Urban-Reviews.com - Inside Out with T. F. Walters

T. F. Walters

Born Walter Thomas Fredericks Jr. in October of 1972, T. F. Walters’ path from boyhood to manhood on the streets of Harlem are the canvas for his art of writing. A star athlete in high school, he faced many obstacles that kept him from his dream of becoming a professional athlete. With his collegiate career behind him, Walter’s direction wavered and doubt and uncertainty grow as time passed.

With love and support from his family, he was able to overcome several challenges such as abandonment, unemployment and near homelessness. For most of his 20’s he lived abroad in cities like Baltimore, Buffalo and Atlanta before returning home to New York City in December of 2002 after another personal setback.

Here is when he embarked on the journey to compose My Brother’s Keeper. Though he has been writing creatively since he was nine years old this would be his debut novel. In June of 2003, just six months after he started writing, the book was finished. Finished but anonymous, no one knew of the work or his writing ability. In a year's time, the book was introduced to a couple of family members and close friends. The feedback was very positive which gave Walter the confidence to share his work with people outside of his circle. He printed several manuscripts and began to work the streets of New York in an attempt to put his name in the literary hat with some of the great authors before him. Word in the underground began to spread about Keeper and his confidence continued to soar.

As an unsolicited author, it became close to impossible to gain interest from major publishers. A model of persistence, Walter refused to take no for an answer and gathered all of his available resources and worked towards publishing My Brother’s Keeper independently.

Now as a published author T. F. Walters is living out one of his many dreams. This single father of one currently resides in New York City working on his next novel and forming his own multimedia company, W. Enterprises Inc. where he plans to work with other aspiring writers. He hopes to touch all of the individuals who read his books. Maybe he can inspire them to set goals in life, strive to accomplish them and never let anyone tell them what they can’t do.

Order a copy of My Brother's Keeper
Publisher's Website: http://walterfredericks.com
Author's Email: wenterprisesinc@yahoo.com

Urban Reviews: Tell us about My Brother's Keeper.
T. F. Walters: Keeper as I call it is a journey of two brothers growing up in Harlem. As they mature into men, their lives go in two separate directions. With this being my debut novel, it is very dear to my soul.

Urban Reviews: Where did you come up with the idea for this novel?
T. F. Walters: The idea of this novel was generated through life's experiences. My writing is primarily based on things that I have either seen, heard or felt. My Brother's Keeper is a prime example of the evolution in my life.

Urban Reviews: My Brother's Keeper is released independently. What made you decide to do this?
T. F. Walters: I decided to release this novel independently because I felt the streets needed to hear my story and the major publishers didn't show me any love.

Urban Reviews: What challenges have you faced as an independent author?
T. F. Walters: The biggest challenge in going independent is generating exposure. As an independent author, I have to be my own publicist, manager as well as the CEO of the company. You have to stay on your grind.

Urban Reviews: Can you give us a sneak peek at your next novel?
T. F. Walters: Actually, I am working on four projects at one time. For all my readers, YES! There will be a sequel to My Brother's Keeper. It is tentatively titled, You Can't Run 4ever. Also I'm working on a trilogy based on the experiences of a young man and the different women he encounters called The Life of a Serial Monogamous. Each chapter is named after a different women he interacts with.

Urban Reviews: What is the biggest thing that you've learned about the book industry?
T. F. Walters: The process of the book industry from manuscript to novel is very slow. If you don't have serious interest from publishers you have to as I stated earlier, stay on your grind. If you are independent as I am and most authors I know, you must continue to push your product. A lot of doors will be closed in your face so keep knocking until one opens. If a door is cracked blow it off the hinges.

Urban Reviews: You have also launched your own company called Walter Fredericks Enterprises, Inc. Can you give us a little more information about this?
T. F. Walters: Walter Fredericks Enterprises, Inc. (or W.E.I.) is more than a company...it's a movement. I started this company to provide aspiring writers with a platform that I never had. I will work with authors, screenwriters, poets, sitcom pilots you name it. All I ask is that you have passion about what it is you write about. I want my writers to feel comfortable and confident about their projects and I will help them get there literary voices heard.

Urban Reviews: Who some of your favorite authors or books?
T. F. Walters: I am not a big reader, so I don't have a favorite book but my favorite author is Walter Mosley. Not because of any particular book that he has written (though I do see a lot of myself in Easy Rawlins), but I applaud and appreciate his longevity in the industry. Not to mention he has a great first name.

Urban Reviews: What advice would you give to independent authors?
T. F. Walters: I can't stress it enough, you must stay on your grind. If you want to conquer this industry you have to be a hustler. If you're not a hustler...learn from one. The motto of my company is "Don't be a spectator, get in the game!"

Urban Reviews: Is there anything you would like to add about yourself or your novels?
T. F. Walters: YES! Please visit my website at www.walterfredericks.com. There you read about upcoming news and events as well as purchase a copy of My Brother's Keeper. Also look out for the first author out of the W.E.I. movement, De Ann Lain and her debut novel, Just Going Thru Some Thangs. Finally I would like to thank everyone who has supported me from the beginning and thank you Urban Reviews for taking the time out to Holla at me.