Urban Reviews: Tell us about The Other Man.
Marlon L. Sanders: The Other Man is the story of Freedom Dandridge, a twenty-eight year old systems analyst, who marries her college boyfriend, Vance Dandridge, on a whim. She was involved in a rebound relationship, which started out as purely sexual, until Vance asked Freedom to marry him. She accepts his proposal, only to realize, during their wedding reception, that she doesn’t really love him. Freedom is still in love with her ex-boyfriend, Boney McIntyre, and she marries Vance hoping it’ll take her mind off him. And so, the rebound relationship becomes a ‘rebound marriage.’ By accident, she finds out that Vance has been having an affair all along, and so it gives her a reason to start an affair with Boney, and she becomes torn between both men. It’s really a story that explores the choices we make in our partners, and how to break the cycle of unhealthy relationships.

Urban Reviews: Where did you come up with the idea for this novel?
Marlon L. Sanders: I got the idea from the Jennifer Wilbanks story from last year. She was the real runaway bride, who convinced authorities she’d been abducted and taken to Albuquerque, New Mexico, just to get out of her wedding. The part of that story that really stuck out to me was that, here was a woman who had committed to a marriage, and then at the last minute, changed her mind. I took it a step further, and made it more ironic, by letting the main character go through with the marriage, then change her mind, which is a lot harder to back out of. What I did was write the “Happy Ending” in reverse. Instead of the main character finding a good man and happiness at the end of the story, she finds it from the very beginning, and wants out.

Urban Reviews: How did you get into the business?
Marlon L. Sanders: I started writing about five years ago. Actually, it was just something to pass the time at work, just a hobby. And the more I wrote, the more I wanted to write, and by then, I was really into it, and started taking it seriously. So, over the next five years, I read everything I could get my hands on, and learned the elements of writing. I joined chat groups to network with other aspiring authors, and some who were already published, which is how I learned all about self-publishing. I shopped the manuscript around for a few months, but even when I was doing so, I was preparing for my back-up plan, which was to self-publish, if I didn’t find an agent. Because of the timeliness of the story, I wasn’t going to wait that long to get signed to a publishing house. The past five years have really been a learning experience about the publishing industry. As much as I love writing, I now realize, being an author isn’t enough, you also have to know ‘the business of writing,’ such as working with printing companies, working with publicists, getting distribution, marketing and promoting, and setting up book signings.

Urban Reviews: Are you working on any upcoming projects?
Marlon L. Sanders: My next novel is titled The Professional and is due out July 2007. The main character is Suki Jamison, an ex-Marine Corps sniper turned underworld assassin. Her ex-lover, Drake Evans, known as “Prince Drake” on the streets, calls her home to Memphis to do a hit on Dwayne Phillips, a government witness at the center of a political scandal. But the job isn’t as easy as she thought. Throughout her obstacles, she comes to terms with her lingering feelings for Drake, which means confronting her past once and for all.

Urban Reviews: What is the biggest lesson that you've learned so far about the book industry?
Marlon L. Sanders: The book industry is a waiting game, and unless you’re willing to self-publish, market, and promote your own book, it takes a lot of patience to get picked up by a major publishing house. I’ve found that the best thing a new author can do is stay focused, even when it looks like nothing is happening, be consistent with your readers, set long-term goals, and realize that you’re responsible for your own success. Because the book industry is partly based on trends, such as the popular Urban Lit genre, it’s constantly changing, and as a writer, it’s good to stay current with market demands, so what I’ve done with my writing is blended together Contemporary Fiction and Urban Lit. The Other Man was the first novel I tried this style of writing on. It’s reads like Contemporary Fiction, but it has an Urban Lit flair, so it appeals to readers of more than just one genre, and I think it turned out really good.

Urban Reviews: What made you want to become a novelist?
Marlon L. Sanders: I originally wanted to write screenplays, but there was so much more I could say with a novel, it went in that direction naturally. The thing I enjoy most about writing novels is the character development, understanding human nature, and why people do the things they do, and I get to explore these things in novels, where I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to do so in screenplays.

Urban Reviews: Who are some of your favorite authors or books?
Marlon L. Sanders: As for my favorite book, I’d have to say The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. That was one of the novels that changed the way I looked at writing. She describes the lives of her characters like no one else I’ve read, but I also enjoy Colin Channer, Nikki Turner, Bebe Moore Campbell, Lolita Files, Erica Simone Turnipseed, even John Grisham’s writing as well.

Urban Reviews: Why should someone read The Other Man?
Marlon L. Sanders: The Other Man is a very engaging story. It’s a sexy, fast-paced, dramatic thriller, surrounding the life of a southern woman, torn between her husband, and her ex-boyfriend. It’s a story that all women can relate to, whether married or single, and it confronts some very real issues that women deal with in relationships.

Urban Reviews: What is your idea of a novel's success?
Marlon L. Sanders: Making a bestseller list, and impressive book sales are always great, and can make a writer feel like it was all worthwhile, but without focusing on the obvious ideas of success, I think a novel is successful when it has a lasting impression, when it can stand the test of time, and appeals to readers of more than just one genre.

Urban Reviews: What do you want people to know most about you?
Marlon L. Sanders: I love writing. I know I love it, because I have a passion for it, and I believe in doing what makes you happy, because when you have a passion for what you do, only then are you at your best.