How does an author determine whether she wants to write a novel in first or third person? For award-winning and New York Times bestselling author, Sajidah “S. K.” Ali, who mostly writes about Muslim protagonists, it’s about humanization, especially if the books are about identity. “What I find is that when I’m writing a character that’s not been seen often in publishing and on shelves… I choose first-person a … Read the rest
Interview With “Frazzled” Series Author & Illustrator Booki Vivat!
The advice Booki Vivat, author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling series, Frazzled, has for other authors and illustrators is to not discredit their creative work. “… Doodling, I totally dismissed it as not being creative,” she tells So Booking Cool. “I grew up writing fanfiction, and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s not writing, that’s not really writing.’ But it is. And all of these things people … Read the rest
Interview With “The Prison Within” Director Katherin Hervey and Cinematographer & Subject Troy Williams!
The new award-winning documentary, The Prison Within, asks viewers to change what they think they know about incarcerated people. In the gripping film, narrated by Hill Harper, survivors of brutal crime and prisoners gather to share their respective untreated trauma by participating in the Victim Offender Education Group (VOEG). The group is described as a restorative justice program that helps incarcerated individuals understand and gain insight into the underlying … Read the rest
Interview With Brown Kids Read Founder & Executive Director Ssanyu Lukoma!
A lesson that 15-year-old entrepreneur, storyteller, performer, and podcaster, Ssanyu Lukoma, has embraced amid the journey of her nonprofit organization, Brown Kids Read Inc., is that the worst thing someone can say is ‘no.’ “Whenever I want to ask people to help support Brown Kids Read or I want to ask people to get people involved in this contest or do something, I always think that it’s best to … Read the rest
Interview With TheBlackShoppingNetworks.com Founder & Author Janice McLean DeLoatch! (PART 1)
Award-winning entrepreneur and TheBlackShoppingNetworks.com founder, radio host, journalist, and author, Janice McLean DeLoatch, recalls how a hole in her Nylon stockings led to one of her first companies, Pantyhose Vending Machines. DeLoatch, who had a full-time job in addition to her fashion shows and event-planning businesses, was on her way to a job interview when the material of her pantyhose deteriorated. At that point, she had to decide if … Read the rest