Nasty (31 page)

The “G-Shot” is an injection of collagen at that site. It “plumps up” the area and in doing so, amplifies your response when that
“hot spot” is stimulated. Four hours after the thirty-minute procedure, you’re ready to experience an improved sexual response…or so say eighty-seven percent of women who’ve tried it.

The effects wear off in four months. To date, the collagen used for this procedure is not FDA approved and there is a laundry list of risks associated with this method, from scarring to infection to sexual dysfunction. However, for almost two thousand dollars every four months you may have an enriched sexual response. Or you may want to kick some doctor’s ass for making you waste ALL that money when all you really needed was a patient “creative” partner.

That heart-wrenching story about Nicola…where is it from?

Nicola’s life represents the personal histories of women and young girls I’ve met over the years who’ve been victimized by sick, pathetic people. Nicola, in her own, way is a survivor…as were many of the women I’ve spoken to.

I too was molested by a family member when I was a young child. The perpetrator for me was a photographer. In the book, I just extrapolated and made the Martins the head of a video porno ring. Unfortunately, such things (child pornography) do exist.

Unlike Nicola, I did not have the privilege of burning my rapist…but the day “ain’t” over yet. As you have gathered, I have not reached the phase of forgiveness. I know…I know…Dr. XYZ needs more counseling.

This leads me to another point I hope I’ve stressed in the book. If you have problems of a psychosocial nature, go to the professionals. If your family is going through major trauma…make sure your young ones receive some form of counseling. I ain’t talking about that “let’s all get together and pray it go away”
method. I mean going to the pediatrician and requesting a referral to a mental health professional. Believe me…adult problems really affect kids.

Who is Eli?

Early in my career, I worked in the prison health system. Eli represents the men and women that I treated. I always asked them why and how they got there…and the stories always stuck in my head. I was impressed by how intelligent most of them were. Especially the drug addicts. It used to blow my mind. But then think about it: How do you keep a three- or five-hundreddollar-a-day habit? An idiot couldn’t stay high for two minutes with that kind of price tag. That’s why, for me, Eli had to be an educated person. As it turned out, he was an educated fool…who figured life out way too late.

Why did you make AIDS a part of the story?

I was extremely disturbed by the growing incidence of AIDS in the Black community. In
Nasty,
the story of AIDS is not pretty. It flies in the face of pharmaceutical ads posted in poor urban communities of happy, healthy, buff victims co-existing with this unfortunate diagnosis. These ads suggest on some not-too-subtle level that the disease is completely tamed.
Nasty
reminds us that it hasn’t. Folks are still contracting the disease. Despite the wonderful medications that the scientific community has designed to combat the disease, AIDS is still killing folks.

In the book several folks contracted the disease. How did that happen?

In terms of who gave what to whom…in the book I suggest that it all came from Eli. Nicola’s lab mistake early in the book set it
up that the disease came back to her and Carlos. I deliberately dramatized the mode of transmission for “entertainment” value. The take-home message in the real world is that men are contracting the disease through either illicit drug use or having sex with other infected men. Most women become positive because infected men bring it home to them. And don’t think you can stop worrying if you’re past fifty. Baby boomers are not immune to this disease.

What lesson do you want readers to learn?

The message I want to stress is found in Sherry’s character. She put her man, Tarik, through a trial period. Before they consummated their relationship, she insisted that they both get tested for STD’s. You know who the usual suspects are: gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, herpes and the only real killer in the group: HIV, the virus responsible for AIDS.

Folks, if you can (and I know how hard it can be when those juices start to flowing), slow down before you take that short leap into the bed. Try to find out a little more about your partner. Take a note from Sherry’s book. Ask him or her to take the test. If you’re uncomfortable asking about the test…does it make ANY sense that your fast ass is so damn eager to take all your clothes off, suck his/her potentially lethal diseased sexual organs and then let them bang up all into you? Hmmmmm….

For the brave ones out there who aren’t cowards and can ask their mate about the test, let them know the examination is simple. For screening purposes only, a health care provider will simply scrape the inside of your mouth. There is no blood drawing or anything invasive.

If your prospective partner won’t take the test (which takes all of twenty minutes, if you go the rapid method) that’s a clue that
you’re either dealing with a fool…or someone who already knows their status and ain’t telling. If you screw somebody who refuses the test, you are eligible to win the Dr. XYZ “Idiot of the Year” award.

If money for testing is an issue, call up the Centers for Disease Control to find a free testing site near your home: 1-800-CDC-INFO. But check this out: if neither of you can afford the test…maybe instead of knocking boots you should be knocking on a door and looking for a job. But I digress…

Folks, the scientific community has made great progress with this disease in terms of treatment…but there is no known cure. Infected people are still dying.

Don’t matter if you’re married, living with someone, or engaged in a long-term steady relationship, statistics show that most folks cheat. Hell…just assume that everybody is screwing somebody that they shouldn’t, wear a condom, and if that’s too much to ask for…get tested every six months. That way when and if you do become positive…you catch the disease early enough. Early detection and linking with health care providers who are experienced in the treatment of HIV/AIDS increases your chances for survival.

Look at Magic Johnson…he’s been on treatment well over ten years and I still can’t wait to go to his theater every Saturday to see the latest flick. He’s doing fine and so can you, if you follow your doctor’s recommendations.

Have you any personal experience with AIDS?

While working in prison and during my years in training, I had patients who were either HIV positive or had AIDS. Personally, I have had friends who contracted the disease and are unfortunately no longer with us. As for myself, I’m HIV negative. I follow
my own advice. I use condoms, engage in sex only within the context of a committed relationship, and test frequently.

But I didn’t always “do the right thing,” as Spike Lee would say. When I was in medical school, I had a rather “casual” attitude toward sex. I didn’t use condoms and there were times I had multiple partners. Even had one-night stands with folks I couldn’t identify if you put a gun to my head. (And no, I never engaged in a “ménage à quatre” like Nicola and the Williams brothers.)

If I had followed my own damn advice years ago…I wouldn’t have gotten the other incurable sexually transmitted disease. That’s right folks, Dr. XYZ has herpes. I contracted it during my “wild” days. I don’t even know who gave it to me. I was dumber and younger then. I know better now and hope that my readers will benefit from the mistakes I made.

Any plans for another book?

My next fiction project is the story of Nicola’s mother. She’s the first character introduced in
Nasty
. The only thing we know about her is that she went crazy, attacked baby Nicola and jumped out of a window. There’s a lot more to her story. Her life is even
nastier
than Nicola’s. In fact the book’s title is:
NASTIER.

Nicola and Carlos had horrible things happen to them in their childhood. They “effectively” suppressed the memories. Is this an appropriate method for dealing with hard times? Have you memories that you are suppressing or have decided not to deal with?

Eli and Ophelia had a good working marriage before her mother came andwrecked things for them. How do you feel about men who stay home and take up the traditional role of women? Do you agree with Ophelia’s mom when she insisted that a man is supposed to be the breadwinner?

What did you think about Nicola’s decision to get the G-Shot? Would you consider such a thing if it would increase your sexual response? Nicola did it to please her husband and make “sex” easier for him. Do you think that was going too far to please a man?

Nicola’s husband, Harrison James…was seriously on the “down-low.” He begged her forgiveness and insisted that he was not bi-sexual. She refused all of his attempts at reconciliation. Did you think his “begging and pleading” was genuine?
What do you think of men who participate in “down-low” activities and don’t consider themselves “gay”?

Carlos was a player. He didn’t want women to get close to him. How did his childhood experience influence the way he dealt with women?