Urban Reviews: Tell our
readers about The Next Best Thing.
Deidre Berry: The Next
Best Thing is a romantic comedy that asks: "What do you do
when the life you planned is no longer part of the plan?"
Tori Carter is an event planner, who is considered to be the
absolute best in the business. She has built a reputation on
throwing lavish, over-the-top events, and for the past year,
she has been planning her own wedding to her fiancée, Roland.
On the day of the wedding, the stage is set for this huge
fairy-tale, Princess Diana-type wedding extravaganza, when
Roland figures that now is a good time to let Tori know that
he's in love with a woman he had previously claimed was just a
good, platonic friend. Tori spirals into a depression, which
causes one of her close friends to give her a journal which
she uses to help her process her emotions and everything that
she goes through as she struggles to pick up the pieces of her
life also learning to accept that no amount of planning can
prevent the curve balls that Life sometimes throws your way.
Urban Reviews: How did
you come up with the idea for this novel?
Deidre Berry: Well,
actually, it came from a real-life experience. Years ago, I
was newly engaged to a guy who shall remain nameless, (but he
knows who he is!) when I discovered that he was cheating on me
with a mutual acquaintance of ours. Talk about drama!
Of course we broke up, and I was devastated but in the long
run it turned out to be the best thing that could have
happened to me, because years later, I met the greatest guy in
the world, and we've been married for almost fifteen years,
now.
But I do have to say that The Next Best Thing is not
autobiographical. The only thing that happened in real-life
versus the book is that I had to call off a wedding before it
actually took place, everything else is pure fiction.
Urban Reviews: What are
your goals as a writer? Do you see yourself doing this long
term?
Deidre Berry: I most
definitely see myself writing long term. My goals are to keep
writing, keep growing, and maybe one day start my own
publishing company.
Urban Reviews: With so
many African-American fiction titles out on the market, what
are you doing to promote your project?
Deidre Berry: The Internet
has been valuable in helping me to reach readers in every
corner of the world. I have also been doing a lot of radio
lately, talking to DJs at the top 100 radio stations in the
country, as well as going to literary conferences and talking
to book clubs.
Urban Reviews: Has the
literary world been everything you had imagined it would be?
Deidre Berry: Truthfully, I
had no idea what to expect, but I can say that I have been
pleasantly surprised.
My novel hasn't even been out that long, but already I have
met so many wonderful people who have reached out to support
and encourage me as if they were friends and family who have
known me all my life. It's a beautiful thing.
Urban Reviews: What has
been the best advice you've gotten from a fellow author?
Deidre Berry: I read
somewhere that Maya Angelou said "it takes courage and honesty
to write a book. You have to just put it all out there. Don't
worry about who may be angry or hurt by what you've written.
Keep it real, and don’t hold anything back. That is the reason
why you went through what you went through, so that you can
process it, get over it, and then help somebody else get over
it."
Urban Reviews: Are you
working on or have any ideas for any upcoming projects?
Deidre Berry: Yes, my
second novel will be published in April 2010, and is titled
All About Eva.
It's about a New York socialite who is also the pampered
girlfriend of a wealthy Wall Street executive. She's living
the good life, but it all comes crashing down when her sugar
daddy boyfriend is busted for shady business practices, and
faces a long prison sentence. Suddenly nobody is who Eva
thought they were. Her socialite best friend becomes her worst
enemy, and her new attorney is an all-out hunk who makes it
difficult to keep their relationship strictly professional.
Destitute, and living from couch-to-couch, Eva crosses paths
with an array of funny, endearing characters who in one way or
another, help her learn the lesson that unconditional love and
genuine friendships, will always be worth more than money.
Urban Reviews: Do you
have any favorite authors or books?
Deidre Berry: Toni Morrison
is my favorite author. Her writing style is very literary and
challenging at times, but what I love about her books is that
she doesn't just want you to read, she also wants you to
think. I have read everything she has ever written at least
two times.
As far as favorite books: The Women of Brewster Place,
hands down. I loved it because Gloria Naylor held up a mirror
and showed us as black women we are. Poor, privileged,
vulnerable, strong, gay, straight, young and old, the heathen,
and the faithful. The theme of the book is very powerful,
which is: be extremely careful with the decisions you make,
and the actions you take because one wrong move, and you could
find yourself on a dead-end street with nothing but a broken
heart and broken dreams.
Urban Reviews: What do
you like to do outside of writing?
Deidre Berry: Away from the
computer, you can find me at the mall! And of course, I enjoy
spending time with friends and family. I also love to bake.
Cinnamon rolls, 7-layer cakes, pies and cookies, you name it
and I can bake it. It's very cathartic for me, especially when
I am going through a period of writer's block.
Urban Reviews: Is there
anything else you would like to share about yourself or your
novel?
Deidre Berry: I just want
to reiterate that the theme of The Next Best Thing is
that you can make all the plans you want, but God is
ultimately in control. Stop trying to hold on so tight to
something that God wants you to let go of, because 10 times
out of 10, He has something much better in store for you. |
