Intimate Conversation with Kisha Green
Kisha Green is a published author, virtual assistant, literary consultant, promoter and book reviewer. She's the owner of DivaBooksInc. It's motto, ‘Turning literary dreams into published realities.’, she has a strong passion for assisting authors in their writing and making their dreams come true.
Aside from having a passion for supporting authors, Kisha is a well-established author. She's been writing professionally since she was twenty-one. Her most popular novel is, ‘And Even If I did’, released in 2006.
Kisha Green is also the host of Writer's Life Chats, an online radio show where she interviews aspiring and seasoned authors. Writer's Life Chats has been nominated multiple times for Best Blog Talk Show, winning the title in 2009, 2010 and 2011. As an avid reader and book reviewer, Kisha Green’s reviews have appeared on Urban Book Source, Shelfari, Goodreads, Amazon and other notable sites.
In 2016, she was nominated for Literary Activist by AAMBC and is the recipient of the 2014 and 2016 Literary Excellence Award presented by Black Pearls Magazine.
As a firm believer in "each one, teach one," Kisha Green launched Literary Jewels in 2011, an online resource for aspiring writers interested in self-publishing. She has also participated in numerous panel discussions on the topic of publishing. Currently, Kisha resides in New Jersey and is a contributing writer for Urban Tymes, LitIsh, and Literary Jewels. She can be found on many social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
BPM: Please tell us about your blog! What is the name? How did your blog get started? When did your group begin, what year? How many members do you have?
KG: My literary blog is called Literary Jewels (www.myliteraryjewels.com) and I started this blog back in 2007 named Writer's Vibe on Myspace, which was later added to my personal website. In 2009 other writers began to write for the site and in 2011 it made it's grand debut and relaunch as Literary Jewels.
BPM: What is the purpose for your blog? Does the name of your blog or store have a special meaning?
KG: My main focus for Literary Jewels is to provide content for readers from writers and there is an assortment of topics from new releases, book reviews, author spotlights, and commentaries. The name is a true reflection of what we are about. The writers and I are always dropping literary jewels (pertinent information) for authors to assist in their pursuit of self-publishing and the business of publishing.
BPM: Do you use social media to share your featured books with other readers?
KG: Yes, I utilize several social networks to tell people about the books my staff or I have read.
BPM: Do you prefer to read books by authors of color? Do you support self-published authors? Do you borrow books from the library?
KG: I will read anything if it is well written. I love self-published authors, I am a self-published author myself so I understand their struggle when it comes to getting reviews on a new book when you are a newbie without dedicated readers. I do check out books from the library but not as often as I want due to the other books I have on my to be read list.
BPM: What genre/types of books do you prefer to read? Have the types of books changed over time?
KG: I enjoy murder, suspense, erotica, romance, Christian fiction and some urban fiction. I believe that books have changed over time because the authors are rushing the process instead of investing in a quality editor and taking pride in their craft. Releasing a book as of lately by some authors is the new hustle and or a popularity contest as to who can put out a book the fastest. The person who ultimately suffers alongside the author is the reader since I now have to dissect the book in attempts to find out what they were ultimately trying to convey due to grammatical errors and or a poorly written book.
BPM: What are key factors that help a book remain on your mind long after the last page?
KG: In my opinion for a book to be considered a good book it is because it has either struck a nerve because you have connected with emotionally accurate characters and or powerful and strong story line with a well-executed plot. Ultimately it all comes down to great character development and a well-written story line.
BPM: Do you write and post book reviews to online retailers? How do you handle bad reviews or books that flopped?
KG: I post reviews on Amazon, BN, and Goodreads and in the 9 years of reviewing books, I have only had 2 authors ask me not to post their review (both were 2 stars). In those cases, I reached out to the author and spoke to them directly and we both agreed that I would not post the review.
BPM: What are you reading now? How did you find out about this book? What books are on your reading schedule?
KG: I am currently reading Second House from The Corner by Sadeqa Johnson and I met this author at the National Book Club Conference and she sent me the book to review as she would be an upcoming guest on my radio show, Writer’s Life Chats. As a reviewer, I get books mailed to me all the time from various publishers and authors and I read them in the order they are received.
BPM: Can we invite you to future events, social media chats, and discussions? How can we follow you online? Do you have a website or social media pages?
KG: Yes, I would love to attend any future literary events you are having. Please keep in touch and keep me posted. You can contact me via email, social media or my website.
Kisha Green Publisher, DivaBooksInc
Email: kisha@divabooksinconline.com
Website: www.divabooksinconline.com
Twitter: @KishaGreen
Periscope: @KishaGreen
Instagram: @KishaGreen
Facebook: @AuthorKishaGreen
Snapchat: @KishaGreen732
