VERBATIM!: March 2010

It's not often that you find two writers joined at the hip writing in tandem for as long as the subjects of this interview session, but Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant are cause celebres with a twist! They are successful and have an enormous fan base. I had a chance to talk to these venerable writers and this is what they shared with me:

WOW! You guys have been friends for 25 years and have been writing long enough to forge two different personalities in one...how have you done this, and why the need to write as such when you could have done it individually?

VDB: It's not so much that we've forged two personalities as one. It's that we have left room for each of us to be ourselves, and for as much as we're alike, we're really very different. The differences keep both our writing and our friendship fresh.

DG: ...And we absolutely could write as individuals, but together we get a kind of beneficial chemical reaction. I like to say we inspire each other--maybe we incite each other, but the combo works for us, and hopefully for our readers.

Over the years you’ve written well enough to elicit an outstanding fan base with 7 books under your belt ...what is the formula used individually or collectively on content contribution for the average book? There HAS to be a method to the madness!

VDB: In spite of what DG said about a chemical reaction, there is no formula, per se. Neither of us has specified duties. It's not like Donna plots and I do characters. We each contribute to every part of the process. We do what we call "what iffing," as we work through the plot, and we plot in detail. We get to know our characters in detail as well--what they like, the way they speak, their strengths and weaknesses. We aim to make them feel real, so the readers get to know them well too.

DG: Our writing is collaborative as well--like VDB can start a sentence that I finish. We have both touched every word we write, which is why we call ourselves the author, not the authors. Our separate voices come together to form the one voice that tells the story. It has always been important that the work be seamless. We think it works because we respect each others abilities and we don't bring egos in the room. Whatever creative decisions we make are for the good of the story, not because there is a competition.

Not all things are peaches and cream when collaborating with anything without a sense of communication and understanding...what would you do if you weren’t writing?

VDB: I have been involved with language and communication for most of my working life, so it's difficult to imagine what I would do that didn't involve writing. Hmmm. I'm pretty social so maybe I'd own a jazz club or restaurant--don't think I'd want to be the chef although I'm a really good cook and enjoy the process of creating a meal, but I think I might enjoy the "front of the house" hospitality part of the job.

DG: I cannot imagine not working with words in some way. Since I can remember they have been a part of who I am and how I navigate the world--I'm the one who started a class newspaper in the fifth grade. So, if I wasn't writing fiction, I'd like to be writing non-fiction. And in my alternate reality, I'd be a cellist. Music is the most universal language.

Is there anything you’d like to see changed in the industry in general, and with African-American authors specifically?

VDB: I would like to see African American authors not locked into the category of "African American Lit." Most of us write about life, fiction with characters that happen to be black--stories of struggle and triumph, loss, coping, love, and life, learning--just like all writers. But our sales are limited because our exposure is restricted by marketing strategies that separate and segregate our books.

DG: I'm tired of the rush to sameness. If one type of book has sold well, publishers want us all to write variations of the same book. That pressure to replicate what has already been done stifles creativity and leads to stereotypes which don't fully represent our richness and diversity.

What are your major concerns about what aspiring (and veteran) writers should be doing to honor, uphold and enhance the craft of writing to further their careers?

VDB: One of my concerns is tied to the word you used in the question--craft. Caring about the quality of the writing doesn't always carry the importance that I think it should. This doesn't mean that a writer has to be high-brow (which could take us into another discussion about what is literary and what is commercial fiction but we won't go there now...) but it does mean that paying attention, respecting the long, honorable history of being a storyteller AND respecting your reader's intelligence is too often overlooked. Publishing's need for writers to produce books so often--at least one a year, may generate the sales they're afraid to lose if a reader has to wait 2 years, but it can contribute to the diminishing quality of the work--and readers know it.

DG: I heard Eric Jerome Dickey express this well--do you want to be a writer, or do you want to be published? It's the difference between studying to be an actor or wanting to be a reality star. Being famous has become a job description and writers are not immune. Publicity is important in order to help readers find your work, but it is a tool, not a goal.

How important do you feel book clubs and reading/writing groups are to all things literary pertaining to you as authors and the books you write?

VDB: We love book clubs. Some days as a writer I feel like, "What difference does it make?" For book clubs, reading does make a difference and we writers appreciate their enthusiasm and support. They also have an important voice in letting publishers know what they like.

DG: Writers and readers participate in a conversation that takes place at different moments in time. Book clubs actively participate in that exchange and we appreciate their comments and their points of view. We also enjoy it when they invite us to participate with them, either in person or by phone.

Let’s talk about ‘Uptown’...tell us how you came about writing the theme for the story, and why was it so poignant for you to illustrate the storyline as you did...were there alternative plot twists, and perhaps a different setting that could have been used?

VDB: In the 2000's real estate was like the gold rush or the oil boom. It was sexy, it was wildly profitable, and everybody had to have some. Luxury homes and condos sprouted like mushrooms, with no end in sight. Sections of cities morphed from undesirable to the next hip neighborhood. We wanted to examine the phenomenon on a personal level. We chose Harlem, because it is an iconic neighborhood that has changed rapidly, not without controversy. And it is a place we both knew. As a matter of fact, I lived in one of those buildings "owned" by Dwight Dixon and his father, King Dixon. We first visited those buildings--and met Dwight and King, in our book Better Than I Know Myself. Both those characters and the place were perfect for this story.

DG: We also wanted to examine home--both as a physical place and as a state of mind. Can you go home again? What happens when the physical place no longer exists as you know it? What happens when you move away, but still have unfinished business at home? Can any place ever be home if you don't resolve it? Harlem is our setting, but this story could have taken place in many cities and towns. In New London, CT a case of developers versus residents went all the way to the Supreme Court. But aside from the buildings, we wanted to get at the personal stories behind the shiny glass or limestone facades and take a look at what success means. Is success just about the money, no matter what you have to do to get it?

I’ve read all of your books, and found that ‘Uptown’ strayed a bit from what you’ve written about in the past, yet in many ways the writing style is the same, especially how you crafted your characters...was it deliberate in your decision to change, or were there underlying reasons for giving us something different?

VDB: We are always looking for the next creative challenge. Nothing stays the same. Starting with our last book, What Doesn't Kill You, which was about a woman who is out-placed from her job of 25 years, we have been looking to current situations that affect all of us. Our aim is to personalize them--take them off the front page and put them in somebody's family.

DG: In Uptown, in addition to the real estate, money and influence, we wanted to look at the personal side of scandal. Lately, we have seen lots of politically and corporately powerful people standing at a podium and apologizing for their transgressions. How did they get there? We wanted to look at how they got there, and how the scandal affects their personal lives.

People whose lives are connected seem to be one of the mantras you use to fuel dramatic interludes, are any of the characters in the books you’ve written related, or have issues that would justify fodder to be used in subsequent books?

VDB: Because we tend to write about the same general geographical areas and our stories have mostly been set in a time period between the 80's and now, we decided that some of our characters lives might intersect quite naturally. So in almost every book, to a greater or lesser extent, we will have at least a mention of a character or reference to a situation from another one of our novels. Sometimes readers recognize them, other times they don't and it's just our little way of catching people up on what else is going in a characters "life."

DG: In Uptown, we did that quite deliberately. When we realized we were going to do a book about real estate in Manhattan and in Harlem in particular, we knew we had already created Dwight Dixon and his overbearing father, King for Better Than I Know Myself. We saw no point in creating new characters when we knew these two men. The Dixons created quite a stir among the readers of BTIKM, folks loved to hate them, but we didn't get to fully explore how or why they were such difficult men. Uptown gave us a chance to do that.

If someone were to ask you, “Who is Virginia DeBerry, or who is Donna Grant”, why you write as you do, and why they should buy your books, what would you tell them?

VDB: Who I am as a person is far too complex a question to attempt to answer here, but I can respond as a writer. Donna and I have found a formula that works for us. We fuel each other creatively, we trust each other implicitly, we care about the language as much as we care about the story, and our collective goal is to draw the reader in, and keep them engaged right til the end.

DG: I am curious. I want to know why, and how. I think in specific details rather than broad strokes. I am empathetic. I bring all of those qualities to my writing. I am always trying to get at the truth, especially for characters who are most unlike me. And I want to keep readers guessing. Just when you think you have the story figured out, it takes a turn--just like life. So if people want a read that takes them on a journey, and won't let them go until the very end, that gets them to really care about the characters and that leaves you with a little incite, we are your author.

Are there any suggestions, tidbits of information or good advice that you could give my granddaughter about becoming an accomplished writer?

VDB: She should become and remain a dedicated reader. Reading is the best way to learn, not only about writing, but also about what you like and don't like and why. She should read widely across genres. She needs to be familiar with classic literature, Greek and Roman myths and legends as well as contemporary writers.

DG: And if you want to write, do it! Writing doesn't require expensive equipment. It doesn't require a team. You can do it anywhere, any time. Many people talk about writing, but don't get to putting the words on the page. All stories are genius while they remain in your head. It is confronting the blank page and beginning to move the pieces around that allows you to find your story. Don't be afraid. Begin wherever you are, but do begin. And when you're ready, begin to share your work. Writer's groups can be great for that. They provide both feedback and camaraderie.

What’s can we look forward to from the both of you individually or together in the very near future?

VDB: We are working on another novel, also concerning a subject that affects us daily. After book tour, we look forward to getting back to the computer to create more controversy in the lives of our characters.

DG: ...And because we are always looking for new challenges, we have formed a production company and are working to produce our novel, Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made as a novel. We'll keep you posted.