Lisa Braxton

Lisa Braxton is the author of the novel, The Talking Drum, winner of a 2021 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards Gold Medal and winner of a 2020 Outstanding Literary Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. She is also the author of the award-winning Dancing Between the Raindrops: A Daughter’s Reflections on Love and Loss.

Tell us about your newest book.

It is 1971. The fictional city of Bellport, Massachusetts, is in decline with an urban redevelopment project on the horizon expected to transform this dying factory town into a thriving economic center. This planned transformation has a profound effect on the residents who live in Bellport as their own personal transformations take place. Sydney Stallworth steps away from her fellowship and law studies at an elite university to support husband Malachi’s dream of opening a business in the heart of the black community of his hometown, Bellport. For Omar Bassari, an immigrant from Senegal, Bellport is where he will establish his drumming career and the launching pad from which he will spread African culture across the world, while trying to hold onto his marriage. Della Tolliver has built a fragile sanctuary in Bellport for herself, boyfriend Kwamé Rodriguez, and daughter Jasmine, a troubled child prone to nightmares and outbursts. Tensions rise as the demolition date moves closer, plans for gentrification are laid out, and the pace of suspicious fires picks up. The residents find themselves at odds with a political system manipulating their lives and question the future of their relationships.

What inspired you to write The Talking Drum?

My parents are the inspiration for The Talking Drum. They opened a high-fashion men’s clothing store in 1969 in an urban area of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The neighborhood, which was thriving when they moved there from the South in the 1950s was on the decline not long after they opened the clothing store. Factories left the city, crime increased. That neighborhood is now undergoing gentrification, much like the neighborhood in The Talking Drum.

How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?

The Talking Drum centers on three young couples in the early 1970s and how their lives are affected when an urban redevelopment project takes over an immigrant neighborhood for gentrification.

What genre do you focus on?

I focus on both fiction and nonfiction. I enjoy expressing myself in both genres and it’s a great mental exercise to be able to switch from one to the other. More specifically I enjoy writing about African Americans and social justice themes. I think there are so many stories yet to be told from the African American perspective. By writing on social justice themes I hope to inspire readers to advocate for a cause that will in some way bring about improvement in society.

Why do you write?

I am a quiet person. I grew up being overlooked often by the other kids or teased. I’m driven to write because if someone picks up an essay, short story or book I’ve written, they can’t overlook me. And I can have an impact. Also, for whatever reason, I constantly have all kinds of story ideas swirling around in my head.

Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?

Sydney Stallworth is my main character. She is a law student who puts her studies on hold to support her husband’s desire to leave academia and open up a bookstore in his hometown. I liked the name because it seemed gender neutral to me.

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?

I have no schedule. I have a full-time career as a communications manager for a nonprofit and am active in my church and charitable causes, so I write when I have snatches of time, when I’m on commuter rail to get into work, on airplanes, at the airport gate. Sometimes I’ll rise an hour early and write. Also, when I’m traveling I like to book the hotel for an extra day so I can spend that time writing.

What is the hardest part of being an author?

The hardest part for me is getting people to notice my book and embrace it. There is so much good literature out there and since I am published by a small press with a small budget, I don’t have the support of a large publishing house marketing department. I am searching for strategic and clever ways to get readers to purchase copies.

What’s the best part of your author’s life?

Knowing that my words mean something to people. That people can read my words and be impacted by them, that they can learn something from what I’ve written, that my words can assure them when they’re uncertain, or entertain them and make them laugh out loud.

Do you have other books? We’d love to know.

My memoir: Dancing Between the Raindrops: A Daughter’s Reflections on Love and Loss. In my memoir, I take the reader to the core of my loss and extend a lifeline of comfort to anyone who needs to be reminded that in their grief they are not alone.

What are you working on now?

Another novel, historical fiction taking place in Boston during the 19^th century.

Website:  https://lisabraxton.com/

Link to book: https://www.inanna.ca/product/the-talking-drum/

Social media links:

TwitterX: @lisareidbraxton

Twitter/X: @lisaannbraxton

Instagram: lisabraxtonwrites

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.a.braxton/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabraxton/