Saturday, February 16, 2013

Writers4Higher features Olivia deBelle Byrd



Welcome to Writers4Higher


The purpose of the Writers4Higher blog: to feature authors in a new light, a fresh look at the way writers use their talents and life energies to uplift humankind. Writers4Higher doesn’t promote religious or political views. Authors are asked to answer three simple questions: simple, yet complex.


This issue, Writers4Higher features

Olivia deBelle Byrd



Hi, Olivia. Welcome to the Writers4Higher family!




1. Tell me about yourself. Your book(s), your life, your inspiration.


I was born and bred in Panama City, Florida, on the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Panhandle. My grandfather, Wyatt Oates Byrd, moved to Panama City in 1930 from Alabama so I would be called Old South. I graduated from Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, am a former elementary school teacher, and was a stay-at-home mom for my two children, Tommy Jr. and Elizabeth. My husband, Tommy, and I still reside in Panama City.

Miss Hildreth Wore Brown-Anecdotes of a Southern Belle is my first book. It contains 41 humorous satirical anecdotes of a romp through Southern life. I like to call it real-life fiction as all the people, places, and events are real, but like all good Southern stories exaggeration and embellishment have been added.

The stories are punctuated with everyday mishaps that Southerners seem to have a knack for turning into entertainment. Because they are actual occurrences, the reader is drawn into the warmth and familiarity of the characters and their stories. The characters who dance across the pages range from Great-Aunt Lottie Mae, who is as "old-fashioned and opinionated as the day is long" to Mrs. Brewton, with her turban and dark sunglasses, who calls everyone "dahling" whether they are darling or not. Miss Hildreth was honored to win the 2011 Florida Publishers Association Awards for Florida Fiction for Adults and Cover Design.

In writing this first book, Miss Hildreth Wore Brown, I wrote what I knew-humor and the South. Since I was raised by a Southern father and grandmother of uncommon wit, the fabric of my childhood was laced with humor. I grew up surrounded by marvelous tales of Southern grande dames and eccentric Southern gentlemen. Humor was a staple in our household. I have loved the art of storytelling as long as I can remember. When I finally put pen to paper, the stories poured forth as though an age-old tap had been discovered and turned on. I loved the gush of warm and euphoric remembrances and seeing those memories transposed into the written word.

Lives have many forks in the road, but becoming a published author was a U-turn in mine. The world of publishing has taken me down many new paths. My readers have been my inspiration. They have made the lost sleep, uncertainty, and long hours’ worth it all. I have made new friends and renewed old friendships. I have found family I never knew existed. Every time a reader tells me they laughed at my words, my soul smiles. I have been in love with the written word as long as I can remember and to use it to bring pleasure to others is the greatest pleasure of all.

2. Where do you see your writing taking you in the future?


My next book is a novel-a sweet, sweet love story. Taking place in the South in the 1960s and '70s against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, it is the love story of Elisabeth Belle Sterling and Kincaid Patterson who search deep within their souls to save each other through their love and devotion. I like to say it is for the love story in all of us.


3. How do you use your talents/time to help others?


My belief system revolves around the Golden Rule-do unto others as you would have them do unto you and love your brother as yourself. My life has been immensely blessed and I believe we are put on this earth to help others who may be struggling or who may not have been as fortunate.

Being a third generation Panama-citian, I am very ensconced in various charities in our community such as the Boys and Girls Club and Early Learning Coalition. On a more personal level, every Christmas my daughter and I adopt a struggling family and supply them with Christmas gifts. We continue to do this even though my daughter is now married and living away. This act always turns out to be a blessing for me and adds value to my life.







Would you like to find Olivia?

Check out the links to this talented author:










Be sure to visit the Writers4Higher Market! We have gear for the writer in you.

Rhett DeVane
Fiction with a Southern Twist




Saturday, February 2, 2013

Writer4Higher features Liltera Williams


Welcome to Writers4Higher

 

 

The purpose of the Writers4Higher blog: to feature authors in a new light, a fresh look at the way writers use their talents and life energies to uplift humankind. Writers4Higher doesn’t promote religious or political views. Authors are asked to answer three simple questions: simple, yet complex.

 

 

This issue, Writers4Higher features
 
Liltera Williams
 
 
 

 

Hi, Liltera. Welcome to the Writers4Higher family!
 
 

1. Tell me about yourself. Your book(s), your life, your inspiration.

I fell in love with writing at age 12 and married it at 18. It literally saved my life. Growing up surrounded by an outpour of negativity caused me to search for an outlet that offered the security of hope. Words became my umbrella. I’ve been on my #WriterGrind since graduating from The Florida State University in December of 2008. After completing 2 internships as an Editorial Intern and PR Intern, respectively, I was able to establish myself as a distinguished Freelance Writer in Jacksonville, FL. I currently maintain Contributing Writing efforts for EU Jacksonville Newspaper, The Ponte Vedra Recorder and The First Coast Register. I established my own freelance writing, proofreading and editing company, iWrite4orU, on August 4, 2011 and decided to embark on a full writing excursion at the beginning of 2012. With a mission to complete my first novel, Dearly Beloved S.I.S.T.A.S by year’s end, I was also inspired to publish my collection of poetry, Amateur Thoughts, on 12-12-12, which is currently available for purchase on my official website.

2. Where do you see your writing taking you in the future?

I have sparked a Live YOUR Dream movement that aims to inspire everyone to discover their purpose. This movement serves as my platform for delivering my overall message of overcoming hardships and keeping the faith long enough to receive a major blessing. I currently work full-time as an SEO Copywriter, while continuing to juggle freelance writing responsibilities, managing the tasks of assisting various clients, and focusing on the development and promotion of personal writing projects. My ultimate goal is to become a Bestselling Author by age 30.

3. How do you use your talents/time to help others?

I desire to inspire my readers and supporters on a daily basis by offering words of encouragement through personal experiences, poetic recollections and direct messages. My #WriterGrind: a strategic quest to accomplish various writing objectives while striving to conquer the demands of authorship, is a never-ending dream. Planning is my biggest obsession, but I don’t plan to wake up any time soon.
 

 

 

Would you like to find Liltera?

 

Check out the links to this talented author:
 
 



Twitter: @iWrite4orU_LRW

Instagram: iWrite4orU_LRW



Be sure to visit the Writers4Higher Market! We have gear for the writer in you.


 

Rhett DeVane

Fiction with a Southern Twist




 

 

 

 

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