It’s great to chat with you again! How are you doing?
Yes, it has been a little while! I’m great! I cannot complain at all, feeling blessed to be thriving in this world we live in today.
What sparked your interest in wanting to become a self-published author?
Well, being an author was always something I was interested in. I actually started writing poems in elementary school as a coping skill and would always say one day I would publish them. I have been fascinated with writing since an early age. While I do not have all the poems I have ever written, I have a good number of them, and I’m actually in the process of publishing a poetry book now. It is also already written.
Let’s talk about your new book, “Everyone Has A Story This Is Mine.” Congratulations on publishing your new book! That’s amazing!! Tell us more about your book and what inspired you to write this story.
So the book is based on my life’s story. The book describes a few of the things I have been through in life that has significantly impacted me. Growing up in the inner city of Baltimore, poor, we struggled a lot. It talks about the mental illness and addiction that plagued my family, some of my very bad life choices, and a chronic illness that left me dead, literally. I’m a first generation college student, both of my parents have a middle school education, and I’m the only person in my immediate family to get a college degree. It talks a little about that as well.
I was reading something recently that asked me about my biggest culture shock and it was when I attended undergrad. I feel like I knew the world was this big place with different people of course, but in my mind, I could not conceptualize that what I had experienced was trauma. I thought everyone had parents who were criminals, drug addicts, and had mental health issues. I didn’t know that living in a shelter and not having a lot of “helpful” familial support was “not normal”. So, a lot of these things I started putting together as a young adult and when I became a mom, it was like holy crap, I need to change my life. I had to go from partying and dating drug dealers and criminals to making it out the hood, defying a lot of odds, and finally navigating corporate america, successfully. However, a lot of people did not know that while I was in the process of making these changes I was diagnosed with Lupus and that set me back even more. I was hospitilized for months so it talks about that process of me having to learn to walk again and start over from scratch.
So many challenges that had me in a place of wanting to give up or feeling lost in terms of getting out of situations but, I kept going. I hope that my story of resilience and perseverence will give someone else the courage to push through and realize your past does not have to determine your future. These experiences are why I became a therapist.
As a fellow author, I know that writing a book can be challenging at times. What was your process like writing this book, and how did you overcome any challenges, if any?
You know, the crazy thing is I wrote this book years ago, like 8 years or so originally. I was laying in bed and just reflecting on my life and felt so heavy that I got up in the middle of the night, pulled out my laptop and wrote this book. I started and went well into the next morning and early afternoon and it was done. It was both bizarre and cathartic. The relief I felt from just getting those things out was so powerful and empowering. I felt so much better. Then, I just closed my laptop and never looked at it again, until now.
Where can we purchase your book?
The book is available on Amazon.
Where can we stay connected with you?
I’m a therapist by trade and you can find me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/therapytea_?igsh=dnZiY3h0cjF1OXNz
When you are not busy, how do you like to practice self-care?
I travel a lot. I travel as much as possible. However, I go to the spa 1-2 times per month, and spend time with friends when my schedule allows it.
Thank you so much, Zena!
Keep up the great work, Queen!
A Women’s Magazine 