JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Darnyelle Jervey, author of If You Understood My Past, You Would Understand My Praise
(IOE Publications)
When you look back over your life, do you get caught up in praise or hang your head in shame? Have you been there, done that and gotten the souvenir t-shirt for all of the mistakes that you’ve made? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired of getting the short end of the “love” stick?
Welcome to my world. Trenton and I had a tumultuous relationship. I thought that he was all I deserved and that he owed me the life I wanted because I had made sacrifices to be with him. It became crystal clear that he wasn’t ready to give me what he owed me when 3 months before our wedding he dropped a bomb on me that blew a whole in my world.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write If You Understood My Past, You Would Understand My Praise?
Darnyelle Jervey: My inspiration for If You Understood My Past is life and a mandate from God that it was time to tell my story. My debut is a memoir based on a true story. You know, we all have a story, but we are not all ready to share it. I became transparent and real for my readers on purpose.
I had reached my breaking point of being sick and tired of being sick and tired after my fiancé’s confession 3 months before our wedding. Sadly, I had watched this movie play in relationship after relationship and enough was enough. I realized that you cannot conquer what you are not willing to confront, so I had to go back to my past and deal with my issues. When I decided to conquer my past, I confirmed my future.
I found my praise (self-love, self-worth, confidence, passion, abundance) and decided to share my story in a vividly authentic memoir that would read like a well written novel and hinder readers from being able to put it down.
JP: What sets If You Understood My Past apart from other novels in its genre?
DJ: I am different, uniquely talented and called to empower others. With that alone, I and my literary works are set apart. If You Understood My Past is the truth; the names of the characters have been changed to protect the not so innocent (smile). For anyone who wants to read a real life story of courage and resilience, my book is the one. Its back drop is the relationship that changed my life, but it is more about how I transformed than it will ever be about the catalyst for the change. What happens in the story will keep the reader hooked until the last word has been read.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to If You Understood My Past getting out to the public?
DJ: I have an extensive background in marketing and I am using my skills to the fullest to market myself. I sought advice and assistance from people who were where I want to be, and I have threw fear away and went for it. I wrote an incredible book, and I believe in it and my success. I am aligning myself for the growth that I know is on the way.
I entered the literary world in the fall of 2008, and I have already sold over 3,000 copies of my book. That makes me very proud and excited. The keys are simple: be authentic and original, be willing to take risks, don’t compare yourself to others, run your own race, maximize exposure opportunities by speaking, radio interviews, etc. establish a presence on the internet.
And most importantly, dream so big that only God can make it happen.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish If You Understood My Past?
DJ: As a writer, I make it my business to write something everyday. A lot of my books come straight from my true source of inspiration: God. He speaks to me in dreams. I have authored four books so far, mostly self-help/empowerment works that have not yet been widely released but are available on my website.
When I am writing, I sit at my laptop with appropriate mood music for whatever I am writing. I started If You Understood My Past in April of 08 after asking myself , “Why not me, why not now?” When I couldn’t think of a good reason not to just do it, I went to work and it was finished in late June 08 (Yes, just two and a half months later.) It was released in September 08. I have recently started my first fiction novel, A Quick Work, which I am projecting for completion in late 09. It will probably release in early 2010.
JP: What’s next for Darnyelle Jervey?
DJ: What’s next for me? Well, I am an empowerment speaker, so my goals and books are centered around my company mission: to Define the Incredible in You. I am working on four books simultaneously, three of which are self-help/empowering in nature and one fiction book, A Quick Work.
I have plans to write another fiction work sometime next year. I am traveling to speak at several conferences in 2009 as well as I have my own empowerment series in Delaware aptly entitled, The Incredible You.
http://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com/
http://www.twitter.com/darnyellespeaks
If You Understood My Past, You Would Understand My Praise was nominated for Best Book by a Delaware Author in 2008.
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