Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

Baltimore author pens an intriguing message

Valdez Fisher, Jr. may have an underground classic on his hands. In 2005, the 32 year old penned, ‘I Ain’t Bitin My Tongue’, a self help guide that features Fisher’s opinion on relationships, economics, infidelity, parenting and family.

Succinctly put, it’s a book about choices and how the wrong ones can impact your life.

“I strive to write inspirational stories and stories that generate an awareness of very real and very critical issues, but I do it in a way that you can’t put the book down because it is just that captivating,” said Fisher.

Captivating is probably the best word to describe Fisher. The married father, who is a bail bondsman by trade, comes across as an intellectual, minus the arrogance. Fisher has even established his own scholarship to help youth further their education.

He is also one heck of a marketer. Fisher said he has sent out thousands of emails to media outlets, entertainers, and anyone he thinks would have even a remote interest in what he has to say. In fact, he has no difficulty contacting a local daily newspaper and giving them a piece of his mind when they delayed publishing his interview. He says most media will always gravitate toward the negative as opposed to rushing to highlight a young man with a positive message.

Having Lance Warlock of Halloween II fame write the foreword to I Ain’t Bitin My Tongue and Maryland governor Martin O’Malley potentially pegged for his second, yet untitled book, should be an indication of Fisher’s ambition and potential.

Snuggled alongside some of the book industry’s racier titles and eye catching graphics, the self-published I Ain’t Bitin My Tongue could be somewhat overlooked. However, the book is a diamond in the rough. Speaking to its comparison to the ever popular Urban Lit, Fisher says the later doesn’t offer any real nourishment and is heavily packaged.

“A lot of these graphic covers, they garage information that is completely useless and full of filth,” Fisher says.

But speaking about his own book he takes a different view.

“It’s not the cover of the book, it’s what’s inside.”«
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March 2007
GRIOTCITY.COM