Urban Reviews: Tell our
readers about Triptych.
Wendy Coakley-Thompson: Triptych
is a sexy, sultry book that explores how love transcends death
and the passage of time. It's also a reminder of how life
rarely plays out the way we expect it to, forcing us to manage
our expectations. I describe it as "death and infidelity.
Straight up. With an erotic twist." Briefly, here's the story:
While Jonathan fights a malignant brain tumor, his wife, Ally,
and cousin, Tim, act on their carnal attraction. Just as guilt
consumes them, Jonathan enters the mix with an unorthodox
proposition.
Finally, I'd say that Triptych, which is set in the
Bahamas, is a love letter to my beautiful ancestral home.
Urban Reviews: How did
you come up with the idea for this novel?
Wendy Coakley-Thompson: The Muse
introduced me to Jonathan in 1981. I had written a novel with
some iteration of him, and it sat on the shelf or in a box for
decades. I began writing his story again in 2006. It was only
after a breast cancer scare that same year, though, did I
envision him as fighting cancer while trying to keep his
family intact. By writing the novel, I was able to work
through some of my issues from the safe distance that writing
fiction provides. Jonathan's struggle and my close call
inspired me to donate half of Triptych's net proceeds
to two organizations involved in cancer awareness and outreach
- The Cancer Society of the Bahamas and 365 Pink Foundation.
So, in this way, the original idea for the novel grew and
manifested itself into a heartwarming story, which then
evolved into a philanthropic tool.
Urban Reviews: What are
your goals as a writer?
Wendy Coakley-Thompson: Nothing gives me
greater pleasure than when people tell me they've enjoyed my
books. Something that I created in the solitude of my study
ultimately reached out and touched their hearts. I am a
storyteller. Ultimately, I would love to be able to do that
fulltime and earn my living at it.
Urban Reviews: You have
some things happening with your last project. Can you fill us
in on that and how that's going?
Wendy Coakley-Thompson: What You Won't
Do For Love, my second novel, was optioned for a
television film project in 2006. After much uphill slogging,
the producer has a working script and is getting her ducks in
a row. She keeps me apprised of all of the developments, from
having me review the script, to discussing the actors that she
has in mind to play certain characters. I must admit; the
process fascinates me! I can't wait to see what Chaney and
Devin's story will look like, played out onscreen. It's what I
imagine giving birth must be like - without all the agony, of
course!
Urban Reviews: Has the
literary world been everything you had imagined it would be?
Wendy Coakley-Thompson: Not even close!
Writing the books is the easy part. Navigating the publishing
industry, which is undergoing an identity crisis, remains a
challenge. Once I got my head out of the clouds and realized
that publishing is a business and that my work is a branded
product, things became a lot easier. I still have to take it
one day at a time and to wear it loose, though.
Urban Reviews: What has
been your most memorable moment while on tour for your books?
Wendy Coakley-Thompson: I've had many,
but I'd have to say that my most memorable moment happened
when I, as part of the Femme Fantastik Tour, visited Fort
Bragg in October of 2007. Many military families came out to
see me, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Lori Bryant-Woolridge, and
Carmen Green. The soldiers and their wives were so young! They
faced imminent deployment and the fear of loved ones not
returning home respectively. Still, they came out to meet us
and to buy our books. It was exhilarating and sobering at the
same time. I especially loved the camaraderie of traveling
with fellow authors. They exposed me to their fans, and I
exposed my fans to them. The mood was light and friendly. We
practically spent the entire weekend laughing like old
girlfriends. Any future tours I participate in will have a
hard time measuring up to that experience.
Urban Reviews: Are you
working on or have any ideas for any upcoming projects?
Wendy Coakley-Thompson: I'm constantly
fleshing out ideas to see if they will morph in sustainable
fiction. You'll just have to wait and see. For now, I'm kept
busy with promotions for Triptych. Next month, I'm
headed to the Bahamas. Hopefully, Bahamians will approve of
how Triptych represents aspects of Bahamian life and
culture.
Urban Reviews: Do you
have any favorite authors or books?
Wendy Coakley-Thompson: I enjoy the work
of way too many of my contemporaries to name, but I can say
that I rush to snap up anything that Jennifer Weiner or Eric
Jerome Dickey drop. I'm also rediscovering nonfiction as well.
I just read The Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. In it,
he debunks many myths about success. Highly readable and very
interesting.
Urban Reviews: What do
you like to do outside of writing?
Wendy Coakley-Thompson: Is there really
anything outside of writing? LOL! Seriously, when I'm not
hunched over the keyboard, I travel, take in movies, listen to
music, or hang out with friends and/or family over deliciously
potent chilled martinis. For quiet time, I walk my dog along
some of Northern Virginia's picturesque trails in order to
clear my hectic mind.
Urban Reviews: Is there
anything else you would like to share about yourself or your
novel?
Wendy Coakley-Thompson: Just that I'm
always trying to evolve as a writer. This evolution, I feel,
is one of the keys to keeping fiction fresh and alive. I want
to thank the fans that have stuck with me on this journey.
Hopefully they'll stay with me… and bring some new friends
along.
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