I Write Because…
At an early age I was a voracious reader. My love for reading was fueled by authors like James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, Mark Twain, and many others. My passion for reading kindled my affection for writing. I loved to create short stories, to express my feelings. Eventually, I discovered that I could craft short stories to resolve and address some of the issues that I encountered. As a young child I was not familiar with journaling and reflective writing, but I stumbled upon and honed a skill that I have embraced over the years. I write to connect with readers, as I want them to reflect, to laugh, cry, and empathize with others. It is my hope that the characters in my novels will invite the reader to look at things from an unfamiliar perspective. My desire is to use fictional characters to help shine a light on disparities that still exist in areas such as housing, healthcare, physical/mental health, and education. It is my hope that after the reader has peered through the microscope and sees the unjust systems put in place to maintain the status quo they are moved to do something! I yearn for the day that we realize that we are more alike than we are different. It is time that we step off the sidelines and develop succinct dialog with cogent solutions that will help create a more level playing field for people in underserved communities.