Meet Narell Hunt | Publisher & Author

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

Hi Narell, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
We all know the saying, “With no risk comes no reward”. Writing for me was a hobby; I grew up journaling and the only time I wrote a short story was for one of my creative writing classes. The teachers who looked over my work encouraged me to take on writing as a career, but the thought of putting myself and work out into the public frightened me. It wasn’t until I had nowhere to turn but my writing that I knew I had to take a chance on myself.

The first time I was forced to take a risk during my writing journey was when I had to submit my work to professional editors, allowing them to enter my imagination. I still remember the anxiety I felt. I had thoughts of them laughing and finding ways to steal it (yes, I’m dramatic), but I had to remember what the editors felt shouldn’t matter, rather, how I felt about my work was the only thing that mattered. I had to take the risk of putting my writing out there, so I could get the necessary feedback to make it better, and that feedback was the reward.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The first piece of art I wrote and published was in 2020, and it was a fiction novel, inspired by the battle between good and evil titled, “Just My Imagination”. In the piece, my characters go through traumatic experiences, some lose their way, allowing greed, envy, bitterness, and hurt to control them and their actions, but no matter how far they go from their greatest selves, there’s always a way for them to return. The second book I wrote and published is a poetry novel released this year, 2022, titled, “Father, May I”.

I love poetry, Maya Angelou being my favorite poet, inspired me to write poetry of my own. “Father, May I” is a collection of poems and letters I wrote to God, to myself, and messages I learned along the way for my readers. Not only am I an artist, but what sets me apart is that I started my own company so that I may have full ownership over my work. Starting Lilac Sky Publishing allowed me to understand the business side of running a company, and copyright and trademark laws that I hope to one day also write about to help artists like myself so that they don’t fall victim to being taken advantage of. What excites me most about what I do is holding the finished product of my book. There’s so much that goes into writing and publishing, so holding that official copy in my hand, makes me proud. However, getting to where I’m at today took a lot of doors closing on me, but I knew that when one door closes, it only means another one is opening, so I give my success to keeping a positive mindset and remaining faithful to my course. Nevertheless, staying positive during a time of distress is not easy, but I had to know that there was a greater calling for me; I still believe that. One of the biggest lessons I learned along the way is to stay on the course and that’s with everything you do. If you’re passionate about something, keep going. Yes, there will be roadblocks and deterrents, but nothing worth having comes easy. I was a young girl who was brought up in the roughest conditions, but with Faith and determination, you will certainly find your purpose and even with the success I’ve had, I’m still on the journey of finding mine.

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?
My friend and I must go tubing down the Chattahoochee River. It would be a must that we did that. The following day, we would then go to the Georgia Aquarium and the Civil Rights Museum. To eat, we would go to Milk & Honey for brunch and Pappadeaux for dinner. We must also make time for the spa. Poetry night at Apache is something we must also attend along with a night at a comedy show. Our trip would be spontaneous including all the things I’ve mentioned, but there are no specific dates for these amazing activities, we would only go with the flow.

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?
I must dedicate my shoutout to my mother; she has been my number one supporter throughout my writing career. She has always been there encouraging me to do what I love and that is the true way to success.

Website: www.lilacskyllc.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilacskyllc_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/narell-hunt-798472204/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/narell.hunt.77