Please welcome to Feed My Need, the fabulous author, Krystal Milton!
When and why did you begin writing? I began writing as a past time in my teenage years. It was more like a hobby intertwined with all the others; crocheting, sketching, sewing, singing, painting. There were a lot of things happening in my life and using these vises was a positive outlet for me. I would write poetry and short stories just for my eyes only, sometimes I would share with family and friends and they’d go “Whoa Krystal this is really good.”
At first I thought they were just giving me a generic response to what I had written but slowly people began asking for my creative opinion or requesting a copy to show to their friends. And as my life continued to progress writing always stayed at the back of my mind.
Writing to me had been therapeutic. It helped me overcome so much of the turmoil I was experiencing but it wasn't until later in life in my twenties where I started to become more passionate about it, when I ultimately decided it’s more than just jotting down ideas or circumstances. I found that the more I wrote the more in tune with my characters I became. And finally when I was ready I shared these stories through self publishing.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The hardest part of writing for me is reconciling the differences between me and the characters I write about. For instance, I was born and raised in Brentwood NY , which has become its own ghetto. When I was younger I could walk around after dark without fear of anything happening to me, now I won’t even let my children play on the porch after the sun goes down. There isn’t a lot of violence on my own street or those closest to mine, but you have to take precautions in that type of climate.
When I was writing Charge that to the Game, my character Finesse was someone born and raised in Brentwood . It was easy for me to write about him in that type of setting because I know this town, and it is easy for many people to relate to. The problem with writing Finesse was incorporating the language. While I do throw out a curse word once in a while, say should I stub my toe, I do not however talk in that tone or manner on a daily basis. In order for me to stay true to Finesse’s nature I had to not only put myself in his frame of mind but cloak myself in his persona, speak his language, move as he himself would had he been real.
For me it was a very difficult process and after completing the series, I felt like I had to reprogram my mind and how I present myself. I also felt like I needed to sit in the corner with a bar of soap in my mouth. But I don’t regret writing about Finesse because seeing life through his eyes and hearing the words as he would say them himself had given dimension to his character.
I was so pleased when a reader emailed me and said she couldn’t believe how well it came out, she said it was almost as if she could hear him speaking the words right off the page. The Dialogue was exactly as you would hear if you were standing with a group of homies on a Brentwood corner listening to an average conversation.
What is the easiest?
The easiest part of writing for me is getting a story started. By the time I sit in front of the keyboard I have the basic idea of what I want to say. Its as if I am painting on a blank canvas, I see the story line, I already know my characters, their lives and basically at which point in that life the reader will become acquainted with when they first crack open the book. The first draft comes to me I want to say naturally but its not that simple, I will say quickly. Once I reread I can reshape, mold and add to it.
What music do you listen to while you write?
It’s funny that you ask that. I love R&B, smooth jazz, pop and sometimes country. Let me not forget soft rock. Sometimes I could be listening to a song and bam I got a story idea and a character in my minds eye. Charge that to the Game came to me one day while I was driving home from work and I was listening to Jahiem’s “Fabulous”. I love that song. There is a scene in Say a little Prayer that came to me while I was listening to my iPod and Mary J Blidge was blasting in my ear.
What inspires you?
People, life, every day situations, my past, my children. When I write I try to stay in tune with things that push me, give me drive to keep on going. I listen to stories from people I know and I think about how I can apply their situation to my stories, because everyone’s life is unique. We handle things differently and by using their coping strategies has helped open my mind up to different scenarios and situations. I am inspired by my past to do better. Inspired by my children to live my dream, make mistakes and learn from them so if they should ever experience the things that I have (though I pray they don’t) they can see a prime example through me how to overcome anything.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I dabble in painting. I sketch, which I included a few sketches in my Charge that Series. I sew and crochet when I have time, though I must say between working fulltime, writing in whatever spare time I can find and being a full time mother its hard to fit my little hobbies in. But I do make sure I find time because those little breaks replenish me.
What are your current projects?
Right now I am working on promoting Say a little Prayer which was re-released in January. It was originally supposed to be a series but I nixed that and republished the full novel with all subsequent chapters. I will also be publishing Blitz, book three in the Charge that Series by the end of February, not positive on a date yet. I am currently shopping around for an Agent for my novel Sins of the Father while I work on finishing a manuscript for The Promise which I hope to self publish too by the end of July this year.
Quick: Vampires or Shapeshifter? Why?
Shape shifter all the way. I do not like to be bitten and do not see the appeal in having a cold dead thing trying to entice me it just won’t work, I say this is vain because I do love vampires, but shape shifters are still human. That’s way more appealing.
Do you have any advice for other writers? Be diverse. I am African American or you can call me black I take no offense to either. However I do not write only about my culture. I write about different ethnicities, because everyone no matter their color or creed experiences life, has goals they want to achieve, has a story to tell, has a past they are maybe running from. Embrace the world that we live in and perfect your craft in order to tell about it.
Write for pleasure always, because when you take the joy and passion out of something you love, you wont produce that either. People can tell when they read if this is what you love to do, or what you are forcing yourself to do. And of course, never give up. It may not happen today, but it will one day.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
With every story I write, with every character, I try to convey a message of love and understanding, of the promise of struggle and how to overcome. I try to entertain with a few laughs, burst out a few tears and maybe show my readers a good time all the while showing a dedicated perseverance.
We all have different walks of life, different passions and expectations, different circumstances but on the inside we are all very much the same. In the messages I give to readers I want them to understand that self improvement is not about looks. It’s about improving how we react to others, about how we cope, how we maintain. When we read we are exploring different worlds and situations, and somehow the genres we like most seem to mirror some aspect of our life, consciously you may not know it but it does.
It’s a phobia or a nightmarish secret, its insecurity or an obsession we may not know exists inside of us but we still seek it. It helps us escape from chores or everyday stresses. Sometimes it’s a simple pleasure to close out the evening snuggled up in a comforter. And I hope that with each story I write my readers will always be entertained, are always in love with my characters, their lives, their situations and their joyous ending. I hope my readers get as much enjoyment out of reading my works as I do out of writing them.
Kells Garrett is on trial for murdering his late wife Kyana Garrett. As the trial unfolds, he has to face not only the loss of his freedom, but the truth about his late wife as all her misdeeds come to light, painting her the seductress, and he the murderous jealous husband. Will the truth set him free? Or will it be his ultimate demise.
Pisces a major drug overlord has finally found his soul mate. Struggling with the epic turf wars, a crumbling empire and police at his every turn, he tries to convince his love to stay all the while grooming his younger brother Vito to take his place. With Kyana Garrett’s death a whole new world of trouble opens up and Pisces finds himself caught between family and his heart.
