With his Master’s blood still fresh on his hands, and the woman of his dreams crying hysterically Reginald needed to think. However, there was no time for thinking and they needed to go. In just a few hours the relentless nose of every blood hound in Tennessee would be fresh on their trails, so with no time to spare he grabbed Emily by the hand and they vanished. Author R.E. Carter is looking to bridge the gap between Street-Lit and Traditional story telling with his mesmerizing and bold debut novel Murder Along Burley Creek. “I have to admit I’m a history nerd especially when it comes to African American history. I just love it,” said the Emmy Award Winning Journalist. “However, I’m also from the Hip-Hop generation and urban fiction is our story and it’s time for this generation to add to the legacy of great literature in our own unique way.” Murder Along Burley Creek is a multigenerational historical fiction that follows the life of Reginald Williams, a former slave living in Lawrence Kansas. Shackled from head to toe and dragged out of their beautiful home Reginald and his wife Emily are taken back to Tennessee on first degree murder charges. Their alleged victim – Peter O’Neil the couple’s former owner and Emily’s alleged father who was found dead along Burley Creek in 1855. Wanting the world to know the truth about their identity, their road to freedom, and the death of Peter O’Neil, Reginald reaches deep into his soul and puts his life story on paper. From London, to Georgia, to the well renowned Smithsonian the leather bound journal would pass through dozens of hands over the next 120-years until it was finally given to the rightful owner. “I’ve always been a big fan of slave narratives because you don’t know where you are going unless you know where you’ve been, but I wanted to add a wrinkle so that the book stood out, so I brought in a character with an urban element.” At the age of 28 Carl Peters had already completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering and his Masters in History, but is selling cell phones in a mall in Oklahoma City. Carl’s desire for the easy life is a one man boycott against an overbearing father who died three years earlier. With the Journal now in his hands Carl will attempt to put his life back on track by confronting his own demons of selling out by leaving his childhood friends from the ‘Eastside’ behind. He will also have to choose between his blonde haired blue eyed girlfriend Amanda and the chocolate colored vixen Tanisha. “I believe Carl’s story is going to be unique to the literary world because he’s the guy from the hood that people don’t really write about. He is basically stuck between his desires to be down with his friends and the so called American Dream. People also love the love triangle between Tanisha and Amanda – there are multiple surprises with those two characters and they give an already good story a shot of espresso that takes it to another level.” Carter believes that readers will enjoy his unique blend of story-telling and by the end of the book they will not care if it’s Urban Fiction, Street-Lit, or Traditional story telling. He believes the story is about love, and sacrifice and anybody of any race can enjoy it. “This is not a story that is going to glorify gangbanging and hustling, but it’s part of the book because that’s the world that Carl grew up in, and for me not to add it would be silly,” says the Californian. “But it’s not going to be boring either like a PBS special for the 1970’s that uses a Negro hymn every 10 minutes. The story is designed to make you think, but I also want it to move at a pretty good pace. I want people to enjoy the whole story.” Like many Authors the 33-year-old is a fan of John Grisham and Walter Mosely, but still loves the writings of Richard Wright and other members of the Harlem Renaissance. He believes it’s the love of that era that fuels the divide between black authors of different styles. “Author Alain Locke said that we have to leave the old stereotypes of ‘mammie’ and ‘Sambo’ behind and create a ‘New Negro’ that is educated and is passionate about progress. It’s that philosophy that motivates both sides. Street-Lit authors are pushing the boundaries and want to tell the stories that affect them and the people that they know just like they did in the Harlem Renaissance. And because those books are selling the proof is in the pudding and it’s not going to stop,” said the founder of Run North Publishing. “However, Traditional Authors are concerned that these books are creating a new ‘Sambo’ and ‘Mammie’ by glorifying the dope game, exotic dancers, and baby mamas. Being an author is a job, and you have to get paid, so I understand. Trust me! Men and women died during Slavery, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement so you can write whatever you want to write about. The only question that remains is “Would those people who sacrificed so much be proud of you and your work,” and the answer from some authors is, “I don’t give a (expletive) about what they would think. I’m here to get paid,” and that’s their prerogative.” Officials at Run North Publishing have lofty goals for Murder Along Burley Creek and have released the novel on Amazon and will be adding it to other online stores to qualify for a few upcoming competitions, but will not be releasing a print version until April of next year. “If we win a few awards that would be great, but at the end of the day we want people to enjoy this book and other upcoming projects,” explains Carter. “We know as a small company it’s going to be an uphill fight, but every big movement starts with a small dream. We’ve already talked to some book distributors and they’ve been pretty receptive because E-books are cutting into their profits. Indie authors are starting to kick down the door and are slowly turning away from traditional publishing. You can be an author and the CEO of your own brand. If you have a fan base and a product that is going to make them some money they’ll listen.” Despite the positive feedback from distribution companies officials with Run North say their major goals is still to attract more readers, and are teaming up with bloggers, and websites such as Goodreads to get the word out along with traditional methods such as radio. “I have a newborn baby and a toddler, so I’m always up,” laughs Carter. “So if somebody is looking for me and wants to talk about my book or the subject matter of Black America I’m open to it, and would love to do it.” Carter can be found on Facebook, on his website authorrecarter or you can e-mail him at authorrecarter@gmail ###
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 04:24:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015