More than 80 fans of bestselling author Carl Weber flocked to Borders bookstore on Apalachee Parkway when the author made an appearance Monday to promote his newest release entitled “Something on the Slide”
A small space was cleared in the middle of the store for Weber to speak to fans and sign autographs of the intriguing new novel dealing with friendship, love, sex and betrayal.
It is a fact that Weber’s books generally deal with drama, scandal and a confluence of crazy characters. Weber said he enjoys writing about eccentric characters.
“It’s not that I write crazy so well,” Weber said. “I just like crazy.”
A graduate of Virginia State University, Weber holds an MBA in Marketing. He said becoming a writer was not his original career aspiration.
Weber said his dream growing up was to own a chain of fast food restaurants; however, that soon changed when he became the owner of a bookstore. It was during that time when Weber became interested in writing. He has attempted to publish a book every year.
His first book, “Lookin For Luv,” was number one on Essence’s bestselling list, while his fifth novel “The Preacher’s Son” became a New York Times bestseller.
“I love my job,” Weber said. “I like putting together and publishing African-American books. I’m blessed to have Borders, Barnes & Nobles and Wal-Mart.”
Weber has become an acclaimed writer, as evidenced by the amount of people who showed up for the booksigning. Tallahassee was the twelfth stop on his fan appreciation tour, which included stops in Virginia and North Carolina.
Weber said his books captivate readers by having short chapters that people can read during lunch breaks.
The characters in his books tend to be based on people he knows.
Weber said the character of Dillon in “Baby Mama Drama,” his first hardback, is based on himself. However, sometimes too much inspiration can lead to trouble.
Weber said the womanizing character of Jay in “Married Men” was based a firend of his. This led to his friend’s wife filing for a divorce.
“If your man was cheating on you for 12 years, and you have to read a book to find out, you shouldn’t have a problem with me,” Weber said.
Not only is Weber an author, he is a businessman as well. He touts his company Urban Books as the most successful black publishing firm in the nation.
His tour will conclude Saturday in Fort Lauderdale.