Tell me about yourself! How old are you, and where are you from?
I was born in St. Ann, Jamaica, and lived for a period of time with my maternal grandmother and aunt. I migrated to New York at the age of nine with my mother and we settled in Laurelton, Queens NY with family. I still live in Queens, I am 38 years old, single and I work full time in the human services field.
Give us a summary of your book!
Reflections of a Queen Rising is a memoir of some of my experiences, written in the form of poetry. In the first section, In Honor of love, I share about the loss I experienced as a child and reflections about family. In the second section, To Love and Conquer, I share my experiences with dating, breakups, disappointment and hope. In the last section, Cheers to Power and Love, I share perspectives on my growth as a woman, how I embraced my gifts and deciding to love myself first. Reflections of a Queen Rising mirrors a woman who is no longer afraid to write, it mirrors a woman who has transformed her thinking, and it mirrors a woman who is always seeking to discover her highest potential. My hope is that anyone who reads my book, they are inspired to believe in themselves, take risks and discover their own potential.
What inspired you to write this book?
Growing up I wrote a number of poems, but I never thought about publishing a book until I was in my early thirties. In the summer of 2016, while sitting on my sofa I realized that what I wanted to do was write. A year of two prior to this day in summer of 2016, I realized there were stories I wanted to tell, specifically my experience with dating. However, fear was a main factor. Despite the thoughts that lingered, “who would read it?” and questioning whether I was a good writer, I persisted and shared my first blog post on September 21, 2016. I didn’t know how it would look and I didn’t care if I was going to be successful, I just wanted to share my story. A year later I self-published my first poetry book, Reflections of a Queen Rising, which is available on Amazon.
If you could pick one song to describe this book, what would it be?
Don’t know if I have a specific song, but if I had to choose maybe it would be, “I’m Every Woman” by Whitney Houston
Have you written any fiction novels as well? If not, would you and what genre?
I am currently working on my first fictional novel. It would be a mixture of tragedy, family and suspense.
What are two of your favorite books? Least favorite?
One of the books that helped to shift my perspective was written by Valarie Burton titled, “Successful Women Think Differently”. The second book I would pick is, “The Five Love Languages” for Singles by Gary Chapman.
Do you have any other hobbies, or businesses that you would like to share?
Yes, I will be looking into photography as a business.
Do you have any upcoming book specials/giveaways or events?
I will be selling copies of my book at the Queens Book Fair on July 13th at the Harvest Room located at 90-40 160th St, Jamaica, NY 11432.
How can readers keep up with you? Post your social media usernames!
IG: @bucklewithjo
Website: www.bucklewithjo.com
Email: motivateinspirescreate@gmail.com
Anything else you would like to share?
If you would like to collaborate or be featured on my page, feel free to contact me.
Check out her book, available on amazon! https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Queen-Rising-Jody-Ann-Buckle/dp/1544799322
Visit the submissions page to book your feature!