Q: In June of this year, you wrote a blog article for BET Jazz that set off a bomb of discussion about your planned retirement from urban adult fiction. Is Pecking Order your final adult novel?

A: Yes it is, so please do enjoy it (smile). Basically, I’ve been writing urban adult fiction on every possible subject for sixteen straight years now. And when the well runs dry, the well runs dry. But many readers have only read three or four of my sixteen novels. So they’ll have plenty of catching up to do. And maybe, by the time that most readers are caught back up with me, I’ll finally have a few feature film deals in the can to inspire me to write some new urban stories.

Q: Sixteen novels in as many years of writing and publishing is an impressive track record? And all of your books have been different. As an author how do you continue to come up with new ideas to write about?

A: There’s a million ideas around us everyday that we all could write about, but the key is to find those particular topics that get us excited. Then you craft a story that would bring something new to your readers. Or at least that’s what I’ve tried to do. So I’ve always written about new subjects that keep my career moving forward. And this time the subject is business. Business has been the most important topic on my mind lately.

Q: But are you afraid that the details of Pecking Order may turn off some of your fiction fans who may not be as interested in making money as you are?

A: Great question! And that’s exactly why I’m retiring from urban adult fiction. Because if I can no longer write about subjects that are going to allow my audience-not only to read and enjoy what they’re reading, but-to come away with information that actually helps them in their real lives, then I have no more use to them as a writer. So to make it simple, if you are concerned about the state of your pocket book and your wallet, then Pecking Order is definitely the book for you. But if you only want to read a beach book that entertains you and teaches you nothing, then please buy Pecking Order as a great gift of inspiration and knowledge for those go-getters around you who are concerned about making money.