Coffee with Alretha Thomas: Part 1

Alretha Thomas 

After reading Married in the Nick of Nine by Alretha Thomas in one night I was honored to be given the opportunity to interview the author. I met up with Thomas in LA. On first glance she portrays a very business like persona, dressed in a tailored suit with a neon shirt exposing the fashionista in her with long steady strides. I quickly find out she has a very inviting smile and caring personality. She orders a blueberry muffin and latte, too excited to eat I am content with a caramel latte. 

Polished Practical: The main character Cassandra is apprehensive about turning 30 and from the very first chapter we see her fretting over Valentines Day. Did you mean for her character to speak so universally to all women? And why do you think Valentines Day is such a difficult holiday for women to deal with? 

Alretha Thomas: Wow Cassandra- I definitely envisioned her to be a universal character. I think that women seeking love...and this biological clock is universal. You know as little girls playing dolls, dreaming of having a knight in shining armor, getting married - we are just socialized that way. Even though this is 2013, women still have this whole thing about getting married. Look at the Kim Kardashian thing, people still wanna get married despite of divorce rates and that's why I felt that Cassandra could represent all women. I felt that goal of getting married before turning 30 was universal. Every woman can relate to that. Valentines Day runs deep, I think that society has created this holiday, ...to make money and take advantage of the vulnerabilities of women, knowing that we have this love, this romance thing going on. We fall for it. ...there is this peer pressure on Valentines day, your coworker gets flowers...you want to have flowers too! It's not right, we should be in a place where we feel we are enough, but that's not reality. Women still trip when it comes to Valentines Day. 

PP: Clearly Cass shares the same angst that many women do. When you create a character like her do you base it off of real women in your life or is it just loosely based and everything else is fictional? 

AT: I have to think about how I develop characters. It usually starts with the story...for instance, I knew that I wanted to write about a woman that wants to get married before she turns 30. The story was an overwhelming thing at that point, you know, how was it going to unfold? ...then I started thinking about the character. It's like a seed is planted in me and then it develops - with Cassandra, I had her name and then I started seeing her, feeling her, thinking about her and then from there I started writing a biography about her...I created her. ...whats interesting to me is once the character was developed I actually met someone at my work [Thomas visibly shows her surprise of this happening]. This woman was my character, come to life right before my eyes. My characters are definitely not consciously based on anyone else. 

PP: Do you think that Cassandra is more accepting of Nick's shortcomings because she has a sense of desperation at her nearing birthday? 

AT: Well I think that you have to realize though that he's a good guy...so she's fallen in love...you can't cut feelings on and off and that's why a lot of times people won't reveal to you certain things that are deal breakers. They know once they put the cards on the table, it's not going to be that easy for you to walk away. She's in love not desperate... Cassandra has a big heart, she works for Haven House, a shelter for women...she's not jaded. 

PP: For the most part Cass takes the high road. I really like her character for this reason, why did you not have her take revenge? 

AT: You know some people didn't like that fact. I think what Nick did is so much that it's hard for people to reconcile that...she did go through her paces though. But of course love wins! Why would she waste all her time and energy doing that? 

PP: That's a good point, we can see it in women we come across in our everyday lives. 

PP: Why choose to have the "hidden" part of Nick's life in New York and not just keep everything in LA? 

AT: [laughs] Then I wouldn't have a synopsis of something " being rotten in the Big Apple." I have a confession to make, I guess this part of the story is loosely based on something that happened to me. A long time ago...I met a guy at a club in LA and he was drop dead gorgeous and from New York. I ended up moving there and it didn't work out. So that inspired me. ...The drama going down in New York raised the stakes, if she was in LA it would have been to comfortable, on her own territory. And New York is a great place...great flavor for the book to have that. 

PP: How long did you live there for? 

AT: For three months...I didn't like living there. I worked at this place on Fashion Ave and the people are crazy. 

PP: Did you purposely name Cass's cousin Cyn? 

AT: I didn't 

PP: Really?! It's perfect! 

AT: I didn't do it on purpose, but when I wrote the sequel I said Oh! look at that. it's kind of nice. 

PP: Wait! Third book of this?        

AT: Oh yeah, there's a third book! It's already been completed.    

PP: I have something to look forward too!      

AT: [Big smile] I have used a play on words with her name. 

PP: The name Cyn foreshadows her whole character. 

AT: It works, it works well. 

PP: I read the book in one sitting!

AT: I can't believe that [a big smile spreads across his face)

PP: I can see the whole thing with the nosey neighbor but I'm really curious about your decision of the neighbor that looks like Denzel. 

AT: [Laughs] I thought it would be cute that someone looks like him. You know maybe if the book blows up really big, he could play himself in the movie version [both break out into a fit of giggles like school girls].    

PP: Have you ever worked at a women's shelter like Cass?

AT: No I haven't. I admire Cass, I think she is a better woman than I am... it's symbolic to myself, I've been beat down a couple of times in my life... it pays homage to caring for women.

PP: I think it also helps readers understand why she is so strong. We see this in parts of the book. She actually protects the woman that's causing her so much pain. I love that about her! 

AT: That's so sweet!

PP: Well nowadays so many women are in competition with each other, but we're suppose to help one another. We complain that men disrespect us but we have to start by respecting each other.

AT: That's right! It's interesting you say that because it reminds me of the whole Trayvon Martin case. When the verdict came out people were irate and I posted... I was flat lined... I posted about the black on black violence - Why does it take one white person to get people mad? It's the same thing, if we don't respect each other how do we expect other people too [frustration rises in Thomas].

PP: Well bottom line is there shouldn't be any crimes happening. I notice that you did a play called Grandpa's Truth and it tackled the subject of race. That's been huge in the media lately with everything that's been happening. What do you feel that [pause] not necessarily the solution is but how do you feel that society should deal with this? What's the next step?

AT: This is very tough. I would hope that it wouldn't happen again but it probably will... It's not an overnight solution, you have to get in the trenches with that, where does it all start? ... kids are joining gangs to feel safe... this didn't happen over night. ... We do have to also deal with the justice system, we do have to deal with the reality that if Trayvon were white we would be having a whole different discussion now. If Zimmerman were black and Trayvon white there's a good chance that Zimmerman would be behind bars right now. ...There's a stigma, people are profiling and we gotta get away from that... That Stand Your Ground law is scary, there are a lot of issues. It's gonna take everyone working on this. I don't know if it will ever change, maybe in three generations from now its possible. 

PP: Right it's not an overnight thing, but I also feel that it starts with education in our own homes. How we teach our kids to interact and respect others, to befriend everyone. The negative mindset needs to change otherwise there will still be ignorance. 

[Interview goes off record]

Stay tuned this week for part two of coffee with Alretha!