Tony Lindsay: Conversations' Author of the Year, 2012-13

by Cyrus Webb

Choosing the Author of the Year for Conversations over the past few years has been one of my greatest challenges, however, it also allows me the opportunity to share my thoughts on the wordsmiths that are delivering some of the world's greatest work. Past honorees have been Andrew Neiderman, John Saul, Wahida Clark and most recently Stuart Woods. All of them have been guests of mine through Conversations, and they all have shown themselves to be incredible at telling a great story.

For 2012 there was one author that consistently kept coming to the forefront of my mind because of the impact he was making, and it is for this reason that Tony Lindsay, author of titles like URBAN AFFAIR, ONE DEAD LAWYER, ONE DEAD PREACHER and now ONE DEAD DOCTOR (one of Conversations Top Books of 2012), is Conversations' Author of the Year 2012-13.

I first interviewed Lindsay some six years ago for Conversations Magazine. I was a fan of his that really wanted to share his story with our readers, and he was gracious enough to work with me in making it happen. We met face-to-face for the first time in 2008 when Conversations Book Club hosted him in author events in Mississippi and Louisiana.  It was great to spend some time with the storyteller, and get to know more about what motivates him as an author.

The gift that he has is one that I think is universal, but you will hear many talk about him in the singular vein of being a great "urban fiction" author. Being one that is not huge on such titles or generalizations, I would rather think of Tony Lindsay as a man that is able to tell a story in such a way that he can gather readers of various genres together around his work. He is definitely not a one-note. You might think you know him by reading books like STREET POSSESSION and URBAN AFFAIR, and then you might hear someone speaking about CHASIN' IT or MORE BOY THAN GIRL, and you will definitely get a different flavor of his literary palette.

In 2012 what struck me was that I was just getting the opportunity of digesting the lessons from his latest book of short stories called FAT FROM PAPA'S HEAD when ONE DEAD DOCTOR hit the market. Once again Lindsay was able to take us into the life of David Price and the issues he faced, reminding us of how much fiction can gave a true commentary on the events of our lives.

I hear people say if you are a fan of author Donald Goines you will like Tony Lindsay. That may be true to some, but it is not my experience. For me, Goines doesn't capture a world that speaks to me like Lindsay does. If anything, Tony Lindsay is the Donald Goines of my time. His words lift up and off the page into the reader's mind and heart, leaving an imprint that makes it almost impossible to keep it to yourself.

It is my pleasure to honor Tony Lindsay in this issue of Conversations Magazine and throughout 2013. His is a talent that the world deserves to know.

To discover him for yourself, look up his books at www.amazon.com.