March 26, 2025 • 36 mins
Host Dr. Teresa A. Smith, Dr. TAS welcomes Suzetta Perkins to discuss the insider secrets to writing and publishing success.
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Follow Suzetta Perkins
Connect with Dr. TAS at Linktree Bio
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to this edition of Talk with Taz. I'm your host,
doctor Teresa Smith, doctor Tarz, and today we're going to
figure out how we can write. Everybody is writing, but
you know sometimes we feel like I don't know if
I can do it. Do I have to be this
person of that person or to become an author. Well,
(00:21):
today I have with me Suzetta Purpose. Now, Suzetta is
not new to writing. She has authored eighteen novels, Yes,
eighteen novels, and she's mentor. She's a mentor to aspiring
writers and she's a storyteller who brings real life struggles
(00:41):
to the page. So today take your pen out or
your phone out and take notes. You want to make
sure that you hear everything and capture it. So as
when you are writing you think oh I can't do it,
You've got someone who's there to mentor you through that process.
So today I want to welcome you to Talk with Tom.
(01:04):
Thank you, thank you, thank you. You know you hit
an incredible journey as an author and a mentor. Can
you share a moment when you faced a major obstacle
in your writing career and how you push through it.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I'm really searching back you know, I really think I
have had a fantabolyst time in writing, but I really
believe it was.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
When the pandemic hit.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
You know.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
And I've been writing for a good while at that time,
But when the pandemic hit, I guess all that was
going on, you know, with you know, uh, this disease,
this COVID and and you know, not knowing, you know,
losing a lot of relatives and and people that you know,
(01:58):
friends that you knew, and then the aftermath of George
Floyd's death happening in the same year three months almost
three months later. Well, no, it was even longer because
the pandemic had actually started.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
In twenty nineteen. I don't know, I just I couldn't write.
I really couldn't write. And this thing was really hurting me.
When I say.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Hurting me, you know, I just couldn't grasp you know what,
this pandemic because of course I had never lived through
a pandemic before, and I just, like, you know, I
couldn't write, even though I was at home for a
short period of time because then my boss, I worked
for the chancellor at the university at the time at
(02:41):
the time, and then I was brought back because of
you know, my role that I played at the university.
But even at that when, even when I went home,
I just couldn't write. But it wasn't until later in
that year of first part of twenty one that I
actually penned Fallen Leaves, which actually takes follows my main
(03:05):
character on her journey through the pandemic and the aftermath
of George Floyd's death and Gypsy not trying to get
into that particular story, but that resonates with me right now.
But Gypsy isn't me. She uh doesn't characterize anything that
(03:29):
I personally went through. But I wanted to get her
to feel or to portray some of the feelings I
may have had, you know, while I was out there,
you know, looking at the TV like so many of
us who were sitting at the t in front of
the TV every day, you know, and then they kept
giving the count and and you know, then then our
(03:52):
loved ones, you know, everybody posted on Facebook.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
You know, oh god, we don't lost so and so on.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
I mean people are at my age, know, and so
you know, that was a I would say, Teresa, that
for me was somewhat a depressing time. If I'm willing
to admit that for me, you know, and where my
reading my writing really kind of diminished some. You know,
even after it had kind of you know, slowed down some.
(04:21):
I didn't begin with the same zeal that I started with,
you know, but you know, thanks to God, I'm writing again.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
So that was it, the pandemic.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Well, you know, I thank you first of all since
that for being vulnerable with the audience, because sometimes, you know,
people look at us as authors and they think, oh,
it's just great. You know, they're just right right right,
and there's never that struggle. But you know, during that
time period, it impacted everyone differently. Yeah, as storytellers, we
(04:55):
have to be able. I believe we have to be
able to connect. I know, if I'm going to say
this the right way, we have to be able to
connect with ourself internally in.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Order to bring that story forward. So I'm out of balance.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
I can't write the way I would normally write a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
But I may look at that and say, what is that?
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Because I'm not able to connect with myself and then
boryteller to then be.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Able to connect with my characters.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
So you've just showed us even though you've got eighteen novels.
Writing a book is no easy feat. So I would
you give to someone who started writing but it's struggling
to finish what.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
I tell because I do on Tuesday nights through my church,
I have a group that I've established called Literary Ink,
And what I do is I help guide aspiring writers
to a book all the way to publishing, you know,
and basically you know, if you have My first thing
(06:08):
is if you have an idea before I even go
to the fundamentals, because writing is has you know, it's
mechanics to writing, and so I go through all that
because those are the things that are important, you know,
when they start writing, so that they they are given
the skills or the knowledge of what to how to
(06:29):
start out, how to place it on the paper, you know,
when you're typing that is, you know, dialogue settings, all
of those things. But my first thing is to write.
If you have a story that is embolden within you,
you know, write That is my first thing, right get
(06:49):
you know, even if it's not in a particular order
that you might write the book, get it down on paper,
computer your computer, of course, you know, I'll just say
on paper.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Because of talking.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
About writing but get it down right, right, right right,
and then you can organize, go back and organize later,
you know. But even now with a new group I'm
working with, most of them are writing autobiographies, you know,
in some form of fashion. But you know they have
(07:26):
maybe uh, set about writing, giving yourself some topics that
you want to write from, and then write within those
topics what you want to say, and then you can
you know, when you are ready to sit down and write,
you have a framework from which to write your stories.
And that's basically for nonfiction, you know, for fiction novels.
(07:49):
Because I am a fiction writer and me I have
a story.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
In my head.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
I don't outline. A lot of people outline. I'm not
an outliner. I have what I call a pyramid, a beginning,
of middle, and an end, and I set about, you know,
plotting that even though my end changes sometimes two or
three four times, you know, but just kind of plot
out what you want want to want to write if
(08:19):
you kind of know, have a title within your head.
Put the title, because titles for me, Harry helps me
to carry my story.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Ben make a thing. What is the theme of your book?
Speaker 1 (08:34):
You know, you may not know the whole story uh
in the beginning, because I don't always know the story.
I'm typing and I get an epiphany and I'm like,
oh my god, yes, yes this goes Oh my goodness, yes, yes, yes,
and those things happen.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Or I may change.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Something about a character to really make boost the story,
and I'd have readers.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
To say, girl, why did you do that too? I
remember my first book, why did you do that? To Angelica?
Speaker 2 (09:04):
I said, girl, I have done my work because I
have got the reader to, uh, to react in a
certain way. And that's what an author's job is. You know,
you you're enticing the reader to either like or dislike.
You know, I like the antagonists, dislike the pro no
(09:26):
like the protagonists, dislike the antagonists, or you know, you
can even switch it around, you know, because you are
the massive manipulator of your story, you know, and so
so you know, maybe Jock categories things that you really
want to see happen within your story if you have forethought,
you know. So that's another suggestion, But write down if
(09:49):
you can have a title, your theme of your story,
a plot, you know that that'll help you to get going,
you know, at least even if you don't know the
full story, you have an idea where you want to
go with your story.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Well, you know, so now you've talked about the craft,
why it is a craft, and you know sometimes aspiring
writers think it's just storytelling. Yes, you know, it's just
that you know, it's just a purely talent based But
you've just talked about that craft.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
That happened with that.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
So what are some common mistakes that say new writers
may make and how can they improve their skills? Because
you talked about things that are part of the craft.
But what are some of the common mistakes and a
possible solution for a new writer?
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Okay, oh god, there's so many.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
I have a list of forty common mistakes that writers make,
you know, and that's what my my publisher gave me, well,
gave all of us under her wing. You know, this
this thing, you know, and I'm like, and I still
use that to this day. I use it with my folks.
But first of all, is that you know the scene. Okay,
(11:12):
the scene? First of all, No, let me start here.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Okay, your very first page, or your your opening or
what have you. You got to hook, you gotta hook,
you got to grab the reader.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Okay, Because a reader.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
If the story and good and it's not sounding you know,
it's not encouraging them for to keep on reading. Okay,
they're going to shut the book. Your first hundred words.
You got to sell your story, okay, your first hundred words.
The other things, the real small practical things. I want
to say it because I think they're important.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Is that you know you have to when you well,
for if you want to get it published, and and
you're looking for a mainstream published sure, I always say,
you know you're set your page up. Okay, I use
most most everyone uses word okay, word, I use word uh.
(12:10):
Double space because when the person is typesetting that that's
how they want it, you know, wanted to want to
receive it even at Amazon and those you know double
space one inch margin around. Have a dictionary, a thesaurus, pencil, note,
(12:34):
little notes so you can jot down things. Those are
the first those simple things that I suggest or tell
my writers.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
You know you need to have that. And someone shared
that with me. A fasario is because you know you
don't want to use the same word twenty times. You
know there's other ways of saying the same thing or
using that. That's why the thesaaris, the dictionary, even though
many of our computers are most all of our programs
word whatever you're using, have a spelling a spell checker,
(13:07):
although spell checker doesn't always catch it.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Or you know, there's synonyms and this things. You know,
and you spelled mal m A I L, but then.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
There's l M A L E. You know, there's so
many interchangeable words. And then again depending on your dialect,
the dialect that you're utilizing, you need to stay whatever
dialect your character is utilizing, you need to stay within
that dialect. Okay, she they can't be hood over here
(13:42):
and then they speaking to King James English over there.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
One big thing I have is and I think I'm
going off the off the off the what you're asking me,
but I do want to get it while it's in
my head.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
I always forget if I don't say it now.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Characterization do character profiles, okay, And I guess when I
start saying talking about the heavy well character profiles. When
my character profiles, I do a psychological, physiological, and sociological
aspect of my characters. Okay, even though you don't make
(14:21):
you may not utilize all of those things that you
put down on paper. This is basically for your main characters.
I need to know what their height, where their way.
I mean, they may not be important, but they may
be important to this story. You know, what hair color,
how they wear their hair, what color eyes they have.
(14:42):
You can't be blue eyes here and brown eyes over
there unless you've got contact lenses.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
And you gotta tell us that.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Okay, even their their their parents, who their parents are,
what their religious affiliation is? Uh?
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Sisters, brothers know?
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Anyway, Oh, those kind of different things, you know, do
what kind of food do they like?
Speaker 3 (15:06):
I would sit down.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I remember sitting down with my daughter and son in
law one time, and I was asking them to help
me with a character that lived in Alabama, and my
son in law that's where he's from. And so anyway,
I was talking about something fetichini or whatever. He said, Mom,
(15:27):
they're gonna eat chicken and chicken and mac and cheese.
I said, you are right, but those things are you know?
And yeah, you got to think about those things, you know.
And then if you're writing historical fiction or a period piece,
I'll put it like that. Okay, if you're writing in
nineteen twenty age, the story I'm actually reading now. You
(15:48):
can't have a cell phone in nineteen twenty Acrese, cell
phones weren't out. Everything has to even if it's fiction,
it has to match up, you know. Okay, Beyonce wasn't
out in nineteen fifty two. You can't have a nineteen
fifty two props and Beyonce singing when Beyonce wasn't even
born in nineteen fifty two.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Okay. Those kinds of those kind of small things, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
They're not small really, and setting setting happens to be
a part of that.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
I know.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
I'm working with one of my writers now, you know.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
Who was born during the sixties, I guess you know, sixties,
early sixties, and in her piece because she's doing an
autobiography and she brings in a moment where doctor King
actually shows up.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
She was there when he shows up in her street.
She's from Mississippi, Okay, okay, in that period time period, yes,
and he actually was there, And so setting and the
scene really they can even become characters and they are
important to the story because you're letting the reader know, Okay,
(17:00):
this is in the nineteen sixties, Okay, when he marched.
You know, if you show things about that happened to
these characters during those time periods.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
You know.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
But other than that, the one thing that I have
to say, getting back to your topic, is that the
over use of certain words. And I had to learn this,
you know, because it is when you're brand when you're
a brand new author, you don't know all of these things, okay,
but the word just because very adverbs.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
You know, over use of those words.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
In fact, my I remember my publisher said, you put
just two hundred and fifty something times in this story.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
I'm like, no, I didn't. But then when I went
and looked it up, I'm like, oh my god.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
You know, replace it, but only or rewrite the sentence,
because because what Okay, there's there. You you said something?
Did it happened because of something? But just tell us
what it is.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
You know.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
The other thing is that a lot of writers they
just tell us instead of showing. In fiction, you got
to show, not tell the story by showing, you know,
you show.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
The action of the action.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
The showing or yeah, showing is action. It moves the
story forward. It uh uh And Deer's you know, uh
a reader to the story. And like for me, you know,
I like movement in my story. I want you okay,
you know, like I hate to say it. Like our
friend Tpe, you know, he can have a character and
(18:37):
I think on this particular show was on tonight, the
person been pregnant for three seasons. Okay, let's move, let's
move the story forward. You know that kind of thing.
But that's what show showing does. You're telling you when
you're telling the story. There's things that you're gonna tell,
but show us when you move.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
When I when.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
I have somebody to get a cup of water, let's say,
or go to the seat, I will map that out
myself to see what they go through.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
You know, if that is important to the story. You
don't have to.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Tell everything you know and description, you know, give us
a little description.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
We need to see what the character looks like.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
You know.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
That's why I talked about that character profile thing. We
need to see what the character look out.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
When you introduce a character, you don't have to give
everything in the very beginning, you know, when the first
character first shows.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
But we need to see something, you know, to like.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
People say, girl, honey, I love so and so that
is my I said, No, I wrote that.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Character from me. You know that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
You would listen those kinds of conversations and so forth.
And there was one thing that was just move right
out of my head that I thought that was really important.
M Oh, there's so many, so many things, you know,
even like how.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
You write, you're.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
The titles of books and songs and things like that,
and the use of them within the story. You know,
there's those you know, those things that have to be
presented to a new writer so that they understand what
they can use and what they can't use, you know,
because you don't want them to you know, be close
(20:24):
to pleasiarism, you know.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
Because I do.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
I like to listen to songs, but I just maybe
use a peek, just a little tag piece out of
it and give that recording artists they are, whoever, whatever
it is.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
I give them their props, you know, within the story.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
But there's only so much you can do, you know,
without getting permission, which you have to pay a fee for,
you know, license for to utilize their work. And that's
what I do. Like I have a point in one
of my books, I think it is in Fall and
Leaves and what I do the person I have known,
but I do contracts, you know, and I paid that
(21:01):
person for the use of.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Their uh, their work. But there's there.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Like I said, there are so many things go I
can just keep going on and on, but I don't
want to get bogged down and sharing all those things. Well,
thank you Suce that because I think that you gave
the aspiring writer, that person who's trying to go from.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
An idea to actually getting started.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
You really provided a framework of things that they need
to consider. So we wanted to start writing, but after
you've written, you provided really it almost becomes like a
checklist that they can then use to look what to
evaluate what they've written, and to begin to.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
Ootify what they've written. And guys, you know we say written,
We mean you can write, but what the what you've written.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Then you can start to evaluate and rewrite right that
the kind the mistakes and how you bring it back
to people's mind and then how you modify that.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
I think that was a good piece that folks have
gotten there. Now when we we we.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Understand that we're writing, we know what we need to
check to make sure that we've done properly. Do you
have an ideal writing routine that you use yourself.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
And So what does that look like for you.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
A writing routine. Well, for me, I used to when
I was working. After I would get home and get
my family settled, you know, then I would I'd go
to my space that I you know, I had cornered
off as my little office space, and I would go
to writing and I one of my suggestions is that
(22:52):
you do it at the same time every day.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
Do it, you know, do go get.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Your charish, you know, and you sit. You carve out
that space, that space and time for you to do it.
I think that is, you know, one of the role
the most helpful thing you know that you can because
that forms habits, a good habit, and you will continue
and you don't won't get uh I'm talking.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
I got a mental block, you know, the writer's block.
When I'm writers blocked, you know, you won't get it.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
So often.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
I hardly ever get it because I'm my head is
it's I don't know, my wheels are always turning, you know,
I have this thing in my head. And that's why
I always kept a recorder a piece of paper or
something always beside me, because ideas would come, you know,
and I left them on you know, you know, marked
(23:53):
down or whatever, that I would lose them, you know,
And so I always had these ideas and sometimes I
was were flowing with ideas, you know.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
But really establish a place that is yours, that you
can go to and that you can write. I think
that that is very, very important, and I agree with that.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
But you said something just a moment agost Is that
about a recorder. I think you said a recorder, And yes,
you said you had a pad, but you said you
had a recorder. But you talked about the book that
you wrote in the aftermath. I think you said it
was Fallen Leaves, Yes, the aftermath of the pandemic and
(24:38):
George Floyd. So we know that you like to in
a weed real world events into your stories. So how
do you make them engaging and relatable? Because that's not
an easy task to do Because I look at the
(25:00):
pandemic and that impacted people on so many different levels.
Then we look at the death of George Floyd. There's
so many different perspectives about what occurred there. So how
do you make the real life events that you include
in your stories relatable and engaging without I'm just gonna
(25:22):
be honest, without being offensive.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
How do you do that.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Well, well, let's take following these Uh for example, we all,
as you said, we were all I hate to use
the word, but I'm gonna say it, benefactors of that Okay,
of that time period. You know, we all live through it,
you know, so you know how you felt, you know,
(25:47):
what went on with you as you navigated through you know,
the pandemic, you know, and so that's what you know,
even though again I didn't go through what my character,
but she had some of some of the feelings that
I had, you know, the feelings of anger and wanting to,
(26:10):
you know, do something about it. But I you know,
I couldn't, you know. So you know, I had these
first responders. I took real life and I do a
lot of social bring social issues and current events and
so forth into my stories, and I just make them
that person, that character's own, you know. Uh, the aftermath
of George Floyd, Yes, you know, we were all sitting
(26:32):
there and sitting there in front of the TV. And
I don't know how many times people who have said that,
So my character was sitting in front of the TV.
You know, I made it her story. You know, she
was sitting in front of the TV when it happened,
the things that happened, and so, in fact, this particular
story began in Fabele, North Carolina, which is where I live,
(26:54):
and show all the things that happened. You know, I'm
chronicling all the things, all the march, just all the
things that happened in front of Devil State where I worked,
and all of that.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
You know, I chronicled those things. Okay, And so guess
what SO did so did Gypsy?
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Okay, my character she experienced the same things that I
knew about. And I'm you know, not in fact, I said,
in fact, I said, well I was writing this, I said, well, okay,
I didn't go to the marches, but I'm gonna have
Gypsy go to the marches, okay.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
And what I did was I looked, I went online
and got clips. You know, I have like a big binder.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
I use things like this, and I put all my
material on my research and and so forth, because even
if it's a fiction novel, you have to do research.
So I did, you know, went through and pulled out
the different things that happened around the city, clips, newspaper
clippings and what have you, things that happened around the city.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
And my character.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
She participated. Okay, she participated in those things, so it
was real like those people who who live in Fadville.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
I've read my.
Speaker 6 (28:00):
Book, like girl, I remember this, I remember that thing,
you know, and that's what you know, and dearest people
to a story, you know, like God, I remember this,
and blah blah blah.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
In fact, that story even goes well because of the character.
I wanted to really uplift her, you know. And so
she goes even to the West coast, and I do
some things and some of them some of it is
made up, imagine because sure, because I'm trying to, you know,
get this story, this storyline from this person. But then
(28:33):
there are certain things, the elements that happened. I'm from Oakland, California,
so I use some things that I knew about.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
And I'm gonna tell you. People fact check to you. Okay.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
I got a person that said, girl, you have so much,
she said, but I fact check, fact check you are
only I said, yeo, girl, I did my homework. Okay,
I did my homework. But I wanted to put in
elevating this character.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
You know.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
I wanted to there be there to be some real
you know, and so having you know experienced it myself.
In fact, even in the second book, Black Diamond, I
take my character, that same character. Now she's anyway, I
don't want to give the story away, but anyway, she's
you know, another uh fantastic thing happens in her life,
(29:22):
you know. Anyway, I take her overseas. Okay, I took
the places I've been. Okay, I've been to all those
places and so forth.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Of course things have changed since I've been to in
that particular book to those in particular places. But what
I did, I did my research. I have pages and
pages of what you know, it's happened over there.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
And I did it also in terms of Black Lives Matter,
because if you recall, they were not only marching and
protesting in the United States, they were doing it.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
It was all over the world, you know, And so
I looked up those particular things. You know, had Gypsy.
You know, she's telling people.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
You know, she was from the.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
United States, and you know she worked with a you know,
Black Lives Matter movement, you know, people people of color
that she ran into it.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
Anyway, you'd have to, you have to, You'll have to
read it.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
But you know, uh, it opened up different avenues and
opened up different uh dial conversations, you know, because through
that I found out that in in Italy, I believe
it was uh it is, that there was a there's
a street renamed for George, renamed for George Floyd, and
(30:38):
then uh and Italian guy, Italian Afro guy who was
also the victim of police brutality there, and they named
that street for that person and George Floyd. So I
mentioned that in my story. You know, these things are real,
(31:01):
you know. I put realism in the story. But it
takes you know, like I said, research, you know, and
so forth, and so you know, people come up to me.
I just I did a book club in Charlotte this
past weekend, and there was a neighbor asking me some
of the same questions, but how did you get that name?
Speaker 3 (31:22):
Where did you?
Speaker 2 (31:22):
I said, well, I've been there, I've done that, you know,
and so you know. But but I weave it into
the story to make it the story real, you know,
and so forth. So now when I go I went
over I went to Italy last year, I went to Milan.
I've been all over million Italy. Uh before I lived
(31:45):
over in Europe for ten years. But anyway, I went
to Milan this time and and last year, and my
carton the third book in that series, which I'm writing now,
is one of the not the main character, but the
main character's niece who needed a story. In fact, from
(32:06):
one of the readers at this book club says, I
know you're writing the third book. Oh my god, this book.
Oh my goodness, you're writing the third book. And I said,
I am. I'm right really in the middle of it.
And she says, and it's I bet you. It's about Reese.
And because she needs her story. How about that's what
my story is about. So true, readers, if you have
(32:29):
hinder story and you have pended in such a way
that readers who you know, they they love your stuff,
they take to your stuff, They're gonna recognize what is
because I get I used to get from well she's
passed on there, but I get we get pages from
people readers say Okay, this is girl, this should happen
(32:50):
in this next book, this should happen, and blah blah
blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Then I said, okay, it is Those are things are
encouraging to me, and that lets me know that I'm
doing a good job.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
That I'm getting the reader. I'm maintaining a reader. You know,
just like a show, you know, or a movie or whatever.
You know, they have a sequel. Okay, you you want
to write well enough that you know they'll come on back,
you know, for a second cup, you know, so to speak.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
So that's what I do.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
I I pour out and I do research that will
encompass whatever it is that I'm trying to convey in
a story.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
Well, Sin that you know, you have helped us to
understand that if you are an aspiring author, aspiring writer.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
You need to contact Suzanda Perkins.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
She has mentioned many authors, including a girl Scout who's
on her way to being published.
Speaker 4 (33:50):
So, Susan, how can people reach out to you so
they can seek you for mentorship and how can they
get your books?
Speaker 3 (33:59):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Well, I first of all, my email is an email.
I actually I have a website and they can see
on the website. But because I had so many erroneous
and crazy uh people to contact me, you know, it
(34:22):
was crazy, I took that link off of my email.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
I mean my.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Website, you know, but they can look and see about
me on Sosetta Perkins dot com. That's my website. My
email is in U B I A n q E
two at aol dot com. And of course I'm on
Facebook at Suzetta Perkins.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
I'm on I don't even really look at the Twitter
that much anymore, but I'm an author Sue on Twitter
and Instagram on just sin is that of Perkins?
Speaker 4 (35:04):
And your books are available on your website and on Amazon.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Well they can, well, they can go to my website
and I have links that will take them directly to Amazon.
Speaker 4 (35:14):
Okay, alrighty then, well guys.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Since Thata Perkins has been our guests today on Talk
of Todz, she has a wealth of knowledge to help
the aspiring writer to start their path to publishing. So
she's provided her contact information, so please reach out to her.
And before you go taking care of someone else, please
make sure you take care of yourself first. If I
(35:40):
can help you with your content creation, you know, I'm
an editor. I added many different documents, not just books,
so even simple letters that have to be written a
certain way, so there's no document that is not too
small of a document to be edited. Because you want
to always make sure you put your best foot forward,
(36:01):
So reach out to me if you need.
Speaker 4 (36:03):
Those sources of services.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
And also if you'd like to get your message out,
please contact me for an interview. I have folks who
follow me all around the globe and we want to
get your message out to the masses. So again, before
you go trying to take care of someone else, please
make sure you take care of yourself first.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
By now
Welcome to this edition of Talk with Taz. I'm your host,
doctor Teresa Smith, doctor Tarz, and today we're going to
figure out how we can write. Everybody is writing, but
you know sometimes we feel like I don't know if
I can do it. Do I have to be this
person of that person or to become an author. Well,
(00:21):
today I have with me Suzetta Purpose. Now, Suzetta is
not new to writing. She has authored eighteen novels, Yes,
eighteen novels, and she's mentor. She's a mentor to aspiring
writers and she's a storyteller who brings real life struggles
(00:41):
to the page. So today take your pen out or
your phone out and take notes. You want to make
sure that you hear everything and capture it. So as
when you are writing you think oh I can't do it,
You've got someone who's there to mentor you through that process.
So today I want to welcome you to Talk with Tom.
(01:04):
Thank you, thank you, thank you. You know you hit
an incredible journey as an author and a mentor. Can
you share a moment when you faced a major obstacle
in your writing career and how you push through it.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I'm really searching back you know, I really think I
have had a fantabolyst time in writing, but I really
believe it was.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
When the pandemic hit.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
You know.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
And I've been writing for a good while at that time,
But when the pandemic hit, I guess all that was
going on, you know, with you know, uh, this disease,
this COVID and and you know, not knowing, you know,
losing a lot of relatives and and people that you know,
(01:58):
friends that you knew, and then the aftermath of George
Floyd's death happening in the same year three months almost
three months later. Well, no, it was even longer because
the pandemic had actually started.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
In twenty nineteen. I don't know, I just I couldn't write.
I really couldn't write. And this thing was really hurting me.
When I say.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Hurting me, you know, I just couldn't grasp you know what,
this pandemic because of course I had never lived through
a pandemic before, and I just, like, you know, I
couldn't write, even though I was at home for a
short period of time because then my boss, I worked
for the chancellor at the university at the time at
(02:41):
the time, and then I was brought back because of
you know, my role that I played at the university.
But even at that when, even when I went home,
I just couldn't write. But it wasn't until later in
that year of first part of twenty one that I
actually penned Fallen Leaves, which actually takes follows my main
(03:05):
character on her journey through the pandemic and the aftermath
of George Floyd's death and Gypsy not trying to get
into that particular story, but that resonates with me right now.
But Gypsy isn't me. She uh doesn't characterize anything that
(03:29):
I personally went through. But I wanted to get her
to feel or to portray some of the feelings I
may have had, you know, while I was out there,
you know, looking at the TV like so many of
us who were sitting at the t in front of
the TV every day, you know, and then they kept
giving the count and and you know, then then our
(03:52):
loved ones, you know, everybody posted on Facebook.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
You know, oh god, we don't lost so and so on.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
I mean people are at my age, know, and so
you know, that was a I would say, Teresa, that
for me was somewhat a depressing time. If I'm willing
to admit that for me, you know, and where my
reading my writing really kind of diminished some. You know,
even after it had kind of you know, slowed down some.
(04:21):
I didn't begin with the same zeal that I started with,
you know, but you know, thanks to God, I'm writing again.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
So that was it, the pandemic.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Well, you know, I thank you first of all since
that for being vulnerable with the audience, because sometimes, you know,
people look at us as authors and they think, oh,
it's just great. You know, they're just right right right,
and there's never that struggle. But you know, during that
time period, it impacted everyone differently. Yeah, as storytellers, we
(04:55):
have to be able. I believe we have to be
able to connect. I know, if I'm going to say
this the right way, we have to be able to
connect with ourself internally in.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Order to bring that story forward. So I'm out of balance.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
I can't write the way I would normally write a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
But I may look at that and say, what is that?
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Because I'm not able to connect with myself and then
boryteller to then be.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Able to connect with my characters.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
So you've just showed us even though you've got eighteen novels.
Writing a book is no easy feat. So I would
you give to someone who started writing but it's struggling
to finish what.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
I tell because I do on Tuesday nights through my church,
I have a group that I've established called Literary Ink,
And what I do is I help guide aspiring writers
to a book all the way to publishing, you know,
and basically you know, if you have My first thing
(06:08):
is if you have an idea before I even go
to the fundamentals, because writing is has you know, it's
mechanics to writing, and so I go through all that
because those are the things that are important, you know,
when they start writing, so that they they are given
the skills or the knowledge of what to how to
(06:29):
start out, how to place it on the paper, you know,
when you're typing that is, you know, dialogue settings, all
of those things. But my first thing is to write.
If you have a story that is embolden within you,
you know, write That is my first thing, right get
(06:49):
you know, even if it's not in a particular order
that you might write the book, get it down on paper,
computer your computer, of course, you know, I'll just say
on paper.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Because of talking.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
About writing but get it down right, right, right right,
and then you can organize, go back and organize later,
you know. But even now with a new group I'm
working with, most of them are writing autobiographies, you know,
in some form of fashion. But you know they have
(07:26):
maybe uh, set about writing, giving yourself some topics that
you want to write from, and then write within those
topics what you want to say, and then you can
you know, when you are ready to sit down and write,
you have a framework from which to write your stories.
And that's basically for nonfiction, you know, for fiction novels.
(07:49):
Because I am a fiction writer and me I have
a story.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
In my head.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
I don't outline. A lot of people outline. I'm not
an outliner. I have what I call a pyramid, a beginning,
of middle, and an end, and I set about, you know,
plotting that even though my end changes sometimes two or
three four times, you know, but just kind of plot
out what you want want to want to write if
(08:19):
you kind of know, have a title within your head.
Put the title, because titles for me, Harry helps me
to carry my story.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Ben make a thing. What is the theme of your book?
Speaker 1 (08:34):
You know, you may not know the whole story uh
in the beginning, because I don't always know the story.
I'm typing and I get an epiphany and I'm like,
oh my god, yes, yes this goes Oh my goodness, yes, yes, yes,
and those things happen.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Or I may change.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Something about a character to really make boost the story,
and I'd have readers.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
To say, girl, why did you do that too? I
remember my first book, why did you do that? To Angelica?
Speaker 2 (09:04):
I said, girl, I have done my work because I
have got the reader to, uh, to react in a
certain way. And that's what an author's job is. You know,
you you're enticing the reader to either like or dislike.
You know, I like the antagonists, dislike the pro no
(09:26):
like the protagonists, dislike the antagonists, or you know, you
can even switch it around, you know, because you are
the massive manipulator of your story, you know, and so
so you know, maybe Jock categories things that you really
want to see happen within your story if you have forethought,
you know. So that's another suggestion, But write down if
(09:49):
you can have a title, your theme of your story,
a plot, you know that that'll help you to get going,
you know, at least even if you don't know the
full story, you have an idea where you want to
go with your story.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Well, you know, so now you've talked about the craft,
why it is a craft, and you know sometimes aspiring
writers think it's just storytelling. Yes, you know, it's just
that you know, it's just a purely talent based But
you've just talked about that craft.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
That happened with that.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
So what are some common mistakes that say new writers
may make and how can they improve their skills? Because
you talked about things that are part of the craft.
But what are some of the common mistakes and a
possible solution for a new writer?
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Okay, oh god, there's so many.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
I have a list of forty common mistakes that writers make,
you know, and that's what my my publisher gave me, well,
gave all of us under her wing. You know, this
this thing, you know, and I'm like, and I still
use that to this day. I use it with my folks.
But first of all, is that you know the scene. Okay,
(11:12):
the scene? First of all, No, let me start here.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Okay, your very first page, or your your opening or
what have you. You got to hook, you gotta hook,
you got to grab the reader.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Okay, Because a reader.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
If the story and good and it's not sounding you know,
it's not encouraging them for to keep on reading. Okay,
they're going to shut the book. Your first hundred words.
You got to sell your story, okay, your first hundred words.
The other things, the real small practical things. I want
to say it because I think they're important.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Is that you know you have to when you well,
for if you want to get it published, and and
you're looking for a mainstream published sure, I always say,
you know you're set your page up. Okay, I use
most most everyone uses word okay, word, I use word uh.
(12:10):
Double space because when the person is typesetting that that's
how they want it, you know, wanted to want to
receive it even at Amazon and those you know double
space one inch margin around. Have a dictionary, a thesaurus, pencil, note,
(12:34):
little notes so you can jot down things. Those are
the first those simple things that I suggest or tell
my writers.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
You know you need to have that. And someone shared
that with me. A fasario is because you know you
don't want to use the same word twenty times. You
know there's other ways of saying the same thing or
using that. That's why the thesaaris, the dictionary, even though
many of our computers are most all of our programs
word whatever you're using, have a spelling a spell checker,
(13:07):
although spell checker doesn't always catch it.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Or you know, there's synonyms and this things. You know,
and you spelled mal m A I L, but then.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
There's l M A L E. You know, there's so
many interchangeable words. And then again depending on your dialect,
the dialect that you're utilizing, you need to stay whatever
dialect your character is utilizing, you need to stay within
that dialect. Okay, she they can't be hood over here
(13:42):
and then they speaking to King James English over there.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
One big thing I have is and I think I'm
going off the off the off the what you're asking me,
but I do want to get it while it's in
my head.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
I always forget if I don't say it now.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Characterization do character profiles, okay, And I guess when I
start saying talking about the heavy well character profiles. When
my character profiles, I do a psychological, physiological, and sociological
aspect of my characters. Okay, even though you don't make
(14:21):
you may not utilize all of those things that you
put down on paper. This is basically for your main characters.
I need to know what their height, where their way.
I mean, they may not be important, but they may
be important to this story. You know, what hair color,
how they wear their hair, what color eyes they have.
(14:42):
You can't be blue eyes here and brown eyes over
there unless you've got contact lenses.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
And you gotta tell us that.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Okay, even their their their parents, who their parents are,
what their religious affiliation is? Uh?
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Sisters, brothers know?
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Anyway, Oh, those kind of different things, you know, do
what kind of food do they like?
Speaker 3 (15:06):
I would sit down.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I remember sitting down with my daughter and son in
law one time, and I was asking them to help
me with a character that lived in Alabama, and my
son in law that's where he's from. And so anyway,
I was talking about something fetichini or whatever. He said, Mom,
(15:27):
they're gonna eat chicken and chicken and mac and cheese.
I said, you are right, but those things are you know?
And yeah, you got to think about those things, you know.
And then if you're writing historical fiction or a period piece,
I'll put it like that. Okay, if you're writing in
nineteen twenty age, the story I'm actually reading now. You
(15:48):
can't have a cell phone in nineteen twenty Acrese, cell
phones weren't out. Everything has to even if it's fiction,
it has to match up, you know. Okay, Beyonce wasn't
out in nineteen fifty two. You can't have a nineteen
fifty two props and Beyonce singing when Beyonce wasn't even
born in nineteen fifty two.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Okay. Those kinds of those kind of small things, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
They're not small really, and setting setting happens to be
a part of that.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
I know.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
I'm working with one of my writers now, you know.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
Who was born during the sixties, I guess you know, sixties,
early sixties, and in her piece because she's doing an
autobiography and she brings in a moment where doctor King
actually shows up.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
She was there when he shows up in her street.
She's from Mississippi, Okay, okay, in that period time period, yes,
and he actually was there, And so setting and the
scene really they can even become characters and they are
important to the story because you're letting the reader know, Okay,
(17:00):
this is in the nineteen sixties, Okay, when he marched.
You know, if you show things about that happened to
these characters during those time periods.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
You know.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
But other than that, the one thing that I have
to say, getting back to your topic, is that the
over use of certain words. And I had to learn this,
you know, because it is when you're brand when you're
a brand new author, you don't know all of these things, okay,
but the word just because very adverbs.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
You know, over use of those words.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
In fact, my I remember my publisher said, you put
just two hundred and fifty something times in this story.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
I'm like, no, I didn't. But then when I went
and looked it up, I'm like, oh my god.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
You know, replace it, but only or rewrite the sentence,
because because what Okay, there's there. You you said something?
Did it happened because of something? But just tell us
what it is.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
You know.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
The other thing is that a lot of writers they
just tell us instead of showing. In fiction, you got
to show, not tell the story by showing, you know,
you show.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
The action of the action.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
The showing or yeah, showing is action. It moves the
story forward. It uh uh And Deer's you know, uh
a reader to the story. And like for me, you know,
I like movement in my story. I want you okay,
you know, like I hate to say it. Like our
friend Tpe, you know, he can have a character and
(18:37):
I think on this particular show was on tonight, the
person been pregnant for three seasons. Okay, let's move, let's
move the story forward. You know that kind of thing.
But that's what show showing does. You're telling you when
you're telling the story. There's things that you're gonna tell,
but show us when you move.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
When I when.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
I have somebody to get a cup of water, let's say,
or go to the seat, I will map that out
myself to see what they go through.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
You know, if that is important to the story. You
don't have to.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Tell everything you know and description, you know, give us
a little description.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
We need to see what the character looks like.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
You know.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
That's why I talked about that character profile thing. We
need to see what the character look out.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
When you introduce a character, you don't have to give
everything in the very beginning, you know, when the first
character first shows.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
But we need to see something, you know, to like.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
People say, girl, honey, I love so and so that
is my I said, No, I wrote that.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Character from me. You know that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
You would listen those kinds of conversations and so forth.
And there was one thing that was just move right
out of my head that I thought that was really important.
M Oh, there's so many, so many things, you know,
even like how.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
You write, you're.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
The titles of books and songs and things like that,
and the use of them within the story. You know,
there's those you know, those things that have to be
presented to a new writer so that they understand what
they can use and what they can't use, you know,
because you don't want them to you know, be close
(20:24):
to pleasiarism, you know.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
Because I do.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
I like to listen to songs, but I just maybe
use a peek, just a little tag piece out of
it and give that recording artists they are, whoever, whatever
it is.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
I give them their props, you know, within the story.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
But there's only so much you can do, you know,
without getting permission, which you have to pay a fee for,
you know, license for to utilize their work. And that's
what I do. Like I have a point in one
of my books, I think it is in Fall and
Leaves and what I do the person I have known,
but I do contracts, you know, and I paid that
(21:01):
person for the use of.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Their uh, their work. But there's there.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Like I said, there are so many things go I
can just keep going on and on, but I don't
want to get bogged down and sharing all those things. Well,
thank you Suce that because I think that you gave
the aspiring writer, that person who's trying to go from.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
An idea to actually getting started.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
You really provided a framework of things that they need
to consider. So we wanted to start writing, but after
you've written, you provided really it almost becomes like a
checklist that they can then use to look what to
evaluate what they've written, and to begin to.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
Ootify what they've written. And guys, you know we say written,
We mean you can write, but what the what you've written.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Then you can start to evaluate and rewrite right that
the kind the mistakes and how you bring it back
to people's mind and then how you modify that.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
I think that was a good piece that folks have
gotten there. Now when we we we.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Understand that we're writing, we know what we need to
check to make sure that we've done properly. Do you
have an ideal writing routine that you use yourself.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
And So what does that look like for you.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
A writing routine. Well, for me, I used to when
I was working. After I would get home and get
my family settled, you know, then I would I'd go
to my space that I you know, I had cornered
off as my little office space, and I would go
to writing and I one of my suggestions is that
(22:52):
you do it at the same time every day.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
Do it, you know, do go get.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Your charish, you know, and you sit. You carve out
that space, that space and time for you to do it.
I think that is, you know, one of the role
the most helpful thing you know that you can because
that forms habits, a good habit, and you will continue
and you don't won't get uh I'm talking.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
I got a mental block, you know, the writer's block.
When I'm writers blocked, you know, you won't get it.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
So often.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
I hardly ever get it because I'm my head is
it's I don't know, my wheels are always turning, you know,
I have this thing in my head. And that's why
I always kept a recorder a piece of paper or
something always beside me, because ideas would come, you know,
and I left them on you know, you know, marked
(23:53):
down or whatever, that I would lose them, you know,
And so I always had these ideas and sometimes I
was were flowing with ideas, you know.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
But really establish a place that is yours, that you
can go to and that you can write. I think
that that is very, very important, and I agree with that.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
But you said something just a moment agost Is that
about a recorder. I think you said a recorder, And yes,
you said you had a pad, but you said you
had a recorder. But you talked about the book that
you wrote in the aftermath. I think you said it
was Fallen Leaves, Yes, the aftermath of the pandemic and
(24:38):
George Floyd. So we know that you like to in
a weed real world events into your stories. So how
do you make them engaging and relatable? Because that's not
an easy task to do Because I look at the
(25:00):
pandemic and that impacted people on so many different levels.
Then we look at the death of George Floyd. There's
so many different perspectives about what occurred there. So how
do you make the real life events that you include
in your stories relatable and engaging without I'm just gonna
(25:22):
be honest, without being offensive.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
How do you do that.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Well, well, let's take following these Uh for example, we all,
as you said, we were all I hate to use
the word, but I'm gonna say it, benefactors of that Okay,
of that time period. You know, we all live through it,
you know, so you know how you felt, you know,
(25:47):
what went on with you as you navigated through you know,
the pandemic, you know, and so that's what you know,
even though again I didn't go through what my character,
but she had some of some of the feelings that
I had, you know, the feelings of anger and wanting to,
(26:10):
you know, do something about it. But I you know,
I couldn't, you know. So you know, I had these
first responders. I took real life and I do a
lot of social bring social issues and current events and
so forth into my stories, and I just make them
that person, that character's own, you know. Uh, the aftermath
of George Floyd, Yes, you know, we were all sitting
(26:32):
there and sitting there in front of the TV. And
I don't know how many times people who have said that,
So my character was sitting in front of the TV.
You know, I made it her story. You know, she
was sitting in front of the TV when it happened,
the things that happened, and so, in fact, this particular
story began in Fabele, North Carolina, which is where I live,
(26:54):
and show all the things that happened. You know, I'm
chronicling all the things, all the march, just all the
things that happened in front of Devil State where I worked,
and all of that.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
You know, I chronicled those things. Okay, And so guess
what SO did so did Gypsy?
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Okay, my character she experienced the same things that I
knew about. And I'm you know, not in fact, I said,
in fact, I said, well I was writing this, I said, well, okay,
I didn't go to the marches, but I'm gonna have
Gypsy go to the marches, okay.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
And what I did was I looked, I went online
and got clips. You know, I have like a big binder.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
I use things like this, and I put all my
material on my research and and so forth, because even
if it's a fiction novel, you have to do research.
So I did, you know, went through and pulled out
the different things that happened around the city, clips, newspaper
clippings and what have you, things that happened around the city.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
And my character.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
She participated. Okay, she participated in those things, so it
was real like those people who who live in Fadville.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
I've read my.
Speaker 6 (28:00):
Book, like girl, I remember this, I remember that thing,
you know, and that's what you know, and dearest people
to a story, you know, like God, I remember this,
and blah blah blah.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
In fact, that story even goes well because of the character.
I wanted to really uplift her, you know. And so
she goes even to the West coast, and I do
some things and some of them some of it is
made up, imagine because sure, because I'm trying to, you know,
get this story, this storyline from this person. But then
(28:33):
there are certain things, the elements that happened. I'm from Oakland, California,
so I use some things that I knew about.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
And I'm gonna tell you. People fact check to you. Okay.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
I got a person that said, girl, you have so much,
she said, but I fact check, fact check you are
only I said, yeo, girl, I did my homework. Okay,
I did my homework. But I wanted to put in
elevating this character.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
You know.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
I wanted to there be there to be some real
you know, and so having you know experienced it myself.
In fact, even in the second book, Black Diamond, I
take my character, that same character. Now she's anyway, I
don't want to give the story away, but anyway, she's
you know, another uh fantastic thing happens in her life,
(29:22):
you know. Anyway, I take her overseas. Okay, I took
the places I've been. Okay, I've been to all those
places and so forth.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Of course things have changed since I've been to in
that particular book to those in particular places. But what
I did, I did my research. I have pages and
pages of what you know, it's happened over there.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
And I did it also in terms of Black Lives Matter,
because if you recall, they were not only marching and
protesting in the United States, they were doing it.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
It was all over the world, you know, And so
I looked up those particular things. You know, had Gypsy.
You know, she's telling people.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
You know, she was from the.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
United States, and you know she worked with a you know,
Black Lives Matter movement, you know, people people of color
that she ran into it.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
Anyway, you'd have to, you have to, You'll have to
read it.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
But you know, uh, it opened up different avenues and
opened up different uh dial conversations, you know, because through
that I found out that in in Italy, I believe
it was uh it is, that there was a there's
a street renamed for George, renamed for George Floyd, and
(30:38):
then uh and Italian guy, Italian Afro guy who was
also the victim of police brutality there, and they named
that street for that person and George Floyd. So I
mentioned that in my story. You know, these things are real,
(31:01):
you know. I put realism in the story. But it
takes you know, like I said, research, you know, and
so forth, and so you know, people come up to me.
I just I did a book club in Charlotte this
past weekend, and there was a neighbor asking me some
of the same questions, but how did you get that name?
Speaker 3 (31:22):
Where did you?
Speaker 2 (31:22):
I said, well, I've been there, I've done that, you know,
and so you know. But but I weave it into
the story to make it the story real, you know,
and so forth. So now when I go I went
over I went to Italy last year, I went to Milan.
I've been all over million Italy. Uh before I lived
(31:45):
over in Europe for ten years. But anyway, I went
to Milan this time and and last year, and my
carton the third book in that series, which I'm writing now,
is one of the not the main character, but the
main character's niece who needed a story. In fact, from
(32:06):
one of the readers at this book club says, I
know you're writing the third book. Oh my god, this book.
Oh my goodness, you're writing the third book. And I said,
I am. I'm right really in the middle of it.
And she says, and it's I bet you. It's about Reese.
And because she needs her story. How about that's what
my story is about. So true, readers, if you have
(32:29):
hinder story and you have pended in such a way
that readers who you know, they they love your stuff,
they take to your stuff, They're gonna recognize what is
because I get I used to get from well she's
passed on there, but I get we get pages from
people readers say Okay, this is girl, this should happen
(32:50):
in this next book, this should happen, and blah blah
blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Then I said, okay, it is Those are things are
encouraging to me, and that lets me know that I'm
doing a good job.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
That I'm getting the reader. I'm maintaining a reader. You know,
just like a show, you know, or a movie or whatever.
You know, they have a sequel. Okay, you you want
to write well enough that you know they'll come on back,
you know, for a second cup, you know, so to speak.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
So that's what I do.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
I I pour out and I do research that will
encompass whatever it is that I'm trying to convey in
a story.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
Well, Sin that you know, you have helped us to
understand that if you are an aspiring author, aspiring writer.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
You need to contact Suzanda Perkins.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
She has mentioned many authors, including a girl Scout who's
on her way to being published.
Speaker 4 (33:50):
So, Susan, how can people reach out to you so
they can seek you for mentorship and how can they
get your books?
Speaker 3 (33:59):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Well, I first of all, my email is an email.
I actually I have a website and they can see
on the website. But because I had so many erroneous
and crazy uh people to contact me, you know, it
(34:22):
was crazy, I took that link off of my email.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
I mean my.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Website, you know, but they can look and see about
me on Sosetta Perkins dot com. That's my website. My
email is in U B I A n q E
two at aol dot com. And of course I'm on
Facebook at Suzetta Perkins.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
I'm on I don't even really look at the Twitter
that much anymore, but I'm an author Sue on Twitter
and Instagram on just sin is that of Perkins?
Speaker 4 (35:04):
And your books are available on your website and on Amazon.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Well they can, well, they can go to my website
and I have links that will take them directly to Amazon.
Speaker 4 (35:14):
Okay, alrighty then, well guys.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Since Thata Perkins has been our guests today on Talk
of Todz, she has a wealth of knowledge to help
the aspiring writer to start their path to publishing. So
she's provided her contact information, so please reach out to her.
And before you go taking care of someone else, please
make sure you take care of yourself first. If I
(35:40):
can help you with your content creation, you know, I'm
an editor. I added many different documents, not just books,
so even simple letters that have to be written a
certain way, so there's no document that is not too
small of a document to be edited. Because you want
to always make sure you put your best foot forward,
(36:01):
So reach out to me if you need.
Speaker 4 (36:03):
Those sources of services.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
And also if you'd like to get your message out,
please contact me for an interview. I have folks who
follow me all around the globe and we want to
get your message out to the masses. So again, before
you go trying to take care of someone else, please
make sure you take care of yourself first.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
By now
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