I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Braxton A. Cosby , author of Protostar , his debut novel and the first installment in his new series, Star-Crossed Saga. As you may have noticed, he shares a surname with another famous person whom we are all very familiar with – that of legendary comedian Bill Cosby , who is his uncle. Make no mistake about this new author, for he has made this name even more his own by adding to his roster of achievements “author” with the epic marriage of the science-fiction and the romance genre that is the Star-Crossed Saga. In fact, this series has been dubbed, “sci-fance” a new sub-genre and is receiving rave reviews!
Braxton Cosby is a dreamer with a vision of continuously evolving and maximizing the untapped potential of the human spirit. He received a lot of his inspiration from watching the accomplishments and exploits of his famous uncle, Bill Cosby. A physical therapist by trade, Braxton received his Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate from the University of Miami. An ex-student athlete, Braxton competed in the high and intermediate hurdles, grabbing a silver medal in the ’96 Junior Pan Am Games. Braxton is also a certified weight trainer and loves to exercise and stay fit. Braxton’s fascination of science grew into an obsession with sci-fi and on one unassuming Sunday, this self-proclaimed romantic decided to pursue a calling to create a new genre of writing. Braxton lives in Georgia with his wife and two children. He believes that everyone should pursue joy that surpasses understanding and live each day as if it were the last.
TK: So Braxton, what made you decide to add “writer” to your already long list of achievements?
BC: Back in 2010 I was in church one Sunday and the bishop said that God was speaking to him and he (God) was telling him that someone had a calling but hadn’t come to him yet. I begin praying and asked God “Is there something you’d like me to do?” I distinctly heard him say “Write a book” and I said to myself, “I’ve written a thesis, a dissertation, multiple papers going all the way through college but I’ve never tried to take on a book.” It seemed like such a daunting task. You know in college you are given assignments to write papers sometimes there are word length requirements like 1500 words minimum and you’re thinking “I’ve got to get these words written” It can be very intimidating. So when you have a voice in your head telling you to write a book it is just baffling because you know you have to put a lot of words on paper. Then I asked God, “What type of book do you want me to write?” and he answered, “I want you to write a love story”. I’m a huge movie fan and love a good story. As a man I was always drawn to action films but in recent years I have really been drawn to some of the romance stories with good, original plots and that have a deep connection between the characters and talk about the real meaning and innocence of love. I do have a huge fascination with science fiction largely because the stories are so original. Science fiction does not get into a lot of the race and ethnic issues because most characters are alien so that doesn’t matter as much. One character may be blue and another purple so it really doesn’t matter. It is just pure storytelling about maybe about ignorance or hatred but it’s on another level and not in the same way that we trivialize our lives with those things here on earth. I really love the originality and freshness of the stories. Three months later, I had a completed manuscript and I asked God “What do I do now?” and the next thing I knew I had signed with a local publisher. Throughout the writing process there were times when I got discouraged and God just said to me “Just finish it, finish it and I’ll take it from there…” and I did. It has been a wonderful journey that has been very satisfying.
TK : Well you have finished it and it’s a wonderful, creative story. There are so many writers out there who get intimidated and never finish their novels and you followed your intuition and God, and completed Protostar in just three months which is fantastic!
BC : Thank you very much. I appreciate it and I pr ayed and worked diligently on it and here I am. I was discouraged at times but I never gave in.
TK : Now of course, you are the nephew of Bill Cosby , who is a legend and household name. Has he read Protostar? Does he like it?
BC: He loves it. He loves anything that’s positive, encourages reading & exploration. He believes in creativity and storytelling and somewhere along the line I inherited this from him {laughter}. He has endorsed it and will get behind anything positive for young people. He loves anything with positive role models for young people and he loves the novel and not just because I’m his nephew but also because he believes in creativity and storytelling. He loves it. I’ve gone with him on a couple of book signings to give visibility to the book and things like that, so he’s really proud of me and very supportive.
TK: Now I just want to clarify also that Protostar was already finished before you shared it with your uncle Bill Cosby, is that correct?
BC : Yes, actually the book was made available in September and my uncle and I didn’t speak about it at all until that December. I mentioned it to my Uncle Russell first and then a little later I spoke with Uncle Bill about it. He is very proud of the fact that I did it all by myself and shared this at a book signing – that I had published it before he read it and didn’t receive any pointers or punchlines from him. This was all done by me and he is very pleased with my hard work, which is why he didn’t mind endorsing it.
TK : Who is your favorite character in Protostar?
BC: I get asked that a lot actually and I’d have to say that my favorite character is William although I kind of go between William and Sydney because she is such a strong character to me. I didn’t want her (Sydney) to be a stereotypical defenseless, wimpy little girl whose always waiting for the prince to save her – the damsel in distress. Anything in my book which I felt would be predictable or stereotypical, I actually went against it. As you are reading anything that seems typical will change when you continue reading.
TK: Are there any plans to write a sequel to Protostar?
BC: Absolutely. This is a planned trilogy. The Star Crossed Saga is an umbrella universe which will have multiple stories under it. I have a bounty hunter story and others about the hunters that I’m working on now. This universe has it’s own planets and many stories to be told. I’m very excited about this universe I’ve created with original weapons and technology. I’m actually working with a great artist in Atlanta and fantastic Christian comic book company and we’re actually working on some comic books based on the first book so there is so much more to come.
TK: That is fantastic! and we look forward to the upcoming projects. Now who is your favorite writer?
BC: That would definitely be J. K. Rowling. She has such a vivid imagination, and I admire her courage to create a phenomenon that she believed was great, despite the feedback she received from people who were not ready for something so different. I feel the same about my first novel Protostar. I really love the storylines and characters of the Harry Potter series.
TK: Is Protostar more character driven or plot driven?
BC : Although I think Protostar is definitely more plot driven, I also know the importance of building memorable characters in a novel. I think Protostar is driven by the plot mainly but it is a delicate balance between an epic plot and wonderful, memorable characters.
TK: Does Protostar target a specific audience in terms of race or age?
BC: Not really, Protostar is for everyone. One of the characters is described as having “champagne” colored skin so the characters can represent any ethnicity. Protostar is for all people of every ethnicity and race. In terms of age my novel is for persons of all ages and walks of life. I have two daughters so I wanted to write something that they could read as well as adults. I want parents to not have to look over their children’s shoulders as they read Protostar so there is no profanity or inappropriate or graphic violence or sex scenes. The novel is for and appeals to everyone.
TK: Speaking of writing for a young and older audience, did you face any challenges in maintaining that balance of appropriate yet universal romance in your book?
BC: I worked hard to keep the novel rated PG. It was important for me to deliver sensual moments that had passion to them, but maintaining the importance of waiting before going all the way. There is so much time for that. I believe young adults should appreciate the innocence of young love and explore one another mentally and spiritually, achieving true oneness.
TK : Now your book has been dubbed “Sci-fance”, can you tell us what “sci-fance” means?
BC: Sure. Sci-Fance is a novel that blends the science-fiction and romance genres. Protostar is such a novel which has elements of both but it is a perfect balance as one does not out shine the other. It is simply a novel that merges the science fiction and romance genres together.
TK: What advice do you have for writers out there struggling with their first novel or that have not published their novel yet?
BC: My advice for them is to never, ever give up. To believe in their story and their writing and to get it finished just as God told me. There will be times when they will feel like giving up but don’t and all of their hard work will pay off. They should have faith, pray about it and just get the story finished. God will take care of the rest.
TK: Braxton I want to thank you so much for taking time from your busy schedule to speak with me. I am a huge fan of your work and look forward to the sequels as well as the comic books. Would you please tell the readers how they can get a copy of Protostar as well as follow your work?
BC : Thanks so very much for your time as well and I greatly appreciate the support. My website is www.braxtonacosbygodson.com and readers can get all information pertaining to Protostar as well as my other projects there. My book can be purchased from both Barnes & Noble as well as Amazon. If you’d like a signed copy on Amazon you may purchase a signed copy from the seller “cosbykid84″, that is actually me and I will ship a signed copy. Protostar is available in paperback as well as ebook formats. It is available for the Nook as well as the Kindle.
You can listen to the audio version of an interview by clicking below:
AUDIO: TK MCEACHIN INTERVIEWS AUTHOR BRAXTON A. COSBY & LIVE EXCERPT READING FROM PROTOSTAR.
