Moise J. Michel published his children’s illustrated book Kwame and His Great Adventures: Kwame Meets Jackie Robinson earlier this summer. He’s by no means strictly a children’s author. Years ago, he penned and published Diamond in the Rough: Trials and Tribulations of a Southern Belle. Get to know him and his books and get some insight into his journey as a writer and author.
Kreyolicious: How did your love for writing begin?
My love for writing came while I was in a very dark place in my life. My inspiration for writing my book came from my kids. I was unfortunately incarcerated when I wrote it. I wrote a chapter every night. The next morning, I would have a older gentleman on my cell block read what I wrote the night before. Nights I didn’t write, he would chastise me for not doing so.
Kreyolicious: What led to the writing of your book?
I wrote this book back in 2008, upon my release in 2010 I had a very select few of family & friends read it. They all urged me to go ahead and publish it. I went the self publishing route with Createspace, which is a company under Amazon.
Kreyolicious: It’s one thing to want to write a book. It’s another to finish it and to take it to publication. What was the process like for you?
Kreyolicious: Any advice for aspiring authors based on your experience?
I advise all up-and-coming authors that they take their pain and use it to create magic through the power of words. They [should] also know if they intend to make this a livelihood that they [must] look at it in long-term instead of short-term. Another piece of advise is to never stop writing!
Kreyolicious: Do you visit Haiti often? How do you stay connected with the culture?
I haven’t visited Haiti as much as I would like since I left there as an adolescent child, but I was last there in 2015. The culture is forever embedded in me, so I will never be disconnected from the culture. I stay connected by cooking our delicious cuisines, speaking our native tongue and by proudly explaining our history and culture to other folks who aren’t Haitian.
Kreyolicious: What will you do differently with your next book?
My second book has just been published a few weeks back. This book is a children’s series book titled Kwame and His Great Adventures: Kwame meets Jackie Robinson, which I hope to turn into a cartoon series within the next few years. My intentions is to teach black kids of all cultures about black historical figures that they may not know or been taught about in school or home
CLICK HERE to visit the author’s website!
CLICK HERE to purchase Kwame and His Great Adventures from Amazon!
