Isiko Cooks aka Peter Mack

Interview by Lissha Sadler of Hardcore Grind

Who is Peter Mack?

Isiko Cooks, aka Author Peter Mack, is President of Peter Mack Presents, LLC, the parent company of Signature Peter Mack Apparel. The author of over 25 books has recently dropped FILTHY 2, the highly anticipated follow-up to FILTHY: Innocence Lost, winner of a 2015 PEN America Center book award. FILTHY 2: Dope Boy, is the third book in a series of 80s memoirs by Isiko Cooks, beginning with WATERMELON SUMMER (Los Angeles. 1983) in which the author explores his young life with sincerity and honesty, immortalizing the people and places that influenced his upbringing. The author offers another prescient time capsule of the mid-80s crack-fueled Los Angeles, showing cocaine’s destructive powers on community and family as he travels the interstate introducing crack to unfamiliar cities, finding money, love, and heartbreak along the way. I have been honored to interview this author on my radio show. Now I am interviewing him exclusively for Hardcore Grind Magazine.

Lissha Sadler: A black man who can write is powerful. What does that power mean to you?

Peter Mack: We as humans are instructed to chronicle our lives for those who come after us. For a black man who has come to some knowledge, it is our responsibility to share what we have learned. As an author, I must chronicle the times I live in. For myself, it is an honor to be given the gift of being able to articulate my life experiences in a way that might enlighten others.

LS: What is the hardest part of your journey?

PM: My first answer is that there are no complex parts. For every struggle, there is a reward. The reward is in the struggle to mine the depths of my experiences and emotions. The challenge may be in overcoming the fear and challenge of delving deep enough and being honest with ourselves about who we are and our place in the world.

LS: Tell everyone about your literary brand and journey.

PM: I classify my literary brand as a genre of Love & Hustle. My fictional writing is a narrative of manifesting love and financial empowerment in our lives. My memoirs are an exercise in discovering who I am and where I am from. My writing journey is discovering my self-worth and manifesting Peace. Power. & Position in my life.

LS: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

PM: What my Dad told me is to keep writing. I tell people not to let money be the reason they write. Ultimately, my advice is first to write your story.

LS: What can readers expect from the book “Filthy 2”? What do you want readers to experience from your story?

PM: What I expect readers to experience is a time capsule of the 1985 crack area of Los Angeles. It is an emotional journey through the effects of crack on my family, life, and community. It is a tale of brotherhood, friendship, and tragedy.

LS: Are there any success quotes you’ve adapted you want to share to encourage others?

PM: The quote I live by is “LiveRichDieReady.” This spiritual exercise demands us to subdue our lower nature so that our higher nature may rise.

LS: What is next for your brand and journey?

PM: My next memoir is titled Freedom Ain’t Free: Notes to Self & Writing My Out of Prison. What is next for me in business is The BRU CAPO Company. Anyone who knows my fiction recognizes the BRU acronym in the fictional Black Revolutionary Underground, a network of entrepreneurs with a shared vision of financial empowerment and creating generational wealth. To learn more about The BRU CAPO Company and how you can be a part of our success, visit www.BRU- CAPO.com.

Learn more about this dynamic and versatile novelist and memoirist. Interviews. Pics. Bio. Apparel. Social Media Links and more at www.PeterMackPresents.com