Author’s
Bio: Carlos J. Avent was born to Gloria
and Horace Avent in Baltimore, MD. He’s an alumnus of Baltimore City College
and Morgan State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.
He earned his Master of Science in Higher Education with a certification in
Instructional Design and Technology from Walden University. Carlos resides in
Baltimore, MD with his wife, Kelle’ and their daughter, Lyric.
Carlos’
life as a writer and author include theater script writing, being a
contributing writer for the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools,
Baltimore City College Alumni Newsletter, and a review of the nationally toured
stage play, “A Night in Miami”. Other writing opportunities included being a
featured sports blogger, covering the Baltimore Ravens for Fansided and Fox
Sports in 2015 and 2016. In 2018, Carlos released and self-published his first
book, 10
Extraordinary Lessons from an Ordinary Dad.
DL: What inspired you to write your book?
CJA: I’ve been wanting
to write a book since 2012. For me, it was always about leaving a legacy or
leaving a piece of knowledge like a bread crumb for the next generation to
follow. I had gone through many different ideas before I finally settled on
writing 10
Extraordinary Lessons from an Ordinary Dad.
DL: Describe your writing process? Do you use an outline or
let it flow organically?
CJA: It was definitely
a process. I started with an outline for my chapters, then I cut out the ones
that I didn’t have a substantial amount of content to create a whole chapter or
story. Once I narrowed that down, I began writing. Every week for 2 nights a
week from 11pm-2am and on the weekend practically all day until I was finished.
I started January 1st of 2018 and finished May 17th of
2018.
DL: What do you think makes a good story?
CJA: Storytelling
makes a good story. You have to be able to captivate your audience through
words. You have one shot to engage them and it’s through the words on the
paper. So, you have to write in a way that brings them into your world or the
world that you’re selling/writing about. For me, it was about bringing them
into the relationship between my father and I and then into my mind on how I
processed those conversations as a child and now as a man.
DL: Is there any particular author or book that influenced
you in any way either growing up or as an adult?
CJA: Michael Baisden’s
Men Cry in the
Dark. I read that book my senior year in high school and it was the first
book that caught my attention outside of a children’s book or a school
textbook.
DL: If you were hosting a dinner party which three authors
would be your dream guests?
CJA: Michael Baisden,
Michael Eric Dyson, and President Barack Obama. Their storytelling, cultural
influence and mentorship would be very beneficial to me.
DL: What are the keys to success in marketing your book(s)?
CJA: First, it’s
knowing your audience. I wrote my book for an audience that may or may not seek
out a book on this topic. But I know that there are people and organizations
and schools, and community groups that would want this book to influence a
generation. Second, knowing if your audience are bookworms or want a quick read.
That’s why I made my book as small as I did because I want it to be viewed as a
pocket guide to life. Lastly, talking it up! Be the brand, be the book. Be
synonymous with the book.
DL: What tips would you give to aspiring writers?
CJA: Know that it’s a
process and embrace it. Writing and publishing a book is not a get-rich-quick
scheme despite what some sharks out there may sell you. Writing a book is about
legacy. Be passionate about it from that standpoint and everything else will
follow.
DL: How about sharing an excerpt from 10 Extraordinary
Lessons from an Ordinary Dad?
CJA: Here’s an excerpt
from Lesson #1: “You Only Have One Mother”:
Me: I wish Big Ma was my mother.
Dad: [slight sigh and
empathetic stare] Listen to me, don’t you ever let your mother hear you say
that. Big Ma loves you and I know you love being over there. But no one will
love you like your mother. I don’t care what she does that you don’t like,
you only have one mother… don’t you ever forget that.
I’m
thinking to myself, “now I’ve messed up even more and Mom thinks I hate her
and there’s a whoopin’ in 2.6 seconds! What have I done to myself!?”
To my
surprise, Dad just told me to get up, go upstairs and apologize to my Mom for
not listening to her. Well, he called it disobeying her. Which yeah, it was.
But that just sounds so defiant.
Anyway, I
did it, humbly because this might mean that the whoopin’ was off the table. But
when I got to my Mom in her room, I became overwhelmed with the thought of life
if she weren’t here. That very statement from my father kept playing over and
over again in my head. It gave me a totally different perspective on my
relationship with my mother and that she wasn’t just here to stop my
eight-year-old fun.
I still
didn’t know what the overprotectiveness was about, but I stopped challenging it
that day. I also had a lot of time to reflect on it because Dad took away my
toy chest for a week.
DL: What’s on the horizon for you?
CJA: I’m going to keep
pushing 10 Extraordinary
Lessons. I feel that there’s a next level to it in the form of a mentoring
group or some sort of life skill curriculum. To me it’s more than a book, it’s
a movement. That’s why I created the hashtag, #10XLessons. Along the journey, I
know my next book project will be birthed.
DL: Where can readers learn more about you and your
book(s)?
CJA: They can find more information here:
·
Website: www.carlosjavent.com
·
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=Carlos+J.+Avent&search-alias=books&field-author=Carlos+J.+Avent&sort=relevancerank
·
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mrcarlosj
·
Twitter: @mr_carlosj
·
Blog: www.carlosjavent.com
·
Book Buy Links: https://carlosjavent.com/10xlessons/
OR www.amazon.com
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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