Urban Reviews: Tell us about My Life Is All I Have.
V. Anthony Rivers: My Life Is All I Have is a coming of age story about a young woman (Leesha Tyler) looking back on her life as she contemplates a very drastic, potentially life altering decision. She's about to commit armed robbery, thinking this will solve all her problems and give her a means of escape from Los Angeles.

Urban Reviews: What inspired you to create this novel and the main character?
V. Anthony Rivers: My initial inspiration for this novel came from an experience I had when going to the ATM machine to make a withdrawal. For whatever reason, I was completely oblivious to anything in my path as I searched for my ATM card. My mind was so focused on digging into my wallet and removing the card that I failed to notice an armored car guard standing a few steps ahead of me. Seconds later, I bumped into this man catching him and myself by surprise. He glared at me and I looked at him, making sure he didn't take things the wrong way and assume that I may have bumped into him on purpose.

After I withdrew my money and made it back to my car, I replayed what happened in my mind. I thought to myself that if I were criminal minded I could've gotten the jump on that guard. Then all sorts of scenarios played through my mind to the point where I could feel a story brewing inside my head.

A few days later after jotting down all sorts of ideas in my journal, I happened to be driving through a neighborhood in Los Angeles affectionately known as "The Jungle" on my way to the Crenshaw Mall. I saw this young lady walking down Santa Rosalia Drive. She was attractive and yet she looked so angry. Her whole vibe seemed very defensive though I know in LA many people have their guards up all the time. Still this young lady sparked my imagination which then turned into the inspiration for the main character as I sought out the reasons why she's so angry at such a young age. What influence her to be this way? She looked like she swallowed a ton of bitter pills. I kept wishing I could tell the young lady that her outer beauty wont last too long with all that anger dragging her spirit down.

Urban Reviews: This novel is told in the first person through the eyes of the main character Leesha Tyler. Why did you choose this method to tell this story?
V. Anthony Rivers: I tend to have a preference for writing in the first person but with respect to this story, I really wanted to make it seem as if you've stepped in Leesha's shoes or better yet, borrowed her eyes from the beginning to the end of the story. That's one of the main reason why at various stages of writing My Life Is All I Have, I would hang out in the locations depicted in the story. I would walk the same route that Leesha took to get from her apartment in the "jungle" aka Baldwin Village to her grand mother's apartment on the other side of Crenshaw Blvd. in Leimert Park. I listened to the same sounds she might hear and felt the same energy whether she took that walk during the day or at three o'clock in the morning. Listening is the best tool for writing. I listened not only to whatever was going on in my life at the time but also to the past as I recalled various moments that I could inject into a character for dialogue and decision making. For me, writing in first person is the perfect way to bring all of this to light.

Urban Reviews: You really captured all the emotion of a young woman in this story. Was this difficult to do?
V. Anthony Rivers: It wasn't really difficult to do and I've been really pleased and grateful by the responses I've been getting. A reader in Virginia by the name of Amber Lisa emailed me and said that several times she had to take a look at my picture on the back of the book to remind herself that this was a male author who wrote the story. That lets me know that I did good with portraying this female character.

Most times I actually prefer writing female characters. I happen to be a big fan and lover of women <g> so creating one using my imagination is like the best way to enjoy the same pleasures that I guess Dr. Frankenstein did. <g> And in the case of Leesha it was especially a lot of fun because she experienced a lot on an emotional level and sometimes I was even very protective of her. Then at the same time, I do have the presence of a male character(s). Some are good and some are bad but there's always one that comes through in a way that can steal a woman's heart yet even he is not perfect as is the case with Scottie "Blaze" Franklin, Leesha's best friend in My Life Is All I Have.

Urban Reviews: How did you get into the business? Is it all that you hoped it would be?
V. Anthony Rivers: My introduction into the business came by way of my attempt at self-publishing through 1st Books. I didn't know what I was doing at all! <g> Thankfully, an angel came to my rescue in the form of Tee C. Royal of Rawsistaz. She read my self-published effort (November Friend) and loved the story. She connected with the emotional content and was really taken by the male character (Christian Erickson) in the story. From there she passed my book along to bestselling author, Zane who also loved the story. She signed me to her wonderful company, Strebor Books International and soon after my first bigtime release was born.

My first novel published by Strebor was called Daughter By Spirit. It's actually the sequel to November Friend but because that effort was such a short story, Zane decided it was best to combine the two stories into one. That was a great first novel. I received a lot of very emotional responses to the story. Even the young woman that blessed me by appearing on the cover of My Life Is All I Have read Daughter By Spirit and soon thereafter, she couldn't resist giving me a hug. Whew... For about two seconds, I was in heaven! Ha! <g>

With respect to my literary journey, it's actually been more than I imagined it would be because I wasn't sure what to expect. All I could do was approach this blessing with a dream and in return the reality has been interesting, up and down, hysterical, inspiring, and every step of the way I've been able to meet someone new and develop real cool friendships as well as a broader plate of admiration for those that I'd encounter or hear about through others. People I would never know about had I not experienced this part of my journey.

Urban Reviews: What is the most important thing that you've learned about the book industry?
V. Anthony Rivers: The business ain't easy but the struggle can actually be a fun. Learning about the business is a necessary thing as it is in all fields. Surrounding yourself with the right people is paramount and just as it is in life, you basically have to commit yourself to being open enough to learn, grow, and roll with the ups and downs... Don't let nothing keep you down, use that emotion for a character in your next story. <s>

Urban Reviews: Are you working on any upcoming projects?
V. Anthony Rivers: Always working on new stories. I just came back from a small town in Louisiana called Natchitoches. It's a place that I love to escape to and at the same time it's very inspirational. I needed that inspiration for a story I'm working on that deals with old souls from the past and young minds discovering the emotional lineage that connects them to someone they never knew. When you walk through the backwoods of areas like Natchitoches where you find the Cane River as it runs in front of this beautiful St. Augustine church you cant help but feel as if spirits from the past have wrapped their arms around you and whispered in your ear. I'm working on a couple stories inspired by this sort of thing.

I'm also in the process of jotting down ideas and dialogue for a possible sequel to My Life Is All I Have. It's not definite but I have been hearing Leesha's voice and she seems to have a lot more to say. <g> I also have an epic novel called Until Again, which is sure to touch the depths of everyone's heart that experiences the journey taken upon by the main character, Julian Woods.

Urban Reviews: What advice would you give to a author wanting to get into the business?
V. Anthony Rivers: As I always like to say, learn the business, be prepared to sacrifice some hard earned money for promotional purposes and hopefully you will always strive to write an incredible story. Push that creative envelope and make your story unique no matter how similar the premise might be to what's been told before. Everyone has the potential to put their own unique twist to an already traveled experience.

Urban Reviews: Is there anything that you know now that you wish you knew when you wrote your first novel?
V. Anthony Rivers: Everything that I know now, I wish I had known then! <g> But with that said, I really can't look back in that way because that would only take away from the growth of experience that I've enjoyed. It is what it is and it's all supposed to have happened this way in order for me to be right here where I am. There's always things that I could've done better or directions that could've been taken differently but I'm here right now and looking forward to tomorrow.

Urban Reviews: Name one thing that the world doesn't know about V. Anthony Rivers.
V. Anthony Rivers: I buy at least four large containers of yogurt per week and I've discovered that I love steak flavored tofu! <g> Ha! Thank you Urban Reviews. I appreciate this moment with you.