Many of us at some point have looked back on some of our early work and cringed (or simply uttered something along the lines of, “I’ve come a long way!”) Author of several novels including the starred-reviewed Tyler Johnson Was Here and critically acclaimed anthologies (Black Enough and Hungry Hearts), Jay Coles, explained why he thinks his first few books are bad. Instead of being authentic in … Read the rest
Interview With Speaker & “Unoffendable” Author Ryan Leak!
With his book, Unoffendable: No Offense. None Taken, executive coach, speaker, author, podcaster, and viral documentary-maker (The Surprise Wedding), Ryan Leak, seeks to help people change the way they handle an offense, and ultimately, not stay offended. He references author Brené Brown’s ‘generosity hypothesis’, which encourages the offended to consider the most generous assumption for something one did or said. “Because all of us are Christopher … Read the rest
Q&A Industry Spotlight: Patrick “PC” Sweeney of EveryLibrary!
As we all know, COVID-19 has vastly impacted the world, including libraries. We recently chatted with Patrick “PC” Sweeney, the political director of EveryLibrary, a non-profit companion organization that commits to securing public and political support for library funding. Sweeney, a recipient of Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers award and the 40 Under 40 award by the American Association of Political Consultants, has raised more than $1.7 billion … Read the rest
Q&A Author Spotlight: Tõnya Lewis Taylor!
Recently, we caught up with Tõnya Lewis Taylor, New York-based Billboard chart-topping artist, co-founder, CEO and executive director of the award-winning Entertainers 4 Education Alliance – I WILL GRADUATE Youth Development Program, philanthropist, and author of the upcoming book, Be You, Not Her: Becoming the Woman You Were Created to Be. The former Roc-A-Fella Records executive discusses how the Coronavirus pandemic has affected her both professionally and personally, women … Read the rest
Interview With “Stand Up, Yumi Chung!” Author Jessica Kim!
The adage: ‘if you love something let it go and if it comes back to you, it’s yours’ fits Stand Up, Yumi Chung! (March 17, 2020, Kokila) novelist, Jessica Kim. Before becoming a debut critically acclaimed published author, Kim had quit writing at one point. When she was a youth, in addition to comedy, she enjoyed writing, but didn’t foresee it as a profession, at least not as a … Read the rest
Interview With “Your Anxiety Beast and You” Author Dr. Eric Goodman!
When asked if there were any memorable moments while writing his second book, Your Anxiety Beast and You: A Compassionate Guide to Living in an Increasingly Anxious World illustrated by Louise Gardner (May 26, 2020, Exisle Publishing), clinical psychologist and anxiety disorders and OCD specialist, Dr. Eric Goodman, Ph.D, reveals he suffered an illness. “I signed the contract to write the book and was very excited to write it … Read the rest
Interview With “The Ravine” Author and Filmmaker Robert Pascuzzi!
Author, entrepreneur, executive, speaker, and film producer, Robert Pascuzzi, has always been a student of personal development, and that has not changed in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic. “We’re gonna move out of this and the question is, what have you learned from this whole thing?” The Ravine novelist and filmmaker tells So Booking Cool. “Because hopefully this has been a time for everybody to do some … Read the rest
Interview With “Black Boy, Black Boy” Author Crown Shepherd!
For some of us, books are more than words on a page; they do more than tell stories. When emerging author and entrepreneur, Crown Shepherd, aka Crown the Writer, found black authors, her writing soared. Her love for reading and writing, which had gone dormant for about ten years, was resurrected thanks to Octavia Butler and Jesmyn Ward, who is among the black authors of Shepherd’s book club … Read the rest
Interview With Fine Artist & Illustrator Charly Palmer!
Fine artist of 35 years, Charly Palmer, does not believe he has yet created a masterpiece, and that is what drives him. His work has been both privately and publicly commissioned by many including the 1996 Olympics; McDonald’s Corporation; Coca Cola Company; the Green Bay Packers; Maya Angelou’s estate before being auctioned by Swann Gallery; and universities (i.e., Howard, Fisk, and Vanderbilt). In 2018, he was awarded with the … Read the rest
Interview With “Trust the Grind” Author Jeremy Bhandari!
Author and previous ESPN sports content researcher, Jeremy Bhandari, wants to inspire youth with his debut book, Trust the Grind: How World-Class Athletes Got To The Top (Mango Publishing, April 14, 2020), an Amazon Teen and Young Adult Sports multi-category bestseller since its launch. The intention was to create a successful-habit template for children no matter their career path. He also wants young people to understand the importance of … Read the rest