Brandi Bates
Born in 1979, she was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and educated at Phillips Exeter Academy, University of Southern California, Spelman College, Meredith College, and The Master's College and Seminary.
This earthy Los Angeles native is a self proclaimed avid reader and cheerleader of the Talented Tenth and is also known for her fiery intellect and infectious sense of humor. Some of her stories treat reality with a magical realism, sometimes demonstrating an altered reality. Yet, they are always satisfying, stimulating, and thought provoking.
Bestselling Author of Amid the Cacophony of Cries, Ruminations, Lunar Eclipse, Mood Swings, and The Head Mistress, Brandi L. Bates is known for her sexy, fast-paced, edgy style of writing. She gracefully spices up the intimacy and mood with juicy blow by blow details, while weaving a thrilling whodunit filled with brevity, taut atmosphere, and strong psychological suspense. She has been described as a master of suspense, plotting, and vivid characterization by her contemporaries. Her stories have glowing reviews in most literary circles. Best known for her novels that could broadly be described as suspense thrillers, Bates also frequently incorporates poetic elements of erotica, horror, mystery, science fiction, and satire.
Many of Bates’ novels feature sympathetic portrayals of characters who suffer from some mental or emotional abnormality and a desperate struggle for survival that leads to a final confrontation where one never knows where they’ll be taken. Her stories are unpredictable and jarring. Nominated for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, Bates is considered one of the pre-eminent writers of twenty-first century African-American literature.
“That night I wasn't reading your palm...I was monogramming my fingerprints on the sidewalks of your lifeline.”
“Lick my finger so I can scan your table of contents- fuck the index- I yearn to ride your story line.”
“When I'm drunk with feeling and nature is drinking from my lips and we reflect each other in our atmospheres, then my words come effortlessly and my fingers go into labor...day or night. ”
“When the door to my writing chamber gasps shut and the almost imperceptible sigh of a rose petal falls on my desk, I know that my muse is present.”
“So I watch my sadness, gleaming in all of its soft pastel glory. And I listen to the arguments against my sanity. ”
“With you in my hand I can travel across the universe in one verse and skip moons to the tunes of Miles or Coltrane.”
“Magic waited for me in the morning dew of this brand new day. And silence sang, so soft and low. It touched my sun dappled skin and kissed my parted lips.”
“I marveled over the cosmic metaphors in my life. Found that all I needed to see and all I needed to know; all I needed to understand could be found in a constellation shaped like the Big Dipper.”