Simply Cheris. . .

  I was told a long time ago that in order to write well, you have to read -- a lot. You have to read good things, so that you learn; and not so good things, so that you can learn as well. As a journalist, I read newspapers every day to see the writing style of others. How did this reporter tell this story? What kind of impact does it have? How are the facts presented? Did it keep my attention? What did I learn? As a novelist, I take the same approach to reading novels. But I'm a reader first. There have great author is, after a few pages, I'm hooked on the story and all that other stuff is out the window. Sometimes, you get so engrossed in a book, you forget that your own deadline is looming.   Take, Victoria Christopher Murray's The Deal, The Dance and The Devil for example. I didn't like this book -- I loved it. What would you do for five million dollars? Adam and Evia Langston have lived in their own little garden of Eden since the two married at the ag...

Acclaimed author Terry McMillan is coming to Charlotte. McMillan will take the stage with fellow New York Times Bestselling author Omar Tyree on Saturday at the McGlohon Theatre. This event is a part of the "Change is Coming to Charlotte" Event Series. Sponsored by RealEyes Bookstore and the Charlotte Literary Festival, the "Change is Coming to Charlotte" Event Series is a fundraiser for the Charlotte Literary Festival and the Kickoff to Writing Scholarship Program. But before McMillan hits the stage, she gave Creative Loafing 15 minutes to pick her brain. Creative Loafing: What do you think of the current state of the literary market? Terry McMillan: Based on what's going on with the economy, the market is tougher, especially for African American writers. And there's so much of the street fiction out there that it's starting to cancel each other out. As far as African American writers in general, there are a lot of fine young writers out here, who are n...