As your questions come in about Transition, they’ll be listed and answered here.  So ask away!

Q: How long did it take you to write Transition?

A: It took me 10 years to write Transition.

Q: What was your motivation for writing the book?

A: As a teenager and young adult, writing helped me work through my thoughts and emotions. It allowed me to get things out - releasing pressure- so I wouldn’t self destruct. Writing also helped me to ’see’ what I was thinking in order to better analyze myself and the various situations I encountered. However, writing was very personal for me. I didn’t like to share it very much. In 12th grade I took my first creative writing class and my teacher told me that I had promise. My first couple of years in college, others began to encourage my writing. I published one of my poems in a college publication and began writing for the college newspaper for a semester. In 1995, I met author, Omar Tyree and he encouraged me to ‘keep asking questions’ as I pursued my writing. Later that year, I felt that God wanted me to write a book - even though I had no clue how to do so. It was to be a book to help others successfully overcome their struggles as they navigated through life. I asked God to show me how to write this book… and the journey began. I figured the book would be complete within a year or two. Little did I know that I would have to GO THROUGH 10 years of experiences in order to produce Transition: Breaking Through the Barriers. I think God has a sense of humor.

Q: Was it difficult writing Transition?

A: There are 3 aspects to the difficulty of writing this book. First, it’s hard to put your life “out there” in the public domain for people to see and pick apart. It can be a scary thing and in the past I’ve been worried about what people might think. Even so, I’ve been told that many of the words within Transition impact persons on a deep level. I believe that a big part of this has to do with me being transparent about my experiences and thoughts. The rest God takes care of. When I think about the people who’ve impacted my life - it’s been people who were open about their experiences and the lessons learned. So, by the grace of God, I resolved that if this book helps to transform just one person’s life… then the process and difficulty was well worth it. Second, it was difficult to write over the course of 10 years. I didn’t think it would take that long and there were times when I wanted to quit and give up; but God gave me the strength to stand the “test of time.” I realize now that the time was necessary for me and my writing to become ’seasoned.’ I would have been too ‘green’ if the book had come out when I wanted it to - and the book wouldn’t have been anywhere near the size and depth that it is now. Third, Paulo Coelho states four obstacles to confronting our dreams, in his book, The Alchemist. I want to mention the fourth: “…the fear of realizing the dream for which we fought all our lives.” When the manuscript for Transition was done and it was time to send it off to the publisher, I almost didn’t. I was seized by fear and insecurity. The dream I had for so many years was now at my fingertips… and I was afraid. Once I sent it off, there was no turning back. “What if the book failed? What if it succeeded? Was I really ready for this?” It took my wife speaking a hard truth to get me past that last hurdle: “If you don’t do this now it’s because you really didn’t want it, because you’re so close that you can taste it.” Thank God for my wife!