From A Writer's POV
Voted Magazine of the Year by AAMBC Literary Awards

Inspiration as a writer, comes from all over the place. When talking with Recha, she told me who inspires her to write. She began the interview saying, “My first novel 'Mystery of a Woman' was inspired by a collection of poetry I penned in 1996.  After several unsuccessful attempts to get the poetry published I decided to write a novel and include excerpts of poetry.”

Recha has been writing since she was five. She smiles as I ask how long she’s been writing, then continues to say, “Since the age of five I've been pretending to write and sign autographs.  My love for the spoken word began in church as I recited the work of others.  Two poems in particular that come to mind are William Herbert Brewster's ' I'm Determined To Be Somebody Someday' and Maya Angelou's  'Still I Rise'.  Having to recite their work only sparked my creativity and prompted me to write my own.”

Being an author is a tough job. I know I am a published author and it’s not easy. It takes a lot of support from others. Recha tells me about her support system. “My support system consists of a son and daughter, family and friends.  Each of them has played a special part in my career as an author.  During crunch time my children encourage me with smiles, kisses on the cheek or a simple 'Mom it's going to be fine'.  'Phenomemonal' is the only word I can think of to describe my family and friends.”

The name of Recha’s book is “Table for Three” Recha gave us the details on this book and how it came about. “Table For Three' is a fiction novel that explores the lives of three women with three very different personalities and three lifestyles. You may ask when did their paths cross and how did they manage to become best friends?

Shiquanna Alize Jenkins, A.K.A. Fantasia is an exotic dancer, performs at a local gentleman’s club but prefers private audiences. She has no morals, is alcohol dependant and curses like a sailor.

Yvonne Miller, Certified Public Accountant never married and has no children. She’s a devout Christian waiting on God to deliver her soul mate who she believes to be her minister.

India Rasheed, the earthy spiritualist of the trio, is a full-time student who finally declared a major after ten years. Her self-appointed purpose in life other than persistent unemployment is to make a global impact by spiritually awakening lost souls.

Is Shiquanna happy showcasing her body to pay the rent? Despite hours of Bible study and prayer does Yvonne really have a dark side? Is India as spiritually grounded as she portrays? Other than a weekly girl's night out what is the tie that has bound three apparently different women together as friends for so many years?”

Recha also tells us how she developed her characters and where the story came from. “Developing the characters for 'Table for Three' seemed easy as we all can relate to at least one of them.  'Table for Three' explores the relationship between three girlfriends.  It's real in the fact that no one person knows everything about us only what we choose to reveal about ourselves.”

So what’s next for the author? “I'm very excited about being a contributing author to 'Bedtime Stories 3' an erotic anthology being released in July 2010 by Hollygrove Publishing. “

Recha gives a little advice to other upcoming authors. “Being successful in the business shouldn't be measured by your financial gain but by the lives you touch.  Many people have this false perception that you write a book and overnight you're a millionaire!  Hmmm...?  Well that isn't my testimony.  For me writing is a passion.  I'd rather write than eat a meal.  Now that's serious.”

Yes! Very serious! I asked Recha one more important question. How do you separate being a writer from being you?  She responded, “We never separate...at times I suppress Recha the author/creator but we never separate.”

From A Writer's POV wishes Recha much success with her book!

About the book:

Table For Three' is a fiction novel that explores the lives of three women with three very different personalities and three lifestyles. You may ask when did their paths cross and how did they manage to become best friends?

Shiquanna Alize Jenkins, A.K.A. Fantasia is an exotic dancer, performs at a local gentleman’s club but prefers private audiences. She has no morals, is alcohol dependant and curses like a sailor.

Yvonne Miller, Certified Public Accountant never married and has no children. She’s a devout Christian waiting on God to deliver her soul mate who she believes to be her minister.

India Rasheed, the earthy spiritualist of the trio, is a full-time student who finally declared a major after ten years. Her self-appointed purpose in life other than persistent unemployment is to make a global impact by spiritually awakening lost souls.

Is Shiquanna happy showcasing her body to pay the rent? Despite hours of Bible study and prayer does Yvonne really have a dark side? Is India as spiritually grounded as she portrays? Other than a weekly girl's night out what is the tie that has bound three apparently different women together as friends for so many years?

About the Author:  At the age of five, the gift of a Barbie Doll typewriter from a family friend sparked Recha’s interest in the written word. For hours she’d sit in front of her toy typewriter and peck away occasionally stopping to greet the public and sign autographs. Throughout her childhood and early adulthood she held on to her dream even though career choices lead her in a different direction. In 1996, The Mystery of a Woman was born and manifested as a small collection of poetry. To no avail, and many rejection letters later they were never published. Recha didn’t stop there and asked herself what would make her poetry unique. During a moment of meditation the answer was clear, a novel. In 1997, the collection of poetry became the premise of her first novel. Just like so many aspiring authors she worked tirelessly then packed it all away.

In 2003, the unfortunate news of a job closing inspired Recha to 'think outside of the box.' So she did just that.. With the encouragement and support of two children she unpacked her storage box and breathed new life into her project. Her steps were ordered as God allowed her to make contact with Kimberly Matthews of Kissed Publications, who tirelessly assisted her through several edits finally seeing it through to completion. The rest is a ‘Mystery’.
Recha wants all of her readers to know with God’s divine guidance dreams do come true. So remember the three P’s prayer, persistence and patience. 

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Comments(2):

1. The 3 P's

   This article truly inspired me. I don't have a support system of family & friends tagging me w/encouragement in my writing endeavors; however I do have divine inspiration. God is the source which I rely on daily. I also need the input of others who have already accomplished that which I am striving toward (slowly-but-surely). I am an only child & am rather use to being a self motivator; although at times it can be trying. I wish continued success to all the authors on this network. God bless y'all & thanks for sharing!

   Monday, November 02, 2009 LADY

2. Loved the interview

   Great interview and gifted lady. I would love to feature you, Recha, on my radio show, Sol Searching, www.blogtalkradio.com/Sol-Searching. I feature authors on Thursday nites at 8pm (CST). Please contact me, info@cmbvirtualassistants.com, if you are interested. Thanks!

   Thursday, November 19, 2009 Pamela