''Sweets and Other Stories'' is the 2009

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

by soul singer Andre Williams. It features an introduction by author

Nick Tosches Nicholas P. Tosches (; October 23, 1949 – October 20, 2019) was an American journalist, novelist, biographer, and poet. His 1982 biography of Jerry Lee Lewis, ''Hellfire (Nick Tosches book), Hellfire'', was praised by ''Rolling Stone'' magazi ...

and an editor's note by

Miriam Linna Miriam Linna (born October 16, 1955) is a Canadian-American drummer who has run the Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York-based independent record label Norton Records since 1986, originally with her husband, the late producer and singer-songwriter Bill ...

of Kicks Books.

Background

Since the 1950s Williams has been a singer, songwriter and producer. He recorded for

Fortune Records Fortune Records was an American family operated, independent record label located in Detroit, Michigan from 1946 to 1995. The label owners were Jack and Devora Brown, their son Sheldon Brown recorded for the label. Original releases tapered off a ...

and did work with

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

. He is best known for his sleazy R&B singles - "Jail Bait" and "Bacon Fat." He also co-wrote

The Five Du-Tones The Five Du-Tones were an American soul vocal group, who enjoyed success in the dance craze era of the early 1960s. The group comprised Willie Guest, Robert Hopkins, LeRoy Joyce, Oscar Watson and James West. They came together while attending Patr ...

' 1963 hit " Shake a Tail Feather".

''Sweets''

Prior to starting this novel, during a bout of depression, Williams entered a 42-day program at a drug and alcohol

rehabilitation center Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and amphetamines. The general inten ...

. A longtime friend,

, suggested that he try his hand at fiction writing to while away the long days ahead at the center. In the book's preface, Williams describes how once in rehab he felt his mind begin to heal and felt a burst of creativity. He began writing everything down, and with Linna's editorial help, he was able to transform his rehabilitation process into the novelette, short story and song-poems comprising ''Sweets''. At age 73, Williams had launched his fiction writing career. In November 2009 ''Sweets and Other Stories'' was published – a collection of stories. Tosches wrote in his introduction to ''Sweets'': "Andre Williams has proven himself to be a survivor. The stories he has here written deserve to survive as well. They most certainly deserve to be read, as the rewards they offer are many and fine. Heed what I say. Otherwise you got nobody but your own self to blame." The book is a paperback originals release by the Kicks Books imprint which hatched from

Norton Records Norton Records is an American independent record label founded by musicians Miriam Linna and Billy Miller in 1986. The label concentrates on releasing rock, rockabilly, primitive music, punk, garage rock, and early rhythm and blues. Most of i ...

and ''Kicks Magazine'', now celebrating its 30th anniversary. The book design is a homage to vintage PBO paperback originals. Its "tall" 7-inch format, fitting easily in a coat pocket. Kicks Books celebrated the release of ''Sweets'' on November 14, 2009 at a book reading and signing at Phyllis' Musical Inn. There was also a Q&A session with Williams and a DJ party featuring Andre Williams' music selected and spun by DJ John Phillips.

Characters and story

''Sweets'' is a

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...

novelette which takes readers for a wild ride from Chicago to Houston, New Orleans, and New York City, as a teenage girl finds herself in a family way, without a family. Forced to fend for herself, she is taken under the wing of a local

pimp Procuring, pimping, or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term "pimp" ...

who entices her into prostitution. The adventures that follow are a free-for-all foray through the fantastic world of pimps and their women, funeral directors, gangs and

drug running The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types ...

, with sidebar anecdotes that are guaranteed to appall, alarm and astonish. Extreme entries remained unedited, and none of William's raw

drawl A drawl is a perceived feature of some varieties of spoken English and generally indicates slower, longer vowel sounds and diphthongs. The drawl is often perceived as a method of speaking more slowly and may be erroneously attributed to laziness ...

storytelling style has been tampered in this standout fiction debut.

References

{{reflist

Sources

BookbeatMorning News
* Dusty Groove

External links

2009 American novels Motown 2009 debut novels