Spotlight: The Shakedown – CJ Hudson

When a simple drug bust turns into a shootout, Officer Danny Bryson s life is forever changed. He takes some time off to deal with the situation but when his money starts to run low, he is forced to return to work. Upon returning, Danny discovers that things have changed. Due to the economy, overtime is not as plentiful as it once was. With a kid on the way, Danny is now struggling just to make ends meet. In an effort to make more money, Danny, along with two fellow officers decide to start shaking down local drug dealers. Everything is sweet until they cross paths with Stacks Bronson, the Cleveland drug lord with an insatiable appetite for violence. Refusing to be extorted by dirty cops, Stacks flexes his muscle and wards off the crooked police. But when Stacks close friend and right hand man is killed in a botched shake down and the police department covers it up, Stacks snaps. Consumed with revenge, Stacks assembles an army and wages war against the entire precinct. The city isn’t big enough for Danny AND Stacks and when it all comes to a head, a surprise third-party will decide which one lives and which one meets their maker.

Author C.J Hudson hails from the east side of Cleveland where he grew up surrounded by crime, violence, and drugs. Determined to not succumb to that way of living, he attended Kent State university for one year. An avid reader for the past twenty-one years, C.J was introduced to urban fiction by his future wife when she gave him Carl Weber’s Married Men. Although he enjoyed his first urban fiction novel, C.J craved to read about the type of street stories that he saw on a daily basis in the inner city. That’s when he started going to Borders and searching out Street lit books. He quickly came across K’wan’s classic novel Gangsta. He then went on a reading barrage and read everything from T-Styles to Triple Crown novels. Shortly after that C.J was laid off from his job as a machine operator. While laid off, C.J. decided to try his hand at writing. After writing his first manuscript entitled Skeletons, he wrote the manuscript that got him a publishing deal, Chedda Boyz. Since dropping his debut novel, C.J has penned eleven more novels.

Get to know CJ:

1) What do you feel is the biggest problem with the new authors coming out today?

Putting out unedited material. Now a days it seems like new authors are in such a rush that they fail to do one of the most important aspects of releasing a book.

2) what do you think about authors who write in more than one genre?

I love it. In my opinion, it shows the dexterity of a writer. It takes a special talent because not everyone can do it.

3) What do you feel is the biggest problem with Ebooks?

The fact that people can buy them, read them, and then turn around and return them. That’s some bullshit! There should be a four-hour time limit on them, meaning if you have them for more than four hours you can’t return them.

4) In your opinion, how important is advertising?

It’s very important. You could have the best book in the world but if nobody knows about it, it won’t sell.

5) Name five authors you would like to do an anthology with.

Kwan, T Styles, Treasure Blue, June Miller, and J Tremble.

6) How long does it take you to write a book?

It depends on my mood and how much I’m feeling the book. Sometimes it flows like water, and other times it flows like molasses. I think Chedda Boyz was written the fastest, about a month and a half.

7) Do you think Urban Fiction/ Street Lit will ever get the props it deserves?