Wow, I haven't posted an interview in nearly two months! To my readers, I do apologize for that, but as promised in the conclusion of my last post, EA: Creatively Creative is back with another interview! Before I introduce my guest, I want to announce that this may be, may be my last post under the name EA: Creatively Creative, as I'm considering changing the name of the blog.
Now, this evening's guest is not only a writer, but has her own publishing company, a magazine, and was listed as one of UBAWA.org's Top 100 African-American authors. I introduce author and publisher, Empress Simone.
EA: Welcome to EA Creatively Creative. Thanks you so much for taking the time to join me today.
ES: Thank you for having me.
EA: For starters, when did you embark on this journey to your career?
ES: I started to write professionally in the year 2015. Before then I would write, but never took the steps to become a published writer.
EA: Who or what inspired you to become a writer?
ES: Mostly my parents and children inspired me to write. As far as authors I admired and wanted to hone my writing style after is K’wan, Nikki Turner, and Teri McMillan.
EA: As a self-publisher, do you think that the process of writing and distributing books is easy?
ES: As a self-published author, I believe that writing is pretty easy, but the distributing and marketing side of the business is fairly hard.
EA: Would you tell us more about your latest release, All The Things My Wife Won't Do?
ES: My latest release is an Urban/Interracial fiction novel which would be similar to the movie Fatal Attraction.
EA: I see that you're also a publisher. Tell us, how did you launch Empressed For Life Presents, as well as the magazine Strictly For My People?
ES: To launch Empressed for Life Presents I registered my company with the State of Georgia in 2016. I then trademarked my logo and asked a friend who was just released from her publishing company if she would sign as my author with my company. She thought about it and agreed to a contract. My second signed author who reached out to me and inquired about my company. She submitted a few chapters of one of her works and I signed her based off of that submission. The magazine was created partly to shine a light on authors in the Urban Fiction Genre.
EA: What are the requirements to write for Empressed For Life?
ES: The requirements to write for Empressed for Life Presents is to have original ideas and unique ways of spinning a story. To be considered for a writing contract the author must submit three chapters of their completed manuscript, a short bio and a picture of themselves via email at empresssimone@empressedforlife.com.
EA: Back to the magazine, would you tell us what it is about and what inspired you to start it?
ES: The magazine was created because I wanted to help other authors as far as promotion. I also wanted the magazine to touch on issues that plague the Black community and to brainstorm how we as authors can do our part to help our neighbors and fellow authors. The name is a spin-off of a J-Lo speech that I saw and in the speech she addresses the Latino community and says “Para mi gente” which means ‘For my people.’ I thought that it was cool to care about one's community and how hard work and determination goes a long way in achieving one’s goals and dreams, so I wanted to do that for the Black Community; specifically aspiring authors.
EA: Describe the feeling of being one of UBAWA.org's Top 100 African-American authors for 2017.
ES: The feeling I had when I read my name listed as one of UBAWA.org’s Top 100 African-American authors for 2017 is indescribable. I felt a range of emotions. I was truly elated. Another strong emotion I felt was that I was accomplished as a writer. Most importantly it inspires me to this day to keep writing.
EA: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
ES: The advice I give to aspiring writers is to not let rejection or negative reviews stop them from pursuing their dream to write. They must remember that when man says no God says yes. So while they may become frustrated with the pitfalls of this industry, never give up. God’s timing may be right around the corner but one will never know if they quit writing.
EA: Finally, tell the readers why All The Things My Wife Won't Do is a must-read.
ES: All The Things My Wife Won’t Do is a great book. I strayed away from my usual drug dealing, gun toting plots and based the book off of a black entrepreneur and the challenges he faces when he doesn’t honor the vows he made to his wife. I definitely would recommend this story if you are tired of reading about plugs and drug deals gone bad.
Epilogue
I guess it really is a small world, as the saying goes. As I've stated on a few platforms, I've been writing most of my life, but I started writing professionally in 2015 as well. Going back Simone's advice, it's funny because it reminds me of my last post concerning detractors and criticism. I encourage those who encounter this-- because it comes within territory-- to use them, whether it be situations or people as stepping stones, as opposed stumbling blocks.
Once again, I thank Empress Simone for speaking with me this evening. A final word from the Empress:
My Instagram is @empressedforlife
My Facebook page is Author Empress Simone
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