The Front Porch : Hello

[Felipe]

Hello, my name is Felipe, I'm an author. i have four books published that have a broad appeal to African Americans. Most of my characters are based on friends of mine. I look forward to joining this community.

 

[Destee]

Welcome Felipe !!!

What made you write books that appeal broadly to African Americans specifically?

Has doing this hurt or helped your sales?

More importantly, thanks for joining us and sharing!

Much Love and Peace.



Destee

 

[$$RICH$$]

welcome within, we love to hear more about what made you
choose the path to write base on African Americans
thanks for joining us within the community of good will love & peace

 

[butterfly#1]

Hello, my name is Felipe, I'm an author. i have four books published that have a broad appeal to African Americans. Most of my characters are based on friends of mine. I look forward to joining this community.

Looking forward to reading your works! Welcome to our home.

 

[Felipe]

What made you write books that appeal broadly to African Americans specifically?

I was born a Spaniard in a totally white community, I was the only and darkest kid in the class. Kids would hold their arm against mine and make comments using the N word. This was 1961 and prejudice was rampant. I met an old black man named Dan who worked as a maintenance man on a ranch. He taught me how to hunt and fish, but he taught me a lot about life also. Once, three of the white kids came to his picnic table where we were sitting in the shade to taunt him, "Whats fo supper? Opossum?" one laughed.

"Do you know how to spell opossum?" he asked the boy.

"P o s s u m" he replied.

"No that's not right." he looked at the other.

"P o s u m." the other said.

"No, that's not right either, Felipe?" he looked at me.

"O p o s s u m." I replied.

"That's right, the O be silent."

"C'mon." one said, "We don't need to be talking to no uppity n*gger." They walked off. Dan looked at me and said, "Don't pay them no mind, they is ignorant, God don't see color, he see's what's inside."

I learned a lot from Dan and developed a deep respect for people of color through my own experiences of prejudice and his wisdom. This was carried with me all through life.



Has doing this hurt or helped your sales?

I just got published two months ago and have only sold a little over a dozen. I think eventually it will help my sales as the word spreads.


welcome within, we love to hear more about what made you
choose the path to write base on African Americans
thanks for joining us within the community of good will love & peace

As I said above, mainly my own childhood experiences of being raised dark in a white bread world. Times have changed, thank God. One of my favorite characters "Batu" was fashioned after a huge firefighting buddy of mine, Clyde Goree. In the books the first slave that Felipe frees and becomes his best and most devoted friend. He is really huge, 6 foot 6 and about 240 pounds, In the books, they become the best of friends and begin pranking each other. As I wrote the books, I let several people follow the story as it unfolded. I asked who their favorite character was and hands down, it was Batu. I tried to put up a picture but don't have enough posts to do that yet, but I will.