May 17, 2008
Books
Pluz-sized plots a big hit with black women
Novelist Carl Weber knows who his fans are, and he's eager to please them
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Author and bookstore
owner Carl Weber
says the idea for his latest
book, Something on the
Side, came from watching
an episode of HBO's Sex and the
City.
"I decided to write a plus-sized
version of the show," says Weber,
41, who recently appeared at a
book signing at the Catonsville
Wal-Mart. His primary readership
of black women enjoys his humorous
drama-filled spins on everyday
life.
Released in January, Something
on the Side reached The New York
Times best-sellers list. Weber also
has had other works appear on
that list, including The First Lady
and So You Call Yourself a Man.
Weber's latest book revolves
around the adventurous lives of
six women from the Big Girls
Book Club, a group for plus-sized
women, who are at least a size 14.
Weber says this is a demographic
that gravitates to his books.
The book "is kind of an appreciation
for my fans," the Queens,
N.Y., native says. "I do have a huge
amount of plus-sized fans.
They're always praising me because
all of my characters aren't
size 4 or size 6. Over the years, I've
had several requests from fans to
write a book about plus-sized
women."
Weber prides himself on staying
in tune with what readers want.
"I try to write books that please
people," he says. "I pick subjects
that everyone deals with but also
try to be as diversified as I can in
everything that I write."
So far, Weber, the author of 10
books, has tackled topics such as
church politics, romance, friendship,
infidelity and homosexuality.
While his books have featured
such colorful characters as a
church matriarch, slick-talking
player and bodacious book-club
member, Weber says his formula
for success is in crafting characters
whom readers can see themselves
in.
"Whenever I write a book, I always
try to go back to Waiting to
Exhale," he says of the Terry Mc-
Millan best-seller. "When that
book first came out, women said
that it didn't matter who the
characters were, whether they
were black, white, purple or
green, because anybody could
relate. So I always want to make
sure that my characters are ones
who everyone can relate to."
Weber was all smiles the night
of the book signing, chatting and
laughing with fans like they
were old friends.
The Baltimore-based book club
Eat, Drink, and Be Literary has
read two of Weber's books.
"I am intrigued by his broad
range of topics involving the African-
American community from
a 360[-degree] perspective," says
co-founder Kecia Rome, who was
at the signing with other bookclub
members. "I have both
laughed and become quite emotional
on his topics related to the
church, true friendship and real
love. His writing gives me an opportunity
to reflect on my life."
Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun
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