Brenda Hampton is better known as, “the writer who brings the heat.” Her novels include: Two’s Enough Three’s A Crowd, My Way or No Way, Change Don’t Always Come, Naughty by Nature, Too Naughty, No Justice No Peace, How Can I Be Down?, and SLICK, which is an Essence magazine best seller.

Hampton’s literary works have been noted in many newspapers around the country, and she was named as a favorite female fiction writer in the October 2006 issue of Upscale Magazine.

Embraced by her readers, Hampton was nominated for Author of the Year, Favorite Female Author, Best Characters in a Book, and Best New Author. Her hobbies include watching football, skating and writing.

She resides in St. Louis with her husband, twin daughters and a son. Future novels include: Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right, The Dirty Truth, Tomorrow Never Dies and much more!

Urban Reviews: Tell us about Naughty by Nature.
Brenda Hampton: Naughty by Nature is a continuing sequel to my original story, Two’s Enough Three’s a Crowd. My character, Scorpio Valentino, is crushed that her relationship with my most controversial male character, Jaylin Rogers, has come to an end. He is now married and Scorpio has a very difficult time moving on and finding a man of Jaylin’s caliber. Her promiscuous ways causes her to share the bedroom with several men, until she manages to hook up with Shane, a dear and close friend to Jaylin. For Scorpio, being connected to Shane means finding out Jaylin’s whereabouts. When she finds out that he’s coming to town on business, she comes up with a seductive plan that this happily married man might not be able to resist. And even if he does, a hidden tape that reveals Scorpio’s actions, during her seduction, is mailed to Jaylin’s wife, Nokea. She’s not happy about Jaylin and Scorpio’s constant attraction to one another, and shame on her husband for putting her through this again! No doubt, somebody has to pay, and maybe pay with his/her life.

Urban Reviews:  Where did you come up with the idea for this series?
Brenda Hampton: The original idea for this series was created because of situations I found myself in. Not only that, but as I looked around at my friends and spoke to many women about their relationships, a lot of us had men in our lives, but known to us or not, we shared them with other women. My experiences in these relationships taught me that no matter what I gave of myself, and no matter how much I had to change me, these men still had issues they needed to deal with too. And, any woman who associated herself with these men, no matter what credentials she possessed, she would face the exact same challenges as I did. Through my character, Jaylin, I’ve been allowed to show readers that we can’t force someone to love us, especially if they don’t know how. I encourage my readers to understand his character, so that they may get a better understanding for themselves. My experiences have helped me in dealing with these kinds of issues in relationships, and more than anything, I’m delighted that so many readers have connected with my character. Yes, he’s fictional, but when I created him, I used characteristics of very real men who so many of us can relate to.

Urban Reviews: What inspired you to pen your first novel?
Brenda Hampton: My first novel ever written was my memoir, Tomorrow Never Dies. It hasn’t been published yet, but will be in the near future. Years ago, I was inspired by Terry McMillan’s, Disappearing Acts. I’d kept journals for years, but it wasn’t until I read her book, that I actually put my pen to work. Her characters drew me in so quickly, and right after I wrote my memoir, I gave fiction writing a shot. Every thing flowed, as if it was meant to be and I haven’t stopped writing since. No doubt, had I never read Terry’s book, I’m not sure if anything else would have inspired me.

Urban Reviews: You released your novels under your own publishing company called Voices Books & Publishing. Why did you decide to self-publish your novels?
Brenda Hampton: Once the rejection letters piled up, it was time to get to work. I knew I had good literature to share, but I wasn’t sure about how to get my book published. Realizing how difficult it was to find an agent, I did a lot of research about self-publishing/POD publishing on the Internet. I proceeded with POD/self-publishing, and eight books later, I’m still going strong. Three years ago, I obtained a publishing deal with a traditional publisher, but due to irreconcilable differences, our agreement ended. Since, I’ve been offered another deal, and through a more reputable publisher, my next release is expected in September 2007.

Urban Reviews: Is there anything that you wish you would’ve known at the beginning of your writing career that you know now?
Brenda Hampton: There are so many things I know now, and had I known before, I certainly wouldn’t have made those career choices. One being, my decision to sign with a publisher who had no stability, and little experience in the publishing business. Of course, like many writers, my anxiousness got the best of me and I should have been patient and waited for the opportunity that felt right for me. I now know to be patient, and if something sounds too good to be true, normally it is.

Urban Reviews: Can you give us a sneak peak at your next novel?
Brenda Hampton: As much as my readers love the series I wrote, I am so ready to introduce them to other characters. My next release is titled Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right. It’s about a married couple whose had many setbacks in their marriage and simply can’t stand each other. They do everything possible to bring each other down, and my character, Cydney, has an attitude that says…if he can do it, I can do it better. Her husband, Isaac, is a cop and he uses his authority to get anything he wants. The turning point happens when they realize the hurt they’ve caused each other and they attempt to patch things up. Of course, forgiveness is not as easy as it seems, and we’ll just have to wait and see if this couple can make it work, when statistics show that so many couples can’t.

Urban Reviews: Do you consider yourself as a full-time author at this point or do you still have a day job?
Brenda Hampton: As much as I write, I’d better consider myself a full-time author. Since writing and publishing authors through Voices takes up so much of my time, I no longer accept new clients for my insurance business I’ve had for the past six years. I do, however, continue to service my existing book of business, which can pull me away from writing sometimes. Either way, I am doing exactly what I was created to do, and through discovering my talents, I feel so blessed and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Urban Reviews: What advice would you give someone who wants to jump into this business?
Brenda Hampton: First of all, by jumping into this business, you will definitely get burned. Like anything, you have to take time to educate yourself about the business, and then proceed with caution. Success is not going to happen overnight. This is hard, hard work and if you plan to make writing a career, you’d better be up for the challenges that will surely come your way. Writing a good book is never enough. There are numerous good books out there, but because of the struggles it takes to get those books into the market, many writers give up. If you believe in your work, stay dedicated to it. At the end of the day, only those who work for what they want will get it. And for those who don’t, then we’ll just have another good book sitting somewhere collecting dust.

Urban Reviews: Who are some of your favorite authors?
Brenda Hampton: Honestly, I don’t read much from already established authors, rather I choose to read books/manuscripts from authors who are trying to find their way in this business. A few that have grown to be my favorites are: Tangelika Bolen, Akila Mukarramma, Tracy L. Foster, Rahsaan Ali, Pamela Wilson, Teresa Seals, Darrin Lowery, W.S. Burkett and Rhonda Swan. My more well-known favorites are: Carl Weber, Eric Jerome Dickey, Kwan, and of course, Terry McMillan.

Urban Reviews: Anything else you would like to add about yourself or your novels?
Brenda Hampton: For the readers who have not yet stepped into my world, the door is certainly opened. I invite you in, with hopes that you experience a read that you’ve never had before. When you close my books, I hope that my characters have an everlasting impression on you and that your love for my literary works will continue. To learn more about me and my novels, please visit my site at www.brendamhampton.com