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Kyus Philnesta
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KYUS PHILNESTA
Books2Mention is honored to have Kyus Philnesta as our featured author this month. We truly appreciate her willingness to set aside some time to interview with us.
Kyus Philnesta is a writer, poet and author. Kyus was born and raised in Miami, Florida, where she received her Associated Degree in General Studies from Miami Dade Community College. She continued her education at Florida International University where she earned her Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice. Kyus has been working in the criminal justice field for the past twenty-four years.
In 2001, Kyus self published a book of poetry, To the Heart of Things, A Chapbook of Poetry. She later released her first novel, Because of Love.
B2M proudly presents our exclusive interview with Kyus Philnesta.
B2M: Welcome to Books2Mention Magazine. Congratulations on the release of your first book of poetry and first novel.
KYUS: Thank you for this opportunity and exposure. I am discovering that the publishing industry is not like the dogfight I expected. There are people like you willing to give new authors a chance to talk about their book. The first request I received for a Blog interview came from an author with whom I did not know, but because of his kind heart, he thought it not robbery to share information about me and my novel with his readers on his website.
B2M: Do you remember the very first poem you wrote?
KYUS: Wow! I may not remember the first poem I wrote, but I remember who I wrote it for and when. I was in Junior High and his name was Lindsay. He had the most appealing eyes, so I’m sure I wrote something about that.
B2M: When did you realize that writing was something you wanted to pursue?
KYUS: When I was younger, I always enjoyed writing. The freedom I felt made me feel alive, worthy to be here on God’s earth. Writing gave me something I could never find any other place. As I got older and started sharing my poetry, people would tell me that I needed to put them in a book. But it was the prompting of the Holy Spirit that inspired me to publish my poems. I believe that my God-given gift was given to me for the sole purpose of being a blessing to others. For these reasons I stepped out on faith and pursued writing as something more than a diversion from the real world.
B2M: What obstacle has been the most challenging for you to overcome as a writer?
KYUS: Finding time to write is my biggest obstacle and challenge. As a full time wife, mother (one child being a toddler) and working full time, I have to steal time. To be honest, most of my writing I do at work, like nowJ. I have heard so many times that a writer writes everyday. Well I hope that’s not the case because I’m lucky if I can write four times a week!
B2M: How did you arrive at the concept for Because of Love?
KYUS: As I was writing poems for my poetry book, I started writing narrative poems (poems 4-5 pages long). After writing about four of these, I told myself that if I could write these, I could write a book. I took a look at my poems and chose The Color of a Leaf, as my debut novel. The name was changed based on my editor’s recommendation.
B2M: Will there be a sequel to Because of Love?
KYUS: When I penned Because of Love, a sequel was not something I had thought about doing. By the time I released my novel, I had already started my next project. As far as I was concern the issues of my protagonist had been resolved. However, my supporters wanted more. They wanted to know what happened after what had happened. So, at their request I am 1/3rd into writing its sequel.
B2M: When penning a novel, are there things that you learn about your characters and yourself during the process?
KYUS: What I realized about my main character, Kyle when writing Because of Love, is that Kyle was the male version of me! The values, morals and Christian beliefs were mine. This of course was not my intention. It just worked out that way. The way Kyle responded to the problem in the book is exactly the way I would have. It’s funny; people who thought they knew me kept trying to find me in the book. They wanted to identify me with one of the female characters. But those who really knew me were the ones that told me I was Kyle.
B2M: We understand that you are an ardent reader; please tell us what type of books you enjoy reading the most?
KYUS: I love reading great books! However, time does not allow me to read as much as I would like. The types of books that keep my interest are love stories of course. One of my favorites is Redemption Song by Bertice Berry. But I also like self-help books such as Maximize the Moment and The Lady, Her Lover and Lord by Bishop T.D. Jakes. Both these books had a profound effect on me. I also enjoy spiritual fictional novels as well. This Presence Darkness by Frank Peretti is a classic as well as the Left Behind Series (I read them all!)
B2M: New writers who are just beginning to pen their first novel sometimes find it very difficult to begin the process. How do you suggest they begin?
KYUS: After releasing Because of Love, I had so many people say to me, “You know, I have an idea for a book too, how did you get published?” They go from having an ideal to publishing. The book isn’t even written yet! So the first thing I would say to new novelist is concentrate on the writing of the book first. Take all those concepts, ideals, plots and characters and organize them on paper. This is a good way to keep track of the flow of your book, especially if you’re dealing with time frames in which seasons and characters ages may change.
Next, do your research. Become an expert on the topic you’re writing about. You don’t know whose hands your book is going to fall into so you want to make sure your facts are right. And the last thing, seize every opportunity you have to write.
B2M: What has been a career high for you thus far?
KYUS: To be honest, I have had two highs in my writing career thus far. The first was my first professional book review. I submitted Because of Love to UrbanReviews.com. UrbanReviews review books by invitation only. After submitting the book’s synopsis and the first three chapters, an invitation was extended to me. Because of Love was given a rating of 3-1/2 out of 5. I was very pleased with my debut novel’s rating.
Another career high is being asked for unsolicited Blog interviews. I consider this being a career high because this means Because of Love is getting attention from people with whom I do not know or did not contact.
B2M: Five years from now, what do you hope readers will be saying about your artistry?
KYUS: Five years from now, hummm . . . That’s a good question. In my writing, it is my desire to awaken the moral consciousness of my readers. Just like my protagonist in Because of Love, sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we must make a moral decision based on what we have been taught or based on our beliefs, even if our hearts are wrapped up in pain or other emotions like anger, hatred or betrayal. Five years from now, when someone picks up one of my books I would love to hear them say, “You know this writer has opened my eyes. She has taught me how to view and handle an unexpected life crisis in a different way.”
B2M: Kyus we encourage you to continue writing poetry and novels that offer inspiration to readers, and we look forward to hearing more from you.
Thanks for interviewing with Books2Mention Magazine. Please be sure to come back again and keep readers informed about all of your future endeavors.
KYUS: Thank you again for reaching out to me and offering me this opportunity. I have a saying that reflects my love for reading and writing: “The only thing better than being swept away with a great book is writing one!” I pray my reading audience feel that I have lived up to this in Because of Love.
Much Success To You!
The Staff @ Books2Mention Magazine
You are welcome to visit the website of Kyus Philnesta at WWW.DAUTHORKYUS.NET or contact her by email at KyusPhilnesta@Yahoo.com.
Books by Kyus Philnesta include:
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