House Exclusive
InDaHouseMedia Exclusive Interview with Gregory Alan Williams
By Brianna Graham
Actor Gregory Alan Williams has soared through Hollywood for decades. His latest project is OWN’s television series Greenleaf. We spoke about his character as “Uncle Mac” on screen and the effect it had on him as a person. We also had a great conversation about his proud novel Heart of a Woman. It was recently released as an audiobook. Williams has a voice that truly intrigues his listeners. It was such a pleasure to speak with him!
Your book “Heart of a Woman” was published in 2009. It is now available as an audiobook. Could you tell us why it was important to release an audio version?
It was an opportunity for me to combine my writing and acting skills. I am narrating the book and I am the voice of all the characters. It was a challenge. There are lot of people who do not read, but they will listen. I could reach a broader audience of readers. You can listen to things on the train and the car. Technology is smarter and quicker.
Does your writing have a specific target audience?
My target audience are women and men of a certain age. I thought about the men and women of my generation, who remembers Motown, Marvin Gaye, and Teddy Pendergrass.It is also for younger people who want to take a deeper glimpse into where life can take them when they make the right choices. Parts of the book can be a mirror for people. Young women with old souls have to be aware of their value in society. They have to understand the value of your beauty and how it is valued by older people. It took my four years to write this book. A lot of revision, research, writing, and perfecting went into it. I had two wonderful editors. I am excited about the audiobook, because it is its own thing.
“Women have to look out for each other. Older and younger women have to help each other understand. In my book, the older guy tells Carla there’s a lot of value in youthful beauty. Sometimes women don’t understand their beauty until it is gone.”
— Greg Alan