Raised in the gritty Central Ward of Newark, New Jersey, Meesha Mink (a pseudonym for bestselling author Niobia Bryant) 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 thirty books in the romance, mainstream and urban fiction 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.
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?
Whether writing as Meesha Mink or Niobia Bryant her books have consistently received top reviews for her skill at storytelling and character development; hit national bestseller lists; been released as audiobooks, book club feature selections, large print and library editions; and garnered award nominations/wins. Twice she has won RT Magazine’s Best African-American/Multicultural Romance Award, Kiss the Ring was named one of the Library Journal’s Best Books of 2014 (in the African-American fiction category), and her most recent mainstream novel written under her real name was nominated for a 2014 RT Award for Best Multicultural Fiction.
Her books have appeared in such national print and online publications as Ebony Magazine, Essence Magazine, The Star Ledger, The New York Post, USA Today, Dallas Morning News, Birmingham Times, AllHipHop.com, Upscale, Smooth Magazine, Juicy Magazine, The Library Journal, Black Hair Magazine UK, and Parle Magazine.
One of her bestselling book–written under her real name, was adapted to film.
Currently the Newark, New Jersey native lives in South Carolina where she is working on her next explosive work of fiction.
Contact Meesha at: ASSISTANT2NIOBIA@GMAIL.COM
meeshamink.net 