Meet Adrienne Thompson (Conway, Arkansas)

Married at sixteen, a mother twice by seventeen, and thrice a mother and divorced by twenty-four, Adrienne Thompson is no stranger to adversity. Not your typical teenage mother, she went on to complete her college degree and to earn her nursing license. She attributes God’s faithfulness as the catalyst for her success in life. Now, having raised two children as a divorced mother, with a third fast approaching adulthood, she is fulfilling her dream of becoming a successful author. Using the lessons that life has so expertly taught her as a guideline (betrayal, abusive relationships, self-esteem issues, witnessing the deteriorating effects of drug abuse), Adrienne creates stories that will both entertain and inspire the reader. All of Adrienne's current releases have appeared on at least two different Amazon bestsellers lists.




Her titles include:

Little Sister

See Me

Lovely Blues (Bluesday Book II)

When You've Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)

Been So Long

Bluesday

About “Little Sister”

Readers captivated by Been So Long will eagerly devour Little Sister. A runaway at the age of twelve, Cleo Williams is now an adult with her own family. As she faces down the demons of her past, will she lose her family and her sanity?

UBAWA: When did you first decide you wanted to become an author?

Adrienne: After being a closet writer for years, it took the encouragement of my co-workers, who had read some of my work on my blog, to convince me to publish my work and become an author.

UBAWA: How did you decide on the idea for your 1st book? 2nd book? 3rd book, etc?

Adrienne: I am an avid music lover and initially, I wanted Bluesday, my first book, to be about an up and coming singer. As I began writing, the story took on a life of its own. My second book, Been So Long, started with one sentence that kept running through my head, and from that I built an entire story. My third book was centered around my love for music and love for stories. With all of my books, an idea hits my mind and my imagination takes it from there to a finished product.

UBAWA: How long did it take you to complete your first book? What was the process like?

Adrienne: My first book took about six months for me to complete. I don't really have a formal process for writing. I am blessed in that if the idea comes, the stories basically write themselves. I'm really just a conduit for the stories.

UBAWA: What’s so rewarding about writing books and being an author?

Adrienne: The most rewarding thing for me is building relationships with my readers. I have met and interacted with some awesome people. And nothing feels better than reading a message from a reader who says my work has taught them something or changed them in some way. There is an awesome power in the pen!

UBAWA: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up?

Adrienne: Um, yeah. How about yesterday? lol. This is a hard gig, I can't deny that. There are a lot of ups and downs and uncertainties. This business is not for the faint at heart. But even when I feel like giving up, I find myself writing a story in my head. If this is your true calling, giving up is not even a possibility for you.

UBAWA: There’s more to being an author than writing a book. How do you manage to handle the business side of things?

Adrienne: I work hard, and I mean very hard. I probably work 80 or more hours a week - networking, marketing, researching, writing, brainstorming, formatting, rewriting, and so on and so forth. I am very driven and motivated and determined, so I don't mind the work. And I have an awesome business partner who keeps me on track and keeps me out of trouble, lol.

UBAWA: Do you have an editor or do you edit your own books?

Adrienne: Alyndria Mooney is my wonderful editor and I thank God for her! I wouldn't advise anyone to edit their own work. It's always good to have another pair of eyes to look over your work. When you're the writer, you know what it's supposed to say, and that makes it easy for you to miss mistakes.

UBAWA: Who does the cover art for your book(s)?

Adrienne: Corey Burkes created the cover for Bluesday. I created the covers for all of my other books.

UBAWA: Do you ever encounter writer’s block? How do you get past it?

Adrienne: Okay, I know I'm going to get heckled for this, but, no. I've never had it. I don't write unless I have a story in my head, and for me that's just about all the time.

UBAWA: How often do you write?

Adrienne: When the mood and inspiration hits me. Sometimes that's every day, all day, and sometimes, that's once a week,

UBAWA: Tell us about your last book signing.

Adrienne: Hmmm, I haven't had one in a while. I think it was at an event I attended back in the fall; it went pretty well. I sold some books and met some great authors. I enjoyed it.

UBAWA: Beside social media, what other methods are you using to get the word out about your book(s)?

Adrienne: I'm working on a marketing plan that will include other online media and print media.

UBAWA: As a Woman of Color, what inspires you the most?

Adrienne: The good and bad of life itself inspires me more than anything.

UBAWA: Who is your biggest influence?

Adrienne: God, because he leads and directs me along this literary journey. My human inspiration would be my children. My greatest desire is to make them proud of me and to inspire them to follow their dreams.

UBAWA: Have you ever done something in the past you regret? How did you get through it?

Adrienne: I've had some pretty regretful relationships. I got through them with God's help and I learned from them, and now I write about them :)

UBAWA: How do you get through the tough times in life when life throws what it throws at you?

Adrienne: Through prayer and faith. I have faith that God has great things in store for me if I just hold on and have patience and do my part.

UBAWA: What is one goal you want to accomplish for yourself in 2013?

Adrienne: To make it to number one on somebody's best seller's list. I'm not choosy about which list it is, lol

UBAWA: What do you have planned next?

Adrienne: Been So Long 2 (Body and Soul) is up next. So all of those Been So Long fans better get ready!!

UBAWA: How can readers and others in the literary community reach you?

Adrienne: They can email me at: [email protected]

Or like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Adrienne-Thompson/300208429995218

Or follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/A_H_Thompson

Or check out my website: http://adriennethompsonwrites.webs.com/

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