Urban Reviews:
Tell us about your debut novel What Is Luv?
Jay Tyvon:
What Is Luv? takes you into the life of Justin
Vaughn, an Atlanta music exec, who selfishly lives life for no
one but himself. Through a multitude of relationships and a
life-changing tragedy, Justin is thrust into re-evaluating his
own existence and sense of purpose. But in order to free
himself from the bondage of bitterness he suffers in his
present life, he must come face to face with demons from his
past. It's this journey that helps him to define the meaning
of love.
Urban
Reviews: Where did the idea for the story come from?
Jay Tyvon:
LOL...life, lessons learned. The things we see when we look
into the mirror at ourselves. I actually enjoyed picking apart
my own life to pull certain traits and personal issues into Justin's character. I think
it's those little intimate details
that bring a believable sense of realism to his character.
LOL, readers will either love him or hate him. But I will say, it's definitely been a lot of fun receiving the cross section
of feedback pertaining to ole' Justin.
Urban
Reviews: How difficult was it for you to actually write
a novel?
Jay Tyvon:
Believe it or not, once I got past the first paragraph,
writing the novel wasn't that bad. I think the most difficult
part was starting. I remember doing the outline and character
list for What Is Luv?...but then I had the hardest time
trying to find those first words. I believe it took me about
two weeks to pen my first paragraph. Thirteen months later, I
had a novel.
Urban
Reviews: Do you have any projects that you are working
on?
Jay Tyvon:
Yep! Right now I'm working on the sequel to What Is
Luv? called Unconditional, which is set for early
2009. I also just started penning a mainstream fictional novel
centering around the lives of four college students from
varied ethnic and social backgrounds. But I have yet to
determine a timeline for that project.
Urban
Reviews: What are your ambitions as far as writing is
concerned?
Jay Tyvon:
First and foremost, is to continue learning the process. I
didn't get into this industry just to say I wrote a book. As
an author, with each novel, I want to continue to improve on
my craft. My goal is longevity-building an audience, and
knowing that people respect my work. As a publisher, I want to
become an outlet for other aspiring authors to showcase their
talents. I think the best way to achieve that is to carve a
successful path for myself first, and once I've gotten
everyone's attention, I believe other doors will open.
Urban
Reviews: Describe the moment you held a final copy of
your book.
Jay Tyvon:
Honestly, it was bittersweet. On one hand, I was like
"wow...I did it!" It felt good to watch a dream come into
fruition. But on the other hand, holding that book meant the
beginning of another task...marketing and promoting myself in
order to make it the successful. I knew I had a much harder
road ahead.
Urban
Reviews: Has the promotion of your book been a difficult
task? What things are you doing to get the word out?
Jay Tyvon:
Well, I definitely can say it has been challenging.
There's been a lot of trial and error involved. But if nothing
else, LOL, I have been well educated...and still learning. For
one thing, there are a lot of books out there. And the
question becomes...How do you distinguish yourself from the rest
of the pack? I also think, especially for the self-publisher
that task is even greater. Along with having a good product,
you have to find ways of generating a buzz. I feel the key to
that is to just stay persistent, keep plugging until someone
finally listens. There are many self-publishing success
stories, so I know it could be done. One of the things I've
learned early on is that books don't sell themselves. Besides
sending out a ton of promotional copies to book clubs and
reviewers, I credit MySpace's networking forum as a great way
to get the word out.
Urban
Reviews: Was there an author or book that inspired you
to want to become a writer?
Jay Tyvon:
There are two books that come to mind: Liar's Game
by Eric Jerome Dickey and The Coldest Winter Ever by
Sister Souljah. Both titles, just by the way they draw the
reader into the plot, had me in awe. Those books would become
the bar that I set for myself on how to deliver a story. But I
think the author that inspired me the most, I would say, is
Brenda Thomas. I'm a big fan of her work and she was actually
the first author I reached out to for help. A few years ago, I
got the chance to meet Brenda at a book signing in Atlanta for
her book Every Woman's Got A Secret. I knew of the
success she had as a self-published author, LOL, so of course,
I had a few questions. But she was gracious enough to answer
anything I wanted to know. And once I finished my manuscript,
she also helped me to find an editor, Pamela Artis. Being
forever appreciative of her kindness, I make it a point to
extend the same courtesy to other authors wanting to know
anything about the business. I more than gladly pass along any
information I can.
Urban
Reviews: How have you been received by other
African-American fiction authors? Have they been
receptive and helpful?
Jay Tyvon:
So far so good. I would say, the writer's community as a
whole has been very supportive and encouraging. You hear the
horror stories, but I've gotten some really good advice from
other authors in my genre.
Urban
Reviews: What do you want the world to know most about
you as an author?
Jay Tyvon:
LOL...That Jay Tyvon and Justin Vaughn are not the same
person. We may share a few similarities, but that's about it.
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