Author’s Bio: Dominique is a self-help book author, poet, and blogger from Newtown, Virginia. She enjoys spending time with loved ones, traveling, and reading. Her goal is to enlighten, comfort, and motivate individuals all over the world to pursue their dreams in order to live a life of maximum value. She focuses on providing awareness on life traps and a perspective on how to conquer them. To get to know her more and follow her motivational quotes, connect with her on social media. “We are given everything we need to fulfill our purpose, so why not pursue it? When we operate outside of our purpose, we cheat ourselves and the difference we are to make in the lives of others.”
DL: What inspired you to write your book?
DF: You Can is my first book. One day I was feeling very emotional and down. All I could think about was all the things going wrong in my life. They were all things out of fear, I wasn’t able to talk about. I was writing a poem about all of those feelings and what made me feel that way and it hit me that I had everything I needed to not only overcome what’s going wrong in my life but the fears that were holding me back from acting on them. That’s when I knew I needed to write a book on overcoming fears.
DL: Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?
DF: I will have to say that Maya Angelou is the author that has greatly influenced me as a woman growing up. My mind could be in 100 different places but hearing her voice or even reading a truth from her would pull me closer to who I am and give me peace. She was the best at what she did and she embraced that. I always looked up to her for that reason.
DL: Is this your first book? How long did it take to start and finish your book?
DF: You Can is my first book. It took me about a month to fully write it. I knew what I wanted to write but didn’t quite know how to organize it or even sit down to begin the process. I was writing a section every day until it was finished.
DL: Do you write with an outline, or just let it flow organically?
DF: Once I figured out that I needed organization, I did my research and came across a successful blogger and book author, Stefan Pylarios. I basically took his advice and used an outline as well as some important facts that I wanted to add as I went along. Other than that I just wrote straight off the dome. Lol
DL: Do you listen to music when you write? If yes, is there a theme song for this book?
DF: I don’t listen to music while I write. I do listen to it before and after I accomplish a chapter. It hypes me up to write. Afterwards, I like to do a celebration dance. Eeeyy. I do have a theme song for the book. It’s Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me.” Just kidding. I don’t have a theme song for this book. However, one song I like to listen to that motivates me to keep pushing forward especially when I need motivation to turn my fear into fuel is the song “Closer” by Goapele.
DL: What are the keys to success in getting your book out to the public?
DF: Believing in myself and taking action. Remaining positive and true to myself knocks out any fear or doubt from getting the book out to the public.
DL: What advice would you give to new authors?
DF: Believe in yourself! Dismiss doubt and use your pain and fear as fuel to keep moving towards your goal. Don’t be a perfectionist. Only be true to who you are. People will be more acceptable to your work when you are relatable and human. Also, research the 5-second rule because writers' block is a real thing!
DL: How about sharing an excerpt from You Can?
Courage needs to be a skill and a habit in your life in all things. A skill is the ability to do something well. A habit is a constant behavior pattern that is second nature. That means you don’t even have to think about it. You know what that means. That means when that ole fear comes at you, you are prepared for it. That means you don’t even have to think twice about it. Your natural reflex is, I know you did-nt! Fear don’t live here! Then the action kicks in and that fear ends up under your feet, ran over with your car and a new piece of your past. I know that’s right. You can do it. It’s already done. That’s how it’s going to be. I see it now. You should have seen me on Election Day. There was a particular person I didn’t want to run into and I won’t say who because I don’t know all the people that are going to read this book. Haha. It’s not on a bad note at all guys. This person was a person of my past. Here comes that ole fear telling me what’s going to happen if I run into this person. Guess what? I drove past that place so fast. Dropped it in 3rd gear and sped up! But I stopped on the side of the road and told myself who cares. That’s my past. I am stronger than this and I need to vote whether I see them or not and I’m wasting time over nothing. So I have to get going. By that time my car was already at 45 mph. I conquered that fear. As I was walking back to my car after voting I was celebrating. GET SOOOME! NEXT! I was saying that in my head though not out loud.
DL: What’s next for you?
DF: I have another book that will be released shortly after You Can. It’s called Encourage Yourself. It focuses on showing people how to create and keep the right state of mind in order to push through life no matter what’s going on. We can only depend on other people but so much especially when it comes down to matters of the mind and heart.
I am also a freelance writer looking to inform more people how to make a living writing online. I will be releasing my blog on that in the next couple of weeks as well as a blog that focuses on mental wellness.
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