Three Answers: Angela Bassett

by Dick Donahue, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 12/4/2006

Three Answers today are from Angela Bassett, whose Friends: A Love Story, written with her husband, Courtney Vance, will be published next month by the Kimani Press imprint of Harlequin Books.

PW: How did you get hooked up with Harlequin?

Angela Bassett: There were a number of publishing houses that we went to, and for me to do something this personal, I really had to sort of get a warm and fuzzy feeling from the people in the room, you know? That they would appreciate our story and what we had to say as human beings. The folks at Harlequin were those people; they made us feel very comfortable. Also, it was the first book for this new imprint, and that’s sort of nice, to be a first like that.

PW: Who do you see as the audience for this book?

AB: Probably people from 16 to—I don’t know, when do folks stop dating? Sixteen to, maybe 68. I think people will see a bit of themselves. Relationships are so varied and so many, and we’re all on a quest to be understood and to be loved for who we are—and the good and the bad in us. The dilemma of a relationship, you know? I think if you’re going to take the time to write about yourself, then talk honestly about what you’ve been through and some of your journeys and maybe others can learn from it.

PW: How much of the book was you, how much was Courtney, and how much was your co-writer, Hilary Beard?

AB: Courtney and I both met with Hilary. [Courtney]since Hilary could be male or female name, “he” could be confusing. sjr was in New York so he spent time with her there; then she came out [to L.A.]. She made it very comfortable; I just talked into a recorder. We just had a conversation, and she would ask questions.... Even if she asked a provocative question, I could go on and on. You ask nicely and you have a way about yourself, then I get a feeling it’s safe to share, and I’m open about it.