Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant Are Here!

 From the bestselling dynamic duo who gave us What Doesn’t Kill You, comes a story as big as New York City itself. Enter the world of Uptown where you’ll find a prominent New York family strained to the breaking point by the high stakes of Manhattan Real Estate Industry…

After twenty years of Foreign Service abroad, Avery Lyons returns to New York when her mother and uncle suffer a serious car accident. The tragedy brings the family together, but Avery is not happy about reuniting with her cousin, Dwight, from whom she has been estranged since the fallout over a college scandal. Avery no longer recognizes the prestigious neighborhood of her childhood but the same old family dynamics and secrets are all too familiar…

Heir to a real estate empire, Dwight is willing to do anything to realize his aging and demanding father’s dream: Dixon Plaza, a luxury high-rise development on Central Park North, the last undeveloped border of the city’s famed emerald park. There’s only one thing in his way: Avery has inherited a share of the property Dwight needs. She’s more than willing to sell until she starts dating a reporter on a mission to uncover the truth behind the rumored shady dealings surrounding the complex.

Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant are the bestselling author of several books such as of Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made, Far From the Tree, Better Than I Know Myself, Exposures, and the soon to be released, Uptown (in bookstores everywhere this Tuesday, March 2nd!). They have been best friends for more than 25 years and writing/working together for 19 of those years.

What gave you the idea for Uptown?

The real estate boom was the gold rush of the 2000’s. Newer, grander homes and luxury towers went up in places where they had never been built before—including Harlem, but not without controversy. And buyers as well as developers went into mega-debt to get in the game. We wanted to take a look at that phenomenon, and we realized we had the perfect two characters to take us into that world. Dwight Dixon and his irascible father, King Dixon were characters from Better Than I Know Myself that readers loved to hate, and their family business was Harlem real estate. So in Uptown we explore both the family dynamics that weigh on Dwight and his cousin, Avery Lyons who grew up like a sister to him, as well as the pressure to be successful at any cost and the personal toll it takes.

Do you guys feel pressure to make your books racy? How do you stay true to yourself in this “Sex sells” market?

Yes, there is pressure for more sexual content and to be more “urban.” Our answer is that we don’t all have to write the same book. There are readers who like stories with a different focus. The sex in our books has always been about what that moment meant for the characters involved and not about the details of the activity. The same is true in Uptown, even though we explore some very adult situations, like some that are currently in the news where men in public positions, whether political, sports or entertainment are caught behaving stupidly and embarrass their families and themselves. We wanted to know what’s really going on with their wives—what’s happening behind the scenes? We tackle that one head on in Uptown…

Speaking of publishing, the current state of the industry has several authors feeling down. How do you stay positive amid all the negativity?

With great difficulty. We have found our writing career in peril as a result of the state of flux. As a matter of fact, the economic struggle that resulted from our uncertain position was the spark for our last book What Doesn’t Kill You (which is now out in paperback) which was about a woman who loses her long time job and has to re-evaluate everything in her life as a result. Sounds really serious, and some parts are, but our narrator—Thomasina “Tee” Hodges has a way to see the humor even in her challenges. That book was a way to make lemonade out of some very big lemons.

At this point, publishing is about the numbers. Whatever sells the most is what you will see in your bookstores. Gone are the days of nurturing writers, shepherding their developing careers, one book at a time, so we always encourage readers to support the writers they love. Otherwise, you won’t find their books on the shelves any more.

As far as social media goes, you guys are everywhere! Twitter, FaceBook, blogging—how do you find the time to write? Which of them do you enjoy the best and which do you feel has had an impact on your readership?

VDB: In today’s marketplace—and that’s how we must think of the contemporary literary world, unless you are long established, like Toni Morrison who to my knowledge does not even have a website much less any social media, you have to be on the grid. And for us this is where we have a division of labor—I am our online monitor, because I enjoy the new technology and all the social interaction, Donna—let’s just say it’s not her cup of java. I actually find the online conversations a welcome respite when we’re writing. They give me a break, a chance to think about something other than the story. My Twitter & FB breaks while we were writing Uptown were like little dishes of sorbet between courses to cleanse the palate. We find that at this point, our blog is mostly followed by readers who have been fans of our work for years, and to some extent the same is true for Facebook and Twitter, but with those communities we have made hundreds of new friends and widened our readership to include many who only heard of us because we were involved in a particular online community. I believe this kind of public relations and marketing on the part of authors is here to stay.

DG: While we are writing in particular I find it very difficult to pull myself out of the story and get into the social media. Hey, I find it difficult to talk to people in person when our characters and their dilemmas are living in my head. It’s definitely one of the differences in our personalities, but from the beginning, when we put our first reader letter in Tryin’ and began to get direct reader response (at that point it was mostly actual letters that we’d pick up from our Post Office box), I was amazed and thankful that so many people took the time to reach out to us, and now that we’re solidly in the electronic era I’m glad they still do.

As a writer what’s the hardest thing for you to tackle? Plot? Dialogue? What’s the easiest?

Getting the points of a plot to line up in a way that keeps readers needing to turn the pages can be challenging. Just when you think you have the timeline figured out, something doesn’t fit.

Dialogue, while not easy, is pretty natural to both of us. We keep in mind who is speaking. How would they say it? Each character has a different way they express themselves, particular words or phrases they use. Once we can feel that, we just let them talk and try to keep it as natural as possible—just like you’re having a conversation.

As a newbie, I find myself looking up to the both of you as something to aspire to. I’m sure many other authors feel the same way. What is the biggest myth about being a bestselling author?

Hmm. Maybe it’s that it gets easier as you go along and that at some point you’ve got it made. Ha! We have found that however many books you write (and Uptown is our seventh) you’re never sure that anyone will want to read it or find it entertaining and worth their time. We’re always anxious about the reader response and we don’t think that will change, no matter how many books we write.

What’s one thing you wished you knew as a debut author?

It would have been helpful to know more about the business of publishing, which doesn’t have anything to do with what we love of about writing. Being really aware of what an extraordinary position the response to Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made, had put us in would have allowed us to capitalize more on that success and might have made our journey smoother in the long run. For those of us who dream about writing novels, the business is not usually part of the picture, but understanding how the publishing business model works—and being aware of how it changes because of trends, technology or the economy, can be enormously beneficial to a new writer starting out.

What writing project are you working on now?

We have plotted out a book that we can’t wait to get on the page. It’s too early for specifics, but like Uptown it is about a timely topic and how it affects all of us on a daily basis. We’re looking to have some fun writing it and hope it will keep readers talking.

We can’t skip the hair here at Curl Up and Write! Virginia, how do you maintain your beautiful blonde hair?

Believe it or not, I do my own color. I worked my way to blonde after my best friend in the whole world, looked at me across a lunch table and said, “You know, your hair makes you look like a middle aged colored woman.” I was stunned, but I looked at myself and she was right. The next day I had cut my shoulder length dark brown hair to my chin and dyed it auburn. I wanted blonde but wasn’t ready yet—that took about another 6 weeks. And what a disaster that first blonding experience was! My hair turned out “school bus” yellow and once again, my best friend Donna said “Maybe it’ll look OK with a lot of make up and big earrings?”

So I did something I hadn’t done in years—maybe eight or ten—I called a hairdresser. For the first 3 years, I ended up with regular appointments—my hair was so short at that time, I needed color and cut every 3-4 weeks. The problem was that not one hairdresser I went to got the color right. I didn’t want that brassy blonde, one tone color that a lot of “us” end up with. I was after a softer, multi-tonal blonde that was more ash and wheat than–yellow. And I was getting fed up with spending between $200 and $300 every month for hair that wasn’t what I wanted.

Then I remembered an old friend from our modeling days had gone from being a bookkeeper to being a hairdresser—in Beverly Hills no less. I met up with him when he came to NY, he saw my dilemma and three hours later it was fixed. Just like that! We pretty much trashed his hotel room, but the results were exactly what I’d been after all along. Yes he was/is white. Not only did he get the right color, he showed me how to do it myself—which I’ve now been doing for about the past seven years! I can do it whenever I want—I can always get an appointment. The whole deal takes about 90 minutes and the price—about $15 per coloring. I haven’t had a relaxer since I started the blonde thing—I knew I could have one or the other and I made my choice—and got my fair share of blonde jokes in my inbox. My hair is very soft and fine and I’ve been blow drying and either using a flat or curling iron for styling. My hair got really dry, broke off and let’s not even talk about what humidity and sweating from workouts did to it, but I was putting heat in my hair sometimes twice a day.

BUT… back in December I had the most amazing treatment—and this is a commercial announcement. My same friend, Derek, who got the color right, came to NY and did a Brazilian Silk keratin treatment on my hair. I’m even on the “Results” page of his website. Derek had been telling me about his product for 2 years “It’s the answer to your prayers honey! Yes, it’s safe on African American hair, and relaxed hair and colored treated hair and…” so I let him do what he wanted to. AMAZING! FABULOUS! FIERCE! I love what this stuff has done for my hair—it stays “unfrizzed,” it’s growing and not breaking off. I just need him to come back to NY—it only lasts 3-4 months and my time is almost up! Sadly, this one thing I can’t do myself. I turned my sister on to the treatment —she has recently given up relaxers and gone blonde too- so now we look like “family” again! Derek trained her hairdresser in Buffalo on the Brazilian Silk procedure. And yes—blondes—at least this one is having more fun!

I’ve heard of the Brazilian Silk treatment, but now I have to convince my husband that it’s worth the price tag! What products do you use to protect your color-treated hair?

All products I use are for color treated hair I’ve been using Kenra’s phosphate free shampoo and a keratin conditioner—but now I use the after care products for the Brazilian Silk treatment. I usually use a serum for shine and manageability during the day—and a thermal spray before using the flat iron. At night I rub a few drops of Philip B Rejuvenating Oil on my hair and scalp before I go to bed. I’m not a tie up my head kinda girl but I do use a satin pillowcase.

Now Donna, I’m loving your length! What tips would you have for another woman that is trying to grow out her hair?

My hair is pretty tough which was helpful back in my modeling days—when it was brushed, teased, curled and generally abused on a regular basis. I learned that a little TLC goes a long way. So, my stylist is careful and doesn’t expose me to chemical abuse. And whether I am natural or relaxed I always condition. My current favorite discovery (OK, I discovered it in the shower at Virginia’s house, but I have some at home now too) is conditioner that has keratin. It helps strengthen the hair and prevent breakage. ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor works amazingly well for me. I can feel the difference in the shower. I also try not to get crazy with the flat iron.

Now this question is for both of you. I’m sure you’ve heard of the debate going on from our natural beauties and relaxed honeys. What’s your take on the debate?

DG: There is nothing you MUST do to be beautiful, other than be a kind person who treats others with respect. You can have hair down to your butt, but a nasty, selfish attitude makes you ugly. There is no kind of hair that is good or bad. There is none that makes us better than somebody else. It’s just hair! The way each of us chooses to look is about personal expression and I enjoy the variety—natural, dreadlocks, smooth, dyed—make a choice that makes you happy, and that fits in the budget. Then get on with the truly important things in life, like taking care of our families, and making our communities and the world a better place.

VDB: I think hair is like fashion—it’s a very individual choice and one you make for your own reasons and sense of style, adventure. There is no right or wrong here. Now I’m not saying that everyone makes a choice that actually looks good-suits them, but that’s not the point. Hair is about choice—so natural or relaxed or bald–it’s a means of self expression that doesn’t hurt a soul.

Last question ladies, I’m a Weavy Wonder and love the versatility it affords. What’s your take on women who wear weave? Have you two ever had a weave? Share!

DG: I am not good at adding extra anything from acrylic nails to additional hair—just don’t have the patience. My one hair experience—It was July, and we had been writing for months, working on Better Than I Know Myself, I think. I was feeling scruffy and bored with the way I looked. I needed a change, so I decided to get braids, something I had never done before. I took my laptop with me to the African braiding shop so I could keep working, picked out a pile of hair and a style—simple and a bit past my shoulders. Six hours later I had my new ‘do. That’s when I discovered hair is HOT!!! I had sweat dripping down my face, rolling down my back. Virginia had the chance to take one picture, but three hours after I got back I couldn’t stand it any more, so I started unbraiding. I was still at the desk, with a bag next to me and I would write a little and unbraid a little. I took my bag to bed with me and when I’d wake up in the night I’d unbraid a few more. By the next afternoon my hands ached, but I was completely unbraided and haven’t tried any additions since. So, whether I cut it into a teeny weeny Afro, which I wore for several years, or let it grow out, where I am now, I pretty much deal with whatever is on my head.

VDB: I’ve never had a weave—I’ve thought about it, but haven’t tried one…actually I can’t imagine not being able to get “down to my scalp” for weeks at a time. Now don’t get me wrong– I do have a couple of wigs and clip in ponytails that can take a bad hair day from disaster to divine in a heartbeat. And when we’re on the road for book tour they definitely come in handy.

I can’t tell you how excited I am that you both agreed to stop by Curl Up and Write! Thank you, and I wish you and Uptown much success!