Oana

Interview with Envy Red – Author Philanthropist and Entrepreneur Danielle Hutchinson also known as “Envy Red” is a Washington, DC area native by way of Birmingham, AL. A two time graduate of the University of Maryland, she resides in Atlanta, GA. with her two boys. She is a cancer survivor whose battle with a rare form of the disease has strengthened her dedication to philanthropy. She is a board member of Homebound Citizens Non-Profit as well as the co-founder of Sk8book Jr., a youth initiative committed to developing our nation’s youth to their fullest potential. She is also the owner of a children’s bookstore, boutique, and party venue called Drama Baby. It includes two unique private party rooms for baby showers, kid parties, literary workshops, and various other themed events. Her literary accomplishments include: Most Talked About Author 2011 - DJ Gatsby Book Club Debut Author of the Year 2011 - Prodigy Publishing's Urban Literary Awards Best Dressed Female Author 2011- Prodigy Publishing's Urban Literary Awards Author of the Year Female 2011 - Word on Da Street Urban Literary Awards  Nomination Female Author of the Year - AAMBC Envy Red authored the following books: Touch, Jaded, High Rollers and Ratchet Diaries (eSeries) Oana: Envy, what is the importance of the family in your life?   Envy Red: Family is very important to me. Family is the glue that holds us together as individuals sometimes. There is a lot going on in the world but no matter what, we’ll always have family....

Interview with Davida Green-Norris – Attorney and Published Author A successful lawyer, Davida also writes under the pen name Dicey Grenor. She authored Shameful (Taboo fiction) and (The Narcoleptic Vampire Series): Sleepy Willow's Bonded Soul (Vol. 1), Sleepy Willow's Heartless Soul (Vol. 2) and Sleepy Willow's Loosed Soul (Vol. 3) Growing up in a small North Carolina town gave Dicey plenty of time to dream of Hollywood and vampires. She loved escaping in great movies and fiction books, and discovered she wasn't bad at writing either. But she didn't think that was going to pay the bills or that anyone would take her seriously. However, her passion along with the hard work makes her one of the most respectable African American authors. Oana: Davida, what is the importance of the family in your life? Davida Green-Norris: It is the most important thing to me. My husband and my children are more than just my responsibilities. They are my motivations to be the person I am, and to strive to be better. The smiles on their faces make it all worthwhile. Oana: Would you say that the fact that you are an African American woman influenced the way you were treated throughout your life (school, workplace)? Davida Green-Norris: Throughout my high school years, I went to a private school where I was one of the only few blacks there. Out of about four hundred students, I was one of six. In my graduating class of fifteen, I was the only one. You...

                                                 Interview with Lemelia Johnson Bonner – writer Lemelia Bonner is a novice writer of creative fiction and non-fiction, and a professional mother. She lives with her teen daughter, son, and a few feline companions in Winston-Salem North Carolina. Her musings on spirituality and the paranormal can be found on her blog, The Chocolate E-Clair on Blogger. She also contributes to the Gather.com writers' network as busimama. Lemelia is a 1979 graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy. She attended North Carolina State University’s School of Design, and is currently pursuing a degree in Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. She chose to preface her interview with the following fragment, Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides        and gravity, We shall harness for God the energies of love, And then, for the second time in the history of the world, Man will discover fire. ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Oana: Lemelia, what is the importance of the family in your life? Lemelia Johnson Bonner: My family and my faith are everything to me. I come from a long line of overachievers, men and women who’ve been leaders in the African-American community in the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Our oral history is strong, as is our trust in a loving Creator. Oana: Would you say that the fact that you are an African American woman made a difference in the way...

Interview with Luna Charles Director of Hardcastle Enterprises Corp. and Author Born in Haiti and a resident of South Florida for the last twenty one years, Luna is a self-published author and the Director of Hardcastle Enterprises Corp., a business she created to help people realize the full potential that they have within themselves.  The oldest of five kids from a single mother, Luna learned early that life may not seem fair but hard work and dedication will get you to where you want to go. Daily in her work she strives for excellence using those early lessons to reinforce her spirit and those around her when times get tough. Her first novel Men Are Not The Problem is a heartfelt story of overcoming adversity and finding the love within which can conquer all wounds. The success and theme behind this novel inspired her to write the second literary novel/ journal Love, Laugh and Live with Passion, a mixture of short stories and activities whose sole purpose is to teach people the steps that she took to overcome the misfortunes that she has experienced. It features twenty-two weeks of exercises and factual tales from Luna’s life. Along with writing, Luna spends her time speaking to the youth and raising two daughters together with her husband. Oana: What is the importance of the family in your life? Luna: My faith and my family are the two most important things to me.  In my life I have been tested, I have been challenged...

 Interview with Imani Wisdom Author, Entrepreneur, Blogger Imani Wisdom has been writing since the tender age of eight as a young lyricist. Later her love for words blossomed to short stories and to what she loves doing to this date, storytelling. Born to a public school teacher and a manufacturer for the local paper, Imani is the mother to two adult sons and a teenage daughter. At 41, she understands making her way in the literary world will have its obstacles. Yet she’s willing to give her all. “So far, I was living the perfect life, and it felt so good and peaceful to live in a remote area on the outskirts of town. Suddenly, in 2006, Tulla Springs drastically changed its color landscape. Once it was primarily a white area where we ran all the city offices, school boards, and businesses, but now the town is full of Coloreds. There’s a colored sheriff, deputy mayor, school superintendent. There are even a few so-called black-owned businesses. I mean, the whole thing made me sick! Why I remembered years ago before that Civil Rights Movement, Coloreds knew how to stay in their place. It was simple. They kept to themselves and we whites kept to ours.”                                                                        (Excerpt from Zion’s Road by Imani Wisdom) Oana: What is the importance of the family in your life? Imani: As a single parent to two boys and a girl, I didn’t realize until a few years ago what family meant to me. So much so...