about a mother, son and father who are dealing with the effects of trying to co-parent in separate homes. Lisa is a mother who is raising a son by her definition of what manhood is. She has been hurt by past relationships and is subconsciously raising a son that will act as both her son and her husband (protector/provider). This first ebook in the series chronicles a young LJ (her son) and his estranged father (Leslie) as LJ is shaped and molded in his early years. I priced this first initial book at under $4 to build my audience base and the book has bonus materials throughout that work to help it gain a following for the future projects. I also introduce a concept I call “#WillWording” that will give purchasers the ability to win prizes for marketing.
Q: What has been your biggest challenge(s) in writing, as a whole?
A: The biggest challenge so far in writing has been the magnitude of producing a project. A book is like a baby and from conception to birth it is a long, tedious process that will truly test your character and resolve for the project. My first printed book “Vitamins in the Applesauce” was written years ago and I’m still working on getting it published and in print. The money and time commitments it takes to produce a finished work is so overwhelming at times that when I finally hold my finished work in my hands, I might cry, lol.
Q: Who has been your biggest supporter?
A: I have a lot of big supporters. I had produced a pretty decent following on my facebook pages and youtube as a man who asks challenging questions and gives entertaining commentary. Over the years I have attracted the attention of many people both on social media and in public sectors who have encouraged me to start a talk show and/or get into public speaking. This encouragement prompted me to take my writing more seriously and to really work on branding myself and my messages.
Q: Tell us about your publishing company.
A: As mentioned earlier, Word Overdose Publications will be a place where black narratives are told from black points of view. The name Word Overdose is meant to imply an overdose of communication and the faithful followers will be referred to affectionately as “Word Heads”. The necessity of major mass media for black people owned by black people is
the basis of WordOD and I look forward to growing the brand with others who may feel passionately about the need for Africans to control our own stories and shape our own image both in America and abroad.
Q: Where do you see your business in the next couple of years?
A: In the next couple of years I see myself as a prominent public speaker and resource for African Americans in business and in social networks both digital and physical. I want to use WordOD as the vehicle to which black men and women can drive their messages into the hearts and minds of our target consumer base, namely the global African Family. Personally, in the next couple of years I see myself doing the grunt work and taking the public scorn and criticism that comes from promoting black self-love, which society at large finds quite offensive for some reason. I have noticed throughout my travels that presenting narratives that are not in line with the status quo can severely affect your quality of life. I believe this is because black people being in control of their own image promotes a level playing field and this is not good for many businesses bottom lines. As of now, black people currently spend 95% of their income outside of black businesses. I hope to change that while changing the way we and others view ourselves.
Q: What advice would you give to our young entrepreneurs who are seeking writing as a career?
A: As a writer I have learned that character development is more important than anything else. Develop your characters! I encourage young aspiring writers to write up a few pages on all their main characters, this helps in giving them added depth. It might be material that never makes it into the actual story but having birthdates, places, history, psychological make-up, family background etc. for your characters helps you to really shape a story. I learned that from the Lord of the Ring novels where the author is said to have written 200 plus pages for each character in the story before putting the books together. This allowed for follow up books with prequels and sequels tying in characters with already established narratives and piecing together complicated
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