Tell us about (Hard Conversations: Book 1 Breadcrumbs to the Past)
My book Hard Conversations: Book 1 Breadcrumbs to the Past is the first book in my new urban fiction series. It is a collection of short stories about the lives of five urban people that have achieved, what most people would consider, to be successful lives, but still they find themselves unhappy and cycling in the same patterns that they know aren’t where they want to live. They realize that the lass ceiling they can’t get past is because they have unaddressed issues in their pasts that they decided to move past without doing the necessary work to heal. In order to move forward they must confront the issues they have been burying with the people that were involved. I believe that it is no one’s story, yet everyone’s story because we all can relate to operating in avoidance at one point of another. One thing about people of color is that we know how to survive things. Through oppression, depression, suppression, and trauma, we become to determined to make it to the other side. The problem becomes when we make it through to the other side, we often have been changed and lost some things along the way that are necessities to moving forward in life and in wholeness. At the point that we realize that we have made but we are broken, we are wounded, we are leaking out what we have been through, we must decide whether we are going to try to keep it moving or if we are brave enough to confront the past to not just survive, but to thrive. At the same time the book was released, I released a song inspired by the book called “You’re Real” that was released on all digital platforms. The song is so vitally important to the stories in the book because I believe hard conversations are real conversations, and real conversations are God conversations. We can’t talk about being healed from our past or moving forward without including God in the equation; He is the only one that can give us the strength and the courage to address the deep heartbreaking things that can happen and life and then come out unscathed and able to thrive in life.
Is there one particular message or “moral of the story” you hope readers walk away with?
I hope they walk away knowing that articulating their experience matters. That there Is no such thing as just moving on without resolution. What we don’t deal with will continue to show up In our lives, In one way or another, until we confront It. Not dealing with It prevents us from giving the best version of ourselves to anyone that we try to form any type of relationship with.
How do you see yourself in your character’s story, if at all?
I always says that the stories of the characters In my book are no one’s story, but everyone’s story. I see myself In the most simplistic way as a person who has had to have some difficult conversations to heal from things that occurred In my childhood. There were people that loved me but because of their pain, they made decisions that cause deficit and confusion In my life. Those situations stopped me from being happy and thriving In life; and even though I had forgiven them, I still couldn’t move on without having a clarifying conversation to fully articulate my experience of them. The conversation wasn’t for their apology, It was for my freedom. As humans we aren’t meant to carry burdens, we are meant to cast and release them. In articulating my experience I Invited the opportunity for deeper understanding, the extension of grace, and the possibility of reconciliation In relationships.
While you were writing (Hard Conversations: Book 1 Breadcrumbs to the Past), do you think it mattered where the book was set?
It absolutely mattered. It was Important to me that the fictional characters authentically mirrored the lives and experiences of people of color In the places we live. I was Intentional of Insuring that the characters felt like our brothers, and sisters, and aunties, and cousins by ensuring that where they lived was authentic communities of people of color.
Will we know what happens to your character after the end of the book?
No, It Is a series. So people will have to get part 2 to continue to follow the stories of the characters during the next phase of their journey.
Where do you like to write?
In my office, with a locked door to keep my son out, lol. I need solitude and a quiet space to flow.
How do you choose between ideas you’d like to write about?
I usually pray and then go with what Idea Is a natural flow when I write. If I have to think to much or there is continued frustration, usually that Is my Indication that I am forcing It Instead of It flowing. I normally know how God Is directing me when the Idea just flows as I write. That’s how this book was; no outline; no template; just sitting down and allowing God to pour stories through me for the readers.
Both of your lead characters have “baggage” that keeps them from wanting to pursue a new relationship. Do you think sometimes we let our past get in the way of what God has planned for our futures?
For sure we do. We live in an imperfect would surround by, and in relationship with, imperfect people; baggage and past traumatic experiences happen to us all. I believe that bad things and misfortunate things happen to us all, but the reason that God allows it is because He knows that He is the antidote. If we are willing to confront what happened to us and address it, God is able and willing to heal it. Jesus said He came to heal the broken hearted; that means that He knew that there would be life situations that would have to potential to break our hearts; but the only way that are hearts can be mended is for us to not pretend that we are okay, or worse that it didn’t happen, and call it out and have the necessary internal and external conversations about the events of the pain so that He can free us. It’s not the event that is killing us, both naturally and as it relates to our assignments, it’s the silence. It’s our own silence, it’s the silence of the people who caused our pain, it’s the silence of those who knew or witness our pain and said nothing, and it’s the silence of those who have ignored us in the the moments that we tried to speak. God has given us a beautiful life, but that beautiful life isn’t experienced via osmosis; it must be fought for, and occupied, and maintained.
