Against The Grain

By Nikki Turner - September 25, 2008 at 7:03pm EDT

Three days ago I received the first hot-off-the-press copy of the second Nikki Turner Presents full length novel: Against the Grain by FREEZE,

After exchanging pleasantries with the mailman and opening the package, I was unexpectedly impressed with the packaging of the book. Especially after FREEZE had given me HELL about the cover! He absolutely HATED IT. And to his defense, I can’t say that I loved it either at first! But again—to my surprise—the retailers said they loved the cover and were actually excited about putting our product on their block. Let me be the first say that we (Freeze and I) were both kinda, sorta wrong. Seriously, at the end of the day it’s the retailers that have the final say about what they choose to put on their shelves and what never sees the light of day, and it would have been border-line criminal if Freeze’s debut novel wasn’t as conveniently accessible to our loyal readers as possible.

On another note, I can’t explain some of the squabbles, skirmishes, and damn right almost resulting to blows not to mention the arguments a writer sometimes goes through to get the cover they really want, or even half way like on their work. I’ve fought so many times to get a hot cover on my babies that it’s not even funny anymore. However I will say I saw the first draft of the Ghetto Superstar cover today and I love it! Don’t worry - I will show it to you once they give me the green light that the cover is a lock.

But after getting Freeze’s cover drama off my mind, I paged through Freeze’s book for the tenth or eleventh time (I did the content editing so I’ve had to read it over and over.) I knew what was about to happen, what shoulda happened, and what was done about it happening in the first place. Nevertheless I found myself unable to put the daggone book down. I was truly entertained as if it was my first time ever picking it up.

I probably shouldn’t even be admitting to doing anything but working on the edits of my own book, Ghetto Superstar, due out in the Spring of 09—I’m on deadline for it right now. Things are getting so crazy and hectic and it seems like my entire life is one giant deadline. That’s it, that’s all. Period. Dot. I keep telling myself that if I can only make it to my deadline I’d be good. And you guessed it: the minute I’m finished I’m bombarded with another and then another. It NEVER STOPS!!!! If my editor only knew that I was scrambling like two eggs just to keep my deadlines in order- she would probably give me a deadline to get my sh*#t together. LMAO! Lord knows I hope she doesn’t read my blogs because then the secret would be out of the bag.

I almost forgot the reason I was keying these words in the first place. On September 30th be prepared to be treated to a great big ol’ piece of literary chocolate cake—Against the Grain by Freeze—coming to a hood or bookstore near you.. Go cop it.

The three must do’s for this Fall are to register to vote (Barack Obama), read Against the Grain and stay tuned to what Nikki Turner is up to next.

Up to my eyelids with deadlines-
NT Over and Out