Meet Donna Bolden

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

Hi Donna, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have always loved books since a very young age. Reading was always a way to travel the world through reading creative plots. Books are windows to creative thinking and alluring your imagination. I knew writing was my purpose in life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a self-publishing author with three published books under my literary belt. I am currently writing my fourth book. What sets me apart from other writers is my relatability factor. All my characters in my books are relatable. You will say, hey, I know someone like this. Or, this is or could be me. My stories and plots are relatable to real life experiences. I have been writing since I was 7 years old. I started out writing short stories that grew into poetry. Poetry is where my true writing passion lives. Then in 2017 my poems turned into story plots. Being a self-publishing author you face many challenges. You are the sole entity that has to do all the behind the scene work such as editing, formatting, obtaining copyrights and ISBN info, hiring an illustrator, finding a print company to print your books, marketing, networking, and advertising. But I have found that this path has taught me alot about this writing business. I appreciate all my successes and challenges along the way. I want the world to know that I leave my heart and soul on each page that I write.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love history, animals, and nature, so I would defintely take my best friend to the Memphis Zoo, Botanic Gardens, Brooks Museum, Civil Rights Museum, and the Pink Palace Museum. Those are some of our top musuems and places to see plants, amimals, artwork, artifacts, and learn about world history. We would surely go get a round of golf in at Top Golf, and hopefully their visit is during the NBA season so we can go catch a Memphis Grizzlies basketball game at the Fed Ex Forum. Some great places to eat if they want tasty seafood is either Bone Fish Grill, or Coastal Fish where you can eat near the water along with taking in the sights of Shelby Farms. Two great places to get BBQ is Cozy Corner and Central BBQ. Great Brunch spots in Memphis to visit are Staks, Arcade, and Another Broken Egg. We would get cocktails on multiple nights from Porch & Parlor in the Midtown area, Curfew in the downtown area, or at Fire Birds Grill in Collierville.

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?
My readers & followers have become my supportive foundation and are like family. They have followed me from the beginning of my writing journey. That is why I call them my PURPLE PEN PALS. I appreciate all the love, support, and encouragement I get and have gotten.

Website: www.authordonnadeebooks.etsy.com

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