Urban-Reviews.com - Inside Out with Marlene Ricketts

Marlene Ricketts

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Marlene moved to the United States at the age of eight. Growing up, her love for books began her very first summer in the U.S. when her stepmother literally dragged her to the library so that she would not spend her entire summer running the streets. Like a match made in heaven, Marlene took to reading like a fish to water.

Marlene began writing poetry at the age of eleven and says that from that point on, she felt lost if she didn’t have a pen and her trusty composition notebook with her at all times.

Three years ago, while between jobs she began the task of writing her first book, ‘Life of a Jamaican Girl’ Marlene states that she wrote this book to bring some of the island feel to the readers. She rarely sees that many books depicting her home or use of the dialect. Drawing from her memories and experiences of her first eleven years, she painted a vivid picture of what it was like living in Jamaica, moving to a different country at such a young age, and trying to integrate into such a different culture.

To maintain more control of her book, Marlene self-published her second book, ‘Babies Daddies’ in May 2005. She has recently published her third book ‘Making It On My Own’ and is currently working on her fourth book ‘Island Breeze’.

Author's Official Website: http://www.marlenericketts.com/index.html
Author's Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/jamgirl3

Urban Reviews: Tell us about Making It On My Own?
Marlene Ricketts: Making It On My Own is a story of a young lady going through the ups and downs of life, love and relationships. From a young age Shay Johnson has felt like life was trying to pull her under. First with the death of her parents at a young age, then being forced to live with her grandmother who was indifferent to her presence. Finally thinking she caught a streak of good luck by being accepted to college, Shay was on top of the world. That was until she met the handsome Chico Ramos who swept her off her feet and stole her heart. Things were finally going her way or so she thought, until her man suddenly up and left her with a young child and another on the way. Shay finally had to step up her game, open her eyes to the reality of what was and wasn’t, and reach deep down to see if she had what it took to really make it on her own.

Urban Reviews: Where did you come up with the idea for this book?
Marlene Ricketts: When I would be out signing for my second book Babies Daddies, people would always ask if that book was based on my experiences. I would always respond that it was a story with a little of me but mostly made up. After thinking about it, I just decided to sit down and write a story that paved more of a similar road that I had traveled, and that’s how Making It On My Own came to be.

Urban Reviews: What made you decide to self-publish your novel?
Marlene Ricketts: My first book, Life of a Jamaican Girl was published by Publish America. All I can say about that move is that I didn’t do my homework and I didn’t know any better. But after that huge mistake, I knew that I had to research the publishing business better. That’s what made me turn to self-publishing. I did my homework, finding out the pros and cons of the business. I have had a much better experience with my second and third book going the self-published route.

Urban Reviews: Are there any realistic elements in this story?
Marlene Ricketts: Yes, I always say that this book is a loose translation of my life and some things that I have been through. But not just me, I find a lot of people who have read this book coming back and stating that it was like I took a page from their life. The things that my main character go through are very relatable and realistic situations.

Urban Reviews: What would you say are the strengths and weaknesses of self-publishing?
Marlene Ricketts: I would have to say that one definite strength to self publishing is control. You have all the control of the product you are putting out. From how the story is portrayed to your package image to when you want to release the book, just about everything. Also you get to keep all your profit. Now the weakness is mainly finances! If your cash flow is not where you want or need it to be, you end up having to cut corners and settling for less to put your book out. Also promoting and marketing is very hard to do the way it needs to be done as a self-published author.

Urban Reviews: What are you working on right now?
Marlene Ricketts: I am currently working on my fourth book, Island Breeze.

Urban Reviews: What advice would you give to the aspiring writers out there?
Marlene Ricketts: Don’t give up! That is something I tell myself everyday. This is most definitely not an easy road but as long as you are persistent you will succeed. Also if you really love being a writer, as I do, you just got to take the good with the bad.

Urban Reviews: What books have most influenced your life?
Marlene Ricketts: I am a huge fan of Eric Jerome Dickey. I would actually have to say that he is the one that inspired me to try my hand at writing. I loved his writing technique and as I read and enjoyed his books, I was also studying his writing skill.

Urban Reviews: What do you want the world to know most about you?
Marlene Ricketts: I want to people to know just how much of a passion I have for writing. I love to write and being a writer is not just a job but my dream job at that. I write with a purpose, because I want my readers to come away with a great feeling after reading my books. When I write my books, I try to do it with a sense of female empowerment. I want everyone to come away knowing that no matter how down and out you are in life, as long as you keep your head up and continue to place one foot in front of the other you will succeed. My characters always start off being at the lowest point in their lives, and then I take my readers through that realistic journey of conquering one’s fear to accomplish your goal.