Our Teen Voices: Darrien Lee

Essence Best Selling Author Darrien Lee developed a strong following with novels like ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS, TALK TO THE HAND and SECOND CHANCE. Now, she has taken a break from the norm and began working on the Denim Diaries series for Urban Renaissance. Join us as we take a look at her new series, her journey to publishing AND a preview of her upcoming release, QUEEN OF THE YARD.

Tell us some background about you?

I started writing in 1999 as a hobby and was blessed to meet Erotica novelist Zane who was starting up her own publishing company. At the time she was seeking out new authors and signed me as a protégé. I released my first romance novel, ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS under Strebor Books Int’l. This was the first of my eight adult novels in which two of them became Essence Magazine’s Best Sellers. I went on to release four other books under Strebor and then I signed with Q’Boro Books which at the time was owned by urban novelist, Mark Anthony. My novel, DOUBLE CROSSED is the third novel released by Q’Boro Books, which is now an imprint of Carl Weber’s Urban Books. I am a native of Tennessee and attended Tennessee State University where I majored in Business with a minor in Psychology. I am married and have two daughters, ages 14 and 17 years old.

You are known for your women’s lit books, what made you take the jump into teen fiction?

The reason I decided take a short hiatus from my adult books to do a teen series was because number one because I have teens who love to read so I wanted to create something entertaining for them. Secondly I receive countless emails from readers in the age group of 12 -16 years old who have been unable to find many young adult books that told their stories. Because of this short fall, they were left to read adult novels which is some cases may be a little to mature or explicit for some of their young minds. I wanted to give teens and pre-teens a young adult series that talked about what they were experiencing on a day to day basis and to make it entertaining for them as well.

Tell us about THE DENIM DIARIES? How many books are you planning for this series?

Right now there is a total of six books in the series. In each book I feature a small group of friends, Denim Mitchell, from who’s name I created the title of series, Andre’ Patterson and a few others who come face to face with teen issues that many teens face in today’s world. I cover teen pregnancies, peer pressure, popularity issues, gangs, molestation, college, growing up on a single family environment and other issues our youth face every day.

What made you interested in writing teen fiction?

I fell in love with young adult novelist Sharon Draper’s series, “The Hazelwood High Trilogy” series. Ms. Draper penned a series of novels I recommend for any young who’s looking for intrigue and excitement. My daughters enjoyed The Hazelwood High Trilogy and they wanted more books of that caliber, so for that thirst for youth literature, THE DENIM DIARIES was born.

When did you start writing? What inspired you?

As I stated before, I started writing as a hobby in 1999. I was basically fooling around with a group of characters I created based on my experiences and those of my friends when we lived on the campus of Tennessee State University. I’ve always been a huge reader so I was inspired by authors like, Francis Ray, Brenda Jackson, Carmen Green, R. M. Johnson, Carl Weber, Rochelle Alers and Deirdre Savoy and many, many more. Since my writing career took off I have been fortunate to meet and become close to many of my idols.

What makes THE DENIM DIARIES different than other books on the market?

I believe my series is different because I’ve taken a young, African American teen who is an honors student in a middle class family and I have given her and her peers the power a lot of teens don’t they have which to over come life’s obstacles. I wanted this series was to address an assortment of teen issues using recurring characters.

What books did you read as a teen? Do you read any teen books now?

I didn’t read a lot as a teen because there wasn’t any books out at the time that interest me. I guess I can admit to the Nancy Drew series. I read some teens books now because my daughters are avid readers. I like to see what interests them.

What do you want readers to get from your books?

So many teens live day to day instead of thinking of their future. I want our youth to know there are solutions to every problem if they would just trust in a higher power, themselves and the “positive” people in their lives.

What advice would you give to writers?

I would tell writers to trust themselves and write from the heart. If helps to get mentoring from a seasoned or veteran author and attach yourself with a great Editor. Critics can be brutal sometimes but they don’t always speak for the majority. Everyone’s not going to like your stories, that’s a fact of literary life. I believe everyone has a story and if an aspiring author feels compelled to write, do it for yourself and the love of the literary word.

Would you mind your teen readers reading your adult books or would you encourage them to wait until they were older?

I encourage all ages to read. Some teens are more mature than others therefore some teens can handle the adult/romance content of my novels. While my stories are not graphic, they are suggestive and have adult content. I would advise any parent to review what their teen/pre-teens are reading. It can create great discussions regarding relationships, mates, friends, when it comes to what’s healthy and appropriate.




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Support the Site by Purchasing this Book from Us! *Rollin' Wit the Punches* Jarold Imes ISBN:978-1-934195-08-6 ~~Was : $10.99~~ *NOW: $8.79* Save 20% off the List Price FREE SHIPPING BUY NOW	Darrien Lee Essence Best Selling Author Darrien Lee developed a strong following with novels like ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS, TALK TO THE HAND and SECOND CHANCE. Now, she has taken a break from the norm and began working on the Denim Diaries series for Urban Renaissance. Join us as we take a look at her new series, her journey to publishing AND a preview of her upcoming release, QUEEN OF THE YARD. Tell us some background about you? I started writing in 1999 as a hobby and was blessed to meet Erotica novelist Zane who was starting up her own publishing company. At the time she was seeking out new authors and signed me as a protégé. I released my first romance novel, ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS under Strebor Books Int’l. This was the first of my eight adult novels in which two of them became Essence Magazine’s Best Sellers. I went on to release four other books under Strebor and then I signed with Q’Boro Books which at the time was owned by urban novelist, Mark Anthony. My novel, DOUBLE CROSSED is the third novel released by Q’Boro Books, which is now an imprint of Carl Weber’s Urban Books. I am a native of Tennessee and attended Tennessee State University where I majored in Business with a minor in Psychology. I am married and have two daughters, ages 14 and 17 years old. You are known for your women’s lit books, what made you take the jump into teen fiction? The reason I decided take a short hiatus from my adult books to do a teen series was because number one because I have teens who love to read so I wanted to create something entertaining for them. Secondly I receive countless emails from readers in the age group of 12 -16 years old who have been unable to find many young adult books that told their stories. Because of this short fall, they were left to read adult novels which is some cases may be a little to mature or explicit for some of their young minds. I wanted to give teens and pre-teens a young adult series that talked about what they were experiencing on a day to day basis and to make it entertaining for them as well. Tell us about THE DENIM DIARIES? How many books are you planning for this series? Right now there is a total of six books in the series. In each book I feature a small group of friends, Denim Mitchell, from who’s name I created the title of series, Andre’ Patterson and a few others who come face to face with teen issues that many teens face in today’s world. I cover teen pregnancies, peer pressure, popularity issues, gangs, molestation, college, growing up on a single family environment and other issues our youth face every day. What made you interested in writing teen fiction? I fell in love with young adult novelist Sharon Draper’s series, “The Hazelwood High Trilogy” series. Ms. Draper penned a series of novels I recommend for any young who’s looking for intrigue and excitement. My daughters enjoyed The Hazelwood High Trilogy and they wanted more books of that caliber, so for that thirst for youth literature, THE DENIM DIARIES was born. When did you start writing? What inspired you? As I stated before, I started writing as a hobby in 1999. I was basically fooling around with a group of characters I created based on my experiences and those of my friends when we lived on the campus of Tennessee State University. I’ve always been a huge reader so I was inspired by authors like, Francis Ray, Brenda Jackson, Carmen Green, R. M. Johnson, Carl Weber, Rochelle Alers and Deirdre Savoy and many, many more. Since my writing career took off I have been fortunate to meet and become close to many of my idols. What makes THE DENIM DIARIES different than other books on the market? I believe my series is different because I’ve taken a young, African American teen who is an honors student in a middle class family and I have given her and her peers the power a lot of teens don’t they have which to over come life’s obstacles. I wanted this series was to address an assortment of teen issues using recurring characters. What books did you read as a teen? Do you read any teen books now? I didn’t read a lot as a teen because there wasn’t any books out at the time that interest me. I guess I can admit to the Nancy Drew series. I read some teens books now because my daughters are avid readers. I like to see what interests them. What do you want readers to get from your books? So many teens live day to day instead of thinking of their future. I want our youth to know there are solutions to every problem if they would just trust in a higher power, themselves and the “positive” people in their lives. What advice would you give to writers? I would tell writers to trust themselves and write from the heart. If helps to get mentoring from a seasoned or veteran author and attach yourself with a great Editor. Critics can be brutal sometimes but they don’t always speak for the majority. Everyone’s not going to like your stories, that’s a fact of literary life. I believe everyone has a story and if an aspiring author feels compelled to write, do it for yourself and the love of the literary word. Would you mind your teen readers reading your adult books or would you encourage them to wait until they were older? I encourage all ages to read. Some teens are more mature than others therefore some teens can handle the adult/romance content of my novels. While my stories are not graphic, they are suggestive and have adult content. I would advise any parent to review what their teen/pre-teens are reading. It can create great discussions regarding relationships, mates, friends, when it comes to what’s healthy and appropriate. Copyright 2006 - 2010 Abednego's Free, LLC & Jarold Imes