All the Buzz

Hello ladies! Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. I have to tell you, Tryin’ To Sleep In The Bed You Made is my absolute favorite novel of all time. I’ve re-read it many times. It was actually one of the first African American novels I purchased. I was so excited to find out that people who look like me actually wrote stories about people who look like me. LOL

Now that my gushing is out of the way, LOL, let’s get started with the interview.

When you published Tryin’ to Sleep In The Bed You Made, did you intend to write a sequel to it, or did this come about as a result of your fans asking for more?

From the moment Tryin’ was published, readers wanted more. They told us how much they cared about the characters and wanted to know what happened next in their lives. People connected with Pat, Gayle, and Marcus—their challenges, triumphs, and their friendship. Such strong identification with a character and their situation is the highest compliment you can give an author, but it’s terrifying when it comes to writing a continuation of their story! Having ten years pass meant there was time for new situations to develop, and children to have grown into young adults. It gave us lots of new material to explore, so we decided to dive in.

How in sync are you when it comes to writing your novels? Do you pretty much agree on all aspects or do you have to compromise on certain aspects?

When we are in the initial talking stages we bring our very different points of view to the story and the characters we are developing—and this stage can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. But by the time we have reached the writing part, we have found the common ground—what we both believe is the right direction and that outline becomes our roadmap. Compromise, trust, understanding and honesty are crucial to our friendship and to our writing process—neither would work without those elements solidly in place. If we reach a point of disagreement while we are writing, we go back to the talking stage and that usually solves the issue. If it doesn’t (and this happens rarely) we always go with whoever’s gut is in it the most—the one with the strongest feelings and we can always tell which one of us that is.

How difficult is it for you to co-author a story living in separate cities?

When we are writing, Donna (who is married) moves in with Virginia (who is not). And depending on the nearness of a deadline she either spends all week there and goes home on weekends, or stays for the duration with an occasional visit home or an occasional visit from her husband.

What is your main reason for writing – to inspire, entertain, educate, or all three?

All three. Sometimes we choose to write about issues because we hear them discussed regularly—like what constitutes cheating in a relationship. Other times we choose topics we haven’t heard anyone mention—like eating disorders in adult women. We try not to be preachy. We just want to show how someone can be affected by a particular problem, and hopefully find ways to overcome it. There’s no question that life is hard—harder for some than for others, and having enough is critical to our wellbeing, but stuff doesn’t bring you happiness—not real joy. oh, we all find momentary pleasure in things, but the real feeling of joy comes from within—from realizing the good things we do have like --- family, friends, health, or simply another day!

Bulimia is not something often discussed in the African American community, at least to my limited knowledge. What was your purpose in having Gayle afflicted with this disorder?

We are always interested in exploring health issues, particularly those that supposedly don’t affect “us”—the African American community. Also, eating disorders are typically thought of as affecting teens and young women, but there are a growing number of more mature women, dealing with the pressures of family, career and staying youthful and slim, who are affected. Whether it is bulimia, or binge eating, there are a lot of us who use food emotionally. Food abuse is an issue that Donna has struggled with during her life—at least since fifth grade, when she started hiding boxes of Drake’s Cakes in her desk drawer at home so she could eat them without anyone knowing. Our aim is always to get people talking, particularly about issues that make us ashamed. Shame keeps us silent, and silence makes us powerless.

In Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made, Gayle went through a lot of shattering, life altering events, and although with Pat’s help she was able to pick up the pieces and begin to take control of her life, there was no indication that she dealt with the emotional scars, or her guilt at having put her daughter Vanessa through so much. Those pent up emotions have to come out somewhere, but she was trying so hard to appear strong and in control of her life. In Gotta Keep on Tryin’ we had Gayle use food to “choke back” her emotions, to stay in control. But she had always been slim—she used to tease Pat about her weight. She has no interest in appearing fat, so the binge and purge cycle began. Bulimia fit the character, so we went with it.

We were curious how this aspect of the story would be received. So far, we have had both women and men who have acknowledged seeing themselves in Gayle’s struggle.

Are any of the characters in your novels based on people you know?

Readers would be surprised how little of our stories are actually autobiographical or based on folks in our lives. We are always asked which of us is which character—Pat and Gayle especially, and our answer is “neither and both.” Of course, we write from our collective and individual experiences, but we strive to stay away from directly taking from our lives—because that always involves other people too, and we don’t think the lives of our family and friends are fair game. So we use things like locations—cities, houses, apartments, some job experiences. Although we have been know to give a “shout out” by naming a minor character after a friend.

When you write, do you start with characters or plot?

We start by talking about what kind of story we want to tell. What are the themes and situations we want to explore? What sets the action in motion? Once the storyline begins to emerge, we start to shape the characters who will live in this “world.”

When readers read the last word of your novels, what do you hope they take away from it?

We want you to come away from one of our books feeling like you got a good story, feeling like you learned something or that you want to share something.

What has been the one most surprising thing about your literary journey so far?

That’s easy! Our success!! When you sit down to write, you’re never sure whether anyone will understand what you’re saying and want to follow along. You always wonder if readers will continue to want to read what you’re writing. The continued support of our readers is something we truly appreciate and never take for granted.

I think I read somewhere that the TiffiBags will soon be available for purchase. When and where can readers get them? I love bags and purses of all types, so I’m definitely looking forward to getting my own TiffiBag.

They are available on our website: http://deberrandgrant.com

What about the Ell doll and her books? Is that something you also plan to market? How did you come up with Ell and her adventures?

Ell Crawford was Virginia’s imaginary childhood friend, so when we were looking for a character, we chose her. And yes, we would like to explore Ell’s world, both through books and eventually a doll. We’ll keep you posted.

Tiffani was a real piece of work. Will she reap what she has sown in another novel?

We’re thinkin’ about bringing her back—so we’ll see...

What can your fans expect from this dynamic writing duo in the future.

What Doesn’t Kill You, our next novel, will be out January 2009.

Virginia and Donna, thank you again for taking time out of your busy schedule to “chat” with All the Buzz! I wish you continued success in all that you do!