Read What is in the News About Faye Thompson

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ROCHDALE VILLIAGE- A Queen book club will host author Faye Thompson on Friday night to discuss her new novel on race and relationships, "Cheesecake and Teardrops". Thompson's book follows best friends who embark on "a spiritual odyssey, colliding with themes of redemption, forgive4ness, self-acceptance and tolerance". She will discuss the book Friday with the Not Just Books Book Club at 168-14 127th Ave. at 8 p.m. Thompson also will appear Sept. 25 at the Queens Book Fair at York College in Jamaica. 

For information, visit www.fayethompson.com

Willard-born author Faye Thompson will launch her debut novel, "In Her Mother's Shadow," in Mansfield next Saturday. August 11 with a book signing at Barnes&Noble. When Thompson was ten years old, she spent an entire summer attached to an old manual typewriter belonging to her mother, 1956 Willard High School, alumnus Dorothy J. Thompson, in an attempt to write her first novel. Unfortunately, the book never materialized, and at summer’s end, she packed away the typewriter along with her sandals and shorts. However, a seed was planted during that vacation. Thompson is now harvesting the fruit from the seed she planted all those summers ago, having recently completed her first novel. "In Her Mother's Shadow" is set in a fictitious Midwestern town and unravels a web of political deceit that threatens to tear apart mother and daughter. Barnes & Noble is located at 832 N. Lexington Springmill Road, Mansfield. Thompson will be signing copies of her book from 1:30- 3:30 PM. For more +1(419) 747-7748 

Yes, you can work full time and become a published author. Are you a novelist waiting to exhale? If so, it is time to make your passion a reality. Terry McMillan made it happen, and so can you. Meet Faye Thompson, a government employee for more than 25 years whose recent novel is being compared to Terry McMillan’s Disappearing Acts. Thompson’s second novel, Cheesecake, and Teardrops (Urban Trade Paper, $12.95), was written during her lunch hour, vacation, weekend, after-hours -- basically any time she wasn’t at her 9-to-5 job. “I wanted to write and tell a story that I could not stop reading. If it’s your passion, find the time to do it,” says Thompson. “Get your hands on the Literary Marketplace, an [compendium] of agents, publishers, and editors. This resource will show you how to submit materials/manuscripts the right way. Also, take a creative writing course offered at a local college. This will empower you to tap into your power,” advises Thompson. To read Faye's tips, visit the complete article *** Read the entire blackenterprise.com article written by: Karen Taylor Bass (July 12, 2009)

Faye Thompson is one of those people who have a dream and keep after it. The Willard native's 10-year old self spent a summer at her mother's typewriter, determined to write a novel. Her mother, Dorothy J. Thompson, is a 1956 graduate of Willard High School. That early book did not happen, but her novel. "In Her Mother's Shadow" was published in May 2006. In between, Thompson briefly attended The Ohio State University and worked at the Lazarus Fragrance Bar at the Richland Mall. She graduated summa cum laude from York College and studied creative writing. She now lives in New York. Thompson describes "Shadow" heroine Bronze Sutton as a beautiful yet naive young woman nurtured by an overly protective mother. She lands in the arms of Julian Mitchell honey-colored charmer, she develops a sweet tooth for, not knowing that he has a pinch of sugar in his tank.” The book, published by Urban Books/Kensington Publishing Corp., “unravels a web of deceit that threatens to tear apart Bronze and her mother. Ultimately it's the story of two women who share far more than either could ever imagine." Days before coming back to Ohio for Saturday's book signing at Barnes & Noble, Thompson responded to questions via e-mail. Do you still have family in Willard? Do you have many memories of the town? A: Yes. I do have family in Willard, my uncle Amos and aunt Maxine Thompson as well as several cousins; I have so many fond memories of Willard. I will carry them in my heart forever. “In her Mother’s Shadow” is set in a fictitious Midwestern town. Will folks in Willard recognize any similarities to their city? A: No. The town is completely fictitious 

It is a dream that she'd pushed down and tucked away for more than three decades, but it laid dormant waiting for its awakening. "I've always wanted to be a writer," Faye Thompson said. The want rose out of a need to see stories that mirrored her image. "I loved to read, and the characters didn't look like me," she said. Thompson said she grew up in the 1970s, and finding books suitable for young African American children was near impossible. "I wanted to read fun books," she said. So, the summer she turned 10, she sat at her mother's typewriter, slamming away on the keys. Throughout the years, writing was slowly reduced to a far of a dream, a maybe. But the possibility of authoring a book was always at the "back of my mind, never at the forefront." Her writing took shape after a creative writing teacher told her that she was "a natural-born writer." "It was very encouraging," Thompson said of her teacher's words. "That carried me through." She added that hearing the accolades from an author helped her know that she, too, could pursue her dreams. She settled into the author's lifestyle writing whenever and wherever time would provide. On weekends, vacations, on her way to and from work. During a four-year span, the book slowly and meticulously took shape. The manuscript for her first book, "In Her Mother's Shadow," was completed in 1994, but her journey to publishing had just begun. The rejections poured in. "At first, it was exciting just to get the responses, " Thompson said. But the constant barrage of the book being the "right fit" or it didn't grab them" weighed on her. But the option of quitting was never a possibility. "If you want it to happen, you have to keep at it," she said. For 10 years, she kept at it. And finally, in 2006, the book was published. "Finding a publisher was the hardest thing, and then everything fell into place," Thompson said. "It was like a blessing." She said initially; she wrote the book for shock value. "I wanted to write something scandalous," Thompson said. The book is centered on a mother who is keeping a 25-year-old secret from her daughter. The secret, if revealed, can have a ripple effect. Thompson said the shock and scandalous nature wore off as society and culture shifted in the preceding book's publishing. "I wanted to [publish] it for me, but I didn't want to self-publish," Thompson said. I felt my ideas were valuable enough that a publisher would be interested. "Thompson signed a two-book deal with her publisher, and the second book is on its way to the printing press. She said it would be released later this year. According to Thompson, the second book will be vastly different because it came "from a different part of her soul. "She's also readied herself to write a sequel to tackle and tie up loose ends in "In Her Mother's Shadow." "They want more," she said of her readers. The book can be ordered online at amazon.com. It can also be purchased or ordered at any major bookstore. 

Faye Thompson delved into the heart of a bustling city to bring the lives of three everyday women to life. Their rails and tribulations mirrored those she faced in her own world and which have darkened many a woman's doorway. Thompson's second novel, "Cheesecake and Teardrops," is set mainly in Queens but snakes through other boroughs. Charisma, Tangela, and Heather posses an infinite bond of friendship that is their backbone when racism, self‐image, and relationship trouble threaten to derail their sanity. "Sometimes the characters had their own say and their own voice," Thompson said. "I was just a vehicle." Thompson said the book was conceptualized out of revenge and the dominant culture of "racial discrimination and prejudices that people of color have to deal with in this country over the years." Her pen and heart were softened by her father's death. "I realized that revenge wasn't for me," Thompson said. "The Lord has everything in divine order." With her mindset and inspiration altered, "This freed me to take the story in a slightly different direction and create the type of novel that I have always wanted to write." Not only are the main issues woven into the bitter‐sweet threads of the book, but redemption, forgiveness, tolerance, and self‐acceptance are littered throughout the story. "It is my hope that everyone who reads this book will find something with which to relate," Thompson said. "Writing Cheesecake and Teardrops was pure joy." "Cheesecake and Teardrops" has elevated Thompson's stock. She is no longer the unpublished author who'd received a ledger of rejections. When Thompson penned her first novel, "In Her Mother's Shadow," it took a decade to find a publisher. Her newest creation came packaged in a two-book deal with Urban Books. "Cheesecake and Teardrops" has garnered unbridled success compared to her first novel. Thompson said she’d received wide acclaim as the books have been chosen for Black Expressions Book Club and are sold at Barnes & Noble and Borders Books store. Although Thompson felt there were great things in her future, there were moments when she thought of shelving her work. "I prayed about it," she said. "I always felt God had some interesting things in store for me."