I expressed my need to the author how important it was to give her fans an intimate, yet heartfelt side of herself to expose and give informative tidbits of the industry.  I needed for her to answer them honestly and with conviction.  Under those auspices I hereby present to you the latest turning point for Francis Ray.

Francis Ray:  The journey from my first book, FALLEN ANGEL, to my first mainstream, THE TURNING POINT, has been an eventful one.  When I started writing, there wasn't a specific market for African-American romance books.  Thankfully Letitia People, publisher/owner of Odyssey Books, came along and changed that in the early 1990s. However, soon after FALLEN ANGEL was published in October 1992, the company went out of business and I was left looking for another publisher.  I had no idea when I sent FOREVER YOURS and THE BARGAIN (in the same envelope) to Kensington Publishing Company in 1993 that FOREVER YOURS would co-launch Arabesque Books in 1994 or that THE BARGAIN would be selected for the Denise Little Presents line and come out in 1995.

The biggest and least expected event in my publishing career was having INCOGNITO, my sixth book, selected to be made into the first BET-TV movie in 1999.  I was stunned. I kept asking my editor if she hadn't made a mistake.
 

Alvin Romer: Descriptive detail, impassioned lives, and intricate character makeup all seem so real in your books...where does that detail come from?  What methodology do you use to shape a story line?

Francis Ray:  The most important tool I use to shape a story line is a detailed character sketch.  Since I try to start each book with conflict, I have to know why my characters act or don't react, what makes them who they are.  I pay particular attention to their childhood.  I strongly believe that this is where we are shaped.  For the outer trappings, I have stacks of books and
magazines on everything from flowers to lifestyles to the interior of a jet. I also use the Internet and telephone for research.   When I wrote UNTIL THERE WAS YOU and needed to know about the Santa Fe Police Department, I called and asked the officer on duty about their jurisdiction, policy and procedures, uniforms and patrol cars.
 

Alvin Romer: On the road to prosperity, writers will invariably encounter distractions, psychological blocks, and mood swings....How do you deal with, or eliminate those maladies?

Francis Ray:  I continually strive to do better in this area.  When I hit a difficult patch in my books, I'll use any excuse to leave the computer and wander around the house, bothering my family.  My daughter is aware of this and helps keep me on track.  At the computer once again, I write, aware that I will probably toss out most of it.  The important thing I've learned is to
keep writing.  The longer you stay away, the more difficult it is to return and get the momentum going again.
 

Alvin Romer: Did you know early on that you had an affinity for writing?  And who were some of those earlier influences, and why?

Francis Ray:  I never thought about writing until I read a novel by Katherine Woodiwiss.  The characters were simply wonderful.  She hooked me on romance.  Before then I had read only mainstream fiction.  Once I discovered I wanted to write I joined my local RWA chapter and met some fantastic ladies who became friends and critique partners.  Two of those ladies, June Harvey and LaRee Bryant, were invaluable.  I was also fortunate to have Elizabeth Lowell/Ann Maxwell as a mentor.  Ann is in a class by herself.
 

Alvin Romer: Obviously there have been quite a few changes in the writing industry since you started.  How have they helped or hindered you as you've progressed?

Francis Ray:  Besides supportive editors, what has helped my career the most is that major publishing houses finally recognizes the market potential for African-American books.  This is a time of unprecedented growth in the industry for us.  I think it's fabulous!!
 

Alvin Romer: What are some positives and negatives that have affected AA writers in general, and you particularly as it relates to being accepted by mainstream publishing?

Francis Ray:  As I've said, the positive change is that publishers are more aware of the African-American market.  The negative thing, I feel, is that our books remain pigeonholed.  I don't read by color.  I know many others who don't.   A good book is a good book.  Until all readers can see past color when selecting a book, I think we both lose.
 

Alvin Romer: Why is it so important for you to write...and what methodology do you use to convey how and what you write?

Francis Ray:  It's important for me to write because I want to show that African-American men and women do have high morals, do love and want what is best for their children, do live happily ever after.  I get so tired of the stereotypes on TV.  Sure we have problems -- who doesn't? -- but we work through them.  We live.  We love.  I try to show that in each book though the characters I create.  My characters have flaws, as all people do, but most of  them are good, decent people.
 

Alvin Romer: What are your overall impression of the AA literary scene today?  Do you feel compelled to read the work of some of your contemporaries?

Francis Ray:  I think the overall AA literary scene today is fantastic.  It's finally our time to walk on-stage.  I can't read all the books, but I do support them through my local black bookstore, Black Images.  I read what I enjoy -- compelling plots with intriguing main characters involved in monogamous relationships that end happily.  With all the things life throws our way, I like to think that good eventually triumphs.
 

Alvin Romer: Do you plot in definitive detail before you write? What works best for Francis Ray?

Francis Ray:  I do a synopsis for each book.  It may be as short as one page for a 25,000 word anthology or several pages for a 100,000 word book.  Whatever works for each particular story.  Obviously, I build as I go, developing the main characters and secondary characters, fleshing out the story.  I need that outline to make sure I don't get off track. I always complete detailed personality sketches for my main characters.
 

Alvin Romer: Let's talk about The Turning Point.  What's the story behind you writing this novel?

Francis Ray:  THE TURNING POINT was the most difficult books that I've ever written and the one I'm proudest of.  A few years back I was diagnosed with a macula hole in each eye.  If left untreated it could have led to blindness.  After surgery my vision didn't clear as my retina specialist had predicted.  I panicked.  I was an emotional wreck.  Eventually things turned out well, but then I began to think, what if my vision hadn't returned?  Out of that came Dr. Adam Wakefiled, a famous neurosurgeon.  Gifted, handsome, arrogant, Adam had to learn that he did not rule his own destiny.
 

Alvin Romer: How would you compare it with others that you wrote?

Francis Ray:  In comparing THE TURNING POINT to my other novels, I think it has more character development and more realistic problems.  Adam, the hero, is blind and angry at the world.  Lilly, the heroine, has run away from her abusive husband and is scared of her own shadow.  They both have a long way to go before they come into their own.
 

Alvin Romer: Is there a message that you're trying to convey with this book that readers should latch on to?

Francis Ray:  The message that I wanted to convey in THE TURNING POINT is that we often think that a situation is the worst thing that can happen to us.  In many cases it leads to something wonderful.  Adam thought his blindness was the worst thing that could happen to him; it wasn't.  It made him a better man.  The same thing went for Lilly.  Because of her abusive marriage she learned to be strong and independent, step by shaky step.  Having been face down for twenty-two out of twenty-four hours after surgery for eight weeks, I'll never take my sight for granted again.  There are turning points in all our lives that either make us stronger or weaker.  Only we can decide which.
 

Alvin Romer: What tangible message would you give any first time or aspiring writer?

Francis Ray:  The message I would give to an aspiring writer is, first of all, write.  I hear so many people say they want to write, but they haven't written a word.  Second, don't write because you think you'll earn a lot of money; write because you have a burning desire to tell a story.  Third, study how-to books on writing and build a library.  If you don't have Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain, please buy a copy and study it until the pages are tattered.  Fourth, read in all genres.  Fifth, set realistic goals.  Sixth, and this is so important, learn now not to compare yourself to anyone else.  It's detrimental and a waste of time.  Instead, write the story that only you can write, polish it until it gleams, then send it off.  Seven, seriously consider an agent, but learn about the publishing business yourself.

Alvin Romer:  How can you fans contact you?

Francis Ray:  I'm always happy to hear from my fans.  They can contact me through my home page at

http://www.francisray.com

or through e-mail:  francisray@aol.com
 
 

Lilly Crawford, the main character in Francis Ray's latest novel, THE TURNING POINT, endures long standing suffering, despair, and frustration in and out of a marriage that's going nowhere fast.  Dealing with abuse at the hands of an uncaring husband, she decides to leave him, looking for a new lease on life.  Trials and tribulation abound, but she inexplicably meets
Adam Wakefield, a well-to-do San Francisco physician now living in seclusion on a Louisiana estate.  His bailiwick and nemesis is his blindness and the psychoanalysis that has become burdomsome, sinking him to the lower bowels of depression.

 Can Lilly find happiness and contentment with Adam?  Is Lilly the ray of hope that Adam has been searching for?  It is only when the two of them are firmly ensconced in each other's psyche that the story really takes off.  THE TURNING POINT is told through tangled events of abuse, mistrust, fragile egos, and shattered lives...and is buoyed by the fact that two people find security in each other's heart and character.

 Ms. Ray skillfully sets the story amid two entities that are both contrast and congruent to each other -- pain and joy.  With an intense plot and vibrant characterization, this work is a satisfying read and likely to create a demand for more of her work.