Book Author Spotlight: THE HUB sits down with local author, Cedric Boyd

Local author Cedric Boyd’s book “The Good Wolf” takes you on that constant and eternal struggle where flesh and spirit are at war and there can only be one winner…”.

THE HUB: Is this your first book? How long have you been writing?
Boyd: Well actually my mother was working on her book “Sex Out of Wedlock.” It’s the story of how her and my dad met. She had been working on it for 7 years and got writer’s block and she asked for my help. When she moved in with me we worked on it together. I had a couple of weeks off and finished it for
her; then I started writing. “The Good Wolf” was published in 2013 and, I worked on the night shift often with not much to do, it took me 3 months to write, so it went surprisingly fast.

THE HUB: Where did the idea for this book come from?
Boyd: I lost my father in 2011. I thought about his life and mine, he was a good father but not a good husband. I thought about how I want to be remembered. The book is more about what not to do than what to do. It’s pretty sexual; it was a different time in my life. I emailed it to a co-worker, she loved it. The response has been shockingly positive.

THE HUB: Are there any writers whose work inspires you?
Boyd: Authors Stephen King and John Grisham. I also like Terri McMillan, she is very honest. I try to be honest in my work, to the point of being uncomfortable with what I write. I write alone, no filter, I’m brutally honest. Like Mary J. Blige my life, it is almost a cry for help it’s so honest. I was nervous about putting it out. I discussed it with my wife and she gave me her blessing. I couldn’t have done it without her.

THE HUB: What are your hopes for this book?
Boyd: To sell lots of copies and get men reading; that’s been the toughest part. I sent copies to my friends and they said they read it, but I know they didn’t. “The Good Wolf” is what could happen if you head down this road. It’s kind of like Gordon Gekko’s character in “Wall Street”. He’s not so nice but everybody likes him, lots of people are looking at the superficial like he has a good job, etc.

THE HUB: Are you working on a new project now that your first book is finished?
Boyd: I want to do children’s book series about my mother-in-law. She is quite a character and she has tiny feet. I’m thinking of the title “Grandma Little Shoes”. The series would start with “Grandma Little Shoes Learns How to Swim,” etc.

THE HUB: Now that you’ve gone through this experience, what surprised you most about the publishing world?
Boyd: I used an independent publishing service in Illinois and the person helping me walked me through it, so I found it to be alright. It was not too expensive and he was very helpful. I’d do it again.

THE HUB: How do you think readers will feel about the end of your book?
Boyd: They’ll want more. I already finished the sequel “Randall Whitmore” in 2014, because readers wanted more. I get great feedback from emails and people calling me.

THE HUB: What would people be surprised to know about you?
Boyd: That I can write, my mom and wife weren’t surprised but everyone else was stunned I kept it under wraps. I was also a pretty good athlete, I got a track and basketball scholarship. I went with basketball my freshman year but didn’t love it. I left and went to junior college and got a track scholarship. I learned a valuable lesson. Basketball was a full scholarship and my dad sent me money every month. When I stopped going to the college where I had the scholarship, he said he wasn’t sending any more money. So I had to do what I had to do, like he raised me. My dad called it “I got to break your plate and see what you got”. It was a painful process that taught me a lot. It’s like babies, they learn to walk, eventually; I figured everything out eventually. Following your passion is going to cost you.

Available on Amazon.com: “The Good Wolf” and “Randall Whitmore.”