INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR AN HOWARD

                                                       AN HOWARD

An Howard is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a parent to a 17 year old daughter who is on the road to her own success with a GPA of 3.9. She graduated from Las Vegas High School where she went on to earn 3 Associate degrees from CCSN. One of her degrees is in Paralegal Studies because she once had aspirations to be an attorney, until she worked with them for several years and quickly realized she didn't want the stressed life they lived. Now she is back in school, and currently in her Senior year studying Psychology. She plans to continue her education to earn a Ph.D in Psychology as well. An is a Christian and raises her daughter on the same Christian foundations that her parents raised her on. She is a member of a local church where she volunteers her time with the youth department, mentors an all girl middle school enrichment group, and is also a part of Toastmasters International working towards leadership goals and becoming an effective communicator. Besides being a single parent to a teenager, working full time, volunteering, and attending school, Ms. Howard also finds time for her true passion which is writing. She has been writing since elementary school, and if she’s not doing that then she’s reading. She also enjoys spending time with family, friends, eating out, and vacationing. In 2008 she started her website www.thoughtsofanhoward.com where she displays her poetry and other articles that she has written. In November of 2010 she decided to take her passion further, and started her own business, An Howard Publishing which is an editing and writing service. Whispers of Words Spoken Poetry Collection is her first of many books to be published. Be on the lookout for more from the desk of An Howard.

3375 How do you get in the mental place where you find this deeper interior and write?

AH I self evaluate myself every day, so if there's a particular way that I'm feeling I tap into it & write it out.

3375 Do you ever feel you are unable to write out of fear?

AH No, fear stops a few things with me, but writing isn't one. I've conquered that.

3375 What is your biggest struggle with your writing?

AH Sometimes just having the time to write what I want to write is a struggle because I'm writing so many other things. Such as school papers or projects for my company, An Howard Publishing.

3375 What are you trying to achieve with your new poetry that drops May 22?

AH I'm just trying to get my name out as a writer, so I thought the first book should be a book of poems that exposes the real me. I want readers to know who I am and feel like they can relate to me through my poems first before any other books come out..

3375 What makes your book, Whispers of Words Spoken different?

AH It's transparent. It shows my up's and downs, in's and out's and I'm not trying to hide anything.

So my book is set apart from others because we live in a society where everyone tends to hide who
they really are.

3375 When did you start writing poetry, and what moved you to start?

AH I started writing poetry in the 5th grade. Listening to it being read to me in school moved me to want to start writing my own. At first it was just fun to make the sentences rhyme, but now it is a part of who I am.

3375 Do you sit and think through every word of every stanza or do you just write freely, allowing the words to flow?

AH Both. Sometimes I feel like freestyle writing and other times I actually sit and think about a particular topic & what I want to say about it

3375 Which poet or poem have you read that hit close to home? And Why?

AH Maya Angelou’s Phenomenal Woman poem resonates with me the most. It’s sassy, eloquently worded, and explains to others who a black woman is. I definitely relate to it.

3375 If you could have a conversation with any poet living or dead, who would it be, list three questions you'd ask them, and then tell us why that poet and those questions.

AH Maya Angelou, no doubt. 1) I would ask her for any writing tips/advice that she could offer?
2) Was there any one particular thing she did that made her as successful as she is? 3) Who is her inspiration for writing, and why? I would choose her because she is my favorite poet. I relate a lot to her writings and feel that
she’s been through a lot, but still made it through, which gives me hope

3375 How proud are you right now knowing that your daughter has a 3.9 GPA?

AH I’m very proud, but not surprised. We’ve worked hard to get her to where she is. We've sacrificed a lot such as play time for studying, and it’s paying off. So as a mother I'm delighted.

3375 Being a parent myself I know the struggle of balancing a career and being a parent.

How do you balance your career and parenting?
AH I just do what I have to do. She’s old enough now to know when I am working, she’s even smart enough to help me sometimes, which allows us to bond at the same time while working.


3375 What CD do you have in your car right now?


AH At this very moment I have WOW Gospel 2011 cd in. I love gospel music; it helps me sort out life's problems.

3375 What does the future hold for An Howard?

AH The future is bright for me. God has promised me more books, more public speaking

engagements, a successful writing company, a successful daughter...All for His glory not mine.

3375 How can we purchase your book on May 22 and how can we contact you?

AH You can purchase it on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and on my publisher's website: ncmpublishing.com People can also connect with me via Facebook An Howard Publishing
http://www.facebook.com/pages/An-Howard-Publishing/180503815294933 also via twitter
@anhoward1

3375 Do you have any shout outs?

AH .Yes, shout out LDC Management, the best business manager ever. He's always looking out for my bottom line. Also a shout out to Ni'Cola Mitchell and NCM Publishing, for taking me on as a client. Also to my family and friends who are in constant support of me.



Beauty From Ashes
by An Howard

From amongst her beauty/Came the ashes of despair/All the things that tried to break her and take her there.
Like the dark charcoal that lied on the ground/This was beauty that came from her ashes/ and inside her, a woman was found.
Once dark like night/Her soul cried out/Beige then crept in/then there was the white light again.
It took pain to get her there/hurt to make her care/Ashes to unveil her pride/Beauty was the last thing hiding inside.
Beauty rises from pain/like the hot air balloon in the sky/It takes so much fire to get it to rise that high.
You ask what is my beauty?/It’s all of my qualities/It’s becoming the woman God said I was/and who He said I was destined to be.
Ashes are like the dust left behind/They are hard, crisp, and burnt/They are anger, bitterness, and resentment/From these ashes I have learned.
I’ve learned that deep inside even the beautiful cry/Pain can run deep/But just like these ashes/Pain and hurt don’t always mean defeat.
My beauty rose from my ashes/It was the crumbs I left behind/because of this I have learned to be a woman/Not just for now, but a woman for a lifetime!