We were lucky to catch up with Justin Marlowe recently and have shared our conversation below.

Justin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

For years, I had wanted to tell my story of growing up as an African American within multiple suburban environments. My situation had been exacerbated by the fact that the parents of my peers were proverbial casualties of the “Civil Rights” era. And we, as children, were collateral damage from their experiences. My trials and tribulations were rarely rooted in macroaggressions, but minute moments that built and became more than the sum of their parts. But I could only tell my story. It was integral for me to include elements of friendship, interpersonal relations, family, and seminal pop culture moments, as I thought they would be easily relatable to readers. So, during the spring of 2023, I just started writing my story, from as far back as I could remember. I didn’t mention everything that came to mind, but wanted each piece of the puzzle to be strategically placed. I really had no idea what I was doing, as writing with the intent to be professionally published was completely novel to me. In addition, I knew almost nothing about the world of literary publishing. But I persisted, and over the ensuing months was able to draft a solid manuscript. Once it was close to completion, I decided to lean on social media (mainly instagram and facebook) to promote and share excerpts from my story. Eventually, some of my posts caught the attention of a publisher from The Empowered Press. At that point, we forged a relationship which enabled me to move forward with editing, cover art design, formatting, etc. And before I knew it, a finished product was coming to fruition. The entire process culminated in my memoir, “Perfect Strangers: Echoes of a Black Suburban Youth,” being published and released to the public on August 27, 2024. Since then, I’ve been doing my best at marketing, promotion, and utilizing my abilities as a public speaker to share my work with anyone who’s been interested in listening.

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

Well, I’m a rising author who currently lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia. After embarking on a career as a writer, I’ve been fortunate enough to have my memoir, “Perfect Strangers: Echoes of a Black Suburban Youth,” published, as well as five of my poems; one within the World Poetry Collective’s, “Poets of a New Generation” compilation, two within the BIPOC centered Literary magazine, “Alma Lit,” and finally two with the UK’s, “The Lost Letter Project.” I continue to make strides with the recent completion of my black sci-fi novella, “The Overlord,” and a few other fictional projects I’m working on. I’m extremely proud of each literary endeavor, as each piece serves a purpose in its own unique manner with respect to my stylistic approach. While building a solid portfolio of published work is never easy in such a competitive industry, I feel as though I’m on a fast track toward success and notoriety. In addition to my success as an author, I’ve been successfully delving into the world of podcasting which had aided in my process toward detailed artistic branding.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Initially, after getting close to completing my manuscript for, “Perfect Strangers,” I reached out to a few traditional publishers to see if I could garner any interest on my own, without an agent. While I didn’t pursue the acquisition of an agent, I was rejected by most of the publishers, as they felt a memoir wasn’t a good idea to release at the start of my journey as a professional writer. I probably could have continued my search, and been published by a larger company, but something inside of me wanted my memoir to be released on a very specific timeline. In addition, I also wanted to work with a trusted and reputable company. Lucky for me, I was able to find that with The Empowered Press.
I would say the process has been a bit similar as I try and find a publishing home for my upcoming novella. It will never be easy, but I’m committed to maintaining a solid level of perseverance throughout my journey. I really don’t think I’ll ever be content.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My primary goals in terms of my creative journey are centered around branding and building a portfolio of impactful published work. I greatly believe in my skills as a writer and am very intent on spreading my craft with the world. By journeying into the world of micro-nonfiction poetry, as well as continually working on fictional pieces, my progress has been surprisingly swift. I just want it to continue on the right trajectory. I’m also considering writing a “part 2” to, “Perfect Strangers,” in the future. I’ll have to see how everything comes together, but it’s just a small brick within the possible building blocks toward a successful career in this business.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jmarlowewrites/

Image Credits

Mary Kenyon and Shelby Bartolucci