Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lesley Nolasco. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lesley , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?
While I was an investigator for Crimes Against Children, I learned the importance of building rapport and mutual respect. As a civil investigator, you’re armed with nothing but a plastic badge, a laptop, and a state-issued cell phone. We enter homes and situations that law enforcement typically responds to fully armed and with protective gear. As an investigator, my priority was ensuring child safety, relying on nothing but my words to keep me safe. This demonstrated to me just how powerful words can be. By treating others with respect, even in the face of atrocious crimes, I was able to keep myself and all the children on my caseload safe. I’ve always carried a deep love and respect for spoken and written words, and I believe this made my career change inevitable.
Lesley , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Lesley Nolasco on social media I am known as @in.librislibertas. I am a book influencer and author personal assistant. I took the leap and joined the book influencer world after having died during child birth. I turned to books and reading to help me cope. This eventually turned to collecting special, signed, and first editions. I amassed a collection and had very few people to share it with so I started doing so on social media. This quickly lead me to joining content creator teams that eventually led me to becoming an author personal assistant. As an author personal assistant you help authors launch new book releases. By helping balance their calendars, planning out content, and running their hype team. Additionally I’m able to help secure book signing events, book conventions, and anything the author needs to offload to be able to focus on writing and editing. I come in with a full launch plan to ensure my authors have the most successful book launch, and continue to grow their social media presence simultaneously.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My mission is to foster community and normalize mental health discussions, specifically in the book world. I also aim to highlight diversity not only in authors but also in the characters depicted in books. As a person of color, seeing representation of POC, different hair types, body types, mental health, and LGBTQ identities is extremely important. I use my platform to promote not just indie authors but also underrepresented communities in literature.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I was fortunate enough to meet a group of powerful gals—Julie T. and Bri Cardenas. We began FaceTiming and supporting each other beyond social media. They became my sisters in spirit; I confided in them about the hardships that shaped me. I was met with understanding and endless support. We decided to create a community that would foster the same support on a larger scale. We co-founded a book club and Discord channel, Read Between the Wines, that allows cosplayers, authors, artists, and influencers to get to know each other beyond the romanticized posts on their feeds. Collaborating with so many amazing people has continued to open doors I never expected to reach as a micro-influencer. Knowing you have a community that supports you makes it so much easier to put yourself out there on social media. To those looking to take the chance, I would say: be friendly, treat others with mutual respect, and Canva is really a great tool for creating a beginner’s branding package!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/in.librislibertas?igsh=MXF5cjA4Ym9jeGtxYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@In.librislibertas
Image Credits
Christine Schumann