Interview with Author Angelita Dawkins – Ramona Portelli Blog

Interview with Author Angelita Dawkins

Author Ang’elita Dawkins (pronounced AHN-hay-LEE-ta)  grew up in Charlotte, NC which is where her family still lives, but she currently lives in Durham, NC.  Attended college at UNC Chapel Hill where she earned her BA in Psychology. One of her fun facts is that she is fluent in German.  She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, and a Certified Child and Adolescent Trauma Professional.  She is also completing her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision.  She is also a minister serving at The Cov (short for covenant) Church International.  She loves learning so she feels like she has a lot of random facts that she doesn’t know what to do with. She loves helping people and truly just try to enjoy life and all the adventures it brings.

Tell me more about your latest book

I recently published my first book. It is a Christian Children’s book entitled Who Made You? I love this book because it is so colourful and teaches child, and you could even say reminds adults that God the creator of the universe, also created us. The book was birthed from an experience I had when visiting a friend of a friend, the Ferrins family. While there Mrs. Ferrins asked her oldest daughter (who was 2 at the time) the question “who made you?” Her response overwhelmed my heart as she began to speak about how God made her and why He made her. From there it has been a process, but we have finally arrived at the finished product which is now available on Amazon.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing this book?

With this book in particular, I think the most challenging part of the process was not writing but landing and illustrator. I had the concept and the vision, but I cannot draw, and did not know where to even begin with trying to find an illustrator. The actual writing process was less of a challenge with this particular book because it follows the guid of the creation story in the Bible.

What is your normal procedure to get your books published?

With this being my first book, I can’t really say that anything felt normal (lol). It was all very new and different. The publishing process felt quite simple as a self-published author using Kindle Direct Publishing. I like the ease of the self-publishing process and that I can do it completely on my own timeline.

Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?

For me, absolutely! Who Made You? is my first published work; however, there are more writing projects in the works. To write I have to be connected with God and follow the leading of Holy Spirit. I’m not sure what the process is like for others, but I have found I cannot write absent of my relationship with God. I often listen to gospel music when I’m writing. The words just seem to flow easily when I am spiritually aligned with Christ. Otherwise, I have so many blocks and distractions.

How many books have you written so far?

I only have one book published which is Who Made You? however, I have a few others in the works so I won’t release the names of them just yet. So stay tuned!

I will say that I also plan to have this book translated into different languages to reach even further than just the US.

What’s the best way to market your books?

With the release of this book my social media following has really picked it up and helped with getting the word out there. I hope to plan a book signing event and would love to eventually have some reading events with children as things become safer just with the precautions regarding COVID.

How hard or easy is it to establish and maintain a career in writing?

You know, the jury is still out on this one. I think it is still a surprise to me that I am actually a published author. I think there’s a time management component that can be challenging to navigate. This has been particularly challenging for me with the fact that I am currently working on my dissertation as well, but I do think this piece will get easy once I’ve completed my PhD. I also think that as a self-published author the marketing aspect can also make it challenging to maintain a career in writing because it’s not just a one-time thing to keep your books on the radar. You have to continue to market and even more so after the initial release. So, I am still learning about all the things that go into being an author.

What is your advice for aspiring writers?

Keep going. Don’t change the vision just because there are some bumps in the road. If you have the desire and pull within you to write, whether it be books, poems, songs, or what have you, don’t quit on it until it’s birthed. You never know how many people are in need of what you will produce.

Visit Author Angelita Dawkins book links:-

www.angeliccollections.com

Facebook: @angeliccollections

Instagram: _angeliccollections

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