Urban Reviews:  Can you tell us about your debut novel Running From Mercy?
Terra Little:  Running From Mercy is set in the fictitious town of Mercy, Georgia; one of those small southern towns where everyone knows everyone else's business and word gets around quickly. It tells the story of twins, Pamela and Paris Mayes, who both have secrets they'd rather others didn't know. After being away for almost twenty years, Pam has to come back home and deal with her sister's sudden death. While she's there, skeletons come out of the closet and she also has to clean up the mess she made before she ran away.  

Urban Reviews:  How did you come up with the idea for this novel?
Terra Little:  Purely imagination. I thought it would be fun to explore the supposedly legendary relationship between identical twins; toss a little unexpected drama into the mix and see what happened.  

Urban Reviews:  When creating this book, what aspect did you find the most difficult to do?
Terra Little:  Probably maintaining objectivity in telling the story. Along the way, sometimes it was really hard for me to like this or that character and I struggled with keeping my personal feelings out of the fray. In the end, I had to do what the characters told me to do, even if I really didn't want to.

Urban Reviews:  Tell us about the day you found out that Q-Boro was re-releasing your novel.
Terra Little:  I was actually at work when I got the call from Q-Boro. After I found out they wanted to add Running From Mercy to their line, I was very excited. There was this lump clogging my throat. You know, like, when you need to scream but you're not in a position to let it go? Soon as I could, I went outside and let it rip.  

Urban Reviews:  What's the best advice any author has given you concerning the book business?
Terra Little:  Probably the "have patience" lecture, though no one ever really wants to hear that. When you're ready for something to happen, you want it to happen a.s.a.p., but it doesn't really work like that. Patience is definitely a virtue, I can tell you that much. Not that I have all that much of it, but every day is a work in progress, is it not?  

Urban Reviews:  If there is one author you could work on a project with, who would it be and why?
Terra Little:  Maybe Toni Morrison, because OMG the woman is a master. She rules words the way money rules the world. Working with her would be like being an artist and getting to study my craft in Paris. If not her maybe Bernice McFadden, because I love the way she writes, too. I've yet to read one of her works and not have the fluid prose move me in some way. Wait, you said one author, didn't you? Sorry.  

Urban Reviews:  What upcoming projects can we expect in the future from you?
Terra Little:  In January 2009, my sophomore title Where There's Smoke/em> will be released by Q-Boro. In it, you'll meet three very distinct characters, each of whom deals with the residuals of drug addiction in their own way. It's a little different from Running From Mercy.. It'll hit some folks upside the head, for various reasons, but that's okay. If it does, then I will have accomplished what I set out to do.  

Urban Reviews:  What do you think about the current landscape of African-American Fiction?
Terra Little:  I think it's as varied and diverse as its ever been. There are so many genres and flavors for all tastes, and that's a good thing. It shows that publishers are taking African-American interests seriously. I love to read and I hope there continues to be a broad spectrum of offerings, owing to the fact that, as a people, our tastes are eclectic and not at all exclusive to any one genre.  

Urban Reviews:  Where do you see your writing career in five years?
Terra Little:  Gosh, I don't know. I'd hate to jinx myself by saying I hope to have a few more mainstream titles to my credit and be a little bit closer to quitting at least one of my jobs. But I guess if I were going to answer the question that would be my response.  

Urban Reviews:  Any finals thoughts you want to leave with readers about yourself or your novel?
Terra Little:  Just that I really appreciate all the support I've received. I look forward to readers checking out my next project, and the next one, and the next one and, well, you get the point. Thanks to all and to all a good night.