Interview with Brandy Colbert + #DebBallGiveaway of Little & Lion

I am BEYOND excited to introduce our next guest-the phenomenal Brandy Colbert! I first stalked Brandy when she released one of my favorite books POINTE as I’m a sucker for any books with black ballerinas and seeing myself on the page. I’m proud to call her a friend I can go to for the best advice on navigating the rough publishing waters. Her new title LITTLE & LION, just came out this past week so it’s a real treat having her here to celebration!

Little & Lion is about sixteen-year-old Suzette, who returns home to L.A. from boarding school for the summer. She learns to navigate new relationships with the people she left behind—including her stepbrother, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and a new crush on an old friend—while exploring her sexuality and coming to terms with her past.

You can enter to win a copy by retweeting on twitter:

You can also enter by sharing this post on Facebook. We will select and contact the very lucky winner on Friday, August 18th at noon (US Only).

Welcome, Brandy!

1. What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?
I don’t know if this is actually strange or just out of character, but I worked at a big box hardware store for seven years, from ages 16 to 23. I did a lot of jobs there, including special order sales manager, head cashier, and working in the greenhouse, electrical, plumbing, and flooring departments. I always liked surprising the contractors with the knowledge I’d picked up over the years, since they rarely expected me to know what I was talking about.
2. When you were a teenager, what did you think you’d be when you grew up?
Creative writing didn’t seem like a viable career when I was younger, so once I took my first journalism class as a junior, I knew I wanted to work in journalism in some capacity. I earned a journalism degree and worked as a content editor in magazines for several years. I’ve transitioned to copy editing for magazines and books now. When I was seven years old, I said I wanted to be an author and that my favorite subject was spelling, so I’m pretty much living the dream!
 
3. What time of day do you love best?
I’m a night owl and enjoy the quiet of late night. I think I do my best writing at night, and often work until one or two in the morning. I wish I were a morning person, but I’m pretty sluggish and unbearable before 10 a.m.
4. Do you have any phobias?
It seems so cliched, but I’m afraid of heights! Only in specific circumstances. I don’t have a problem going to the top floors of a tall building, but I get freaked out if there aren’t many barriers, or on steep hiking trails and tall staircases with no railing. I’m also a bit of a germophobe, but I try not to go too overboard (my friends would likely beg to differ).
 
5. Do you have a regular first reader? If so, who is it and why that person?

Yes! I send my early drafts to Corey Ann Haydu, one of my favorite writers and close friends. We have a similar style of writing and typically understand each other’s characters and points of view. She’s not afraid to tell me what’s not working or suggest ways to improve my work, and it’s easy to take critique from someone I trust.

Brandy Colbert is the author of the young adult novel Pointe, which was named a best book of 2014 by Publishers Weekly, BuzzFeed, Book Riot, and the Chicago and Los Angeles public libraries. Her short fiction and nonfiction has been featured in critically acclaimed anthologies, and her next novel, Little & Lion, is in stores now. 

Author: Tiffany D. Jackson

Tiffany D. Jackson is a TV professional by day, novelist by night, awkward black girl 24/7. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Film from Howard University and her Master of Arts in Media Studies from The New School University. A Brooklyn native, she is a lover of naps, cookie dough, and beaches, currently residing in the borough she loves with her adorable chihuahua Oscar, most likely multitasking. Her debut novel, ALLEGEDLY is due January 24th, 2017 through Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of Harper Collins.