We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ingrid Chapman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ingrid below.

Hi Ingrid , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

My company, First Lady Publishing LLC was started in 2013. At the time Michelle Obama was our first African-American First Lady. There is so much I admire about her such as her career, her role as a mother of two daughters, as am I, and handling her role as First Lady with such grace. I wanted the name of my company to represent quality and class and I think the name of my company does just that.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started writing at a young age. My mom would take me to the library regularly and I enjoyed the stories so much, I began making up ideas of my own. This led to me being accepted into the creative writing program at The School for Creative and Performing Arts school in Cincinnati, OH. There I was able to study vocal music, dance and writing. I was able to develop my craft and the classes exposed me to literature and poetry I may not have read otherwise. I later attended Wright State University where I majored in Motion Picture Production. After college I found myself working a 9-5. There aren’t a lot of opportunities in Cincinnati to utilize my talents but I knew I needed to maintain a creative outlet. I continued to write and come up with stories. I refuse to lose myself to the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
I mostly write on the weekends. I like to think about what I want to write about during the week, jotting down notes on my phone or a Post-It note. This helps eliminate writers block so that when I finally have time to write I can make the most of my time. Even if I hate my first draft at least I have something written to edit or rewrite later. I admit I can be a bit of a perfectionist and have no problem rewriting the story to get it just the way I want it.
My hope is that my readers can lose themselves in the lives of my characters. With so much going on in the world, everyone has their own set of problems. I hope opening up my books allow my readers to escape all of their day to day worries and lose themselves in someone else’s story.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

As a mother of two, I financed this project with the help of a second job. I’ve worked in the medical insurance field for over twenty years. With the cost of living increasing since the pandemic, I took on a second job. I took some of my paycheck to cover the cost of editing, graphic design and printing cost.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of being an author are the reviews. Whether my readers love or hate my stories I always learn something. I allow for a dialogue that helps me understand how they interpret my writing while explaining the inspiration for my stories. It doesn’t matter if they hate or love the books, hearing their perspective only helps me to become a stronger writer.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Ingridmarieonline
• Facebook: Author Ingrid Marie Chapman
• Linkedin: Ingrid Marie Chapman
• Youtube: ingridmarieonline
• Other: TikTok: Ingridmarieonline

Image Credits
Professional pic courtesy of Ezzy Photography LLC Love Without Trust cover designed by Davida Baldwin of Oddball Dsgn. Stronger With Each Tear cover design by Nicole Watts Studio