Meet: Shana Prince!

4/19/2017

Introduce yourself and profession to our readers: I am Shana Prince, the author of Giovanni's Baby--a contemporary romance novel. I am also a poet who teaches high school students by day. I grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and I recently moved to the West Coast with my husband, Maurice.
What inspired you to pursue this area of interest? I love to tell stories. I am also a natural born educator. The stories I tell are often teaching tools that encourage readers to question, to challenge, to feel and to think. Any time I can get readers to engage in that kind of experience through poetry or prose, then I have done my job as a storyteller.

What advice would you share with those interested in a similar pursuit? Get started. Everyone has a story to tell, however everyone is not brave enough to tell it. I have been writing in different genres since age twelve, and I am just now publishing my first novel. I was so caught up with the idea of everything being perfect that I allowed an entire decade and a half to pass before I began to share my stories. It was not until I decided to start, imperfections and all, that my current project had a chance to see publication. What I had to realize is that everything can be revised and perfected over time, but I needed to start so that there could be something to revise. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting started. Your dreams will begin to make themselves real once you do.
Discuss a professional challenge and how you overcame it: A professional challenge that I have to overcome daily is imposter syndrome. I face this challenge in my daytime career as an educator as well as in my pursuit of being a published author. There is an ever present, perpetual feeling of inadequacy that often paralyzes my ability to get things done in both areas. In order to overcome that mental block and become productive, I constantly have to remind myself that I am highly qualified to serve in both professions and that my skills will continue to be more than adequate because I have dedicated myself to the study of the art and craft of writing and teaching.
What is next for your brand/business in 2017? The remainder of 2017 will consist of the publication of more books—poetry collections and possibly another romance novel toward the end of the year.
How can readers connect with you online and through social media? Readers can connect with me on Instagram @giovannisbabyauthor and Facebook @shanaprinceauthor. In order to get updates on upcoming events and release dates, readers can also subscribe to my email list by visiting www.giovannisbabyauthor.com.