What is your most recent book? Tell us a bit about it.
My most recent book is called Bag Lady. It’s a short story about a woman who is invited to take a journey into a new level in life, but she must first deal with the baggage in her life.
Tell us something about yourself.
I was born and raised in Camden, New Jersey and I now live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I come from a loving family and I was primarily raised by my Mom, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother. I learned so much from these amazing women but growing up, most of what they taught me was not something I welcomed. They taught me how to cook, clean, and things I never thought I would use like how to tie a tie. It was at their kitchen table where my love of writing began; My Mom, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother lived together for a long time. Back then my stories were simple ones, fairy tales mostly but I found my true voice in high school. What was once short fairy tales, became poetic words that allowed me to express love, fear, joy, and sadness. Writing helped me through one of the hardest times in my life – losing my first love. After processing that loss, I realized that I found my voice through writing and I have not stopped writing, it’s just taken on many forms.
What inspired you to write this book?
I wrote Bag Lady after prayer one morning several years ago. I was thinking about all the baggage we tend to carry around with us and how if we are not careful that baggage can affect other areas of our lives. Bag Lady was originally intended to be a play, but after sitting on it for a while, I released it as a short story and the readers love it.
How did you celebrate when you finished writing the book? When it was published?
Bag Lady was published on August 15th, 2019. I didn’t celebrate at all because when I finished it initially, I was thinking about who would play each character in the play.
How did you know you wanted to be a writer? How did you get started?
I always knew that I wanted to write wonderful stories and beautiful poetry, but I never thought it would be a career until a friend suggested that I could be an author.
Are you a pantser or a plotter?
It depends. I am probably a nice mix of both.
Do you have a daily or weekly writing schedule, or do you write only when you are inspired? How many words or pages do you complete in a typical day?
I have a scheduled writing day during the week and I also try to write every evening after work.
How many drafts did you write before publishing your most recent book?
I only wrote 3 drafts of Bag Lady before I published.
What software do you use to write? Or do you prefer to write longhand or dictate your work? What made you choose the method you use?
I use Microsoft Word, but I also write notes down in notebooks, on napkins, and scrap pieces of paper.
If you were doing it all over again, what would you do differently?
If I could do anything differently, it would be to have Bag Lady run as a play once before I published it as a short story.
Do you read reviews?
Yes, I love reading reviews both good and bad.
What is the best advice you could give other writers about writing or publishing?
The best advice I can give other writers is to write unafraid. What I find is that people who want to write, know what they want to write about or have a list of books they can write but they get stuck on the details of how to write, but ultimately, it’s an issue of fear. Don’t be afraid to write. Write what’s on your heart knowing that someone, somewhere is waiting to hear your story.
Where can readers learn more about you and your book?
Readers can learn more about me on my website – www.ThoughtsofaThankfulHeart.com. My books are available on my website, on Amazon.com and on BN.com.
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