Author Interview "L. A. Davis"
L. A. Davis earned her Doctorate of Education Degree with an Emphasis in Organizational Leadership and Development in 2018. She focused her dissertation topic on the Blind or Visually Impaired and their perception of gaining employment. She was born on the island of St. Thomas USVI but resides in the United States. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.
Exclusive Interview
For those unfamiliar with L.A. Davis please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Thank you for having me. I am L.A. Davis; I was born on the island of St. Thomas USVI and I live in the Southern part of the United States. I am a proud member of the best sorority on earth Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. I am a dissertation coach preferably working with qualitative methodologies and I teach South Korean adults English.
Without giving away too much, tell us about your book ‘When I kiss Em. They Stay Kissed’ and the inspiration behind it.
When I Kiss Em, They Stayed Kiss is a book about kissing with positive and powerful intentions. I don’t believe that kissing techniques is the most important part of a kiss. Your intentions are what drives the technique. I am no professional but that is my belief. The book is not just about kissing your lover or spouse but also your children, family members, friends, or anyone you choose to kiss. I heard the phrase When I kiss Em, They Stay Kissed, decades ago by an “old woman.” I loved it. I never thought I would be writing books, but I loved the phrase and never wanted to waste it. Funny thought. I’ve used the same phrase over the years and men always seem to be intrigued by it. When I chose to write my book with this title, I decided to theme it around the month of love. So many people have a challenging time around Valentine’s day. We have so much fun during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. Valentine’s day comes, and it causes a lot of pain for so many. There is such a contrast. Can you imagine anyone choosing Valentines day of all days to break up with someone? I’ve heard of it and it’s devastating. I released the kindle a tad early because people will be able to relate to it now, but the audible and paperback will be released on February 1, 2020.
Can you talk about how much material from your personal life experiences you used to write your book?
Hmm, I used quite a bit. I dread my children reading it. I talk about my relationship with their father, heartbreak I’ve suffered and other relationships. It doesn’t go into details but there are some things our kids shouldn’t hear about their parents. I put a line in the book. “When I was a housewife for a brief time, my husband would occasionally take a day off from work or go to work late so we could be alone and make noise!” What child wants to read that about their parents? LOL.
What has been your favorite fan reaction to ‘When I kiss Em. They Stay Kissed’? Do you have any funny stories?
I just released the kindle, and I got one review, so I can only speak on that, here is an excerpt. “The first sentence in the second paragraph of the Introduction grabbed my attention, and the author’s easy-going, folksy “girlfriend-don’t-get-it-twisted” entertaining storytelling style held it.” I held several auditions for the audible version of this book. The way one narrator read the introduction was so good that I was embarrassed and started laughing with my mouth and eyes wide open. LOL.
What is the most surprising thing you've learned about yourself while writing your book?
Oh, I can’t tell you that, LOL! My parents might read this one day.
Who are some of the writers who have influenced you?
I’ve read so many books over my lifetime that I can’t give names. I used to read for the joy of it. After earning my doctorate, I lost my passion for reading. I had to do so much research and for much longer than I was told I would. Reading hundreds of articles, scholarly books, and dissertations removed that love for reading. Shame on me for allowing it to happen. My doctoral experience is what led me on my writing journey. You can find out about my experience if you read. “So, you want to be a doctoral learner huh? Are you nuts?! Writing is difficult sometimes but there is so much joy in it. I believe the joy comes from being forced to write in a scholarly way for so long. Being free to write what I want too, how I want too, when I want too is freedom for me. I do want to find that joy of reading again. It was an important part of my existence.
On a more personal note: tell us a little about your “real” non-writing life – family, hobbies, etc.
Ok my hobby is writing, oops wait, you said non- writing life. Ok, I am a self-professed dare devil. I try to find one thing each year to challenge myself. I jumped out of a plane once, ran a few 5k color runs, survived two blood clots one in the leg and one in the lung, talk about a challenge. My challenge at those times was staying alive. I love health and fitness but lack on the nutrition part of it. Matter of fact, my GRIT coach asked me to join a 12-week body transformation challenge. I am reluctant. I have to share body shots that will be broadcasted all over the internet so I might need some additional convincing. That would be an awesome 2020 challenge. I have children (won’t say how many) that I love being around. They are my life force. I love hearing their points of view.
Will you be participating in any future book signings or book events? Please tell our readers where and when they will be.
I have no current plans for a book signing event. If I do have an event it will be sometime in 2020 but no time or date has been set at this time. Where can readers purchase your book?
Thank you for asking and thank all of you in advance for showing love for my work by purchasing. My books can be purchased at this link and online book stores. https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001HOKPYE
If you’re only interested in When I kiss Em, They Stay Kissed, you can find it here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZTY2Y28
Currently it’s only available in kindle, but I believe you will enjoy it. Purchase as many copies as you would like too for Christmas gifts and share them. We all need a little message of love and hope after a heartbreak don’t, we? It will remain at 99 cents until January 31, 2020.
You are such a creative woman, where will you be putting your energy next?
I will be putting my energies into one more book, I Am Ok with My Café au Lait, A Book of Poetry. I will release that one in April of 2020. I must confess that poetry is so hard to write, my goodness! Poetry must come from your soul, so you are literally putting your energy into each poem. This book will focus on my café au lait which is simply a moniker for the shade of my skin. I am ok with the shade of my skin even if no one else is. I even put a special recipe in the back of the book for my readers if they choose to make it. I am testing it now. Nothing too extravagant but I love doing creative things and I am excited about it. This has been such an Afrocentric year for me, and I’ve embraced it. There will be some sultry and not so sultry poetry in this book. I wrote some of the poems as an answer and call. If you decide to read it with your significant other, you can read one poem and he can answer you by reading the other one. After that release, I want to focus on creating some coloring books for my granddaughter. Yes, I am a Glam Ma! Eventually, I really should get myself back into researching.
There is more to a kiss than your technique. Whether given to a family member, friend, lover, or spouse, a kiss holds immense power. When infused with meaningful intentions, it will leave the recipient with an unforgettable memory. This short read will fill you with so much nostalgia, desire, love, and romance that When You Kiss Em, They will stay kissed.