a female who had plenty of friends, I saw a lot and experienced a lot and wanted to share it with youth today and give people my age a path to reminisce.

Fox: What genre do you categorize your literary work(s)?

Brown: As far as I am concerned it is just fiction but with today's title having street fiction as an option, I would categorize it as street fiction.

Fox: Although you write fiction are there any references to any real life situations? Did you have to do any research for your novel(s)?

Brown: All the situations in my book are capable of happening. My job as a writer was to write true to life fiction, something a person can read and say, "Yes, I have been through that," or no somebody who has. I didn't have any research to do on this book because ninety percent of it was something that I have lived or seen someone go through.

Fox: What made you go the independent route instead of a major publisher? Would you ever write for a major publishing house?

Brown: I was forced to go the independent route because no one wants to sign new writers or you have to pay an agent to get your work out there. That was hard for me to do because I feel that nobody knows me like me and to get an agent that might not shop my talents the way they should would have been a hinder rather then helpful. My dream is to write for a major publishing house because as we know, that is where the money is. I would have to have freedom over my writing like I do now before I will consider a move that big.

Fox: What do you hope to achieve with your literary work(s)? What do you hope readers will take away after reading your book(s)?

Brown: What I hoped to achieve was satisfaction of seeing my words in print. I wrote my book for fun but put tons of work into it to make it realistic and an easy read. I hope readers will take away that even best friends go through ups and downs and if you have a best friend that you are not speaking to, call them. The basis of the story is that life is to short, and no one knows his or her destiny.

Fox: What has been your feedback from readers?

Brown: I have been blessed to get back only positive feedback. I haven't met a person yet that didn't finish the book and it is 496 pages. They say they feel like the main character, Diamond, is talking directly to them.

Fox: What's next?

Brown: My next book is due in the fall of 2005. It is entitled, Me is Me. This book is about a lesbian girl who didn't choose that way of life that way of life chose her. She is incarcerated with my first character and tells her life story of how she got to jail and how she chose the rainbow style of life.

Fox: What was the last book you read?

Brown: The last book I read was No Ordinary Love: Selena's Revenge by Moody Holiday. My book club, One Mind Many Voices, read this book and it got all thumbs up from the group.

Fox: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your
writing?

Brown: My main hobby is writing but I also get a rush from working with the teens in my community. I feel they are our future, and if we as the older generation don't take time to get to know them as well as there wants and needs, this world is truly going to Hell in a hand basket. By talking to teens and dealing with them, helps my writing because I stay in touch with my young side.