M.G. Robinson
M.G. Robinson began his unofficial writing career at the tender age of 10. M.G. would write several short stories, which he only shared with those closest to him. These stories went on to give him the confidence he desired, to pursue writing as a career. At the age of 13 his writing would begin to pay off financially. Although these writings were not in books. They were on records and TV. M.G. would become a professional rapper, first performing under the name Little Eli, when appeared on NBC’s It’s Showtime At The Apollo. Now in his late teens, M.G. would change his name to New World Poet and sign with Black Tower Records. He would go on to release several singles, one full length album and an E.P. under the moniker Ebony Blade. M.G. would introduce himself to the literary world in 2019, releasing his first published book OVERSEER.The buzz created by OVERSEER created a new lane for M.G. as a public speaker. He would go on to speak at several high schools, training academies and universities. OVERSEER gave birth to his latest opus BLACK COP: A TRUE BLACK AND BLUE STORY. BLACK COP follows in the path of OVERSEER, as it gives the readers a deep look into the life of a major crimes detective in an urban city.
Marina Raydun: Black Cop draws on your real-world experiences. How did your background in law enforcement influence the way you approached writing this story?
M.G. Robinson: Working in an urban environment with a high crime rate, where the crimes are often horrific and sad, made my real-world experience gritty and eye-opening. I wanted my writing to give readers a glimpse inside of that gritty world, but give them positive outlooks and outcomes. I think I pulled it off with BLACK COP.
MR: You also have experience in the entertainment industry. Tell us a little bit about that. In what ways did that perspective shape your storytelling style and the way you build characters?
MGR: I became a professional performer at age 13, appearing on a national tv show It's Showtime at the Apollo, and then went on to record music under the names New World Poet and Ebony Blade. So, I have been writing since I was a child. Although back then it was rap songs and music video treatments I was writing. This writing experience made the transition to book writing fairly easy. Since both my books are nonfiction, the actual characters write themselves. I just organize the stories.
MR: If your book, Black Cop, were adapted for film, who do you envision playing the lead roles?
MGR: Since I'm part of the majority of the stories in my book, I guess I would be the lead role. If the book were made into a film, I could see Common playing me. Some of my friends say we look alike and I am a fan of his work.
MR: What is your writing process like—do you outline everything ahead of time, or do you let the story develop as you went?
MGR: I do use somewhat of an outline but I don't actually write it down. I think of the outlined topics over and over again, until I have them down to memory. I let those ideas live in my mind for weeks or sometimes months. So when I actually sit down to write, it flows like a river.
MR: Were there parts of your own career or life experiences that were too close to home to include in the book, or did you lean into that vulnerability?
MGR: There were definitely topics of my life that were vulnerable spots for me, like the murder of my brothers and my parents' substance abuse. But I wanted to really touch people with my books and I wanted readers to understand where my emotion comes from. So I decided to share those details and stories.
MR: What inspired you to start writing Overseer?
MGR: My first book was titled OVERSEER and it was inspired by a conversation I had with my mentor Ahmed Ismail. He was my manager, producer and he owned the record label I was signed to. He simply said to me, "You should write a book." When I asked him a book about what, he said your life is so interesting and inspiring and if you wrote about that, your story could help a lot of people. He reminded me that my brother was killed by a cop and I became a cop in order to bring about change. I let his words live and grow in my mind and about 2 weeks later I sat down and began to write.
MR: When you read for pleasure, what genres do you gravitate toward, and do they influence your own writing style?
MGR: I am an avid reader. I probably read 100 books in a year. Initially I stuck to nonfiction books because I felt like true stories were like self-help to me. On the advice of a friend, I slowly started reading fiction books and I was hooked. I love thrillers, Sci-fi, crime dramas (of course) and I have even read a few romance novels. I think everything I read makes me a better writer. I can finish a book and think back to how certain lines or pages made me feel; like what made me laugh, what made me cry. This teaches me how to induce emotion and feelings from readers.
MR: Were there any particular authors or books that inspired you while working on Black Cop?
MGR: The G.O.A.T. Stephen King always inspires me. No matter what I'm writing about, I can find inspiration in his books. But for BLACK COP, specifically, I read The Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth, The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates and The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. These books inspired and motivated me.
MR: What’s been the most surprising part of the publishing journey for you so far?
MGR: Honestly, nothing has been a surprise to me in this publishing journey. I think my experience in the music business, being signed to an independent record label and running my own music label for a brief time gave me valuable knowledge. There are several similarities between the music business and the literary world.
MR: Looking ahead, do you plan to continue writing in this genre, or do you see yourself exploring other styles or themes?
MGR: I'm currently working on book # 3, which is also a nonfiction work. But I do pre-writes, where I write a synopsis and even sometimes the first couple of chapters and I currently have 6 pre-writes done. 3 of them are fiction novels or novellas. So I plan to exist in both spaces; fiction and nonfiction.
To learn more about M.G. Robinson, please visit his website: https://mgrobinsonauthor.com/
