Featured Interview With Lisa Marie Thomas
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Lisa Marie Thomas.
I am a 26-year old mother of 2 children, aspiring business mogul, graphic designer, wife, former model, musician & songwriter.
I have also been in customer service for a few years, working from home to help provide for myself and my family.
I recently wrote and self-published my debut memoir, Turned Out .
This book was written as an original memoir of my life as a 23-year-old girl that survived human trafficking in Atlanta, Ga in 2016.
After this moment in my life, I moved back to my hometown Albany, Ga.
I stayed there for about a year before moving back to Atlanta, Ga.
I have been recording over the past few weeks, in anticipation of my self-narrated & audiobook version of Turned Out.
I have just reached a sustainable agreement with Audible, Amazon, and Itunes regarding territory and exclusivity.
I am also happy to announce that The Turned Out Audio Doc will be released on the abovementioned platforms, in all countries as early as next month.
Recording the tracks for this version, was not as simple as I thought. In fact, it was much more difficult than writing the book itself. For me, writing a story is easier than talking through the pain. So, it’s taking a little longer than I thought to record through the chapters.
It’s mostly because I’m working on keeping my emotions slightly intact.
I would describe the e-book and print versions of my novel as honest and raw but not a literary masterpiece. For this book, the story came from my heart. I felt that I had to write it that way.
My goal is to share, encourage and inspire, not overwhelm with a version of this story that may be much more compelling. I want my audience to connect with me, on another level. I am hoping that the Audio Doc relays that.
From this experience, I am hoping to grow as a person and author.
Within the next few years, I plan to release my sequel and 2nd novel. I am working on gaining speaking arrangements and building my voice to reach the people that may need me.
I am hoping to use my platform to reach other young women that are in domestic violence and/or human trafficking situations.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
One night, I was plagued by so many negative thoughts and I couldn’t figure out how to heal myself.
I just laid there wide awake for a while, when out of nowhere every fear that I had left and I thought about every girl that was in the same situation that I had just escaped.
I thought about every woman that was being abused and had no idea how to get away or even overcome the emotional trauma. I thought about every child watching their mother hurt and looking for a way out.
That’s when I decided to tell my entire story because I feel that every trial that I went through made me a better person. It made me a stronger person.
My writing became fluid and the closer I came to finishing my manuscript, I started to release many of the things that I had internalized.
I started to let go of barriers that kept me from reaching my potential, from loving myself, and caused a depression that affected my parenting.
I had to decide that I was strong enough to keep going and I was going to give my kids a better life regardless.
That motivation alone, turned 800 words into a 277 page, 44,674-word manuscript.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have been very inspired by J.K Rowling and her road to becoming an author.
She went through many obstacles but never gave up. When her husband gave up on her, she kept working on her dreams.
One of the most amazing parts of her story is her tenacity after denials from 12 different publishers. One day, she got the call that changed her life forever.
I am also inspired by the author couple Ashley & Jaquavis. They have an ability to tell stories in a captivating way that many people, especially African-American people, women, and people living in and on the outskirts of poverty could understand.
My husband and I both have very real and tumultuous stories that we are sharing with the world in an effort to create understanding and awareness of certain issues.
It is our personal goal to be able to reach our audience in those ways.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Turned Out was a story that was not easy for me to write.
I always thought that I would be in the entertainment industry as an artist or I would follow a more practical approach, with the degree that I am seeking in Information Technology.
However, after returning to my hometown, I dealt with so many emotions that started to affect how I functioned as an adult.
After many times of talking with my mom and dad about subjects entirely unrelated, they would always find some way to tell me that I should write down the things that happened. They told me that I should tell my story because it could help other women.
Honestly, I was totally against it at first and then I realized that I was being selfish.
My primary concern was everyone knowing things that were so sensitive and private. I didn’t want the world to see all of my scars. I didn’t want to keep reliving the hurt over and over again.
The nights that I couldn’t sleep, every night I cried alone and the nights that I had the same dreams over and over again; inspired me to start writing. The writing became therapy to me.
At first, I was still contemplating the idea of a book, so I just started writing down my thoughts. It started with a letter to my children. That’s when I feel like God spoke to me.
and the rest can be found in my story.
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