Hello Aisha, and welcome to All the Buzz!  It is a pleasure to spotlight you. Thank You So much for this opportunity and I pray your continued success in all of your endeavors.

First, tell me about Secret Wounds and Hidden Pain? Secret Wounds and Hidden Pain is a novel about four women; Charlene; a church-going woman who is married to an adulterous preacher, Denise; an exotic dancer who eventually finds out her ‘best customer’ holds the title of her rapist, Michelle; the wife of an abusive, jobless, porn addict, and Katrina; a successful businesswoman who secretly has abortions to maintain her status. All of them lead totally different lives while unknowingly wearing the same mask. Each woman believes no one else can see or feel what she is going through, but will individually find out that the painful wounds she is experiencing are deep enough to be seen and felt by the world.

Thousands of books are published each year.  What sets Secret Wounds and Hidden Pain apart from these other books? I believe what sets Secret Wounds… apart from the other books available besides it being a Christian Fiction novel, is the fact that it tells an inspirational story leaving the readers with a renewed sense of being; because to me, it’s not just okay to have a reader enjoy my work but rather they enjoy it and walk away having gained something from it. It is my belief that one should always leave the state of a situation, person, place, or thing, better than when they found it.

Did you find it hard to create a unique voice in an industry where most stories read the same? In one sense, yes, and in another, no. Yes; because no matter how effervescent one’s voice is, it takes sufficient funds or knowing somebody that knows somebody or even both; and every new author may not have such commodities. No; because a unique voice is just that-UNIQUE! And nobody can take that away from you, but you must make sure that your uniqueness is truly authentic. Now what you do to get that voice heard is another story all together and leads us back to having the means to market ‘your unique voice.’

What is the significance of this story? It is an obvious and well-known fact that we, as a people, tend to hide behind the masked and painful walls of life as if no one can see or feel what we are going through. In the case of Secret Wounds and Hidden Pain; the message I want the readers to grasp is that same fact, that we all at one point in time, wear and have worn masks of fear to cover our ‘open wounds’ brought on by life. But in order to be healed we must be willing to remove the mask-like band-aid, so the air of life can act as a healer and ‘SWAHP’(swap) the wounds for scars of remembrance, so one may be able to give God praise for all He’s done.

When you’re writing, what comes first – plot, characters, or setting? Actually, in most cases, they all come to me at the same time because my writings stem from real life events.

When you’re not busy writing, what do you do to relax? (LOL) Relax? Well if that were possible, I would probably just lay anywhere in peace. But to answer your question, when I am not writing, I am first a mother of 2 girls, a salon owner and operator, a personal trainer (who needs personal training), and am In the process of marketing my patented hair product to stores, etc. So relax…Who does that? LOL

How much of you is portrayed in Secret Wounds and Hidden Pain? I can honestly say a minute portion of each character has some ‘me’ in it because it will always be easier to write from a first person stand point than any other. However, each character I write about is never from a particular person as a whole but rather a combination of individuals.

What has the response been so far to this novel? I have been overwhelmed with nothing but positive responses and reviews. The only negative thing said (if it is negative), is the fact that it is a thick book! (LOL)

What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer? The most rewarding thing for me as a writer is the responses like: “Your book changed my life!” “How did you know I was going through that?” Have you been eavesdropping on my life?” Etc. But the best has always been and will always be the tearful, “Thank You’s.”

Please tell readers how they can find out more about you and your books. Everyone can always find info about me and my books on my site: www.eborya.com

Thank you again for allowing me to spotlight you on All the Buzz!  I wish you continued success in all that you do!

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About the author

A. Life… is a mother, author, poet, and entrepreneur.

Among the many hats she wears such as, ‘Author-preneur’, Life has

always loved to write and began at a young age; having had work

published as early as the eighth grade. Her love for writing goes

beyond just putting pen to paper. It is a part of her make-up. To her,

it is life. And having gone through life’s many struggles, A. Life…

chooses to display in her work, characters of triumph. She considers

her works not to be ones that push Christianity but words that flow

from the mouth of a pen written by an author who is Christian.

About the book

Secret Wounds and Hidden pain is a novel about four women;

Charlene; a church-going woman who is married to an adulterous

preacher, Denise; an exotic dancer who eventually finds out her

‘best customer’ holds the title of her rapist, Michelle; the wife

of an abusive, jobless, porn addict, and Katrina; a successful

businesswoman who secretly has abortions to maintain her status. All

of them lead totally different lives while unknowingly wearing the

same mask. Each woman believes no one else can see or feel what she is

going through, but will individually find out that the painful wounds

she is experiencing are deep enough to be seen and felt by the world.