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

Shameka, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

As a Christian Publisher, we assist authors and aspiring authors birth what the Lord has placed within them to share with the world. Our motto is, “We are called to help others reach the world the “write” way-one testimony, one inspiring story at a time!” Whether it is through sharing their testimonies or just encouraging stories in general, we are here to assist with birthing those books. The main goal is to show others that God is real and faithful to His promises. We just have to trust Him and stand on His word.

What prompted the start of my business is that on October 6th, 2020, God gave me the name of the publishing company during prayer. I wasn’t able to actually start it up until 2 years later and here we are. I don’t take this assignment lightly because I know it’s bigger than me and I know it can be a vehicle that drives others to Christ. So I make sure I do as the Lord has called me to do without adding or taking away from it.

As an author, I point others back to the God Himself, hoping they will receive a revelation of how much He loves each of us. What I share in my books are personal experiences that highlight how God has been present in every situation and circumstance that I have had to face. I really enjoy sharing my experiences with the intent of encouraging others to continue to trust God in whatever they are facing!

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

I was born and raised in Mississippi, hailing from a town called Kilmichael. I am a small town girl with big time dreams! I am the mother to an amazing 13-year-old son who is my pride and joy. I call him my miracle baby due to him being born a preemie. I am also the guardian of my 17-year-old sister who I consider to be my first baby as my parents allowed me the opportunity to name her.

As a little girl I felt different from others and I struggled with actually being my authentic self! There was this picture that I painted in my head of what I should look like and how I should act. I was very quiet and shy and I lacked confidence in myself so escaping to the pages of my notebooks and journals became an outlet for me. I continued doing that for years not knowing it would lead to some of my words being published.

I love hearing others’ testimonies of how they received Christ and what actually led them to surrender to Him. I thought that if those stories encouraged me, they would surely encourage others. I began taking on volunteer writing assignments just to be able to share my stories with others and to also glean from theirs. With that passion within me, I prayed and asked God how I could be used by Him in that capacity and He revealed to me through some of my friends and leaders what He had in mind. I received the name of the publishing company and started making notes here and there of what I needed to do to get it up and running. But at that time, I wasn’t able to start it but I didn’t forget about it.

The publishing company is titled Called to Write Publishing & Consulting. Not only will I be publishing the works God has given to me to birth but I will be publishing the works of other authors and aspiring authors. I offer different package plans to fit the visions of my clients. The basic services consist of editing, custom cover design, publish on Amazon and formatting & layout design. I also offer ghostwriting services for those who do not have the time to actually write their stories.

I am honored that God has provided me with an avenue where I can print many books for His glory. A couple of things I would like to point out about the business is that our services are affordable and we do offer payment plans and it is also Christian based. So in all that we write brings honor and glory to God. I am so excited about what God is doing and how His word will be spread to others all across the world.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

There are times when the enemy comes in and whispers many things that I know are seeds of discouragement. I have had to stop sharing certain information with some and just allow them to see it for themselves. I have had to really trust God to help me carry out His vision for the business because there are some people who may think it should be ran a different way. But I can only do as God has shown me.

Even when I don’t get leads or any sales, I remind myself of my target audience and that this business is not for everyone. So in the meantime, I continue to work behind the scenes and I trust God to do what only He can do!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I lived in Georgia for 7 years. I was led to move back to Mississippi after filing for divorce in June 2021. It was a major transition for me but I know had I not moved back, this business may not have been started at the time that it did. So even in that transition, I knew God had a plan and I just had to continue trusting Him.

Being back in Mississippi, I can truly say God is restoring everything I lost! I am so grateful!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecalledtowrite.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/called2write ; www.instagram.com/redeemed_restored
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/called2write ; www.facebook.com/shameka.nicole.332

Image Credits
Caroline Beffa Photography