Raised in the gritty Central Ward of Newark, New Jersey, Meesha Mink beat the odds of being raised in a single family home. Thankfully, with a strong and resilient mother who worked hard to raise her two children, Meesha Mink knew there was more to life than just drugs and violence. From a young age, her mother introduced her to reading and used it as a tool to teach Meesha and her brother to know more so that they wanted more.
While unsatisfied with her career after graduating college with a double major and a minor, Mink began writing short stories for African-American romance magazines. She soon gained the confidence to write a full-length novel–an African-American romance–which eventually led to the completion of a dream as the first book she ever finished was offered a two book deal by two publishers. She has since written over twenty books under a different name in the romance and women’s fiction/mainstream genres.
Interested in telling the stories of the urban environment which help shaped her into being both street savvy and educated, she felt the urban fiction genre was calling to her.
Her urban fiction debut, co-written with De’Nesha Diamond, led to an amazing deal with Simon & Schusters’ Touchstone line. They went on to pen an entire trilogy together that has been defined as classic. The bestselling HOODWIVES series includes Desperate Hoodwives (January 2008), Shameless Hoodwives (August 2008) and The Hood Life (January 2009). Meesha’s solo project, Real Wifeys: On The Grind, dropped January 11, 2011 with Simon & Schuster’ Touchstone line. The follow-up to the bestseller, Real Wifeys: Get Money, was released January 10, 2012.
Meesha Mink wants people to know that the stories about inner cities needs to be as diverse as the people who live in these communities. She states:
“Growing up on 16th Ave in Newark all my life, I know that in a one block radius you could either have a single mother or a married couple raising their family; a dope dealer or people working forty hours a week; or a homeowner or someone renting a low income apartment. It is the epitome of diversity and some assume that every story told with an urban setting or gritty vibe is the worst of the worst of our communities. For me, urban fiction isn’t about glorifying the negatives in the ‘hood, but simply telling the real and varied stories that do exist. As a writer and a reader I can always respect the gift of storytelling of ALL stories.”
Check out her post: I LOVE URBAN FICTION…AND?
Currently the Newark New Jersey native lives in South Carolina where is working on the final book in the Real Wifeys trilogy.
Contact Meesha at
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