JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Nakia R. Laushaul, author of Running from Solace
(Serendipity Bound Books)
Running from Solace is a heartfelt story about Naomi, a young girl that is being physically and emotionally abused by her mother and her mother’s boyfriend. Eventually, she is taken out of the home and sent to foster care. She grows up to become a hard-nosed CPS investigator.
In the line of duty, Naomi’s path intertwines with Xavier, a 14-year-old boy at the crossroads of making a life-altering decision. Should he report his mother, Mona, for child abuse? Everything about this story will leave you emotionally drained and breathless.
While Running from Solace may not be true for you, it is true for somebody. And something must be done because a report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds in the United States.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Running from Solace?
Nakia R. Laushaul: I actually sat down to write a chick lit book. It was going to be a witty look at love and dating. But, once I sat down to write it, well, let’s just say that Running from Solace took on a life of it’s own and began to tell the story that was ready to be told. I just went along for the ride.
JP: What sets Running from Solace apart from other books in the same genre?
NRL: I’m a firm believer in this: “There is nothing new under the sun.” I believe that every story has been told a hundred ways already, but every reader has not been reached by every story.
The only thing that sets my book a part is that my voice is new—I’m a new author. I’ve only just arrived to this literary world. Because I stepped up, God will set my feet where He wants them to go, so I try not to focus on being different, but to just be me.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Running from Solace getting out to the public?
NRL: I’m grassroots all the way. I attribute any success that has fallen my way to the readers of Running from Solace as well as my first book, The Truth As I See It.
I can’t tell you how many messages that I’ve received that start with “_____ told me that I had to read this book”. Also reviewers have been huge Running from Solace pushers.
However, behind-the-scenes there was a lot of hard work getting this book reader-ready, and I didn’t skimp on any of it from pouring my heart out as I wrote and re-wrote, to finding the perfect editor, and a nice outfit (cover) to present it to you.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Running from Solace?
NRL: Well, about 10 years ago, I started writing Running from Solace and got to the end of Part One when self-doubt and fear made me put it away. In 2009, I received feedback on a sample of it from Author/Teacher Venise T. Berry that made me go back to the drawing board to evaluate my writing style. I pretty much started from scratch at that point.
A huge majority of Running from Solace was written in a month. I call myself a “binge writer”. Once I get going, I get greedy and end up purging until the entire story is out of me. I’m waiting for that to happen again with my next book. It’s right on the tip of spirit, impatiently waiting to be told.
JP: What’s next for Nakia R. Laushaul?
NRL: I’m currently working on my next novel while I try to get Running from Solace into as many hearts as I can. I’ve gone back and forth with which one of the three novels that I’ve already started will come out next, so I’m won’t say any titles just yet.
http://nakialaushaul.blogspot.com
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/NakiaRLaushaul
Welcome to my literary journey!
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