When it came to music growing up, it wasn't just gospel and R&B. My uncle brought rock n' roll to me when I was younger, and I loved it. I was open to all music.

My biggest challenge in my career is not looking or sounding like anybody.

My favorite vampire movie used to be Bram Stoker's 'Dracula,' but now '30 Days of Night' took its place. I think it's brilliant that somebody would be so thoughtful as to put these vampires in a place like Barrow, Alaska, where there are actually '30 Days of Night.'

Nnutthowze was a group I was in back when I wa,s like, 18, 19 maybe. It was DJ Icy Rock, my deceased friend Brian Dennis, the mastermind behind it, and a host of other cats.

I had to move out of my home in New York when I was 13. I left all my friends, family, my dogs, and summer camp... all that stuff behind. I moved out to L.A. with my mom and brother. That was difficult for me. I think the hardest part was seeing all my friends graduate without me and go to college.

I had to get good grades and do well in school - my mother was an assistant principal and my father was a teacher - and they took this very seriously.

Launching a kid into college is about more than having the money to pay for it. Parents invest so much of their time and identities in the process that it can feel like a part time job. For many parents, the college your child ends up attending becomes a parenting grade.

The heart of 'Truevine' is about the travails of two strong black women who agitate to get justice for their family.