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Urban
Reviews: Tell us about Too Little, Too Late.
Portia A. Cosby:
Too Little, Too Late
is the first book in the Situations and Circumstances
series, and it is a story of decisions and consequences.
Tameka James, the main character, chronicles her life over a
period of two years, pulling the reader into her head and
her heart. You can’t help but feel like she’s someone you
know as you endure the rape with her and receive the HIV
diagnosis when she does. It is a testament that every choice
we make in life is detrimental to what happens in our
future, no matter how small it is.
Urban
Reviews: Where did you come up with the idea for this
novel?
Portia A. Cosby:
It was a screenplay I wrote
in ninth grade. My imagination just ran wild one day. I
don’t know where the story came from, but all the details
fell into place. Even then, I felt like I’d known Tameka for
years. That’s how real she was to me.
Urban
Reviews: Too Little, Too Late was released under
Distinct Publishing, a publishing company that you formed on
your own. Why did you decide to self-publish your novel?
Portia A. Cosby:
Well, after a few years of
trying the traditional route, looking for an agent to stand
behind my work, sending one query letter after another, I
started thinking about self-publishing. It’s hard to
get an agent to stand behind you as a first-time author,
even if they are intrigued by your query letter. I
realized I didn’t have time to wait for a publisher or agent
to believe in my writing when I’ve believed in it from day
one.
Urban
Reviews: What would you say are the strengths and
weaknesses of self-publishing?
Portia A. Cosby:
The strengths are that you
have total control over your story, your cover design, and
ultimately, your destiny.
The major
weakness to me is not having the major contacts and
established business relationships with the top-notch
companies/bookstores. As a self-published
author, you have to learn through trial and error who you
should contract for editing, design, and other services.
Also, you have to figure out how to run an effective
marketing campaign on a limited budget. With all the
self-published authors in the industry now, you have to do
all you can to make your name stand out in the crowd.
Urban
Reviews: Would you consider signing with a major
publishing company in the future?
Portia A. Cosby:
Yes. I would just have to
make sure they share my vision and that we’re on the same
page as far as my plans for my characters.
Urban
Reviews: Are you working on any upcoming projects?
Portia A. Cosby:
I’m currently writing
Supposed to Be, book two in the Situations &
Circumstances series. It picks up where Too Little, Too
Late leaves off, but it is Alexis’ story—what’s going on
in her life—and her friend Tiffany has an interesting
storyline that parallels Alexis’ in the book.
Urban
Reviews: What are your goals as a writer?
Portia A. Cosby:
Within the next two to
three years, I’d like to see my screenplay for Too
Little, Too Late become the blockbuster movie I’ve
always envisioned it to be. Beyond that, I plan to continue
writing scripts, including two based on future novels.
As a novelist, I
just want to grow as a writer and display that maturity in
each novel to come. I plan to be in this for the long haul,
so I hope that as years go by readers will recognize Portia
A. Cosby’s style—storylines full of drama, characters they
won’t forget, and surprise twists that they never expected.
Urban
Reviews: What do you want the world to know most about
you?
Portia A. Cosby:
Many of my storylines come
to me out of nowhere, but they always include hard-hitting
subjects and powerful protagonists. I’m writing for the
world. I’m writing for somebody who needs to read my work
because they’ve been through it, their mother has been
through it, or their best friend has been through it. After
I wrote Too Little, Too Late, I realized who and what
I am. I’m Portia A. Cosby, a writer, and I’m here to stay. |
