We recently connected with NEENA LOVE and have shared our conversation below.

NEENA, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I love to read. I have always loved reading. As a child, my teachers always gave me supplemental reading materials that I would devour in the same day that I received them. All of the stories I read featured characters that lived in far off places with lifestyles that were so foreign to me. Aside from the overall theme of the book, it was usually difficult for me to identify with the character’s lifestyle. When I moved into my teen years, book selection opened up and I found myself drawn to the work of Maya Angelou. Again, the characters lived foreign lifestyles in far away places.

As a Pacific Island woman who grew up in Hawaii, I recognized early on that if I wanted a book that featured characters like me then I had to write it or assist writers in publishing their work. Thus, the mission behind 2Feet Productions is to change the narrative in the world.

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 background and context?

I started doing research on self-publishing so that I would be able to publish my own work. I did not want to put the time and effort into submitting my writing to conventional publishers. I also did not want the accompanying emotional roller-coaster. While doing the research, an acquaintance on social media, that I had never met in person, posted five pages of a manuscript he was working on. On a whim, I private messaged him and told him that I would love to be his editor and help get his work published. I offered my services for free. He would just pay for the fees required to publish. This seemed like a win-win since I would be able to put into practice the research I had done on self-publishing. That was how 2Feet Productions started. That author and I are working on his third book right now.

The mission of 2Feet Productions is to change the narrative in the world. I help writers get their work edited and published. It starts with a manuscript. We go through three edits, book cover design, ebook, copyright and then on to publishing. We leave the sales and marketing to the author. Once we complete the project, the author retains all rights to their work. The copyright belongs to the author.

I am a very hands-on editor. I don’t sugarcoat anything while still being able to coach a writer into being more confident about their work. I help writers polish their work while still preserving their unique voice and writing style.

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

When I got divorced, I lost everything. It could have been the story of my slow demise into alcoholism. For months I indulged in too much wine and way too many cigarettes. And then one day, I decided that my life was valuable and though I lost most of my material possessions, I had not lost my soul. In fact, the divorce actually revealed the real me. Who I was throughout that marriage was whoever he wanted me to be or whatever I thought he wanted me to be. Throughout that marriage, I lived in resentment that I was not living the life I dreamed of. Instead, I lived to support his dreams and desires. When my ex-husband and I parted ways, he told me that one day I would thank him for the divorce. At the time his statement felt like he had stabbed me in the heart then twisted the blade. Today, six years later, I can say that he was right. I am so grateful he left.

In his absence, I have learned to listen to my inner voice. Life seemed easy when I was married because I didn’t have to think. I followed his lead and subdued any parts of me that led away from his lead. But that was the coward’s way, in my opinion. That was my way of hiding under a rock and just existing. Since the divorce, I truly am living life on purpose! I started 2Feet Productions and am doing what I love, which is to read and write.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have been working full-time since I graduated from high school. Decades of consistent work for someone else. Recently, I had to make a choice in my “career”. The employer proposed I move to another position, which would be a promotion. However, I would not be able to work remotely and I would be required to supervise employees. There was no option to stay in the position that I was in. The choice was clear to me that I should leave. And I did. I bet the entire house on me and my ability to succeed at building 2Feet Productions, full-time.

Contact Info:

• Website: 2feetpro.com
• Instagram: loveneenalove
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• Tiktok: @loveneenalove