With the release date of My Refusal approaching we sat down with up and coming author Marquise Thompson to discuss his first novel. During the interview we asked him some questions about his book as well as some current events. 
 

Gentlemenly Press: With May 28th approaching what word would best describe your current mind state?

Marquise: Surreal. While I’m extremely excited to see how the public will react to my work. I’m also somewhat nervous about revealing certain personal aspects of my life to complete strangers. I spent a great deal of time developing ideas and concepts for this book so that it could be an entertaining project to read as well as an informative work that could genuinely touch the hearts of others. 

Gentlemenly Press: I read an early copy of your work and I must say it is very interesting how you incorporate your real life into a book that starts off from a fictional character’s point of view? How did the fictional character Santino come about?

Marquise: I was half way through with my book and during that time it was completely non-fiction. I was giving the world my life story unabridged. But for whatever reason one night I couldn’t go to sleep and during that time I came up with the fictional character Santino. When you write a non-fiction work you have limits, but when writing about a fictional character you have no limits. At first I resisted the urge to combine a fictional book with a non-fiction story line because I thought it would be too confusing, but as more and more ideas for the fictional storyline started to weigh on my mind I decided to challenge my creativity to see if I could develop a work that was both fiction and nonfiction all in one book. 

Gentlemenly Press: What are some of your favorite chapters in this work?

Marquise: I would have to say my chapter called ‘Just for Some Jordans,’ and my chapter called ‘After Love.’ The ‘Just for Some Jordans’ chapter examines how we as young African American males were willing to pawn the souls of drug addicts in exchange for money to buy Air Jordans on the first day that they dropped. That chapter is near and dear to me because I’m an eighties baby and that’s when crack epidemic became prevalent where I’m from. So that chapter offers some interesting parallels between the rise of the crack epidemic and the obsession that we have with Michael Jordan’s shoe.  

Gentlemenly Press: You also mentioned that one of your favorite chapters is called ‘After Love.’ Would it be fair to assume that this chapter deals with your personal experience with love?

Marquise: Yeah (laughs). That’s a good assumption to make. I decided to include this chapter in my book because prior to my last relationship I had never been in love before. So during that chapter I opened up and talked about all the mistakes that I made during my first real relationship. Prior to falling in love I firmly believed that all it would take for me to have a successful relationship would be a nice woman who was faithful. I didn’t realize that relationships require great communication between both parties. She was pretty good at communicating however I wasn’t and at the time I didn’t realize that my poor communication skills were rooted in a deeper problem. 

Gentlemenly Press: So what was the single most important thing that you learned about love from that relationship?

Marquise: I learned that as long as Marquise is leading a relationship and not God then it’s not going to work. You are talking about an individual who tried everything in his power, but still failed when it came to maintaining his first real relationship. When I say putting God first I’m not saying that prayer is a cure all when it comes to relationships, but what I’m saying is that in order for me to eventually to have a successful relationship with a woman, I first have to develop a successful relationship with God and I’m in the process doing just that. 

Gentlemenly Press: Lets talk about some current events. In your opinion does Barack Obama have a legitimate shot at becoming the first Black President?

Marquise: I would like to believe so, but the more probable scenario is that he will upstage Hilary Clinton and secure the Democratic nomination; however, I don’t think enough people in the south will vote for him in the national election so ultimately him winning the Presidency is a long shot. The south still harbors a great deal of resentment as it pertains to having African Americans in power and I don’t see that changing before November 2008. It would bring my heart a great deal of joy if Obama pulls it off because I really like him. 

Gentlemenly Press: In the wake of the Imus debacle what’s your take on rappers using offensive words?

Marquise: I think rappers and people in general should pay closer attention to the words that they use. For example, before I can cast a stone at anyone else I had to first examine my own language. During the midst of writing My Refusal I stopped using the word nigga. I’m not saying that everyone else should follow my lead, but I do know that it was the right decision for me. I stopped using the word because I had no valid reason for using it. Some people will say that they use the word because they took a negative word that racists use to say and took it back from them and converted it to a term of endearment. However, in my case I just had to admit that the only reason I was using the word was because I had learned it from my environment and once I realized that I decided that it was time to extrapolate that word from my vernacular.   

Gentlemenly Press: Who are your all time favorite rappers and are there any current rappers worth checking for?

Marquise: Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Redman, and Rakim are my all time favorites. As far as current rappers are concerned no one in the game is seeing Joe Budden. In fact his Mood Music mixtape series was what I listened to the most while writing My Refusal. I think he has the game on smash right now. He can be very introspective at times and his punchlines are just insane. 

Gentlemenly Press: Back to your book. In your own words how would you describe your project?

Marquise: It’s about me challenging myself to make a lifestyle change. My book is much more than words. I talk about how my cousin’s death sent my spirituality on a downward spiral. Ultimately she lost her battle with cancer before she even hit her teens and for a very long time that almost made my relationship with God non-existent. I also talk about quitting my job so that I could finish writing My Refusal. I talk about my love for my mom and African American women as a whole. For such a long time African American women have been the backbone of our community so as men I feel it’s time for us to step up and show them how much we appreciate them. This book is a project that I’m very proud of. It’s not what people are expecting. I think it’s very creative and it will have an impact on a lot of people. This book is the only book that I see myself writing so I said everything that I wanted to say because I don’t plan on ever writing another book. I would also like to say to everyone don’t recommend this book to anybody until you read it for your self and if you think it’s a great work then suggest it to your friends and family members. Don’t support it or recommend it to anyone if you read it and feel like it’s not a book of great quality. 

Gentlemenly Press: After the release of this book what’s next for you?

Marquise: Promoting this book to the fullest extent and making sure that it lives up to its potential. Also I would like to be able to give out a scholarship in the near future to someone who deserves it. 

Gentlemenly Press: Let’s play a word association game. I will say a person’s name and you have to give me your first thought on them. George Bush.

Marquise: Liar. He’s Responsible for the death of many. 

Gentlemenly Press: Nelson Mandela.

Marquise: Iconic. 

Gentlemenly Press: Floyd Mayweather.

Marquise: Undefeated. 

Gentlemenly Press: Don Imus.

Marquise: He looks like a nappy-headed werewolf. 

Gentlemenly Press: Pacman Jones.

Marquise: Misguided, but misunderstood individual. 

Gentlemenly Press: Kobe Bryant.

Marquise: Great player, but he’s not my favorite player. 

Gentlemenly Press: Favorite Teams.

Marquise: Phoenix Suns and Tennessee Titans. I’m not a bandwagon fan either I have liked the Suns way back when they had Kevin Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Dan Majerle. 

Gentlmenly Press: Any closing words?

Marquise: I would like to thank everybody who has shown interest and support in my project. Also I would like to thank God for making this possible.