Urban Reviews: Tell our
readers about Sin In Soul's Kitchen.
Andrew Oyé: Sin in Soul's Kitchen
is a dark tale about a young man's fight for creative freedom
while confronting love gone wrong in New York's art scene.
Thad wants soul music; Chelsea wants his soul. Building his
dream business and her dream relationship could prove to be a
nightmare.
Thad insists living happily ever after is a state of mind, and
he questions the state of Chelsea's mind. One is the jilted
lover, the other a jealous liar. As time goes on, it's hard to
tell who is which. Sin in Soul's Kitchen is a sexy,
psychological thriller that explores why men and women commit
sinister crimes of passion, do the most hateful things in the
name of love, and cook up schemes to punish one another when
sweet romance turns sour.
Urban Reviews: How did
you come up with the idea for this book?
Andrew Oyé: In the late 90's, Love Jones
– a film about the romantic trials of a struggling
photographer and a struggling writer – was the flick du jour
among the artsy set and middle-class moviegoers. Neo soul
music and poetry slams were all the rage. Folks were getting
downright cultural, and I was down with it all. I was also a
fan of Fatal Attraction, a film that had been released 10
years prior about an obsessed woman who terrorizes her lover.
I decided to write a novel that combined themes from the
aforementioned stories – to explore obsessive insanity in the
world of peace-loving poetry and soul music.
Urban Reviews: Sin In Soul's
Kitchen was originally released back in 2000. What was the
initial reception for your book like back then?
Andrew Oyé: For the most part, the novel
was well received upon its first publication. The themes and
characters resonated with several people. Yet, there were some
who found it unsettling that the storyline does not follow a
conventional formula.
Urban Reviews: How did the
deal to re-release Sin In Soul's Kitchen under Strebor/Simon
And Schuster come about?
Andrew Oyé: Author/publisher Zane read my
novel when it was first published and gave it a positive
review. She said she had read it in less than 24 hours and
called it "intelligent and thought-provoking." We have the
same literary agent who secured the Strebor/Simon and Schuster
republishing deal. Even though it all occurred years later, it
was not an extremely tough sell since Zane was familiar with
my work. As a self-published author, my reach was somewhat
limited. Ultimately, I needed a larger publisher to reach more
readers.
Urban Reviews: What are
your ultimate goals as a writer?
Andrew Oyé: My goal is to tell compelling
stories. The question (for me as the writer and you as the
reader) is did the story make me wince, chuckle or gasp? Did
the story piss me off, open my eyes, or make me wonder? If the
answer is yes to at least one of those options, I say mission
accomplished.
Urban Reviews: What
improvements would you like to see in the literary market?
Andrew Oyé: Greater marketing efforts to
support the launching of new or emerging authors' work. An
openness to unconventional storytelling among readership. An
inclusion of books in entertainment reporting to somehow make
literary releases seem as significant or as cool as theatrical
premieres or album releases.
Urban Reviews: Do you have
any plans or ideas for any upcoming projects?
Andrew Oyé: I have already completed
several novels and screenplays. Again, when the right
publishers or producers come along, these projects will
hopefully be released on a wider scale.
Urban Reviews: Do you
have any favorite authors or books?
Andrew Oyé: I'm very much consumed with
writing my own works and developing numerous projects. The
classics I enjoyed include Harper Lee's To Kill A Mocking
Bird, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and
Richard Wright's Native Son.
Urban Reviews: What do you
like to do outside of writing? (Hobbies, skills, etc)
Andrew Oyé: I'm a fitness enthusiast. I
work in, write for, and develop creative projects for the
fitness industry. I also enjoy listening to music as a source
of inspiration.
Urban Reviews: Is there
anything else you would like to share about yourself or your
novel?
Andrew Oyé: Keep in mind: I play with
literary concepts and techniques such as "circular
storytelling," symbolism and parallelism. The effectiveness of
the execution is debatable. I like "dropping in" on
characters, suddenly throwing life-altering events in their
laps, and then circling back to where they started to check
the result. It's not always a happy ending tied with a pretty
bow…at least not in the worlds I live or write in. |
