Intimate Conversation with Niambi Brown Davis
In 2010 Sanctuary was released as an Apple iTunes application, and will be released in e-book format through Lady Leo Publishing. Sabor a Mi, Niambi’s latest novella, was released in September 2010 by InnerVision Books.
BPM: What are you most thankful for today?
Without doubt, my fabulous family. Second, would be gratitude for the lessons I finally learned: even in total darkness, keep looking for the light and it will find you.
BPM: Tell us about your fondest holiday moment or event. Do you have Holiday/Christmas rituals that absolutely, positively must be followed?
I have so many, but I’ll reign in my urge to share them all (lol). As a child the arrival of the catalog from Miles Kimball of Oshkosh meant Christmas was on the way. From that catalog my parents ordered our personalized Christmas cards (a snowy scene painted in white on midnight blue and inscribed “From the Three of Us” over our names). And then there was the yearly trip to Gimbels in Philadelphia to sit on Santa’s knee and later shopping for the one pre-Christmas gift I was allowed (usually a book, but when I got older it was a beautiful black watch plaid skirt).
In later years my mother would invite the little girls in our extended family over to bake Christmas cookies. She and I had our own ritual – we would leave one item on the list for the excitement of a last-minute Christmas Eve shopping sprint. And now each year my daughter and I buy a new pair of Christmas Eve pajamas. Lest I forget, we always put the Kwanzaa symbols up early so they don’t get left behind in the excitement that is Christmas. (I guess I didn’t reign in as much as I thought…)
BPM: How do you celebrate the holidays? While everyone else is asleep, I wait up until midnight, usually with a glass of eggnog one more gift to wrap. The next morning, we get up, open our gifts and get ready for a big family meal at one of my relative’s houses.
One year a family friend and his wife gave my parents and I a Christmas card that came with a holiday punch recipe. We still make it every year.
I grew up when black radio was found only on the AM frequency and went off when the sun went down. The next best alternative was Baltimore’s WCAO, where I first heard Brenda Lee’s “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” and Bobby Helms “Jingle Bell Rock.” They remind me of my childhood Christmas, and are some of my favorites to this day. It wouldn’t be Christmas for me without Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas”, Carla Thomas’ “Gee Whiz It’s Christmas” or any soulful rendition of O Holy Night.”
BPM: Tell us about your latest book. What are two main events taking place in the book?
Sabor a Mi is the story of Melody Walker and Raimundo (Ray) Santos, two people who love Latin dance, but hate each other on sight, especially when Ray cracks on her culture and her size. When they’re paired together for a competition, it’s make or break in more ways than one.
I started Sabor a Mi right after a ballroom dancing class, but it eventually grew into more than just my love of salsa and Latin music. It ended up being a story about the relentless pursuit of a dream, the unstoppable power of true love, real men, strong women, family first and second chances.
BPM: How may our readers contact you online and pick up your latest work?
Thanks so much for including me in the Holiday Book Tour. I can be reached by email at niambi@niambibrowndavis.com, or nbrowndavis@aol.com Sabor a Mi is available for download at http://www.innervisionbooks.com/, or for the Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/.
My web address is http://www.niambibrowndavis.com/. I look forward to hearing from readers and friends - Happy Holidays!
Categories: Author Interviews
Very nice!
ReplyDeleteI see your ritual was to go to Gimbels - mine was Macys on 34th Street.
I am looking forward to some down time in Dec so I can read Sabor a Mi.
I keep learning more about you each day my friend! Great interview.
ReplyDeleteWonderful article.. love the high school pic :-)
ReplyDeleteI love your holiday memories and traditions.
ReplyDeleteA WONDERFUL question/answer session...always interesting to learn new things about the authors we read...Happy Holidays :-)
ReplyDelete@Beverly: One year we went up to see the Christmas windows in New York and the show at Radio City Music Hall - my mother was big on tradition and that was a memory I won't forget. Hope you enjoye Sabor a Mi; can't wait to hear your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteNiambi, you have wonderful memories of holidays. I'm still reading "Sabor a Mi." I lost it on one of my flash drives and spend an entire day searching through files. I found it, though.
ReplyDeleteYou are really moving with your work. Keep writing.
(Don't you just love Ella? She's the greatest.)
@Beverly: Thanks! One yea rmy mother took me to New York to see the store windows and the Radio City Music Hall show. She was big on tradition (lol)I'm looking forward to your thoughts on Sabor a Mi
ReplyDeleteThannks for reading, Edwina - glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDelete@Cilla - thanks! That was the same year I saw the Temptations in the Baltimore Civic Center (lol)
ReplyDeleteLovely. Congrats! Great Article
ReplyDelete