It’s funny how things come full circle. Many, many literary years ago, I interviewed Yvonne Pierre for my “JoeyPinkney.com 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Author Interview Series. Late last year, 2017, Yvonne contacted me to see if I would be a part of the author interview series for “Writer’s Fuel.”
Below is an excerpt of the interview followed by a link to the full interview. I had a great time talking about things that authors do to propel themselves forward or self-sabotage them. Enjoy, share, leave a comment. I look forward to your feedback.
Joey Pinkney promotes literature using social media. His book promotion service JoeyTweets.com uses Twitter, and other popular social media websites, to gain more exposure for authors and their books using his huge digital footprint.
Before offering the JoeyTweets service, Joey Pinkney conducted numerous author interviews and book reviews on his website JoeyPinkney.com. Pinkney also strives to push his creative boundaries by crafting compelling short stories. In 2015, he decided to publish standalone short stories on a more regular basis.
Joey Pinkney’s fast fiction reflects his quirky sense of humor and his attention to layered details. He produces tales that his readers consider to be offbeat, yet familiar. More about his book and writings can be found at JoeysPen.com. His stories, in part, are fueled by chocolate.
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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Yvonne N. Pierre, editor of The Day My Soul Cried
(Zyonair’s Unlimited, LLC)
Yvonne Pierre’s journey from the depths of despair to an awakening of soul and spirit has been a long and difficult one. From sexual abuse, excessive drinking, failing in school, having a child while still a teenager, being unable to get a job, having a second child with Down syndrome, gaining excessive weight and allowing herself to no longer care about how she looked – the painful pattern of all types of abuse seemed endless.
Until one day, when Yvonne’s soul cried. She began to see that how she perceived her life and the attitudes she had, were crippling her as much as all her bad habits and the ugly things that happened to her.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write The Day My Soul Cried?
Yvonne N. Pierre: Wow, the inspiration to write this book stemmed from me trying to figure out why I was always piling projects on my plate and never completing them. One of my projects was to write a book, but could never complete it.
While I was soul searching, trying to figure out why I was afraid of something as simple as completing projects, The Day My Soul Cried, came to me. It wrote itself, so to speak.
JP: This memoir brings the beauty and the ugliness that life can deal and sit them side-by-side for the reader to decipher. How did you struggle past the discouraging thoughts that raced through your head as you created what became The Day My Soul Cried?
YNP: Oh yeah, the discouraging thoughts. About seven or eight years ago, I wrote a book called, Phoqus. I proudly contacted a local publisher and setup a meeting.
That’s a long story, but I met with him and presented my book. He laughed and said he loved the concept. He said that he would only publish it was if I “removed myself from itâ€. I kindly stood up, smiled, shook his hand, thanked him and left.
Without realizing it, I was discouraged. Years later, I posted snippets of my story online and received many emails from women and young girls telling me that they were inspired by my story.
As I was writing, The Day My Soul Cried, those negative statements kept replaying in my mind. I learned to use negativity and discouraging thoughts as motivation to press on.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to The Day My Soul Cried getting out to the public?
YNP: Joey, there were two things that hindered me initially from getting my book out of my computer and onto print: overcoming fear and finding my voice. I had to learn to get out of my own way. My fears had me at a standstill. I was afraid of failing AND of success, which I talk about in the book.
My editor, Ann Fisher, told me that “letting go of the book is like sending your child off to college.†Finding my voice was another obstacle, which I personally think was connected to the fears. Once I found my voice and overcame my fears, getting it out was so much easier.
Fear is natural and the only way to overcome it is to figure out where it’s coming from and then pushing through it. I had to learn to just be ME!
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish The Day My Soul Cried?
YNP: I had to visualize it first as if I were writing a movie. It took about two months, but most of that time was spent finding my voice and overcoming my fears. Excluding that, it probably would have only taken me a few weeks.
I started with the title and an outline. Then, I designed the cover. I know that’s a little backward but I needed a visual. I marked the days on my calendar that I would only focus on writing. I put together a music playlist of songs that “put me in the mood†to write and wrote the book.
JP: What’s next for Yvonne Pierre?
YNP: There are two things I am very passionate about: inspiring others AND advocating for special needs. I am working on another book called, Beyond Measure that I plan to release toward the end of the year.
It is an inspirational, heart-felt letter to my youngest of two sons, Zyon, who has Down syndrome. Presently, I host a Blogtalkradio called “The Yvonne Pierre Show†and I have a social network for special needs parents.
Joey, thank you so much for this opportunity to talk to you and your readers about my book. I truly appreciate it! God bless!
