Author L. A. Davis earned her Doctorate of Education Degree with an Emphasis in Organizational Leadership and Development in 2018. She focused her dissertation topic on the Blind or Visually Impaired and their perception of gaining employment. She was born on the island of St. Thomas USVI but resides in the United States. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.

Davislad2018@gmail.com
https://drladavisblogspace.blogspot.com/

Where are you from?  I was born in St. Thomas USVI. I lived in the historic area of Savan.

Describe yourself in five words – Compassionate, No nonsense, Intelligent, Tenacious, and Introvert.

How do you work through self-doubts and fear?   I face it and do it afraid.

What scares you the most? We all have things that scare us. I don’t like putting my fears out into the atmosphere but If I had to pick one thing, it would have to be being a vagabond.

What makes you happiest? Being around my children.

What are you most proud of in your personal life? Earning my Doctorate degree.

What is hardest – getting published, writing, or marketing?  Getting publish would be the hardest if I was looking for a traditional publisher. Since I self-publish, it has to be marketing barnone.

What marketing works for you? I do marketing via some social media platforms, blog interviews, and radio interviews if they aren’t live. I also work with my editor who is a guru in marketing. She even wrote her own book on how to do it. https://www.amazon.com/How-Launch-Market-Book-Countdown/dp/B07VHFM2B9/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Melissa+Caudle&qid=1573665373&sr=8-1

Is your family supportive? Do your friends support you? My family members are very supportive and so are many of my friends. I’ve learned that no matter how many people support you, there will always be that one person who is secretly wishing you to fail.

What does your family think of your writing?  I’m not sure, I have to ask them.

Why do you write? Writing has become my hobby.

What do you write about?  I write about anything that pops into my head and nags me until I write it. That is a frustrating thing.  I have a coloring book and fiction nagging me right now. I have no idea how I will develop them yet.

Do you have a specific writing style? No, but so far all of my stories came from some aspect of my life. I’ve done nonfiction, historical fiction, romance, and after this book, poetry and a few coloring books for my grandbaby.

What are obstacles that come in the way of writing?  Writer’s block is something I get a lot. The owner of my publishing house told me to write something else when I get writer’s block, so I wrote romance and poetry at the same time. I watched an advertisement on YouTube and the author said when you get writers block, get some paper and start writing anything that comes to your mind even if it’s junk because it’s still writing. I really love that advice because I don’t have to worry about how my writing sounds or if I have the correct punctuation. Writing like that can promote good ideas.

What’s the most memorable thing asked/said by a reader about your work? I had a student download my first book when I offered it for free. She emailed me to tell me how much it helped her, and she left a review. I also had someone mail me a card from Florida and told me she loved my second book. I so appreciated that kind gesture.

How long have you been writing? I started writing in 2015 but didn’t publish my first book until 2018.

When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer? Hmm, I never wanted to be a writer. I was forced to become one when I realized that I was being academically hazed. I hated my university and my chairperson. Yes, I know hate is a strong word, but I have to be honest with how I felt. I needed a way to share my journey, so I used all of that negative energy to write something positive. Once that happened, then came book numbers two, three and soon four and possibly five and six. I never intended for this to happen.

What is your work schedule like when you are writing? I don’t have a set schedule. I write when I have something to put on paper. Sometimes it happens when I am doing something in the house, when I’m talking to someone and they say something that catch my attention, or when I’m sleeping.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?  I have to get my manuscript formatted before I can finish writing my book. It never fails. Some people can write the entire transcript, then send it out for formatting and editing. I’ve not been able to do that.

What challenges do you come across when writing/creating your story?The first thing that comes to me is the title and then the cover idea. The most challenging part is trying to figure out how the story should flow. I write until I hit a wall and then I walk away for as long as I need too. When I’m ready, I go back and repeat the cycle until I feel I can’t go anymore. Then I send the book out for formatting to see how many pages the manuscript is. I can gauge if my book is long enough or I write until my story is finished. There is something about the formatting that helps me finish my stories.

Do you see writing as a career? No. Self-publishing doesn’t fill up that bank account. If I have the potential of selling my books like Michelle Obama, Stephen King, or a large publishing company want to work with me, then I would consider it a career. Outside of that, it will be a hobby.

Do you have anything specific you’d like to tell the readers? First I would like to say thank you so much for loving me enough to read this interview, and thank you for purchasing my book, I hope you enjoy reading one or all of them. I hope my book gives courage to those of you who want to write but feel too scared to take that first step. Writing is hard, but it’s so much fun. When you open that box and see your book for the first time, you will want to write more.

If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone dead or alive, who would you ask?  I love this question and I will always answer it the same. I would have a dinner party with my ancestors. Every single one of them. I want to tell them how much I love and appreciate them. I want to know where I come from and what makes me so unique. I would like to know what their experiences were, what they did, what they enjoyed, and the sacrifices they made for me to have this opportunity. I would also like to have just one day alone with all of the women so I can see if any of them are just like me. I call myself the blue M and M because I am so different. I love to do daredevil stuff also. It had to come from somewhere. I would love to meet the person to blame for it.

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support? I would like to thank God first and foremost. I would like to thank my family, my friends, my editor, and publishing house. I would especially like to thank my first publisher Dr. Cecilia Dennery of doctrine 101 publishing. I would like to also thank the people that buy my book for their support.

Tell us about your new book? Why did you write it?   My next book is, When I Kiss Em, They Stay Kissed. I decided to publish it in the month of love because that is such a tough month for so many people due to Valentine’s Day. I talk about my experience with my first kiss and how it shaped me. The book is not about kissing techniques but of giving a kiss to others whether it’s your children, family member, lover, friend, spouse or a greeting and how filling your kiss with powerful intentions can leave a lastly memory. I give an idea in the back of the book as to how you should do it. The book also touches on some interesting areas that might make some people upset, feel nostalgia, make them cry, and help them have hope after heartbreak. I talked a little on how my own heartbreak helped me to accomplish my personal goals. The book touch on almost every aspect of love. When I re-read the manuscript, parts of it mad me happy, parts of it made me sad, and parts of it made me laugh. Others parts reminded me fondly of romantic situations I had in my life.

What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel? Well the first thing I hope is that they like my writing and that they leave good reviews. Those always help but more than that, I want people to always feel like they are in the story with me. In my first book, I take the reader on a bus ride with me, the second book I take to reader on a ride inside a hurricane and a slave ship, my third book I want the reader to get on board the love train with me, and my fourth book, I want my reader to have some café au lait with me. My books are feel-good books. We need that right now don’t we? Each book I write teaches the reader something.

Do you have links that you’d like to share for others to read?

My new book will be up for pre-sale starting Dec 1-Jan 31 for .99 cents https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZTY2Y28 

Author Central https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001HOKPYE

Dr. L. A. Davis
2403 W Stan Schlueter Loop #690923
Killeen, Texas 76549
Davislad2018@gmail.com