Angela Jackson-Brown
Author Interview - Angela Jackson-Brown
Author of The Light Always Breaks and Homeward
Rose Perkins Bourdon returns home to Parsons, GA, without her husband and pregnant with another man’s baby. After tragedy strikes her husband in the war overseas, a numb Rose is left with pieces of who she used to be and is forced to figure out what she is going to do with the rest of her life. Her sister introduces her to members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee—young people are taking risks and fighting battles Rose has only seen on television. Violence sweeps the nation, touching politicians and children alike, and rumors swirl of marches and protests. Feeling emotions for the first time in what feels like forever, the excited and frightened Rose finds herself becoming increasingly involved in the resistance efforts. And of course, there is also the young man, Isaac Weinberg, whose passion for activism stirs something in her she didn’t think she would ever feel again. Homeward follows Rose’s path toward self-discovery and growth as she becomes involved in the Civil Rights Movement, finally becoming the woman she has always dreamed of being.
Author Interview - Angela Jackson-Brown
Author I draw inspiration from:
2023: Maya Angelou's I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS
2022: Alice Walker
Author Interview - Angela Jackson-Brown | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
2023: Just like Sam-I-Am would say, "I love reading books anywhere!"
2022: In bed
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
2023: I would love to be stuck in an elevator with Celie from THE COLOR PURPLE. I would like to know how her life is now that she has her sister back. I would like to give her a hug and remind her that I have never stopped thinking about her, even though it has been nearly 40 years since I first read her story.
2022: Katniss from HUNGER GAMES
Author Interview - Angela Jackson-Brown | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
2023: When I was a little girl who made up stories and my daddy said to me, "Someday, little girl, you will be a writer." I knew if M.C. Jackson said it, it had to be true.
2022: The second I understood words were magical and had the ability to transport us to different times and places.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
2023: I love them all. Each type of book serves me well. Because I travel a lot these days, spending a lot of time in cars going to various books, audiobooks allow me to "read" although not in the conventional way. Hardback and paperback books are great for when I have time to lounge around and ebooks are great for trips and teaching. I love them all. Equally!
2022: Paperback, ebook and audiobook
The last book I read:
2023: I reread FLEDGLING by Octavia Butler. She is the reason why I am trying to write a vampire story now, so reading her book reminded me how much I love that genre.
2022: We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza
Author Interview - Angela Jackson-Brown | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
2023: I do a little of it all. I always have pen and paper with me in case inspiration strikes, but I always compose on the computer. I also save ideas to my phone, so if you ever pass me on a highway and you see me chatting away, I just might be recording ideas onto my phone.
2022: Both but usually I plan with pen and paper, and I compose on the computer.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
2023: Young Maya in I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS and Jo in LITTLE WOMAN. Those two characters/individuals resonated with me so much as a young person. Both young Maya and Jo made me feel validated and seen.
2022: Jo from LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott
Author Interview - Angela Jackson-Brown | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
2023: I would probably be a teacher like I am now, or still working in Marketing/PR like I did for over a decade.
2022: Teacher (which I am anyway)
Favorite decade in fashion history:
2023: 1960s. If I could recreate every outfit Jackie O ever wore, I would, but especially during that era. Combine that with a large afro and you would not be able to tell me a single thing.
2022: 1960s (circa Jackie O)
Place I’d most like to travel:
2023: Barbados. My husband went there on a school trip years ago and our dream is to one day go back there together.
2022: Ghana
My signature drink:
2023: Coke. If I can have a Coke in the morning, I am good to go.
2022: Malibu Sunset
Favorite artist:
2023: Nina Simone is my right now favorite artist mainly because the character I created for my current project looks like her and loves her music.
2022: Prince
Number one on my bucket list:
2023: To be honest, I am living out my greatest dreams every single day. I would love to travel abroad, specifically, I would love to go to Ghana.
2022: See Venus and Serena play tennis before they retire
Anything else you'd like to add:
2023: Thank you for this opportunity. It has been fun.
2022: Thank you for showing such love to authors. It is supporters like you who make our job easier.
Find more from the author:
Twitter: @adjackson68
Facebook: @AngelaDJacksonBrown
Instagram: @angelajacksonbrownauthor
TikTok: @angelajacksonbrownauthor
Who is Angela Jackson-Brown?
Angela Jackson-Brown is an award-winning writer, poet and playwright who is an Associate Professor in Creative Writing at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN and a member of the graduate faculty of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing at Spalding University in Louisville, KY.
She is a graduate of Troy University, Auburn University and the Spalding low-residency MFA program in Creative Writing. She has published her short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry in journals like The Louisville Journal and the Appalachian Review. She is the author of Drinking From a Bitter Cup, House Repairs, When Stars Rain Down, The Light Always Breaks, and her upcoming novel, Homeward, to be released on October 10, 2023. When Stars Rain Down is a highly acclaimed novel that received a starred review from the Library Journal and glowing reviews from Alabama Public Library, Buzzfeed, Parade Magazine, and Women’s Weekly, just to name a few. It was also named a finalist for the David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction and was short listed for the 2022 Indiana's Authors Award.
The Light Always Breaks
In 1947, few women own upscale restaurants in Washington, DC. Fewer still are twenty-four, Black, and wildly successful. But Eva Cardon is unwilling to serve only the wealthiest movers and shakers, and she plans to open a diner that serves Southern comfort to the working class.
A war hero and one of Georgia’s native sons, Courtland Hardiman Kingsley IV is a junior senator with great ambitions for his time in DC. But while his father is determined to see Courtland on a path to the White House, the young senator wants to use his office to make a difference in people’s lives, regardless of political consequences.
When equal-rights activism throws Eva and Courtland into each other’s paths, they can’t fight the attraction they feel, no matter how much it complicates their dreams. For Eva, falling in love with a white Southerner is all but unforgivable—and undesirable. Her mother and grandmother fell in love with white men, and their families paid the price. Courtland is already under pressure for his liberal ideals, and his family has a line of smiling debutantes waiting for him on every visit. If his father found out about Eva, he’s not sure he’d be welcome home again.
Surrounded by the disapproval of their families and the scorn of the public, Eva and Courtland must decide if the values they hold most dear—including love—are worth the loss of their dreams . . . and everything else.
