Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shalonda Rawls. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shalonda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
The mission I have is to bring joy and escape to all who read my work. Let’s face it; vacations aren’t taken as often as they should and often times people tend to get so caught up in life that they rarely take time for themselves. I want to provide an affordable escape from day to day living for all. My inspiration came from not being able to get away from and escape to.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am Sugar, a laid back fiction author from Columbia Mississippi. I am a lover of stories from all walks of life. Gratefully, my community and my family have been a great source of inspiration. I got into writing after reading so many books that I wanted to give back what was given to me. After failure comes success and I was finally able to get to a point in my writing where it felt right. So now that I’m published I do my best to help other aspiring authors to get to that same point through book coaching. I believe that with a little belief and a lot of work you can get where you should be; where you belong. I am most proud that I allowed my personal development to influence my work. I do write from my imagination mostly but to include experience as well has been a game changer; a source of therapy if you will. I have always been fascinated by the language of storytelling; the connection of words and emotion. It has a way of touching the soul and uplifting the spirit; not to mention educating the mind. To be able to contribute to such an art has been one of the biggest achievements in my life.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
We as creatives are always thinking. The brain never shuts off. We don’t mean to ignore you or make you feel as though your concerns are not valid. We just tend to be slightly absent minded in conversation because the imagination has kicked in and we can’t control it. On behalf of all creatives to the non-creative friends/family, we are sorry and we are thankful for your tolerance.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn that having multiple personalities was a horrible thing. Sugar the author is completely different from Shalonda the person and that’s okay. Sugar is a longwinded, drama queen with anger management issues. Shalonda is hard working and sweet with the tendency to become a doormat. I had to learn to not suppress one or the other. They co-exist and have become co-dependent to make me a whole person.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Scott Video & Photography LLC