See ya in September when Question of the Week returns!

Signing Off,

Dominique

Today is the last blog for the POV Lounge. (There will be a question of the week on Wednesday)  I am not giving the blog up, simply going on a vacation and stepping away from the blog to refresh and come back better than ever. I want to let you all know that I will still receive comments if you decide to leave a comment or need to speak with me concerning any of your literary matters. I am  not leaving you high and dry If I receive a comment I will respond to you.

I am not taking any clients through Literary Career Moves until September.

I want to leave you with one last message before I officially get into my vacation mode. Many of us write for only two reasons: We have a passion for the craft or we have a story to tell. Whatever your reason is, always be true to yourself. Always believe in you before you look for others to believe in you. You should be your number one fan. There should not be any other person who loves what you do more than YOU! When the time comes that you need to take a break and step away, please do it. Don’t force yourself to do anything you have no motivation to do. Go find that motivation and then come back ready to rock and roll. One last lesson that I am teaching myself with my everyday walk is to not live in fear. Run towards the fear, not away and when you realize that your wildest dreams have the ability to come true because of your courage and strength, there’s not telling where life will take you!

Happy Writing. See you in September!

Signing Off,

Dominique

See ya next week for another question of the week!

Signing Off,

Dominique

Happy Monday!

Today I want to talk about the off season of writing. I do believe that we go through seasons in writing. I have written several articles about the seasons of writing and just like our seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall, it’s a cycle that we seem time and time again.

Sometimes we stay in a particular season just a little longer than the others. Just like we’ve stayed in winter a tad to long…I’m ready for some hot sunshine! I’m sure I’m not the only person to feel that way. But in writing we do have seasons.

The off season is one season that is in the cycle but doesn’t really have a time of year it will show up. It kinda comes out of no where. Many can call it writers block or you simply aren’t in the mood to write.

So today  want to know about your off season of writing. What do you do in the mean time? How do you get through it and when do you know the off season has shown its face?

SPEAK!

See ya next Monday for my last Hot Topic of the Month!

Signing off,

Dominique

Marcia  Windross is a Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Interpublic Group  (IPG) where she plays an integral role in leading the company’s vision  to be the world’s most inclusive network of marketing services  companies. In her role as Director, she provides tailored Diversity and  Inclusion solutions and strategic direction to IPG corporate and network of agencies of approximately 40,000 employees globally.

Prior to  Interpublic Group, she was the Senior Director of Human Resources and a  member of the senior management team for Bowne Marketing and Business  Communications (BMBC), a division of Bowne Inc. Before joining Bowne,  Marcia was Vice President, Diversity Head of Citibank Commercial  Business Group, where she led the development and implementation of  diversity and inclusion strategies for Citigroup’s middle market  businesses. She joined Citigroup in 1999, as a Senior Recruiter at  Salomon Smith Barney and was promoted into a variety of HR roles.

Her prior professional experiences include Senior Human Resources Manager  at the Home Shopping Network in St. Petersburg, Florida and Human  Resources Manager at County Seat Stores, NY. She also spent many years  in the Travel and Leisure industry, including 13 years at Cunard Cruise  Line. Her career started at The Half Moon hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica  before migrating to the United States. She was also an Adjunct Professor at the City University of New York, Borough of Manhattan Community  College.

She holds a Masters degree in Organizational Psychology  with a concentration in Human Resources Management from Columbia  University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from New York  University.

Marcia is a speaker, sponsor and mentor who believe in giving back to her community and being of service to others. She serves on Harlem YMCA, Black Achiever in Industry (BAI) Steering Committee and was selected as IPG’s 2013 National Black Achiever. She also serves on  several diversity councils (AAF Mosaic Diversity Council, AAAA Diversity Council and the RADE Diversity Council). She previously served as an  Advisory Board member for the NY Urban Financial Services Coalition  (UFSC) and sat on the Board of the Jamaica YMCA in Queens, where she  served as Chair for Board Development.

She is a staunch supporter  of her high school, Montego Bay High school, Jamaica W.I. and was  elected as President of the Montego Bay High School International  Alumnae Association (MBHSIAA). The goal of the organization is to  provide financial assistance to the school and provide scholarships for  needy students.

Marcia recently published her first book “Finally  Reid: The Extraordinary Testimonies of An Ordinary Woman.” She is an  active member of her church, Hope Cathedral, located in Jackson, NJ,  where she r

Interview with Marcia:

In writing this book, you are quite transparent … Putting your business out there? Why write a book like this? I made the decision to write this book as a seed was planted by one of  my professors at Borough of Manhattan Community College over 20 years  ago. He told me to write a book to share my challenges and  accomplishments to encourage others. It took me this long to believe in  myself and feel that I had accomplished enough to share my story with  others. I also recognized that one of my purposes here on earth is to  help others and expand the kingdom of God. Sharing my story “Finally  Reid” is to encourage others who have faced difficult situations.  Despite your circumstances and challenges, you can overcome and live a  purpose driven life. “Your latter days can be better than your former  days.”

How long did it take you to write the book? What was the process like?

Many years but it wasn’t until 2009 after an accident that I got really  serious. It was a difficult process as I had to relive some very painful periods in my life. At times, I had to stop and take a break for  several weeks, even months. Once I was able to get through those painful periods and write about them – it was like a healing process. Writing  this book helped me to heal, forgive others and myself.

Why the title “Finally Reid”?

Finally Reid is about the relationship with my father and recognizing that he  actually loved me. It’s about finding myself  and being liberated from  my ex-husband. It’s about recognizing the goodness of God and that he  was always taking care of me, even when I did not recognize it.

Despite your financial struggles. How did you manage to gain an Ivy League Education?

It’s really important to have a mentor or a professor that takes an interest in your future. In my case Professor Blake asked a question “What  next?” He advised me that since I was a bit mature for a college  student, it’s best to go to an Ivy League school. He also felt that with my grades? I would be able to get scholarships. He advised me that even if I had to take out school loans, an Ivy League education would  provide the means to repay. I took his advice and was able to get  scholarships. I received a full scholarship from NYU. I also took out  students loans.

Tell us about your invisible disability…ADD. How do you do all that you have done with this condition?

Living with ADD is a daily struggle but there are many brilliant people out  there with this condition. In fact, there are over 80 million Americans  who are living with ADD undiagnosed. If you do a Google search, you will see all the talented, brilliant and prestigious Americans who have or  had ADD. It wasn’t until 2007 that I got formally diagnosed and it took  me a while to share with others for fear of how others would judge me. I don’t take medication. Over the years, I have developed coping  strategies to manage effectively on a daily basis.

Despite all these challenge? What kept you going?

I was motivated by a few thing. Number 1 was my son. I wanted the best  for him. My Faith in God and believe it or not, some negative comments  from others. I was told that since my mother was a maid, I would not  amount to anything. I had to show them that they were wrong.

What next?

The goal of this book is to help others, share the goodness of God and sell enough books to help churches and nonprofit organizations and if my  book becomes a best seller… That would be an added bonus. A movie would  be great!! Anything is possible. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Find the author:

https://www.facebook.com/FinallyReid

http://www.finallyreid.com/

www.wheelmanpress.com

See ya next week for another Question of the Week

Signing Off,

Dominique

Our first Monday in May. How is the year going for you? It’s about that time for me to publish a new book. So don’t be surprised if many of my topics are about publishing.

One thing I have talked about with my clients when it comes to publishing is the different paths of publishing. One way that we learn about the different ways of publishing is to actually publish. Most of the time what happens is we publish one way and go through trial and error and realize it wasn’t the best decision.

For me, I’ve learned that with the last 7 books I’ve published, the traditional way is not the right way for me. Self publishing works best for me. Simply because I want control of my book. I don’t want to sign over my rights. I have done it before, I won’t do it again.

So today I want to know about your trial and error in publishing. What have you learned along the way? What has worked best for you? What won’t you ever do it again?

SPEAK!!!!

See ya next Monday for another Hot Topic Monday. We are nearing my three month vacation from The POV Lounge. Just 25 days away.

Signing Off,

Dominique

A native of Harlem, New York, Silk White began his writing career in  2006. He is the author of the three part Urban Fiction series Tears of a Hustler and Co-Owner of Good2Go Publishing and Good2Go Films. Silk has  No Way Out and Black Barbie as a film credit under Good2Go Films and in  his spare time, loves to write and act. He is currently producing a new  movie and is hard at work on his next novel.

Interview with Silk White

1. Tell me about the finale to your critical acclaim trilogy Tears of a Hustler?

This book is the finale to a trilogy that was written 2 years ago.   We took our time with releasing part 2&3 to help build up our fan  base in between releases.  It’s a classic finale that all our loyal fans have been waiting for.  I promised I wouldn’t let them down and  according to the reviews we have received so far, everyone is happy.   Check amazon.

2. What made you decide to start your own publishing company rather than signing with an establish publisher?

Well after Tears of a Hustler PT 1 was released I had several offers  on the table, but from a business standpoint it just made more sense to  release my titles under my own company.  In the short term it’s a lot of work because you have to build your fan base one fan at a time, because you don’t have any distribution.  But once you’ve established your  brand like we have, you make 100% of the profit. At the rate we’re going we should be one of the biggest independent african american owned  publishing companies out there in a few years.  We’ve reached over  70,000 households in two years with no help.   Right now we have good2go publishing and good2go films our movie Production Company and Third  Lane Marketing.

3. What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Writing was a natural process for me, growing up in the environment  that I grew up in and my life experiences help enhanced my already vivid imagination.  My ability to translate my imagination thru writing was a god gifted talent that I discovered when I was going thru unforeseen  circumstances.

4. What’s the best thing about being an author?

I really appreciate all the love and support that I get from the  fans.  They are the ones that keep me motivated.  It’s amazing to see  all the support that I get from all parts of the country, outside the  country also. Shout out to all my UK Fans. I never thought that one day  my work would have reached over 150,000 households.

5. What are you working on now?

Well I just wrapped up my 8th book which is slated to be released May 1st 2013.  Its called The Teflon Queen PT 2.   So be on the look out  for that. You can pre-order an autograph copy now from www.good2gopublishing.com  I also just finished shooting my 2nd movie under good2go films its  called Black Barbie.  The first movie is called No Way Out you can get  that at www.good2gofilms.com

6. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

This piece of advice is not just for writers but any aspiring  entrepreneurs out there.  Especially, the youth coming from  underprivileged communities.  Sometimes in life we get a bad hand to  play with. You have to make the best out of the hand you’re given. The  best piece of advice I can give is, spend all your time and energy  focusing on accomplishing your goals whatever it may be, you’re going to get results.  Surround yourself with good people you trust, Sleep 5hrs  work 19hrs.

I just want to say Thanks to everyone out there for the love and support.  Keep supporting me and Good2go Publishing

But the book:

http://amzn.to/YPxLzy book trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IUZqsHCFVXs website: www.good2gopublishing.com

Find the author:

Good2go Publishing www.good2gopublishing.com www.twitter.com/good2gobooks www.facebook.com/good2gopublishing

See ya next week for another Question of the Week!

Signing Off,

Dominique