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

Hi Jahquel, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I wanted something by us, for us. Meaning African American romance novels that are written for us. I love black love, and creating a subscription box geared toward African American readers was the goal, and important to me. Growing up, there weren’t many things that were for people that looked like me. There are plenty of subscription boxes, however, I don’t see any that celebrate black romance the way Treat Yo Shelf Box does. Not to mention, I saw so many subscription boxes for hair, plants and everything under the sun. Yet, I never saw one for the literary community, especially the black community. I’m not saying there aren’t any, however, I’ve never seen it, so I decided to create one.

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 thing that I’m most proud about when it comes to my writing, is that I write what I want. I never let anyone tell me how to write my story. My art is my own, and I’m able to create worlds and people who have never existed, however, I make you feel like they’re a long lost cousin you have just met. Getting to where I am now wasn’t easy. I’ve overcome many struggles by taking time to get my mental right. You’re no good if you’re not taking time to deal with your mental health. Being around my family and feeling love has helped me overcome some of my challenges. I want the world to know that I’m just a girl who came from the projects, and made a way to follow a dream I didn’t think was even possible for people like me. Treat Yo Shelf Box was created during one of my darkest times. I was battling depression and didn’t know what was next for me. Writing usually pulled me out of my darkest moments, but that didn’t even work. I had sat on this idea and many others for months before I stopped stalling and decided to launch the company. I truly believe Treat Yo Shelf Box helped me get through my dark time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a introvert and home body by nature, so it’s rare that I get out and enjoy restaurants. But, some of my favorite places to eat around Atlanta are:
– Red Crawfish – I love their seafood and they have the best wings.
-The Diner – Their breakfast is so good, and if you want that real diner feel breakfast, this is the perfect place to eat.
– The Tavern – It’s inside Phipps plaza, but their turkey burger is the best I’ve ever had. It’s so juicy, huge and reasonable priced.
-JJ’s fish and chicken – It’s a togo spot, but I love to grab food from there. Their fish is soo good!
– Sugar factory

As far as things to do:
-Coca Cola world
-Phipps Plaza and Lennox Square
-Mall of Georgia
-The outlets – they have some great outlets here in Georgia.
-The humans body museum

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to all of my readers. Every single last one of them. They hold me down like no other, and they’re my tribe. We each pour into each other, and we’re a blended family. They’ve been riding for me since 2014, and I appreciate every single one of them. Thank you, Jah Tribe!

Website: www.treatyoshelfbox.com
Instagram: Jahquel_
Twitter: Author_Jahquel
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JahquelJacobs
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCio8JlIb2PdIvbdCGubknHw