JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Yanatha Desouvre, author of Savor the Moments: Inspired by True Stories
(RDJ Publishing)
“In Yanatha Desouvre’s Savor the Moments, “Goodman’s gift, which is also the author’s, is his ability to be uplifting… His hopefulness is undeniably contagious; his empathy is admirable; his interest in the ordinary is extraordinary.” (from the foreword by best-selling author and historian Robert P. Watson, Ph.D.)
In this collection of 11 timeless short stories, we meet Grayson Goodman, a traveling businessman, who encounters people dealing with challenging situations in life that are no different than our own. As we share in his conversations, we travel with Goodman on his warm-hearted and inspiring journey to different establishments throughout the world as he searches to find the answers to the difficult questions we all face.
We face obstacles each and every day, but the question is: How do we allow these challenges to affect our lives? Discover how people cope with the unexpectedly difficult circumstances they face and how Goodman touches their lives with words that ring with simple, honest clarity. Desouvre takes us around the world with engaging short stories that encourage us all to “savor the moments”.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write “Savor the Moments: Inspired by True Stories”?
Yanatha Desouvre: Joey, two things inspired me. A college professor whom I used to work with at Lynn University name Carrie Simpson inspired me. She asked me about two years ago this October to write a play, and I never wrote a play in my life. However Professor Simpson sparked something in me that I didn’t realize already there: these sets of poems inspired by actual conversations titled “Grand Marnier I, II..etc” that had the elements of a play, a main character, supporting characters and locations. The second thing is that Savor the Moments was inspired from actual conversations.
JP: What sets “Savor the Moments: Inspired by True Stories” apart from other books in the same genre?
YD: Joey, what sets Savor the Moments apart from other books in the same genre is that it is written in dialogue format. The stories make you feel. Some whom have read the book or listened to audiobook have told me that they felt like they were eavesdropping on the conversations that are happening in the book.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to “Savor the Moments: Inspired by True Stories” getting out to the public?
YD: The book I wrote before Savor the Moments was a #1 best selling children’s book titled Big Sister, Little Sister, which I co-wrote with my now 6 year old daughter a little over a year ago. As a #1 best selling author, I feel the keys to my success of getting the books out to the public are persistence, patience, writing about what you know, authenticity and having a team of people who believe and support you. However, you must believe in yourself first.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish “Savor the Moments: Inspired by True Stories”?
YD: Joey, as an author, my writing process is ridiculous. I write any time I can get to. I write in the bed, on the couch, at 3am or 6pm about anything and everything. In terms of how long it took me to start and finish Savor the Moments: Inspired by True Stories, not that long at all, maybe 9 months. I had an amazing editor named Desiree and a wonderfully amazing professor named Dr. Robert Watson of Lynn University who did the Foreword for me. It was a journey, an exciting one, that I learned a lot from. Isn’t that what life is all about?
JP: What’s next for Yanatha Desouvre?
YD: I am helping my brother Steiman Desouvre with his writing project. If it wasn’t for him and Jason Fleurant (JaFleu), an amazing artist by the way, I probably would not have published my first book Walk Through this Journey. I am also embarking on writing my first novel. I plan to write a trilogy, which will focus on the background of Grayson Goodman and how got to where he is today.
http://facebook.com/aspire2inspirenow
http://linkedin.com/in/yanatha
“Savor the Moments also comes as an eBook as in also available as an audiobook as well, available on iTunes, Amazon.com, Google play and many other places as well.
Joey, thank you for your time and giving me the opportunity to talk about Savor the Moments I wish you and yours and the all the authors who work with you the very best. I will leave you and your followers with this quote:
‘Success comes with support we only fail in life when we fail to uplift one another.'” ~ Yanatha Desouvre
[include file=current-advertisers.html]