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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Dawn McCoy, author of Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Dawn McCoy, editor of Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success
(Flourish Publishing Company)

Written by Dawn McCoy, one of the youngest elected members to serve on the Sacramento City Unified School Board of Trustees, this pivotal book shows how ordinary people can become extraordinary leaders. Geared towards aspiring leaders or those already in leadership positions, Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success outlines seven strategies to achieve success. These include Vision, Balance, Courage, Relationship Building, Tenacity and Commitment to Legacy.

McCoy candidly shares personal triumphs and challenges she faced in the political arena and other leadership roles. She draws attention to Leadership Building Blocks’ fundamentals, skills designed to distinguish a leader. Each concept is illustrated by an example, application, and story. With easy-to-follow icons, leadership self-assessments, and goal-setting worksheets, McCoy takes readers through her experiences while simultaneously giving them tools to succeed in their leadership roles.

Leadership Building Blocks provides step-by-step procedures about where leaders begin, how they can advocate for their cause, and how they can deftly maneuver through unpredictable circumstances.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write your book Leadership Building Blocks?

Dawn McCoy: The inspiration to write Leadership Building Blocks came to me in two ways. During my years as a nonprofit executive and elected school board trustee, I witnessed shortcomings among leaders in business, politics and community groups. For me, the ideas developed when I wanted to provide solid, easy-to-digest solutions to common leadership challenges. Eventually, these ideas became the premise for the seven leadership building blocks.

Second, my grandmother and aunties inspired me to write because of their legacy sewing quilts. For years, I’ve watched them weave together from scrap materials and clothing creative home-spun blankets, quilts and wall-hangings. They have created stories that come alive from fabric and decorative embellishments. When I received a quilted square handed down from a great-great aunt, I knew I had n obligation to tell a story using my creativity.

So, Leadership Building Blocks came to me as a way to both tell my story about life in public office and the local political landscape. In the process, I shared lessons learned with the intent to help others get in, survive and manage leadership roles.

JP: What sets Leadership Building Blocks apart from other guides on leadership?

DM: There are a lot of leadership books such as reference guides, business management and personal development. To me, some leadership books and biographies fall short without delivering real strategies about how to become a better leader.

Leadership Building Blocks will inspire readers to jump in, take on or tackle any leadership role. Too often we hear about leaders making bad decisions. This book is the perfect solution to bring integrity back to leadership. It is filled with kernels of wisdom, chapter-by-chapter icons and self-assessments.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Leadership Building Blocks getting out to the public?

DM: For me, there are two keys to my success getting the word about out to the public.

First, it’s about staying balanced. This means staying centered on a personal level. It also means having a solid support system. I often quote noted African American dancer Katherine Dunham who said “Go within every day and find the inner strength so that the world will not blow your candle out.”

Second, it’s simply about connecting with people. Finally, I’ve found success already getting the word out about Leadership Building Blocks through leveraging my network. In other words, I’ve found success connecting with people given their needs or challenges.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Leadership Building Blocks?

DM: My writing process is to write when and where inspired. I always keep a notebook with me to jot down thoughts, observations and notes. Typically, I work with an outline but give myself the flexibility to move sections and chapters around.

Also, since I write non-fiction, I’m inspired by greatly current events and personal circumstance. For instance, the section and chapters about legacy was written just after my grandmother died in 2007. The epilogue was completed just as President Barack Obama was elected as the first African American U.S. president.

In total, writing Leadership Building Blocks took me about three years to complete. The challenging part near the end was editing out exercises and text that will be part of a leadership workbook.

JP: What’s next for Dawn McCoy?

Right now, I’m excited to be on a national tour for Leadership Building Blocks speaking at conferences and visiting local bookstores and colleges. Over the next few months, this will include book signings in New York, DC, Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, and Los Angeles. It’s really an exciting time!

Last fall, I rolled out a new audio CD, Effective Community Engagement: Seven Steps to Make a Real Difference. Included are excerpts from chapter 13 of Leadership Building Blocks and also concrete ways about how to become a better champion for a cause, community group or faith-based organization. These step-by-step techniques are timeless insights to help people really take action rather than just talk about it.

Later this summer, I’ll finish work on the leadership workshop and on my next book Winning Campaign Building Blocks. That book will be a guide about running successful grassroots political campaigns. It is set for release in 2011, so I’ll put the finishing touches on it by late September.

Finally, I’m delighted to share that I’m exploring some collaborative work with other noted leadership experts.

Flourish Leadership Group
http://www.flourishleadership.com/

http://twitter.com/dawnmccoy02
http://www.youtube.com/dawnmccoy01
http://www.facebook.com/therealdawnmccoy

Facebook Fan page:
http://facebook.com/DawnMcCoyBooks

Dawn McCoy, President and CEO
Flourish Leadership Group, LLC
Motivational Speaker, Leadership Consultant, and Author of Leadership
Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success
“Empower Effective Leaders for Today and Tomorrow”
Direct: (916) 201-7189
Toll-Free: (877) 210-4049
http://www.flourishleadership.com/

P.S. Join the Joey Reviews Newsletter at /joey-reviews-newsletter.html.

P.S.S. Dawn McCoy provided a book to JoeyPinkney.com to give away to one of its readers.

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5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, amazon.com, interview

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Niobia Bryant, author from Message from a Mistress

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Niobia Bryant, editor from Message from a Mistress
(Dafina/Kensington)

Jaime Hall, Renee Clinton, and Aria Livewell all reside with their spouses in the affluent gated community, Richmond Hills, in New Jersey. The ladies are all best friends with their Richmond Hill neighbor, Jessa Bell–a sexy and single socialite.

Trouble is Jessa Bell has just sent them all a text message taunting that she has run away with one of their husbands. That message opens the door to each of the woman’s unspoken insecurities in their marriage as each recalls incidents that hint that their husband is the one.

And with the husbands away—and unreachable– on a chartered fishing boat all day and Jessa not answering her phone, they have all day to wonder…and to worry about scandalous secrets of their own.

Throughout the book–which takes place in one day–Jessa Bell also recalls her steamy relationship with her unidentified lover. Everything about their explicit romps are revealed from the day she first seduced him up until the day he agreed to leave his wife–her friend–for her.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Message from a Mistress?

Niobia Bryant: I loved, loved, loved the 1940’s movie “A Letter to Three Wives”. I enjoyed the concept of three wives learning that their mutual friend has run off with one of their husbands and then have the entire day to ponder which one of them has been betrayed.

It’s really clever and it intrigued on so many levels. I wanted to modernize the story and give it some new perspectives– like adding the wives having secrets of their own. I really just wanted to see where I could go with it. Again the general premise is the same but the actual stories for each character are original, and I had a lot of fun bringing those characters to life in Message from a Mistress.

JP: With seventeen novels under your belt, how have you changed in terms of your growth in the book industry? Was Message from a Mistress easier to produce for you?

NB: I’ve learned so much in the past 10 years as an author. My first book took me a year to write, and now I can definitely complete a well written book in less time. Writing in multiple genres allows me to continuously work towards perfecting my craft as a storyteller, too.

I’ve grown in my business acumen. I am a knowledgeable author. I research the industry, who’s doing what, and I keep abreast of what sells, where and why… This all helps me stay fresh and relevant to what avid readers want from authors.

Writing Message from a Mistress was a smooth and timely process. I concentrated on keeping it entertaining since the entire story takes place in one day. There are many character flashbacks, but overall, writing the book was not difficult at all.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Message from a Mistress getting out to the public?

NB: The internet has been such a fun way of promoting the release of Message from a Mistress, and I’m sure will prove itself vital in the upcoming sales success as well. I have my Twitter pages, I have my Facebooks pages, MySpace and my personal blog http://www.niobiabryant.com/; I use them all to keep my fans updated and to invite new ones. Tweetdeck is a must for me. I simply love the way it works.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Message from a Mistress?

NB: Since I write in multiple genres it helps me stay organized by creating a synopsis and an outline for each of my books. I write a full synopsis of the entire story and the first chapter which I usually have to submit to the publisher. Afterward I begin writing with the use of an outline chapter breakdown. Message from a Mistress took a few months not including editing.

JP: What’s next for Niobia Bryant?

I am working on promoting my three 2010 book releases, Fabulous my first teen fiction/young adult novel on Kimani Tru, Message from a Mistress on Dafina/Kensington and in May I will release Give Me Fever on Dafina. I’m doing my first virtual book tour starting March 1st. Readers can keep up with the itinerary on my blog and by following me on Twitter and Facebook.

http://www.niobiabryant.com/

Facebook
Niobia Bryant| Meesha Mink

Twitter
@InfiniteInk

Book Trailer for Message from a Mistress
http://www.youtube.com/user/niobiabryant#p/u/2/bNv9llajroY

Niobia Bryant has been nominated for the 2010 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award for Best African American Romance for your 9th full length romance novel Make You Mine as well as the Best Steamy Romance in the 2010 Emma Award presented by Romance Slam Jam.

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5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Terra Little, author of Where There’s Smoke 2

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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Terra Little, editor of Where There’s Smoke 2
(Urban Books)

In the aftermath of Where There’s Smoke (part 1), Alec and Anne have found a rhythm they can both groove to. They’ve made a steamy love connection. Just when they think they can finally settle down and tie the knot, their past comes back to haunt them in ways they never imagined.

Alec has secrets that he wishes he had never kept; Anne discovers them and sets out to show her man that a woman scorned is no one to mess with; and Isaiah…well, Isaiah finds himself in the kind of trouble that sends smoke signals up into the air. When the smoke finally clears, truths will have to be told and Anne will have to accept the fact that she and Smoke are more alike than she cares to admit.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Where There’s Smoke 2?

Terra Little: Where There’s Smoke 2 is actually a follow-up to its predecessor, Where There’s Smoke (JAN 2009). The inspiration to write the first installment came from my desire to write about women who have recovered from drug addiction in a more positive light than typically portrayed.

I also wanted to write about positive African-American fathers. Also, working as a Probation/Parole Officer for nearly a decade was a great inspiration, too, as I’m sure you can imagine. I wrote the follow-up because I wasn’t quite ready to let the characters go, and readers of the first book weren’t either.

JP: What did you learn from the process of publishing the first book that makes Where There’s Smoke 2 a better product?

TL: I guess I would have to say, patience. Everything is a process and a lot of waiting is involved in the publishing process. I learned how to have more patience and how to “let go” of the things over which I have no control.

JP: What advice would you give an avid reader who is yearning to become a published author like yourself?

TL: Learn as much as possible about the publishing industry. From the outside looking in, it looks like its all fun, fun, fun. But it’s really work…a real job. There’s definitely more to it than just penning a manuscript. That’s actually just the beginning.

Also, you can never go wrong by editing the hell out of your work and presenting the best product that you can. Another thing…be realistic…about everything, including your actual ability to pen viable work.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Where There’s Smoke 2?

TL: My writing process sort of depends on the project. I find that there are only certain places where I can really settle down and slip into a writing zone. So when I’m in the middle of a project, I tend to turn into an antisocial hermit.

Sometimes I have to get my thoughts together before I begin a manuscript and sometimes the characters have already decided how things are going to go. All that’s left for me to do at that point is follow directions. I never know what a project will bring, so I just go with the flow of each one. My process isn’t predictable at all.

Where There’s Smoke 2 took me a couple of months to write, mainly because the characters were still walking around in my head. I spent maybe a month or so getting the initial rough draft down on paper and after that…rereads, rewrites, rereads… which can be exhausting.

JP: What’s next for Terra Little?

TL: Next up is JUMP, which is coming up in 2011. This one has a different kind of vibe, darker and more serious. I hope its well-received, because I absolutely loved writing it. It was as if the main character, Helena Hunter, walked into my personal space, sat down beside me, and took over my consciousness.

Ever read something you wrote and thought: “When did I write that?” JUMP was like that for me. An excerpt from JUMP can be found on my website…check it out!

http://www.terralittle.com
http://www.myspace.com/terra_little
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=64843090179
http://www.terralittle.blogspot.com

Where There’s Smoke (JAN 2009) made Library Journal’s Best Books of 2009 List

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