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It’s A Book Thing Presents: An Interview with Christina and Edward Sledge, authors of The Story of Christina and I

Author’s Bio: Married couple of twenty-two years, Edward and Christina Sledge wrote and published their debut memoir, The Story of Christina and I. The high school sweethearts met in Brooklyn, NY. Their romance was predestined from the start. Their memoir is about triumph over tragedy with both persevering to became first generation high school and college graduates. They went on to both obtain graduate degrees while also raising a family.

 

Edward and Christina founded their company, Sledge House Media, a cross platform media company in 2021 to publish their own books and to share diverse and compelling content highlighting relationships, unique perspectives and experiences through films, and TV Series. Collectively, they have published five books and one short film together with many more on the way.

 

Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you to write your book?


Christina and Edward Sledge: After enrolling in a family relationship course in graduate school, Edward wanted to continue to connect the dots regarding his family history. In order for him to tell his story, he needed to include Christina. He convinced her to co-write a memoir about their love story.

 

DL: What do you think makes a good story?

C&ES: A good story is compelling, relatable and a page turner. 

DL: What were some of the challenges when writing this book?

C&ES: We needed to negotiate what we wanted to share by narrowing down the major moments in our lives. It was not an easy task because we had to pour over four decades of our history. 

DL: What tips would you give to aspiring writers?

C&ES: Stay opened minded, do your research, take a break if needed, obtain a professional editor, and always have fun. 

DL: What do you like to do when you are not writing?

C&ES: Spending time with each other, watching movies and TV shows. We also like to experience new things and places. 

DL: What are three things you can’t live without?

C&ES: 1. Cell Phones, 2. Relationships/Connections with other people, and 3. Laughter. 

DL: If you had to describe yourselves in three words, what would they be?

C&ES: 1. Dynamic, 2. Resilient, and 3. Creative.  

DL: Would you like to share an excerpt from The Story of Christina and I?

C&ES: Absolutely! 

“We decided after getting married that we were in this marriage together and we wanted to honor our wedding vows, especially since we married each other three separate times. We renewed our wedding vows twice, once at fifteen years and again at twenty years. Each time served as recommitment celebrations for those big milestones. We don't live in drama or negativity. Do we have disagreements and arguments? Yes, we do. It took us years to learn how to communicate with each other during an argument, so we didn't regret our words. We now pick our battles wisely. If we find the argument isn't worth it, we just drop it. Other times there are screaming matches, but they are now few and far between. We much rather love on each other than fight with each other. We also don't let arguments fester. We much rather tackle it and move on. We decided to focus our energy on our children and our goals. From year one until year twenty-one, we set short term and long-term goals for ourselves every year. Whether it was another degree, writing this book, a new endeavor, a 5K race, a new job, vacation, or losing weight. We made it our focus to accomplish our goals. We knew that setting our intention for our lives together would provide us with a roadmap for success. Not only do we set goals, but we also set forth a plan of action to accomplish our goals.” 

 

DL: What new projects are you currently working on?

C&ES: We just released our latest book in April, Andre’s Confessions and we are in post-production of a short film scheduled for release in the next few months. We also have our fifth book scheduled for release in early November. 

DL: Where can readers learn more about you and purchase your book(s)?


C&ES: Readers can get more information here:

DL: Thanks so much for being here with us today. I know my readers will enjoy getting to know you and your work. 

C&ES: Thanks for having us! 





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