I am a mother of two
boys, a blogger, a nurse, a speaker an aspiring podcaster and the author of the
false label series. I am originally from the African country of Cameroon and
reside in New York City.
Tell
us about the genre of your work.
It cuts across all ages and gender. My short stories are
of a mixed genre, and falls into the categories of non-fiction
Self-Help/
Self-Esteem/Advice & How-to/ Mind, Body
& spirit/Teens/Religion & Spirituality , Meditation/women/devotional.
Why
did you choose this genre?
I didn’t choose the genre I write in, rather it chose me
because I write out of personal experiences, which was based on the difficulties I faced growing up,
and also on the stories of other girls around me. . Most
of my writing is centered on women's issues because I realized when we are faced with certain
crisis, we just settle or give-up, or hide those
things. We all have trials and tribulations
in life but the challenge is not to hide them but to share, because while
sharing, you in turn inspire and empower others to know that it’s ok to share
those things we all go through.
If you don’t have a test,
you won’t have a testimony
This genre gives me the opportunity to share and testify all
the good things God has done for me and in turn empower every woman or young
girl to do the same.
There are thirteen short stories in the book and it actually
cuts across all the genres I, mentioned above. I think by restricting myself to
a particular genre it limits my work. I believe a story should be good enough
to stand above any classification.
How
is writing in the genre you write, different than other genre?
It is different,
because among many other things, the
book encourages the reader to always embrace their own stories joyfully,
completely and with pride, to answer only to the name God calls them instead of
what people call them. They also are true stories most of which had to do with
personal experiences.
Can
you tell us more about your book?
This is my first
published book, but I have written and published articles in an online magazine
called Ezine:
Self
Improvement: Personal Growth •
Published: February 17, 2009
Give
a short description of this book:
The book False Labels,
teaches us to stop being at war with ourselves, stop dwelling on the past and
focus on the future. We are reminded to be thankful to God and celebrate our
uniqueness. False Labels further encourages everyone to embrace their own
stories joyfully, completely and with pride. Among other things, the reader
will learn how important it is to be an original of his or herself instead of
an imitation or a look-a-like of someone else. They will also learn what to do when others
call them false names, how to deal with bullies, and to believe that God can
use them right where they are, exactly the way they are, use their tongue to
build and not to destroy; instead, use their one and only life to impact others
and always live by the words of the golden rule “Do unto others what you want
them do unto you”.
Title:
False Labels: Don’t Let People Label You:
13 Uplifting Short Stories OF Inspiration, Hope, Encouragement and
Empowerment
ISBN:
9780985022693
for print (published on Feb;6th 2012)
9780985022617 for the kindle version
(published on Jan 17, 2012)
Please
include your website www.falselabelseries.com
Can you give us a synopsis of this book/s?
As children and adults, plenty of us are still
trapped inside identities we never asked for, because throughout life people
are constantly putting us down with derogatory words. It’s just like they are
sticking a label on us. Too short, too old, too tall, too slow, too many
mistakes, not talented enough, can never amount to anything, can never do
anything right etc. These stories we hear are from the beliefs, attitudes,
assumptions and labels that have been bestowed upon us by our scolding parents,
our uptight teachers, and our rejecting friends. Unfortunately, negative and
demeaning words impact our lives and deliver a crushing blow to our fragile
sense of self worth. They leave a lasting scar.
But how can we combat this? How can we
empower our spirits and minds and the generation to come?
False labels which transcends age and gender is packed
with inspirational stories which encourage personal empowerment, self esteem
and spiritual growth. False labels addresses the virtually universal pain that
we are never good enough. Every man, woman, boy or girl is encouraged to
embrace their own story joyfully, completely and with pride. In False labels we
are further reminded that it is possible to always be exactly who we are and
its perfect to bring our own special brand of joy and charm into the world.
False Labels further encourages us:
To believe that we are not who people call us
but what God created us to be.
We have the power to choose and believe in our
own stories
To believe that God created us for a divine
purpose.
That everyone is unique in their own right,
To use our words to build and not to destroy
To be ourselves instead of an imitation of
someone else
To
celebrate our uniqueness
And to
believe that there are much better truth if we look beyond false labels.
Where
do you get your ideas for writing?
I get my ideas from
real life things that happen to people around me.
What
is your favorite thing about your book?
The book is written in
a very unique style with some words to ponder and a prayer at the end of each story.
That is my favorite because it kind of leaves the
reader with something to hold on to.
Why
and when did you begin writing?
I started writing in
2005 as an act of self cleansing and healing. I was hurting so much but because
there was no one to talk to, I turned to writing as a way of venting those
feelings. I started writing in my journal. And whenever I felt down and read
from my journal, it felt so uplifting. It was amazing how my own words became
an inspiration to me. Later that year a school mate had picked up my journal,
read it and started tearing up. When asked why, she said that was exactly her life.
Then I knew I was not alone. I was not the only one feeling as if the world was
closing up on me. Then came the need to have a strong voice in other to share
this with other people who are still trapped in their past.
Is there any one person who had a big
influence on you or encouraged you to write?
Yes, Myself. As a
matter of fact, lots of family members and friend only knew I wrote a book on
the day the kindle version was published. My reason was that I did not want to
be discouraged.
What
is your writing schedule? What
atmosphere do you need to write?
I don’t have a set
schedule or atmosphere for writing. I work at night and get so tired when I
come home in the morning, so what I do is I write just a page or two in the
afternoon when I am awake. I also scribble something during my break time at
work whenever ideas come to my mind.
What projects are you
working on now, or plan for the future?
I am working on the next book in the series
which will be out in just a few months from now. I am also in the process of
starting a foundation. I am also starting podcast interviews this March and hope
to be in speaking in churches, school workshops and conferences.
What
kind of advice or tips do you have for someone who wants to write and be
published?
I have already been
asked this question so many times. My take on this is that you don’t need to
allocate time else you might end just writing the book in your head. Commit to
writing at least a page a day if you are so busy. And nowadays there is no
reason not to write and get published. There are so many opportunities
especially with self publishing taking over. I believe that everyone has a story,
something that only you have to offer the world, something that can change
someone else’s life.
Are
there any other comments, advice or tips that you would give to beginning
writers?
Do a lot of research on
your topic. Ask question especially to established authors. Don’t
procrastinate, just write at least a page a day.
What
do you do when you are not writing?
I go to my regular job
as a nurse. I also find some time to blog.
Include
anything else you may wish to add.
We are all blessed with
something, “That Something” which can change the lives of so many.
Don’t underestimate whatever
your contribution can be to your community or the world. God has given us
something and we all have it in our hands. It could be your talents or skills,
ideas, knowledge, education, money and so forth. what are you doing with it?
Regardless of whatever
your challenges might have been, you are not alone and not a write –off.
You matter and can make
a difference.
What
“Made It” moments have you experienced in life?
Even though I have a
lot of made it moments, this book is one of the biggest one for me. When I started
writing, I had told myself that I didn’t just want to write anything in the
name of a book but something that will change someone’s life. I have had emails
from people I don’t even know telling me how my book has inspired them. This also
is a “made it” moment for me, because it makes me know that truly I am valuable
and have something to offer the world. It also makes me finally feel that I am
not just existing but living. Also, when my book made the Amazon top 100
best-selling list within just two weeks of release.
Note from
Sylvia: You can visit my
other blog at: http://love-faith-and-guts.blogspot.com/that features a preview to my new
book, Traveling a Rocky Road with Love, Faith and Guts.
1 comment:
Bestselling Spiritual Books I would like to say that this blog really convinced me to do it! Thanks, very good post.
Post a Comment