We had the good fortune of connecting with Monique Washington and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Monique, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
Although I have been a writer for many years, I have only been published author close to 4 years. One of the major lessons I have learned in this industry is producing a quality product. I had written and published 14+ books, but the quality was not A-1. It took someone very close to me to say,” hey sis, you have a lot of errors, in your books”. I immediately removed them and begin editing, revamping, and sought out a publishing company. Sometimes, we rush in excitement to release our products, that we do not give them our full attention it deserves. I’ve since then implemented new methods of proofing my work and using valuable resources to better serve my target audience.

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.
The books I write are to inspire, challenge and deliver people from a place of brokenness. In my books you will,laugh, cry probably get upset …hahaha. Those are things we all experience outside of reading books. I’ve been blessed to travel and be on numerous platforms. It’s a great opportunity to share your gift with the world. However, oftentimes we get caught up in the fame and fortune and forget our purpose as writers/creatives. All the glitz and glam fades, the money, awards, and other achievements are temporary. The impact we have on our target audience is powerful. Once we realize our work’s purpose then we as creatives/artists can fulfill our assignment. Did I get discouraged? Of course. Did I want to quit? Oh, most definitely! However, I had to revamp my products, quality over quantity is what sells. You can have an A-1 packaged product; if it is full of grammatical errors, typos, spacing issues, etc., who will market it? Your personality will only take you but so far. I did not get recognized for my literary creativity until 2019. I won my first literary award as an author this year (2021). But my goal isn’t to win prizes; it’s to change someone’s life for the better. How did I get to be on television, radio/podcasts, and winning awards? God’s favor, faith, hard work, networking, mentors, and discipline. I wrote my first book by blogging. I was in the backseat of The Williams Family car (Universal Love & Life Church) after getting out of the hospital the day prior.

Makeda Brome had written an article on education, and I was trying to reply to her post. I created an account, responded to her post, and started my blog. Six months later, I received a phone call from Charissa T (author), a self-published author in Alabama, that it was time for me to birth my book. She walked me through the process, and two months later, ” Kingdom Mindset, Kingdom Thinking” was published. My dream of being a published author became a reality. My book was in ” Barnes & Noble!! This woman from the “projects” of Savannah, GA, the death of her mom, foster home, etc., has a book in one of the most renowned bookstores in the world! If God did it for me, He can and will do it for someone else. It is not easy writing a novel, memoir, collection of poetry, devotional, or blog. Everyone isn’t a writer or author, but whatever it is you are called to do, go for it. Your art, music, fashion style, makeup line, perfume, hair, car business may not be for the masses, but it is for someone. I had to learn that, and I am still learning. In the words of my Godbrother Pring,” be a sponge soak up all you can,” my modification to it is to squeeze out the junk and leave the good part.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love history and the outdoors. We would go to the Bamboo Forest, Kennesaw Mountain Trail, and Piedmont Park to start. Stepping outside of the box, we’d go kayaking ( Etowah River Park), indoor skydiving (Ifly), Gravity Ropes (Main Event), and to the Krog Street Tunnel. To catch live plays and be part of live television recordings-we’d visit the Good Acting Studio in Marietta, Georgia. Because my friends and family love to eat, three of my favorite places to eat are Mrs. Mary Mack, the Real Subs Cafe, and Provino’s Italian restaurant. Some would say I don’t have a sense of humor; I do, which is why we’d go to Suite Food Lounge & Oak Comedy Lounge -catch some local favorites and celebs. ( Sean P, Comedian Marvin, Hot Topic, Rodney Perry, to name a few) Of course, you can’t come to Atlanta and not go shopping!! You would think I’d say the malls nope! I like boutiques …hidden gem stores. We’d be in Blue Ridge! Now, I told yall I loved history, right? So the things we’d do are participate in the Civil Rights Tour and the Children’s Museum. We can’t stop there! Oh no, Sunday morning church service (World Shakers) and brunch at Atlanta Breakfast Club.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people I can shoutout to! First and foremost, I thank Jesus Christ for blessing me with the gift of writing. I thank my family and close friends, supporters for buying my books, inspiring, correcting, and challenging me. This shout-out goes to Samuel Miracle Brown (Karen) and Soldiers’ Girls Inc., and to whoever recommended me, I greatly appreciate you.

Website: www.writingwithmow.godaddy.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/writingwithmow

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mowtheauthor

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Qh7WvyzyFKztGSQWEAPnw

Image Credits
Images of Jeremiah P., Leanora R. Samantha O. ,Shay S., Joyce W. Terrell J. and Loretta N.

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