Author’s Bio: Michelle Morgan
Spady, writer of diverse genres, collaborates most of her writing projects with
her twenty-two year old son, Bradford. He is an artist and visual storyteller. Michelle
has worked in corporate America, taught English, Business and Computer
Technology in schools, and has owned and operated her own state licensed
childcare center. To date, she has written and co-authored four self-published books
and one comic book. The titles include: An
Artist and His Obsession, 7 Days 2
Tell, ShoozyQ and the AB Crew in Bully on the Playground
and her debut novella, Enough was Never
Enough. Newly released is Kiana S.M.A.R.T. for Class President. Michelle
and her son are Principals of B’Artful LLC. B’Artful is a company that
offers book signings, workshops, and classes to empower, inspire, and promote
emerging and seasoned authors and visual artists.
Michelle
is featured in the 2015 release of LEGENDARY LOCALS OF MCLEAN by Carole
Herrick, and penned two reflections in THE SIDS SURVIVAL GUIDE by Joani
Horchler.
What inspired you to write your book?
Actually,
the inspiration came from my own life, and my personal declaration to become more
transparent, and truthful about myself and my past.
Is there any particular author or book
that influenced you in any way either growing up or
as an adult?
As
an adult, I have always admired and loved the writings of Terry McMillan. Her
female
protagonists
are always relatable. Being an English major, I was privileged to have had the
opportunity
to experience many great authors and stories.
Is this your first book? How long did it
take to start and finish your book?
Enough
Was Never Enough was my first “adult” book as I refer to it. The story line
didn’t
take
long to write, because the main character Jade has always resided in me, and it
was very
easy
to develop her personal profile. Possibly four months total.
Do you write with an outline, or just
let it flow organically?
Depends,
I probably should; however, I do frame the story, not necessarily a formal
outline
per
se. Many times when I think of a story, I visualize the beginning, middle and
end before I
even
start the first draft. Often times I craft the beginning and ending and then
work the
middle.
Do you listen to music when you write?
If yes, is there a theme song for this book?
Yes,
sometimes I do like to listen to jazz, or as I call it ‘music with no words’.
Most often
though,
I work better in silence. I like to hear my thoughts.
What are the keys to success in getting
your book out to the public?
Word
of mouth and public events. I find that I market better face-t-to face. I like
talking to
people
about my books; describing the characters, talking about the plot, getting them
excited
about
wanting to read them.
What advice would you give to new
authors?
If
you’ve always wanted to write and publish you should do so. Just know your
strengths and
weaknesses
throughout the project, and be smart enough to solicit the support of others so
that
your project will be successful. Writing is an art. Everyone has a story.
Fedrico Fellini
once
said, “Art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster’s autobiography-what is
yours?”
How about sharing an excerpt from Enough
Was Never Enough?
The
Donda woman motioned me to take a seat next to a twenty-something-year-old tapping
away on an iPad. The clicking sound of the keypad was irritating and
distracting. I
took the lead, but I clearly wasn’t in control.
Clearing
her throat before speaking, Jade looked over at me, as composed as possible and
said, “Lynn, this is my PR team. You’ve met Donda who is a crisis manager. She, well,
we have come up with a plan to fix the mess you’ve gotten me into –”
“Let’s
not rehash old business, Ms. Baxter,” interrupted Donda, which was good, because
I didn’t like Jade’s tone.
She
continued, “My team and I have come up with a solution to, um, heal this
problem. Ms.
Baxter will be launching a new business model and motivational brand based on authenticity,
accepting and telling our truths. In fact, the new brand is titled, ‘Own Your Truth’.
Today’s event was perfect for that launch in that she, well, you introduced the most
important aspect of the brand, and that is Ms. Baxter owning her own truth and sharing
it with her beloved international audience. So thank you for making it easier
for us.”
Did this Olivia Pope wannabe just thank me and smile at me in a nice nasty way?
I positioned
my body in Jade’s direction, waiting for her to chime in, but she was busy
sending
out text messages. She wasn’t paying attention.
“Well,
you’re welcome, Donda. Glad to do my part, I think. So, when did you come up with
this new ‘brand’?” Inquiring minds needed to know, even if the plan worked for
me.
“It
doesn’t matter. What matters is that you will not be implicated or associated
with today’s,
ahem, activities,” Donda replied to my query.
That’s
all I needed to hear. “Great. If you good people don’t mind, this is where I
make my
exit. Jade, I’m sorry for what I’ve done, glad it works for you, and I’m out.”
Donda
stood up to meet me face-to-face as I tried to bolt for the door.
“Not
so fast, Ms. Baxter. Please have a seat.” I backed up and sat back down, never
taking my eyes off her. That’s when Jade stopped texting and looked at me with
a huge grin on her face. The
entire PR team scooted to the edge of their seats and leaned in towards me. It made
me feel like I was going to have to fight. Donda extended her body in my
direction and
spoke in a low tone.
“There’s
a condition to you not being implicated, Ms. Baxter. You will have to seek psychiatric
care, which we’ve already arranged.”
“I’m
sorry. Psychiatric care? Why?”
“You
don’t think what you did to your sister was normal, do you? It was not normal.
After all,
who without provocation tries to sabotage a reputation without consequence?
Who, after all, tries
to impersonate their own twin sister with the objective to do some type of
harm? Please don’t
answer. Your sister is willing to take the blame for something you did, which
was against the law, by the way. That said; you will receive the psychiatric
counseling to avoid her pressing charges
and exposing you publicly.”
I
looked around the room, which was spinning in my head. It never occurred to me
that my
own sister thought I was crazy. I admit that what I’d done was nutsy, but I’m
not crazy.
“No. I won’t do it,” rolled out of my mouth.
“That’s
fine, Ms. Baxter. You don’t have to do it. Just be warned that the minute you
leave here, we will contact the authorities. That trick you pulled today will
cost you much, and you have more to lose than your sister.”
I
turned to Jade, pleading, “You can’t let this happen to me. Tell them to stop.”
What’s next for you?
I
am working on the second book in the “Own Your Truth” series. It is my plan to
release two
more books for 2016 and offer writing and publishing classes in our art/writing
studio.
Where can readers find out more about
you and your book(s)?
•
Twitter: @msspady
It’s
been a pleasure having you here with us today. I know my readers will enjoy
getting to know you and your work.
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