Keepin It Rio Podcast
Keepin’ It Rio Podcast
Hosted by Chuck Allen | Powered by Roofr
Keepin’ It Rio brings real conversations with real people — from roofing pros and entrepreneurs to creators and community leaders. Hosted by Chuck Allen, each episode dives into stories of business, mindset, and life with humor, honesty, and a whole lot of Rio energy.
Whether you’re growing a business, chasing goals, or just love a good conversation, this show will keep you inspired and entertained.
Stay real. Stay motivated. Keepin’ It Rio.
Keepin It Rio Podcast
Keepin It Rio Podcast: Shawniece Hall
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Tonight we’re joined by Shawniece Hall, an author from Providence, Rhode Island, who turned a teenage escape through writing into a lifelong passion for storytelling.
She’s a full-time mom, Certified Nursing Assistant, psychology graduate, and a writer with a powerful message: never give up on yourself, and always chase what sets your soul on fire.
Tonight, we’re talking life, resilience, creativity, and bringing stories to life—one page at a time.
Follow Shawniece Here:
Website: www.shawniecewritez.com
Facebook: Shawniece Hall
Instagram: shawniece writez
Tiktok: neci101
There we go. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back. It's another episode of your favorite podcast, Keeping It Real. This is number 265 in the series, and I'm extremely excited. I am going to have a wonderful conversation today with this nice young lady that I just met. And we've literally known each other probably oh two and a half minutes. So should be good. We're going to learn as much as humanly possible the next 45 minutes about the one and only Shanice Hall. Shanice, welcome to Keeping It Real. How are you doing, my friend?
SPEAKER_01I'm doing wonderful. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_00It is an honor to have you on the show. I've been working with uh quite a few folks uh through a gentleman named Dominic, and he's been sending some really, really cool people my way. So I appreciate that. I know that he reached out this morning and made sure that I had uh made contact with you. So thanks to you, Dom. I appreciate the cool guests that you're sending my way, and this is gonna be a great one for us. So let's just kick this bad boy right off. What do you say? Boom, foot to the door. Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?
SPEAKER_01Well, as you just mentioned, my name is Shanice Hull. I am a Rhode Island native. I'm a mom, I'm a CNA, I have a degree in general psychology. I am also a two-time author. Um, more on the way. And I'm just trying to figure out where I'm going in life and what my path is. I love it.
SPEAKER_00That sounds like all of us. We're all on the same journey. So it's kind of cool to learn about how folks are getting to where they're going and what the vision is. So let's let's talk a little bit about it. Everyday life, I love that. I really was uh just struck by the fact that you said you've written a couple books. I have had numerous authors, I believe you're the 44th or 45th author on keeping it Rio. So let's kind of start with that. I always love to hear the stories about folks who decide that you know, we're gonna put it all in writing, we're gonna put something down from our mind onto paper, and we're gonna present it to the world and see what the world thinks about it. So let's talk a little bit about yours. How did you get into uh you know the creative aspects of writing? And you know, at what point in your life did you think that this was something that you may actually take a stab at?
SPEAKER_01So um I first knew I wanted to be a writer when I was 12. I grew up reading and I love to read. I feel like um when I'm reading, I'm not really reading. I feel like I'm watching a movie. Um, the words play in my mind like a movie. So when I open a book, it's not just a book for me. It's like I'm engulfed in the story and I'm in a movie and I'm watching it all play as I read every word. So growing up when I was young and I realized that a book could do that for me and help me escape some of the circumstances that I was dealing with in my real life. I decided like I want to do the same thing. I want to be able to give people the same thing. I want to be able to drap like trap people into a story that feels so real that they feel like it's their real life until they close the book. So at a very young age, I realized, hey, I like what these authors are doing, and I want to be able to do that as well.
SPEAKER_00That's terrific. And you decided you wanted to do that and you've done it. So we're gonna talk a little bit about the journey here because I think that's so cool. And the question I always like to ask authors, because most authors, believe it or not, actually do like to read. I've had a couple that wrote books that said, I don't even read and I don't care to read my own, but most people do. So I always like to ask this first question when we get into the conversation. When you were younger, you know, you say 12 years old, you were, you know, pretty much struck by what reading was capable of for you in your life. What was the first book that you remember that really gave you that feeling of wow, this is this is amazing? Like I can open this book up and I can go to a completely different place, I can be a different person, I can, you know, have a completely different universe. What was the first book that you remember reading that made you feel that way?
SPEAKER_01So I'm gonna be honest, right? I cannot remember the first book, but I can remember the genre. Urban fiction. So when I was younger, I loved urban fiction, especially because um it related a lot to some of the things I've experienced. Um, when you read a lot of the black authors, it relates to a lot of our experience, a lot of our struggle, a lot of what we deal with and what we go through. So urban fiction is kind of where I really gravitated towards. Now, don't get me wrong, I loved books like Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul. I love books like Goosebumps because growing up, I was that person who loved a good scary story, a good scary movie, like I need to be scared. So I always took a liking to like scary stories. I took a liking to real world stories because chicken noodle soup for the soul is real world stories and people's lives and their struggles and everything else. So that was kind of like the theme for me growing up. It was urban fiction, real life, and scary. Those were like my themes that I would read.
SPEAKER_00That's a good combination, especially if you're gonna start writing later on in life, right? That's a nice little concoction to stir up, and it'll it'll turn out a nice story, I promise. So I think that's awesome. And I always I think back to when I was a kid, and this was like way, I'm way older than you are, I'm sure. And when I was a kid, I used to kind of have the same deal where I would like put down some thoughts on paper, and I guess I've probably written a couple books and I don't even really realize it because I was just messing around as a kid. But you start thinking about things and you start having these ideas and you start conceptualizing and putting it in writing and putting it somewhere where later on you're gonna come back and revisit that. Tell me a little bit about that for you. Were you, you know, very quickly taken by the the, you know, obviously what what the world was providing you as far as reading was concerned. But did you take a lot of notes? Did you think about a lot of stuff? Did you keep a lot of things in your mind and say one day this is gonna come out? Or did you ever just take a piece of paper and start just writing it down?
SPEAKER_01So growing up, what I would do is I would just like a story would come to me. When a story comes to me, it's like a whole movie playing from beginning to end in my mind when a story comes to me. So I like gotta get it out. And it's usually like three to five paragraphs of like the beginning, middle, and end all in one. I call it like the gist of my story. So literally that's what happens with me. It'll all play in my mind and then I gotta get it out. Now, when I was younger, the stories would play in my mind and I would just try and write them. And I would get halfway through a notebook. I actually have one notebook from when I was actually a teenager when I started writing a story. So I would get halfway through a notebook and then I would give up. I would forget where the story was going. I wouldn't remember certain things because I wasn't doing it the right way. Then when I got older and I became an adult and I finally was like, you know what, let me really get into this writing thing, let me take it serious. I came up with a formula and a plan, and I laid everything out before I actually did it. So now that one formula has allowed me to produce four manuscripts in two actual written books.
SPEAKER_00There you go. Sometimes it's just about the process, you know. I always tell people you can have all the ideas in the world, but if you don't do anything with them or you don't really actually have a plan for them, they're just kind of there. Right. I've experienced in my life where some of my ideas were taken by other people later. And I thought, man, if I'd have just written that down, I could have at least proven that it was mine, right? So I think that's terrific. And I love that, you know, like you say, when something's in there, it's gotta get out. It's gonna, it's gonna, you know, lose its luster, it's gonna kind of fall into the background otherwise. So let's talk a little bit about some of the the thoughts that come into your mind, how you get struck by these, the times that it does happen. You've written a couple books, so let's talk about the the first book. Tell me a little bit about your first book, the experience that you had putting it together, the the concept, what it was, and then we'll kind of go through the publishing process because everybody's got a different story on that. But tell me a little bit about the idea behind your first book and and what made you decide this is it, I'll do it.
SPEAKER_01So, what made me decide that I was gonna do it is like I said, I've always wanted to do it, I've always kept notebooks, stories, ideas. Um, but this one woman in my town, she actually wrote a book and published it. And I just looked at her and I'm like, Shanish, you have all these stories, all these ideas. And if this woman can do it, what is stopping you from doing it? And then I don't know what got in me, but a fire came in me, and I just knew I had to produce this story. I knew I had to do it, and I knew I had to prove it to myself. My first book, Flames. If you guys have not got your copy, my first book, Flames, is about Aaliyah, and it is a romance novel, but it's not your Cinderella and Prince Charming kind of story. It is real-world risk, struggle, and love. We watch as Aaliyah struggles with her past, which prevents her from taking risks at love in the future. And then we get also to meet Liam, who is different from Aaliyah because he's a risk taker. And when he meets Aaliyah, he knows he wants to take a risk at love with her. Now we watch as their love story unfolds and he gets her to let her walls down. And right when she thinks that she's comfortable, right when she thinks that she can have this, right when she thinks that love is obtainable, life does what it always does and it puts us to the test. So something from Liam's past is coming back to destroy them. And they have to decide can we make it through the lies, the deceit, and the betrayal? Can we make it through the monster that has come back from Liam's past, or will it all go up in flames?
SPEAKER_00Well, that's a great way to tell a story right there, my friend. I love that. And I see that this is a full-blown production. I mean, that is a very nice-looking book that you've got. This wasn't something that was just, you know, written on a uh a notebook and then kind of handed out to people in copy form. Tell me a little bit about the process to getting the book together. I've had so many different people give me so many different stories. From, you know, I had a ghostwriter do it to I went up in the woods for three weeks and nobody saw me while I put a book together. Dude came down and had a bestseller, but everybody's got a way that they go about doing it. I know you've got a life outside of your writing as well. Got plenty of stuff going on. So tell me a little bit about how you were able to manage that process and what that looked like for you.
SPEAKER_01So, um, number one thing is time management, taking time out of your day to figure out when you're gonna write your book and um sticking to that time consistently. For example, for myself, I gave myself two weeks to finish one chapter. That way I didn't feel like I was rushing myself. And if I got finished before that time frame, I could move on to the next chapter. But um, it's important to make yourself not feel rushed and not feel like you're um let it come organically is a better way to say it. Don't rush anything, let it come organically. Give yourself time in that time frame that you know you're gonna work in, dedicate an hour or two or whatever you can dedicate out the day to get this done if you want to get it done. Um, the only one who's gonna make sure you get it done is you. So if you slack on yourself, you're gonna slack on the book. Um, for my process, like I said, it's like a movie that plays in my head. So when Flames came to me, it was like a movie from beginning to end. And I had to write it down in my notebook, three to five paragraphs, beginning, middle, end. And that was just the gist of my story. As if, like, as if someone's telling you the what a Netflix series is about. They might tell you from beginning to middle end what it's about. They ain't gonna give you every nook and cranny, but you kind of got the gist of where this the show is going. So that's what I did with my book. I wrote it out and then kind of like that school element. You know how in school you're gonna brainstorm, then you're gonna pre-write, and then you're gonna actually write it. So it's kind of like me brainstorming with my gist and then taking those three to five paragraphs and moving them into actual chapters. So um, my lucky number is always 10 for some reason. I don't know why. If my chapters happen to go over 10, that's perfectly fine. But it usually comes out to being 10 chapters for me. So I take those three to five paragraphs, expand those into chapters, and make sure that those chapters are chronologically flowing from the beginning of your story to the end of the story, making sure that all the main points that are going to get you from the beginning of the story to the end of the story are being conveyed in each and every chapter. I like to um think that every chapter holds one key piece that is moving the story along, you know, just like a Netflix series. Every time you watch an episode, there is just one little thing in that episode, even though there's so many things happening. There's just that one thing in the episode that is propelling you from one episode to the next, getting you to the end of the show, whatever that might be, you know? Like if you're trying to solve a murder, you know, one episode is leading you to every episode, giving you pieces about who did it, how it happened, until you finally get to the end and you figure it out. So that's how your books should go. Every chapter should have something in it that's leading you from the beginning of the story to the very end of the story. Once you have your chapters laid out, I like to work on my characters. I think characters are very important, and the development of your characters are important because um developing your characters allows you to see how they would respond to a uh situation, why, why they would say certain things, why they do certain things. And that all comes from the character of the person, who they are, how their mind works. So I feel like it's very important to create your characters and get down to who they are. You don't have to create every character to every nook and cranny, but I feel like you should get a good sense of each and every one of your characters, especially your main characters. Some characters might be just for a page or just for a moment or just to get one scene to another, but um, character development is important. So once I have my brainstorm, once I've got, you know, taken that gist and made it into chapters, then I start with creating my characters. I have enough to start. I mean, if you've already laid out your chapters from beginning to end, you know where your book is going, you know where to start. Even if you get lost, you can refer back and be like, oh, well, this is what this chapter is about, this is where this chapter is going, this is what happens in this chapter. So just a process of really laying everything out as much as you can. Because if you do, I promise you won't get stuck and you won't have uh what they call writer's block. I feel like if you lay everything out, you really can't have that bad of a block because you already know where everything is going and you've already laid it out for yourself. So that's like my process of just laying my book out, prepping it for writing, and getting into writing.
SPEAKER_00That is tremendous. I'm not gonna lie, I've never heard that process told before like that. That is so awesome. And I think that a lot of people probably could have done better on their first book had they really thought about it like that. But I love it. Everything's moving the story forward. You you've definitely thought this out, and you've got a well-thought out plot. You've got your characters, you've got everything figured out, and now it's time to get this actually into a physical copy. So let's talk a little bit about your process with that. How did you get everything from this concept, go through the entire process, put this all together? And I do want to ask how long that all took as well, but from that point to getting it into actual production to where there's a physical book, there's a copy in someone's hand. Tell me a little bit about that process. How did you go about getting your book published and out into the world?
SPEAKER_01So the first time around when I did Flames, I saw LA publisher. Actually, uh, the woman I spoke of in my city who wrote a book, she was actually working with someone, and I reached out to him and just took a chance and was like, hey, let me see if he'll work with me. You know, um, I understood that you could self-publish, but for me, I'm the type of person, um, if I'm new to something and I don't really know everything, I like to seek knowledge from someone who's already experienced in that area. That way they can guide me, they can show me instead of me just going in blindly trying to learn everything on my own. So I did go with a publisher. And when I got to him, my book was already completed. The manuscript was already completed. I had already um edited it myself. So even though you're gonna get an editor, I always tell everybody, please read your own work. Please make sure that you edit it as much as you possibly can. So it is to your liking as much as you possibly can. So by the time I went to my editor, I had already written the book. I had already um, you know, ready for the process of getting it out. So um when he started working with me, he took my manuscript, he read it for himself, and after he read it, he gave me some feedback and then we moved over to an editor. So an actual editor edited my book. Um and then me and her kind of just went back and forth because I'm very hands-on. So I don't want anything changed without it going over me first. So that way my book is my authentic voice and nobody else's, and it's still my vision and not somebody else's vision. So uh we did that. We did the back and forth with the editing. In between the editing, um, coming up with your book cover. What do you want your book cover to look like? Do you have something in your mind, you know? Um, and if you do have something in your mind, do not be afraid about making sure that your book cover looks exactly how you picture it in your mind because flames, I did not stop until flames was exactly what I saw in my mind. So the picture you guys see when you pick up my book, Flames, that is literally what I saw in my mind. And I did not stop until it was exactly that, you know. Um so book cover, getting your book cover done. And between getting your book cover done, you also want to make sure you get your ISBN number, your copywriting number, because these things tie your book to you so that no one can steal your intellectual property. And if they do, you know, you can they can get in trouble for it. You know, you can hold them accountable for it. So, you know, get your publisher, start your editing process. In between the editing process, while you're going back and forth, work on your book cover. And while that book cover is being worked on, we collect in the ISBN. Once you're done with your editing, once you're done with your book cover, once you got your ISBN and your copyright, you are ready to combine all that together and put it onto a printing platform, which could be like KDP Amazon, Lulu Books. There's so many different platforms you can use to print your book out. So once you're ready to put it onto the platform, you will upload everything. You'll upload your book cover, you'll upload the manuscript, you'll enter in your ISBN number, and then you'll set your price range, pick out what you want for the interior of your book. Once you do all that, you can click submit. And then once you submit it, whatever company you're using to publish your book, they're gonna go over and make sure that it meets requirements, make sure that there's not nothing that you need to fix. And if there's no problems, they will confirm with you. Hey, your book is ready to be sent out to the world. Or if you're on Amazon, Amazon will literally just publish it and be like, hey, we published it, it's live, it's active, people can buy it. So that's kind of like the process with a publisher, mind you, with the publisher, because the publisher is basically helping you obtain everything. They're helping you obtain your editor, they're helping you obtain someone to design your book cover, they're the ones uploading it to a platform. So when you get an editor, they're doing all that work for you. Now, if you self-publish, my second book, I self-published, and I and I don't want to leave this out because there's two different ways to publish. Yes. Self-publishing, you're doing everything on your own. You are the publisher, you gotta find an editor, you gotta find someone to publish your book. And I know that this may sound scary, but I promise you guys that there's so many tools out there right now, so many apps and so many websites that are connecting people that is not as scary as it sounds. So um, when you edit yourself, you're just doing everything yourself. You're gonna find an editor. If you suck at editing and it's not your task and you don't like it, please find someone to edit your book because that is important. Um, book cover design, there's so many websites where you can connect with people who design book covers. I know, like Fever is one of them. You can even go on Facebook and look at the marketplace for people who are um trying to find jobs or stuff like that. So there's so many avenues where you can find someone to design your book cover for you. If you're pretty good with like Chat GBT and AI and you know how to really work that, that can help you with a book cover and now you're not paying for it, you know. Um, but then after you leave your book cover, you can go to get your ISBN number. You can do that yourself as well. There's this website called like Bocker that will help you do everything, get everything in order for you so you can have your ISBN number. And then after all that stuff, you're ready to publish. Once you've edited, once you've done your book cover design, once you've got your ISBN, now you yourself, you're ready to plug in all your information to whichever website you choose. I use Amazon KDP because I find it to be very easy, very simple. I have used Lulu books before as well, but I find them to be a bit more expensive than um Amazon KDP. So, you know, do your research, do what you will, and do what is good for your pockets and do what's best for your book. But that is pretty much the process of it all. And then after you publish it and is ready to go out to the world, your job is to market. And in between all this, right, in between all this, from the very beginning, your job is to market yourself. Even from the very beginning, when you start with chapter one and you ain't even got nothing done yet, your job is to market. Take people through the process with you. Um, each week as you're doing every chapter, give them a little show of the chapter. Like make them feel like they're going on the journey with you. So by the time that you're ready to publish this book, they feel like, hey, I've been waiting so long for this. I've been on the journey with her. I'm ready to see what she wrote. So marketing is very important. Market yourself from day one, even when you when you just got one sentence written, start marketing yourself.
SPEAKER_00I love that. And you're spot on. I mean, if nobody knows what's going on, they're not gonna be able to follow you. So I think showing the journey as you go throughout and showing what you're actually doing each step of the way is so crucial in modern times. I mean, we've got the ability that you could put a phone on the counter and you could be like, look, here's what I'm doing today, you know. And I think people that don't do that are are losing out a lot, but A cool way to go about it, and I've got a couple of things that I want to kind of you know move uh different directions on here. But I do want to ask this after you put the first book out, this is kind of out of sequence question. I apologize. I told you before, I don't script anything, so when it comes to my head, I'm like, Oh, those will be good. After the first book comes out, you've worked so hard, you've put all this together, you've put your heart and soul in. This is your creation, it's your baby. Like you said, like every single detail is exactly how you have it in your mind. You send it out to the world. I always love to find out what was the first feedback that you got from someone that was not a relative, not someone that's gonna be like, Oh, you did a good job, you know. What was the first good feedback you got from someone that made you realize this was all worth all of that that I just went through? And dang it, I'm gonna do it again. What was that what first experience like?
SPEAKER_01So the first person who read my book outside of my circle was my publisher, and he had published books himself as well. So in my mind, he published his book, um, other clients' books. So he's kind of been around the block. So when he read my book, he loved it. Like he thoroughly loved it. And I was like, I expected a little bit of, you know, it's my first time. I expected something, but like, no, I literally knocked it out the park for him. He's like, no, I love it. Mind you, after he's done reading the first manuscript, he's already asking me questions about the second one. So what happens with so-and-so? And what are you doing with this? So he was like very, very excited about it. After reading it, he was very excited to work with me because he's like, if this is what you did on your first try, I can't wait to see what else that you do. Um, so that was the first response I got from someone outside my circle. And to be honest, every single person, no matter their demographic, no matter their age, no matter what they look like, man, woman, everyone who has read Flames, I have not got back no bad feedback from them. They love it. A lot of people are like, so you're telling me this book is fiction because I can't believe it's fiction. It seems too real. Like, that's the number one response I get from people is that flames seem so real that they don't believe it's fiction. And I keep telling them, like, listen, I don't know any of these people. None of them exist in my actual world. It's all in my mind. But that was my goal from day one. I never said that out loud. I never told anyone, I want this book to feel so real that I want you to feel like you're a part of it. When they're angry, I want you to be angry. When they feel deceived, I want you to feel deceived. You know, if someone's crying and the scene is heavy, I want you to feel that, like it's real life. And that's the response I got back from people without ever saying that out loud. So even though everybody can keep giving me their feedback, just knowing that it made people feel like it was real when I know that it wasn't, and that was my underlying desire for this book without ever saying it out loud, I feel like I did my job.
SPEAKER_00What a great perspective and what a rewarding way of looking at it because you're right. No matter what happens, and I've had so many people on here, and a lot of my friends write books that are in construction and are roofers and all that. And one thing about our industry is we love each other, but we're also a bunch of haters. So, like, if somebody writes a book, we'll all go out and support it, it'll be number one overnight in like all of the demographics, and like there's so many best-selling authors in roofing, it's insane. But then you've also got the people like, oh, whatever, dude, that book sucks, yada yada, yada. And I always tell people, you know, if you get caught up in that too much, you you lose your spirit. It's very obvious through this podcast that you have not lost your spirit in any way, shape, or form. I can feel the energy coming through the screen, and I love that. So let's talk now. Okay, you've got the first one out of the way, you did all this work, you've gotten it taken care of, it's published, people are liking it, you're getting great feedback. Now you get the idea, okay, I'm gonna try it again, but I'm gonna do it a completely different way. So I gotta know what was the thought process behind taking something that was working and saying, Yeah, you know what? I'm gonna do something completely different this time, just because what was the reason behind that thought?
SPEAKER_01So, um, the reason that I decided to come up with Unbreakable Thoughts of a Stranger, um, after I wrote Flames, I just felt like um I wanted to do something more meaningful. And I'm not saying that Flames isn't meaningful, but looking around me, right? I'm an empathetic kind of person. I care about what other people are going through. I care about what we're all going through as a people as a whole. And I'm seeing so many people who feel alone, they feel isolated, they're depressed. I mean, people are committing suicide at rates that I don't need, I can't even fathom, you know. Um, you talk to people, so many people feel like there's nobody in the world for them, and it's just them. And there's so many people struggling. Like a lot of people feel like they can't make it due to their circumstances or that they have to be a product of their environment, all these things. And it just made me feel like I want to write something meaningful for the world. Like I want to write something that helps people. And I'm like, I went through a lot growing up homelessness, drugs, DCYF, all types of stuff. And I'm like, if I went through all that and I can make it and I'm still here, then you can too. You have the same options as me, the same possibilities as me. And I feel like we need to start talking about that more. We need to start having deep conversations with each other and start talking about stuff more. Because the more we open up, the more we realize we're not alone. There's so many people going through the same thing as we are. They're either going through it, went through it, or about to go through it. You know, and the more we start talking with each other, the more we realize, hey, I'm not alone. I'm not as isolated as I thought. I'm not the only one going through this. And if she made it through all those things and I'm going through this, then I have the possibility of making it too. So that's really where Unbreakable came from. I wanted to be honest, real, authentic, and I wanted to talk about my experience that is also so many other people's experience all at the same time.
SPEAKER_00There you go. And that's so cool because you're right. I think that a lot of people do go through life not realizing that, you know, uh, it's kind of messed up for all of us, and we've never, none of us have lived today until just now. So we don't have it figured out. We're all kind of in this together. I think sometimes there's a lot of divisiveness in the world, and I think it's it's foolish, quite frankly, because we're all here for a short time and we might as well have fun and enjoy it and get along as best we can. So I love the perspective of you know, now we're gonna look to really help somebody. It's gonna speak to somebody who's struggling in life, completely different theme from what your first book was. So now I'm trying to understand, okay, this is a different thing altogether. So you're gonna definitely take a different approach, a different road. I gotta ask the same question for you, though, because this one's a little bit more deep, obviously. Tell me about this. Have you had anybody that's reached out and said, your book it spoke of my life? It helped me when I was in a dark moment, it got me out of something where I wasn't feeling good. Have you had anybody that's giving you any kind of feedback on that aspect of it yet? Because that's a completely different kind of feedback from what you were getting from the other book.
SPEAKER_01So um, someone who really reached out to me, because like I said, a lot of it is centered around um my life, my experiences, the things that I went through. One person that really reached out to me that stuck with me was my older aunt. Um, there was a poem that I had written there. And when she reached out to me, she was like, This poem put in perspective to what I believe my mother was going through, which would be my grandmother. So for her, reading some of the book, it put my grandmother in a different perspective for her. And then I think what's also important is my mom read this book. And my mom actually read this book before anybody else did because I didn't want her to feel like she was blindsided. I didn't want her to feel like she was reading it at the same time as everybody else. And if she felt a certain type of way about anything in the book, I wanted her to have a chance to talk to me first before the rest of the world heard it. Because again, this is this story is centered around my life and the things I went through growing up. So obviously, my mom is in the book because she was my parent, you know, and I wanted to be real and authentic about my experience, but also at the same time not bashing, but just sticking to the actual truth. Because, you know, sometimes the truth doesn't look pretty. Someone might read it and say, Oh, that's messed up that she said that. But it's like, I'm not trying to be messed up. I'm trying to be real, raw, and honest about my experience and it wasn't always pretty. Just like you're reading this line and it wasn't pretty when I was going through it, it wasn't pretty, you know. So there was some stuff in there that was deep. So I just wanted my mom to read it. But my mom's reaction, she completely loved it. Like she loved everything about it. So um, that was the main reaction I really cared about because um my mom was in it. So as long as she was comfortable, I mean, I was already comfortable. Whether she was gonna be comfortable or not, it was my story and I was putting it out, but I still wanted to come to her first. But she loved every bit of it, she told me to put it out.
SPEAKER_00So that's tremendous. And having that support, and and I'm sure that was probably a very um stressful, I'm sure you're very nervous presenting this to your mother and saying, you know, there's a lot of stuff in here that you know I need you to take a look at before this goes out to the world. So bless you for that. Because a lot of people get to that stage and they they don't have the courage to do it. So you had the courage to continue to move forward with it, and it's gonna reach a lot of other people now as well. And I think that courage is definitely something that not needs to not be understated because, like I say, most people they shelf it at that point, they don't want people to look at it, they don't want people to judge them, they don't want them to think that this is what they're gonna be viewed as publicly or whatever. But I think that's amazing, and I love the fact that you went and actually sought out that counsel beforehand because probably worked out a lot better, you know. So that's pretty awesome.
SPEAKER_01Um, I do oh I do want to say I know that when you mentioned some people don't go forward with it, I know that some people trying to talk to their parents about the trauma that their parents put on them could be very hard because not everybody's parent is going to look at you and say, you know what? I am sorry for what I did. I'm sorry. A lot of people's parents, I've I've talked to some people and they were like, I can't believe you did that because I can't even begin to talk about my trauma with my mom. They'll just brush me off, they'll make it seem like I'm crazy, they'll make it seem like they didn't do anything wrong. So I really want to give a shout out to my mom because there was so much writing this book, there was so much that we talked about, so much that we rehashed, some stuff I never even told her until we started talking about this book. So there was a lot of stuff that I was able to talk about with my mom. There were so many times where she literally received me and apologized and took it all in. So I appreciate that because I know not everybody gets that. So I really want to give a shout out to my mom, and I really appreciate her for that because not many people get to have those conversations with their parents, and their parents take accountability for the trauma that they put in their life.
SPEAKER_00No, you're so correct on that. And in most cases, it's the exact opposite. And that's why I wanted to make sure, you know, just you are very courageous for doing that, and you deserve to be commended for it because now it's gonna change someone else's life for the better. Maybe it's gonna put someone else's actions into perspective for them, you know. So that is that is terrific. Um, so you got two of them out now, two under the under the belt. Tell me a little bit about the plans for the future, Shanice. You you want to continue to write? You got uh another one in the in the mind right now that you're working on. What's the what's the future hold for you as an author?
SPEAKER_01So definitely more books. I am just trying to find a editor um of my own before I move on to these other two manuscripts because I do have two manuscripts that are already like completely written. They just have to be edited, and then we can go through the whole process of publishing it. Um, I'm also in the middle of publishing an author guide because there was just so much that I didn't know becoming an author. Um, so many people telling you to do so many things, but not giving you the directions on how to do those things, not giving you the resources on how to do those things. Like, so this author guide is going to be a guide that fills in the blank for everything from publishing to um social media presence to podcasting to radio interviews. It has trackers in it so you can track what you're doing. Um, it's it's just everything that you need as an author to survive and everything that people tell you you need, but they're not giving you the resources. And even when I tell you what to do in the book, I will give you resources. So I'm not just saying, hey, it'd be great if you go get on some podcasts and be able to talk about your book. All right, now I'm showing you how to get to these podcasts, where to go, what websites, what avenues. So it's just a whole layout of a survival guide for an author.
SPEAKER_00I think for that, believe me. I I know there's a huge market for that because most of the stories that I talk with people on, it's like, oh my gosh, you know, I had no idea where to start. There was no process in about 40 of the 44 that I've talked to, and it's it's amazing because yours stands out so much because you thought everything out, you put it into play, you put a process together, and you did it. So that to me is awesome. And I have no doubt that you're going to be successful as long as you want to be successful doing this because the passion shows for sure, and I think that uh that's pretty amazing. This this has been a lot of fun having you on the episode here today because your perspective is very refreshing and it's very energetic. And not all authors are energetic and refreshing, believe it or not. So thank you for that. I do want to ask this question before we start to wind it down a little bit, because obviously the reason for joining a podcast and you just hit on it, is marketing. We want to make sure that we can get as many sets of eyes on your books as well. And I'd like to ask you a very specific question. Someone's watching our show right now, they're like, you know what? I really like her. I'd like to get a copy of each of the books. What's the best way that people can go about making that happen?
SPEAKER_01So I always encourage people to go to my website, which is Shanice Wrights, W-R-I-T-Easy.com. Um, both my books are on there. My um, I also sell like shirts that go along with the books, tote bags that go along with the themes of the book. Um, and I like to direct people to my website because with every purchase, you'll always get little gifts that come with the bag, whether it's um I usually try to switch out what I put in the bags, but they're always relative to the book. So you might you'll definitely get a bookmark. Everybody always gets a cute little bookmark that is like themed with the book. Um, some of my packages, you'll have like little notebooks, pens, keycharms, all types of stuff. Because I I'm a shopper and I love to get something extra when I buy something and I'm that extra kind of person. So I feel like when people purchase my book, who doesn't like a little extra freebie freebie? Now you can also go to Amazon to purchase both of my books. But what I like to tell people is on Amazon, you're not gonna get a signed copy and you're not gonna be able to get the complimentary gifts that come with the bag. I mean, that come with the book. So you can go to Amazon and you're just gonna get the regular book, or you can head over to my website and you get an experience. I call it an experience. So you can get the unbreakable experience or you can get the flames experience. And I'm always kind of doing something different in my bags, so you never know what you're gonna get, but I'm sure you're gonna love it because I'm always thoughtful about what I choose to put in the bags. Um, you guys can also go ahead.
SPEAKER_00No, as I said, I love it. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and then um, you guys can also follow me on social media, Shanice Hall on Facebook, um, Shanice Writes on Instagram. And if you guys love TikTok, I am Nisi101. And you guys can follow me on all those places and learn about me. And if you want to buy, then like I said, just my website and Amazon.
SPEAKER_00There you go, folks. It's that easy, so there's no excuse now. This should be a bestseller overnight. I always joke and tell people millions of sets of eyes will see it by watching keeping it real. It might be 150 years from now, we may both be gone. But I promise someone's clicking Amazon like way down the road because of this. And that's the beauty of doing these podcasts, is you just never know. Years down the road, someone's gonna say, you know, hey, I remember that time you had her on on the podcast, and we'll be watching your induction into the uh the writing hall of fame somewhere. So this has been so much fun, and I really thank you for taking the time to be here. Before I wind it down and I give all the the glory to my sponsors and such, I always like to leave just a couple extra minutes towards the end for you to kind of just give your last thoughts. It's kind of like a Jerry Springer, but cleaned up a little bit, you know. He would always be like, What do you think? I hate her, my sister, not your girlfriend. But here we are. A couple minutes, a little bit of extra time. What are your thoughts? What kind of advice would you give someone if they've got an idea in their head and they want to get it out there to the public?
SPEAKER_01I would say do it. Don't be afraid. A lot of the reasons why we don't um go forward with the ideas that come into our mind because we begin to doubt ourselves based off our own fear and the fear of what others might say or think. If you want to do it, do it. Please remember that not everybody is, you're not gonna be everybody's cup of tea. Not everybody's gonna like your book, and that's okay. There will be people who like it and people who don't like it, and that's totally fine. Still do what you want to do. While you are pursuing this, just remember there's gonna be good times, there's gonna be bad times, but don't stop just because a bad time hits you. You know, that that's the resistance that happens during this process. It's okay if something doesn't work because you're learning. You are learning. And I am about three years in. And when I tell you I still feel like an infant baby learning, I still feel like an infant baby learning. So um trust the process. Do not do not compare your process to someone else's process because if you do that, you'll always feel like you're losing. You are going exactly the speed that you're supposed to be going. Do not rush things, especially when it comes to your writing. Please let it be organic because the best pieces of writing are the organic ones, the ones that you just let flow up out of you. So don't rush your process. Be creative, don't rush your process. Um, have lenience on yourself, you know, and please just remember that this is trial and error. You're learning, you're learning what works and what doesn't work for you. And that's totally fine.
SPEAKER_00That is the best advice I've gotten all day. And I thank you so much for that because I think it applies to just about everything in life, you know, not just writing a book, but that applies literally to anything in life. If you're gonna do it, just do it, you know. Life is short. Let's let's go out and enjoy it. So I definitely appreciate that. I appreciate you taking the time to be here. Before we wrap this episode up, I've got one last thing I need to do, and it is an absolute honor for me because I get to thank my sponsors. And every time I have someone that has no idea what Roofer is on the podcast, I get to explain it to them. So check this out. I'm going into Chuck Billy Maze mode right now, and I'm gonna be like this. I'd like to give a shout out to my sponsors at Roofer. Roofer, Shanice, I'm not sure if you're familiar. I'm sure you've heard of them because everybody has, obviously. But Roofer is your all-in-one software program for your roofing companies. I use it for my roofing company for the first contact all the way through the final payment and complete reminder emails for years to come with all my homeowners, all my business owners, and everything that you need to do is in the roofer package from invoicing to measurements to proposals to you name it. You can literally email and text right out of the CRM. So huge shout out to my friends at Roofer. This is the fourth year of them being our sponsor. I love you guys, and they do a lot for my roofing company. So thank you for that. And I am ready now to give the final goodbye for the day. And Shanice, you're gonna leave this episode being like, Man, that dude's corny as I'll get out for what he just said there. But it's too late because you were stuck with me for 45 minutes. Now you're gonna find out I'm corny. The final thing that I always love to say to my audience, to the millions and millions as I joke, one day when we take over Joe Rogan's spot at the top of the podcast world, this will be on a t-shirt. And maybe beforehand, because you can but you can, you know, go down the corner and have someone print stuff on a shirt. But ladies and gentlemen, thank you for supporting keeping it real for the last five plus years, 265 episodes deep. And I end every episode with the corniest tagline in the world, which is keep on keeping it real. And Shanice, stick around after I uh end this. We're gonna play a quick ad for the sponsor, and then you and I can finish our conversation on the backside. Thank you guys very much for watching, and we will see you all next week. I found Roofer online about seven years ago. Used it one time, and it's been the only thing I've used ever since. It's basically a program that makes your life a lot easier to measuring roofs, putting together proposals, things of that nature. Roofer fulfills every need that we have. Our homeowners are always impressed by the presentation. They're able to kind of look at things differently and learn at their own pace. They sign the documentation online. It's the number one CRM in the industry. Everything that you can get with Roofer is gonna help your business grow. I think that y'all should do it for sure.