It’s Book Chat/Discussion time, so please get ready to jump in as we discuss our alternate BOM for June 2009, Where There’s Smoke by Terra Little! Feel free to share your thoughts, comments, questions or favorite parts of the book.  We’ll be here throughout the day/night today (Tuesday) and then wrap up things early Wednesday morning. As a reminder, this is a book discussion, so there will be spoilers.
Book Description
In the beginning, there was a drug dealer named Smoke, and Breanne Phillips was one of his most faithful customers. She was smoking crack cocaine to block out an existence she wanted to escape from. Smoke was just money-hungry enough to take her cash-and anything else she had to offer-in exchange for the magic rocks he had. It was a mutually satisfying arrangement, one he forgot about as soon as he got out of the game, dropped the nickname Smoke and started answering to the name Alec.Â
Fast forward sixteen years, and Breanne Phillips is back in his life. These days, she’s a businesswoman, who goes by the name of Anne. She’s dragging a sixteen-year-old hoodlum behind her, claiming Alec is the boy’s father and demanding that he straighten out their son.   READ MORE
Check out the Book Trailer – Click Here
Terra Little…in her own words:
I am a writer and Running from Mercy was my debut novel. I created a fictitious little town in Georgia, moved some gossips, some busy-bodies and some two-faced folks in, and let my imagination run wild. What fun! Do me a favor, would you? When you return from your visit to Mercy, Georgia, be sure to drop me a line and let me know what you thought of the trip. I can’t wait to hear all about it.
My next title, Where There’s Smoke, started shaking things up in January 2009. Picture this, three people – a mother, a father, and their 16-year-old son, trying hard to get along in this day and age. Things really get interesting when father and son finally come face to face, after 16 years of not knowing about each other. One of them is an ex-hoodlum and the other is trying to be a hoodlum, with little success. And the lone woman in the mix is the reason the men in her life were completely clueless until now. Is it too late for father and son to build a relationship? Has the teenager gotten in over his head, trying to fit in with the wrong crowd – one of whom is the clown behind him on the cover?
Where There’s Smoke gives you a peek into the lives of a seemingly dysfunctional family, one that you’ll hate to say goodbye to when the last page turns.
Terra Little’s literary goals:
To give readers characters that challenge them, harass them, and make them think about life as we know it. To write outside the box, keep it fresh, and keep it real. To seduce readers with words and foster lifelong relationships, as a result. To write the wrongs in the world. To write one fabulous, award winning all-American novel before I die, one that will shake Mother Earth to her core, make my great-grandchildren proud, and render my muse timeless.
Visit Terra’s site at www.terralittle.com or her blog at www.terralittle.blogspot.com.
Terra, thanks so much for joining us. I love your literary goals. Please share more about yourself and the one thing you loved most about writing Where There’s Smoke.
-Tee
Hi Tee,
Glad to be here and thanks for having me! More about me…nothing much to tell, really. I’m just your average everyday Joe type person. Drink too much soda, watch too much television…laundry to do, etc. LOL. The thing I enjoyed most while writing WTS was really getting into character. I had fun with them and their dialogue. I liked that they were so real.
I liked this also, Terra and I loved the humor in the book. It wasn’t over the top, but instead just the right dose to bring a grin or chuckle.
-Tee
I read and rviewed Where There’s Smoke. Really enjoyed it. Angelia
Thanks, Angelia! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I loved the book . Once I started reading I couldnt put it down. I want to know is there going to be a part 2?
Hi Tracey,
Thanks for checking out my work and I’m glad you enjoyed it. Yep, there is a sequel, due to be released in February 2010. I’m looking at the edits as we speak. LOL. I hope it lives up to part one and I’m counting on you to let me know if it does!
Terra
Thanks for writing a sequel to Where there’s Smoke! I can’t wait! I came across this book while browsing in the bookstore looking for something “good” to read. OK…..I’ve read the book twice!! The characters were great and funny……so real!!
For the readers…share your thoughts on the book and let’s get this discussion going as we wait for Terra to check in. Here are some questions to get us going:
- How did the book cover make you feel about the book?
- Who was your favorite character? Your least favorite character?
- When you first started the book, what did you think about Anne? Smoke? Isaiah?
- Did you agree with Anne reaching out to Smoke after not even letting him know he had a son?
-Tee
Great questions, Tee!
Feel free to toss out any questions you have for us too, Terra. Just do it as a “new” reply vs replying to this reply. Hope that made sense…
Hi Terra
Thanks for joining us to discuss your book. First I must say I enjoyed reading both of your books…Running From Mercy and Where There’s Smoke but my fav is Where There’s Smoke.
Here are my thoughts to Tee’s questions:
The cover is misleading. The cover gives an impression of the book being street lit. I find that with a lot of books the cover is doesn’t match what’s inside.
My favorite character was Anne. She was able to pull herself out and build a better life for herself and her son.
I didn’t agree with her witholding the fact he had a son, but I understand why she did once Isiah started acting out.
Hi Sharon,
I’m with you, WTS was my favorite, too, and I had so much fun writing it! Anne is probably my favorite, too, for the same reasons you mention. With her, I really wanted to highlight the fact that the stigma of drug addiction doesn’t have to rule your life, if you don’t want it to. I do think, though, that she might’ve mentioned Isaiah to Smoke long before now. She was kind of unfair to the man, in some ways. I understand her reasoning, but still…
Sharon, I liked this about Anne too as she showed that you can change, even when things seem to be at their worse.
-Tee
The cover didnt go with the book at all to me…in fact when I gave it to a friend I told her not to be deterred by the cover…the book was really good…she thought it was about young hip hop men…
Smoke was my favorite character…
I immediately knew there was more to Anne than met the eye…Isiah was typical of many young men trying to fit in…
I am not sure I understand why she kept her son away from his father, but I do understand why she finally felt she had to say, though she could have gone about it in a different way
angelia
I agree, Angelia. The cover, when I first saw it, caught me off guard and I knew then that I’d have my work cut out for me, trying to convince people that it wasn’t really representative of the book. I didn’t really have a say in the cover design, which I really regret. I’m just glad that readers are willing to give it a chance, despite the misleading cover.
Now, Ms. Anne… I agree, too, that she could’ve/should’ve handled things differently with the Smoke and Isaiah situation. I think she let her personal feelings and insecurities about Smoke cloud her judgment and you see what ended up happening. LOL. Smoke was way nicer about the situation than I think I would’ve been.
I agree with your comment on smoke Smoke. I’m glad he didn’t go off or act “ignorant” about the situation even though he could’ve. And, I really liked how he gave Isaiah room to get to know him. He was actually my favorite character. I liked that he could “slip back into the other mode” as necessary too.
-Tee
I thought that the cover didn’t match the story either. The cover makes it seem like this would have been a street fiction story . I loved this book. I liked Anne but I thought that she should have told Smoke a long time ago that he had a son.
Definitely agree with you here, Radiah. I’m a fan of Terra’s writing, so I had planned to read it anyway, but I didn’t really see “who” the images represented.
-Tee
Was anybody surprised that Smoke and Anne eventually got back together or did you get that feeling all along? I liked the gradual progression of their relationship.
No, I wasn’t surprised, but I did like that they got back together.
Me too
Me three!
Me neither…Hello ladies.
I knew they were going to get back together…..they fought too much. And he feel for her when he saw her coming out to the mailbox.
Terra,
Is there going to be a sequel? I can see how there possibly could be.
Hi Radiah!
Thanks for dropping by! Yes, there will be a sequel and I’m told it will be released in February 2010. I wasn’t quite done wreaking havoc in Smoke’s and Anne’s lives. LOL. The sequel does answer some lingering questions and ties up all the other loose ends, I think, so I hope readers enjoy it. I, too, enjoyed the cat-and-mouse way that Smoke and Anne eventually ended up together and I had a ball messing with them. I think I knew all along that they’d get together and I didn’t put too much work into trying to make it a secret for readers. We all knew what the real deal was, didn’t we? But, for me, the fun was in them getting there and having readers come along with them on the ride.
Please don’t get me started on the cover…LOL.
Terra,
I truly enjoyed meeting all the characters, especially Anne and Alec. You added humor that kept me intrigued to keep reading and find out what else would happen. Thank goodness there will be a sequel cause I’m really interested in what happens.
Like the other’s the cover doesn’t give the book justice. From looking at the cover I thought it was a book about brother’s instead of a father and son relationship.
Thanks again for a wonderful and humurous read!!!!
Thank you, Jaime, for checking out my work and taking the time to share your thoughts about it!
OK, I read this book a long time ago, but I still remember it as a darn good book! I absolutely loved the characters. So real. I’m so sad I can’t meet them in person. Smoke was my favorite. Whew. I just loved him and I am SOOOOOO happy that there is a sequel. I need more of these characters.
I was totally confused by the book cover, though, and I agree that it didn’t seem to go with the story. I loved the humor in the story, and there really were points where I was laughing out loud. Some of the best characters I’ve ever encountered. But I’m off to the gym now. Will be back to read all the comments and chat some more!
Thanks, Melissa!
I remember you emailing me to tell me how much you loved Smoke. LOL. I think almost every woman I’ve heard from has either really liked Smoke’s character or lusted after him, which is curious to me.
What is it about Smoke that attracts so many woman, from so many different walks of life?
For me I think it was his sense of humor, his closeness with his mom, his respect for women, and his ability to turn his life around. Very attractive things I think to all types of women. Oddly, I think I just described my fiance! I guess I did good by saying yes!
Awwwwwwwwww, congrats!!
Alec/Smoke, despite his former drug life, was a gentleman. He was educated, gainfully employed,considerate, mannerly and family oriented. He cherished his mother and ultimately, Anne.
@ Melissa & Dawn
For me, I think it was the way Alec was “hard” but still “soft” for the women he cared about. I tend to like a man who is a little gruff acting in some ways, but really just a big old teddy bear. Smoke was like that to me. Everyone doesn’t see that side of him, but those special people know its there.
Congrats, Melissa!
This is EXACTLY why he was my favorite character.
-Tee
When I tell you I loved this book, I didn’t over state it. I loved this book. It has me staying at red lights longer reading. Terra did an excellant job!
Come on now, Tina. What did you love???
-Tee
LOL Tina….now that is some love for a book.
Thanks, Tina! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Terra this was a great story on relationships and how two people put their differences aside to support an out of control teenager. To make a long story short, I loved this book. I love how redemption was so prominently displayed but more so, I loved how the main characters, Anne and Smoke found success after a rough start in life. The author made the African-American family unit strong and she focused on how our families love and accept people, especially our children. What I saw in Smoke’s family was what I see in many of the black families I know.
Hey Rose! Glad to see your face in the place…
With this one, I really wanted to shed some positive light on AA families and fathers, too. The relationship Smoke has with his family is the kind of relationship a lot of families have. But, for some reason, you don’t often see it portrayed as such. And I really didn’t want to beat AA men down anymore than they’re already beaten down. I hoped to lift them up somehow.
Thanks for “getting” that.
Terra I echo the sentiments fo the others. I was with rawsistaz when we read Running from Mercy. It was a wonderful book but Where there is Smoke was my favorite. I love how you dealt with the drug addition issue a little differently. It was not the same ol same. I didn’t really have a favorite character. I liked the flow of the story. I especially liked the Smoke/Anna thing. I kept wanting to turn ahead to see if they ever got together or not. LOL
Looking forward to the sequel. Since we already discussed the cover let me add….if it wasn’t for Rawsistaz, I probably would have passed it by. BUT this did let me know that you actually have to open the book a little and read a passage or two inside and don’t let the cover or even the liner notes dictate to you.
Thank you, Mary! I was worried that the cover turned potential readers off and I’m sure it did for some, but I’m thankful that you cracked WTS open anyway. I’ve had other readers and bookclubs say the same thing about the effect of the cover, etc., and then echo your thoughts after reading it. I just hope readers continue to get past the cover and give it a chance. I think it has something of appeal to all kinds of people.
So, so true Mary. I am very glad you read it, too and just as glad you enjoyed it. Just goes to show how much weight a cover can have.
I truly enjoyed Where There’s Smoke. I too was mislead by the cover, but was told the book was highly recommended. What I enjoyed most was the dialogue first between Anne and Alec. I could visualize there sparing because Terra was very descriptive. I had many LOL moments. The other characters, Big Mama and Alec’s brothers were portrayed very realistically; I instantly liked this family. I felt that Isiah was a typical teen smelling himself and needed to be nrought down a knotch. For me my biggest enjoyment was the dialogue and the commaderie amongst the characters. Oh, Anne and her screaming, LOL!
How did I forget about Big Mama? She definitely made me wish I was a member of the family.
Oh, I loved Big Mama! I had a great grammie, but Big Mama would be my second choice, definitely!
I loved me some Big Mama!!!!
Dawn,
I really wanted this family to be as realistic as possible, especially in the dialogue. So, with the dialogue, I just let it rip. My mama was like, “Why does this boy (Isaiah) curse so much?” and all I could say was, “Have you talked to any 16-year-olds lately?” LOL. Anne is a fuss-box and I know people just like her, and who doesn’t have that one family member who’ll embarrass you to death by going outside looking any old kind of way and not caring who sees? I didn’t want to go the unrealistic route and have everyone working millionaire jobs, driving expensive cars, and not knowing a thing about Zest Soap and Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. I wanted regular people, such as myself, to be able to relate to the characters in a meaningful way. Anne was also sort of like my own mother when I was growing up…always fussing about something. I remember having some of the same thoughts and reactions as Isaiah. LOL.
Terra,
I must say that I haven’t read WTS yet. I hope to before the end of the month. I tried not to peek in and spoil things, but what can I say…LOL. I’ve heard so many good things about WTS that I was curious. What/who was your inspiration for the storyline and characters in WTS?
Also, you mentioned a sequel for WTS. How do you feel about writing and reading sequels? As a writer how do you plan to do sequel? Is there a formula that says “yes this book will have a sequel.”
–Brenda
Hi Brenda. I’m glad you peeked in…LOL
Okay, let’s see… No, I don’t personally have a formula for sequels and determining if any of my projects will have one at this point. When I was done writing WTS, the characters just wouldn’t be quiet. I would’ve let them be, but to a person, everyone who read it came back to me and said, “I need to keep reading. What happened with such and such? Did so and so ever…? What about Anne’s situation?” And on and on, so I decided to write a sequel and answer those questions.
In terms of sequels in and of themselves, I think there are some books/authors who can pull them off successfully. But there are a LOT of books out today that have sequels and it could almost be considered overkill. I hope the sequel to WTS doesn’t hit people like that, because that really wasn’t my intent. I honestly wasn’t thinking about a sequel until I was almost attacked one day, because the book was over and that particular reader needed more of a Smoke fix. LOL. The sequel will be it, though, I do believe. On some levels, I think it would be kind of fun to keep coming up with crazy plot twists and do something of an ongoing soap opera with these characters, but then again…
The inspiration for this story came to me after talking with one of my clients – a woman who was recovering from crack cocaine addiction. Her story was so incredible and so graphic that I was overwhelmed by it and determined to deal with it at the same time. I see and hear a lot about men who’ve recovered from addiction and done something positive. But where were the stories about women? Of course, I couldn’t bring myself to make Anne’s story as graphic, but I did want to give the women who’ve traveled that road and found their way back a voice. Once I had Anne in my mind, Smoke’s and Isaiah’s characters just kind of played off of her and her issues.
Great questions!
Well, thanks everyone for visiting with me and for reading my work. Your support and kind words are greatly appreciated!
Terra, thank YOU for joining us and giving so freely of your time. We appreciate it and look forward to having more chats with you in the future.
-Tee