Meet Paula Johnson Neal | Children’s Book Author & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paula Johnson Neal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paula, we’d love to hear more about your end-goal, professionally.
My end-goals are two-fold.  First, to make an impact on more children increasing their love for books and reading grade level. Second, to pass on a Legacy to my family.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I grew up with no or poor representation of black children in storybooks. Around 10 years of age, my parents purchased my first typewriter. I spent many hours at the kitchen table pecking on those keys making up stories. Fast-forward to adulthood, I stopped making up stories to live in reality until the age of 49.  Today, I have two published books titled, I’m Gonna Have A Good Day! and Breathe, Gabby, Breathe! with a third book in the process. It’s surreal knowing I can visit the shelves of bookstores, schools, and any public library in Ohio major cities i.e. Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton, etc. to check out my books. My achievements came to fruition through lots of prayer, networking, and grit!

GRIT is a necessity as an indie Author. I am the publisher, marketer, publicist, and distributor. All begins and ends with me and it’s hard because as a creative I prefer to focus on writing.  What keeps me going is remembering my “why.” I want to ensure black children see themselves represented beautifully in books, and for all children to enjoy!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Columbus, Ohio hosts a lot of diverse  festivals and food trucks. There are some good shopping spots like Tanger Mall Outlet, Easton, and Polaris. You can catch live comedy at the Comedy Store. Cap City Fine Diner & Bar is one of my favorite dining spots.  If you enjoy ziplining and quick jumps, Zip Zone in Worthington Ohio is your spot.  Lastly, downtown you can catch a free or affordable live concert on the lawn of  Columbus Commons.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

YES!  Aside from always having support from my entire family, there are two previous employers that are also responsible for my professional and personal attitude in making an impact in children’s and families lives.

First, THANK YOU to The Neighborhood House, Inc (NHI), now defunct, in Columbus, Ohio for believing and investing early in my professional career. Aside from giving me the room to create award-winning programs, NHI was responsible for my first overseas travel  to Italy to further study and build on my professional craft. The experience was life-altering for a girl from the hood with a very narrow and unchallenged view of the world. Because of NHI’s impact in my life, my personal achievements, self-esteem, strengths, and grit grew.

Second, THANK YOU to the YWCA Columbus for being the first out of the gate to support my first published children’s book. The agency internally and externally recognized my professional and personal hard work on so many levels which resulted in award accolades from BakerHostetler and St. Vincent Family Services. The former accolade is awarded during the month of April to women that persist! The latter accolade was awarded to honor my work in community education.

Website: www.PaulaJohnsonNeal.com

Instagram: @PaulaJohnsonNeal

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulajohnsonneal/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Authorpreneur__

Facebook: @PaulaJohnsonNeal/

Image Credits
Brandyn McElroy