Book: You
Q1. Hello Ma’am, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
Hello!! Yes, my name is Bria, often times I will go by Bria Unique, that is actually my middle name- a lot of people think of it as a stage name, but it’s not. I am a book junky! I enjoy books! I always said I want to have a library in my house, so I just go out and buy so many books at a time. It excites me to see a bookshelf full of books. I’m a fake vegan, lol. I can go months without eating meat then boom one day I’m ordering chicken nuggets and cheesesteaks.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘You’ book?
Key challenges that I faced… I actually didn’t have any. The process was really easy. I wrote the book. I didn’t really care to have it edited. I have my BA in English, so I just felt I didn’t need an editor and plus, it’s a children’s book. It’s very short. As long as my words were spelt correctly, that was all I needed. I actually feel challenges now though- between working with the same illustrator, working with a completely new illustrator where the characters will be completely different, and also my main scare is publishing a poetry book.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
Books and authors that inspired me the most- I love love loveeee Maya Angelou. I can read her poetry or even watch her reciting poetry or just talking about life in general on a weekly basis. I literally would have her playing all the time. I listen to her on a regular. I can’t even lie, I actually was also inspired by Dr. Seuss. That was another reason I didn’t care to have an editor. When I think about children’s books, words are always made up or exaggerated in the stories.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
I love nature! Being outside is really my go to. I enjoy being by water the most, preferably surrounded by trees, I’m not much of a beach person.
Q5. Is there lots to do before you drive in and start writing a book?
It’s not. I try not to force myself to write. I rather it just naturally come and I will be like, hmm this is a good time to write. I take a lot of notes though, in my phone. Like if I am not in a writing mood or have something else going on and ideas come to me, I will quickly jot it down and when I am free to work on a project, it all just comes to me. I can go days without writing and I am actually okay with that because when I do write, I end up either writing more than one story in a day or I am writing something every day back to back.
Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘You’ book?
Honestly, it took me a day. What is really crazy though, is how quickly I got to work on having it illustrated and published. There was literally no time of me procrastinating. I wrote the book, found the illustrator, did the research on who to publish with and once the illustrator sent me the final file, I literally uploaded it the same day. I even advertised it, before I had a hardcopy myself. I look back at that now like, wow that was crazy, other people had my book before I even had it!
Q7. On what all platforms readers can find ‘You’ book to buy?
As of right now, it is only on Amazon. I do have a few copies myself that I can of course sign and mail out. I am working towards setting up a website so I will be mailing them out myself. The website is actually created it is just not live yet, because I am still working on it.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘You’?
The story behind the title. The book itself, I had someone in mind when writing this book. But I definitely can relate to it. Needing the affirmation and assurance, both as a child and now. I decided the cover with the teacher hugging the little girl, because I just felt that was a great picture to use. Holding her close, giving her warm feels, eye contact, I wanted to show the self-love. Fun fact about the characters- I actually submitted pictures of myself for the illustrator to use as a reference. When I seen the sketches though, I didn’t feel they actually looked like me, so that is why I made the melanin different shades, but overall, I love how they turned out. So honestly, it is like me, at the age of 26, talking to myself, at the age of 5, or whatever age I was in the picture I used.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
How do I keep things fresh… my goal is to keep the stories in a way where anyone can relate to them at any time. Decades from now, anyone will be able to pick up my book and be like hmmm… I can relate to that. The Leave a Smile poem, is a poem that I will include in all of my children’s book and the goal is to really have that poem be worldwide well known. That is what I see for the poem and the stories as well. A hundred years from now I want all of these stories, well everything that I have written be popular, relevant, and a discussion in classrooms, homes and even theaters! This is me leaving a legacy, this is my purpose.
Book Is Available On Amazon
Sassy Reviews 