Slyce: Brothers and Sistah’s, please welcome our sistah, Authoress Tee Renee to “The Interrogation Room”!! Welcome my sistah :-). Are you ready?
Slyce: What inspired you to become an author?
TR: I’ve always been a writer…since I was a little girl…I starting writing my first book back in 09 maybe with my sister…life got in the way and we never finished this book…then a chance encounter with Markita Hall reignited my desire to write a book…her push helped me write “Neighborhood Kandii” in less than 30 days…
Slyce: What is the name of your publishing company?
TR: When I first published, I was signed to KPG…I am now a self-published author…
Slyce: In what genre do you write?
TR: Urban, erotica, romance, historical and self-help…
Slyce: Have you penned under another name?
TR: Naw, Tee Renee is it…
Slyce: You wrote a book titled, “Neighborhood Kandii”. What was this book about?
TR: This book is about a girl from my hometown whose life had many challenges…she’s the product of the hood she grew up in but is trying her best to get out. This character embodies myself and many girls I grew up with. Although she’s a lot more daring than I am lol…
Slyce: Is this book a stand alone or a series?
TR: This is a two-part series…I had a spin-off planned based on the characters Nikki and Ebony…but my “Ebony” past away 3 yrs ago so it’s been hard for me to get back to it…I’m sure I will soon cuz I owe it to her to follow through on our commitment to this project…
Slyce: How important is research?
TR: Research is vitally important to the success of your book! Without it you’re just putting words on a piece of paper with no real substance. The longevity of an author, in my humble opinion, is driven by how well of a researcher they are…it’s like the air we breathe…without it we will eventually die…
Slyce: How important are interviews?
TR: Omgeezy, interviews are very important, especially if you’re trying to build a fan base! People wanna feel like they know you, like they’re connected to you, so what better way to allow them in other than doing an interview? I think all authors should do them as often as they can!
Slyce: How important are reviews?
TR Reviews…hmmm…I believe they serve a purpose, however I also believe they can be omitted in a sense…I remember a time when we bought books simply by reading the back cover…maybe by word of mouth…we weren’t subjected to biased viewpoints…we were allowed to get to know the book simply by the writer’s words…nowadays, authors and readers alike are so caught up on reviews that the art gets lost in translation…to me they are now a necessary evil…
Slyce: What does the term, “Building a Brand” mean?
TR: Building a brand means leaving your footprint everywhere you go…like how one would drop popcorn along a trail in the woods in order to remember your starting point and allow others to find you…it’s a colorful, in depth representation of who you are, not only as an author but as a person, a business…if you don’t know what you mean to yourself or what your work means or the message you want to send out into the world, trying to build a brand is a lost cause. Your brand is you, your stamp, your place in whatever industry you contribute to..
Slyce: What steps are you taking to build your brand?
TR: Right now I’m focusing a lot of my energy into marketing…that’s the key component for any business model…I know what my message is, what my brand colors are, who my target audience is…so now it’s time to spread that into the world with things like this…interviewing, writing for other magazines, I have something planned for NaNoWrimo next month that I’ll only be doing on my author page and I also plan to attend more author events next year so that I can meet readers, authors and other literary experts face to face.
Slyce: What goals would you like to achieve as an author?
TR: I’d like to land in the top 10 on the NYTIMES best sellers list and have a few of my books adapted in to stage plays and/or films…
Slyce: What advice can you offer those aspiring to become an author?
TR: Write, write, and write! Study your craft, take writing and editing classes, spend lots of time in the library reading all types of books, expand your vocabulary, don’t try to mimic other writers/authors, develop your own voice, stay persistent and consistent, and don’t be afraid to fail and take risks!
Slyce: Is there anything else cooking in the lab for Authoress Tee Renee?
TR: Yes! I have two books that should be out in the next couple of weeks: a self-help book for single mothers and a fiction novel entitled When Enough is Enough: Welcome to Hell’s Kitchen…I also have a few magazine articles coming out soon…
Slyce: Do you write for the passion or the profit?
TR: Ha! Definitely for the passion! If I was writing for the profit I would’ve put my pen down a long time ago! Would I love to see some fat royalty checks? Most definitely! But I know that my words have blessed me in so many other ways, the money is merely a bonus!
Slyce: Name three authors you’d love to work with.
TR: I’ve already worked with a few that I love (Markita Hall and Patrice Naylor aka Unique Penn)…I know so many great authors so I’d love to work with them all…however, I’d love to find a male author that writes suspense thrillers and collab with him; that’s a genre I’d love to write in…
Slyce: Have you done blog talk radio?
TR: Yes I have. I’ve done quite a few interviews and I used to have my own blog talk show called Tell Me Something Good Radio. It was all about good news, indie artists, authors and small businesses. I miss it terribly!
Slyce: Where can our viewers purchase your book?
TR: This book can be purchased on Amazon
Slyce: How can our viewers contact you?
TR: I can be reached on social media:
Slyce: I’d like to thank guest, Authoress Tee Renee for joining us in “The Interrogation Room”!! Thank you my sistah. You were wonderful!!
Everyone, please go purchase, “Neighborhood Kandii” by Authoress Tee Renee. Also, remember to check out her page on Facebook at: 
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