For would-be writers everywhere, bestselling author Shelia Goss is an incredible role model. She has managed to do what so many writers have dreamed about doing but never had the courage or confidence or whatever it is required to get it done in this tough industry. Her story is so inspiring, and I was honored for the opportunity to interview her about her writing and her life.
But before we get to that interview, let’s go back to time before her nine bestselling Women’s Lit and Young Adult novels were written, long before the awards and accolades. Let’s go back to the early 2000’s when Shelia was working for a Fortune 500 company, back when Shelia, who’d earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, was as far removed from the creative writing world as anyone could possibly be.
Like many would-be writers, Shelia always had a passion for writing but was on an ambitious career path in the corporate world and had put aside this passion to focus on her career. Little did she know that her company had different plans, plans to downsize, plans for the future which didn’t include her. Shelia, like so many Americans in today’s economy, was laid-off and forced to face the difficult prospect of unemployment.
For many, this free time is a dangerous force, one that could easily give fear and anxiety the foothold they need to upgrade worry into desperateness and despair. But not for Shelia. For Shelia, this was an opportunity, a chance to pursue her true passion and create the kind of career everyone dreams about.
Shelia finished her first novel. She attended writing conferences and workshops and the response was great. She made connections and broke her way into the publishing industry and was on her way to a new successful career.
But it wasn’t easy and success didn’t come overnight. In fact, Shelia was writing to an audience that was largely ignored by the publishing world and the mainstream media: young Black Americans. In this 2005 article from the New York Times, we learn how Shelia and a handful of other African-American writers, without the support of the publishing industry, were penning popular books for an audience that could no longer be ignored.
Since then, Shelia has written nine award-winning, bestselling books for both young adults (The Lipstick Chronicles) and adults alike (Women in Hollywood). Her latest book from her Women’s fiction series is Hollywood Deception, a fun and sexy romance/mystery about a former model and Emmy-winning talk show host whose challenging love life becomes even more challenging thanks to a psychotic stalker.
Hollywood Deception by Shelia Goss is available on Amazon and on Shelia’s website where you can learn more about her life and her work.
I had the great opportunity to interview Shelia Goss. Please take a few more minutes and read the revealing interview at Frank Mundo’s LA Books Examiner.
Frank Mundo is the author of The Brubury Tales (foreword by Carolyn See)
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Best friends Darren Jackson and Jamie Jenks are struggling to become a famous 15-year-old magic duo. The only problem: their tricks always fail, and they sadly lay claim to being the worst magicians ever. But that’s about to change when a trip to a thrift shop leads them to a mysterious force which turns Jamie into a real magician. What follows are the hilarious and magical adventures of Jackson and Jenks, Master Magicians, a book your pre-teens and teens will really enjoy.
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