Black tech consultant and real estate investor turned author T.H. Moore breaks down his latest novel I Am, Omega Psi Phi, and the importance of the fight for social justice.
Your latest novel, I Am…, tackles the deadliest form of police brutality from a very honest and human perspective. Why was it so important to you to address this issue?
I wrote “I AM…” as a literary warning to America. Our country is on a wicked trajectory in terms of our race relations and I felt the need to instigate this unsettling yet overdue conversation. We need this uncomfortable conversation because continuing to willfully ignore it is equivalent to a seaboard state ignoring the fury of an oncoming hurricane barreling towards its shores. And I don’t want to see this country fail.
With so many needless killings taking place across the country so often, were you concerned about how the book would be received?
No. Those murders, not killings, were the catalyst for writing the book. Other artists in music and television had already chimed in. Hip-Hop’s T.I. released “Warzone”, Shonda Rhimes’ created “The Lawn Chair” episode from her hit show “Scandal”. I chose literature.
“I AM…” is a warning shot across America’s bow. We’ve watched enough of our murders on television. Now, we’ve taken our hands off our remotes and placed them on the barrel of our guns.
If there was one thing you would like the readers to take away from your novel, what would that be?
That freedom and liberty require constant maintenance. It’s much like a pristine lawn acting as the lone barrier between the outside world and your home. You must seed, water, and cut it routinely. If you neglect it, weeds grow, the grass stretches so high it provides cover for vermin and snakes moving towards your home with hopes to infest it and make it their home instead.
You are a member of one of the most popular Black fraternities, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. How has your collegiate experiences shaped your life after college?
I’ve always described my time at Morgan State University, in Baltimore as the best four years of my life. Those life lessons were instrumental in my development into the adult I am now as well as my continued growth. Those lessons of perseverance and humility I carry with me daily to help me navigate life and my career. And I’ve made genuine friendships that have extended beyond my undergraduate years.
This is the third novel you have released, following “The Ends Justifies the Means” and “The Devil’s Whisper”. Describe your growth as a writer throughout the years.
Like any craft the more you practice, the better you become at honing it. My reviews from my ETSY store and Amazon describe my style as vividly descriptive. That’s because I literally close my eyes and type the scenes I see developing in my mind. I want my readers to see the story the same way I do. I want them to watch the movie I’m crafting on ivory pages rather than the silver screen.
Of all the different characters you have created, which one would you say is your most beloved?
That’s easy, Sandy from “I AM…”. I made her a medical surgeon, to accentuate her ability to walk and talk with Kings while never losing her common touch. She’s calculating, always sees the bigger picture, and is fiercely loyal to her friends and family. Sandy is that one “crazy” friend we all have that you can call when you’ve really messed up and you need help to bury a body.
What advice would you offer to someone looking to write their first novel?
First, prepare yourself for rejection. “I like your story but I’m not in love with it” will be the common theme in your rejection letters from literary agents and publishing houses. Second, don’t take constructive criticism personally. Criticism is triggering but these critiques will make you a better writer/storyteller. Lastly, writing is like medicine, you practice it, you never master it. Even Grisham writes every day.
