Ladies and gentlemen I think I found Superwoman….in real life. Kenni York is set out to make a difference in the world everyday and still has dinner on table for her boys at a decent hour. She’s wrote several books, including The Girls, which peaked at #5 on Amazon’s Best Seller list. She teaches creative writing classes to both adults and the youth, facilitates a monthly workshop for underprivileged girls, holds monthly book club meetings, she’s a greeting card writer and contributes to the Examiner under title The Atlanta Marriage Examiner. On top of all of that, she’s an army wife AND is currently working a line of lip gloss. Poppin!! To add the “S” to her cape, she quit her comfortable, government job, not even a year ago, to persue her dreams!! I feel kudos are in order.
OTR: What made you turn your passion into profit?
Kenni York: Honestly, I got tired of getting up every day to go to a job that was starting to eat at my spirit and did not fulfill me. I believe that God gives us the talents he expects us to utilize to do good in the world. The greatest talent he’s given me, my sincerest passion, is writing. I decided to take what I’m passionate about and turn it into my profession. I believe that when you’re passionate about something you’ll work harder at it and you’ll do better at that in the long run verses working a job that doesn’t fulfill you. ‘Doing better’ doesn’t JUST entail making more money either. It”s really about the whole picture. For me, doing what I love has made me a happier, more at ease person which benefits my family and benefits me as well mentally, physically, and emotionally. In addition, by doing what I love I’m in a better position to help and to inspire other people now.
OTR: How do you balance being an author and running Kenni Enterprises?
Kenni York: As anal as it sounds, my life is led by my day planner. I realize that my career, my work, is multifaceted. For some people it may be chaotic, but in order to make sure that each area gets the attention and focus from me that it needs, I have to be sure to sort out my time and tasks accordingly. I set deadlines and goals for myself that are realistic given the confines of my schedule and being sure to not interfere with my role as a wife and mom.
OTR: Do you have a favorite piece you’ve written? Why?
Kenni York: I’ve written several different types and genres of work, but I’d have to say that my favorite work over all is a monologue that I’ve written entitled: I Never Knew My Father. It’s my personal favorite because it tells a part of my story, my history, in a way that’s thought provoking and touching. It also ministers to other people who have endured similar situations. To me, that monologue embodies what I aim to do with my writing: entertain, educate, and enlighten my audience.
OTR: Any advice for military wives and families?
Kenni York: Prior to deployments I suggest that you set goals. My husband and I laid out our financial goals prior to his leaving so that I would know how to manage our household in his absence and be able to prepare for our future upon his return. Additionally, we got the children involved in setting goals to help them cope with their father’s absence. For example, my children have had several tasks to complete upon dad’s return. Also, they count down his return by major events (first day of school, birthdays, holidays, etc), not counting the actual days as that can become depressing. In general, I would advise families to stay busy and have something to focus on so as not to allow yourself too much time to get saddened by your soldier’s absence.
OTR: What gets you in your zone to write?
Kenni York: Usually I’m motivated by the story itself so I’m just ready to jump into the writing when it is my allocated time to write.
OTR: Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?
Kenni York: There are times when I get a little foggy on how I want a scene to go so it may take me some time to pen it to my liking, but I’m pretty fortunate to say that I have yet to experience true writer’s block. I attribute that to the way that I go about writing my books. For example, I currently have several books outlined and these outlines are pretty detailed. So, once I actually start to write the book, I’m really just filling in the outline with the meat of the story b/c I’ve already laid it out from beginning to end in my notes.
OTR: Is their another book in the works currently?
Kenni York: There’s always a book in the works. But, at this very moment I am working on finishing Part 3 to my contemporary fiction / suspense series Karma entitled Karma 3: When the Shit Hits the Fan. This should be released this Spring. Readers can also expect a couple of more installations of the Karma series prior to the end of 2013. I also have a couple of offers and ideas floating around for collaborations, so readers should definitely look to see something different coming from Kenni by the end of this year.
OTR: Any advice for up and coming authors?
Kenni York: Stay focused and remain true to your talent. There are many authors out there, but you can’t allow yourself to get caught up in what they are doing. So, you have to keep your focus on your works and not compare yourself to anyone else. I’d also suggest that new authors take their time. We all are excited to see our names in print, but you want to be sure that you always put out your best possible project because everything you release is a reflection of your brand and who you are as an author.
OTR: Any upcoming events you would like to share?
Kenni York: My company is really big on community involvement. I believe as an author it is my responsibility to make a difference in the world and not just make a dollar. This spring I am hosting a benefit event for National Sexual Assault Awareness Month entitled ‘Let Your Voice Be Heard’. This talent showcase is designed to raise awareness about the growing epidemic of sexual abuse in our country and it includes multiple talent acts from Atlanta. Proceeds from this event will be donated to the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center. The event takes place on April 13, 2013 and we welcome anyone who will be in the Atlanta Area at that time. For more information, I invite people to visit the event’s webpage at http://www.kenniyork.com/NSAAM.html.
OTR: What’s your favorite thing to do with your family?
Kenni York: We love to eat and be silly at my house. So, my favorite thing to do is to cook up a good meal and have family game night with my husband and our children. Family time is important to us so we try to make the most of the moments that we have.
Want to catch up with Kenni? Find her
Here–> Email: kenni@kenniyork.com
Here–> Facebook: Author Kenni York
and Here–> Twitter: @KenniYork