This Ain't No Hearts And Flowers Love Story
Brooklyn Darkchild
Lulu Enterprises
Reviewed By Carey Jefferson
Official Apex Reviews Rating: 
Baby
Girl is born into depravity, but soon escapes it as her family
relocates to Park Avenue, land of opportunity for the rich and
ridiculously wealthy. Her uncle, BB – who is really her father's lover
– takes them in, allowing them to become accustomed to a lifestyle
millions of others can only dream of. She soon becomes "Princess," and
her life of privilege more than lives up to the moniker.
Oscar
Bryan, affectionately known as "OB," is also born into depravity – but
escape is never an option for him. That is, not until he's discovered
dancing on a New York corner one day – the day that changes the rest of
his life forever. Soon, OB makes his come-up in the world – including
sleeping with more women than most men ever see – but along the way he
never forgets the special bond he has with a certain privileged
Princess who knows just how it is to be loved by everyone except your
own mother.
See, though Princess and OB are technically
half-cousins, their true connection is a much deeper, much more
spiritual bond that is rarely found and even more rarely understood. It
is precisely this bond that anchors both young souls as they venture
out into a crazy, volatile world marked by violence, corruption,
addiction, and betrayal, and it is just such a bond that unites them
for life – even to the point of creating a new life from its own.
This Ain't No Hearts And Flowers Love Story
is an enjoyable read, filled with witticisms and turns of phrase that
keep the story moving and reveal more and more of each richly depicted
character along the way. Though the book comes in at just over 600
pages, Darkchild's lyrical writing style makes for a refreshing read,
somewhat deflating the prospect of a daunting, drawn-out tale.
As
the title states, this book is certainly not for anyone seeking a love
story laced with dashing heroes, wistful heroines, and rose-colored
lifestyles – but that's not always a bad thing.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Brooklyn Darkchild (This Ain't No Hearts And Flowers Love Story)
Apex Reviews: Brooklyn, thanks for joining us for this interview. We look forward to learning more about your book.
How long did it take you to put the full story together?
Brooklyn Darkchild: It took a little over a year to write the rough draft, and another eighteen months to get it the way I wanted it.
AR: You include very strong depictions of "the hard life" in the book. Are these based on any personal experiences you've had?
BD: You know people ask me that all the time??? I think it's because I grew up a motherless child. I will say this is definitely NOT an autobiographical novel. Some of this stuff happened to me, some things happened to people I love and some things I just made up. I'm not specifying, though.
AR: The characters also embody varying opinions of homosexuality. Are any of these colored by your own personal opinion?
BD: I believe God loves us ALL, no matter what, and Jesus DIED for us all, no matter what. Yes, homosexuality is a sin, but so is fornication, and how many of us are guilty of that? We all have things to work on; sins to be forgiven of.The Bible says we're to work out our OWN soul salvation with "fear and trembling." I can't "fear and tremble" for anyone other than myself; neither can you. I also can't beat "fear and trembling" into another person by haranguing about their lifestyle choices: that is between them and God. In the meantime all I can do is: love my neighbor as I love myself, and pray for them. God knows I hope they're praying for me, 'cause I need it.
AR: Many stories hail the ups and downs of New York living, but yours does so in a very colorful, lively fashion. What inspired you to use this particular manner of storytelling?
BD: The idea of telling a relationship story from a male and female perspective intrigued me but I didn't know where to start or how to make it work in a third person narrative. Then one day I heard Obie's voice in my head say: My real name is Oscar. Oscar Bryan. Sounds like Oscar Mayer, doesn't it? I realized I wanted the narrative to sound natural, like a conversation with a good friend.
AR: Without revealing too much of the ending, do the ultimate fates of both Princess and OB develop naturally? In other words, is it something both of them should have expected?
BD: Should they have expected it? I think so. But hindsight is always 20/20. I like to believe the relationship traveled along the path it was intended to all along: some things are meant to be and some things simply aren't.
AR: Please share more about your company, Brooklyn Dreams Publishing, with our readers.
BD: Brooklyn Dreams seeks to tell street tales with an intelligent twist. All our tales will be grimy, reflecting life in the "trenches," like This Ain't No Hearts And Flowers Love Story, but they'll also be inspirational. We want to show that no matter what you go through, and people go THROUGH some thangs, you're never so far gone that you can't be saved.
AR: What are your future writing aspirations?
BD: Every writer wants to sell books, Darkchild included, but more than that I want to change people's lives. There are two more parts to the Obie and Princess saga, already written, that will touch on AIDS and molestation to name a few issues. There's a series coming up about two Boricuas who grew up on Adelphi St. in Brooklyn, and some day I'd LOVE to tackle The Fabulous BB Johnson's life story.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
BD: Buy the book. You'll laugh 'til you have to change clothes, cry up three boxes of Kleenex, but in the end...oh crap, I can't give that away now can I???
AR: Thanks again, Brooklyn, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!