I had the pleasure of meeting Author Michael Swain thru a mutual friend not too long ago. I found his story to be very intriguing and wanted to share with you. He told me that he wrote a book called, Prison King, The Beginning. I asked him to tell me a little more about his novel and that’s when he told me his story about being incarcerated and what lead to that and so much more!
His mom was also incarcerated and that touched me dearly because my mom was also incarcerated for a short stint when I was in high school and that experience changed my life tremendously. I wanted to share his journey with you.
I asked Swain a few questions about why he wanted to write a book, how he got his book published, things he could share with you if you’re interested in writing a book and so much more! Dive in and read what he had to say, it’s very inspiring! You can find his best-selling book through his instagram page, more inside….
When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?
I fell in love with seeing words on paper back when I was a child. My mother was paying her debt to society for welfare fraud, and the only way we could communicate during her time away, was through letters.
So I knew back then that one day I would become a writer. Writing to me is my best way to express myself. I started writing books in my early twenties.
Tell us about your best-selling book, Prison Kingpin?
Prison Kingpin is a story that’s as American as apple pie, especially in the black communities across America. It’s the story of a man who starts off going to prison at the age of 16, at which at the time he realizes that there is money to be made in prison just as it is in the streets, where the drug trade is concern. I mean think about, where does all the drug dealers and drug users end up at? That is if they don’t overdose or get killed in the streets.
Prison Kingpin tells the story of Kato & Shambril, also all the people that stood by Kato through 27 years of prison time.
I felt it’s needed that the story is told surrounding all those that does the time with someone going in and out of prison.
Were there any other authors out there that inspired you prior to you writing your own book?
The first author that influenced me that I could tell our stories was Donald Goines. I read my first Donald Goines book when I was 10 years old while in a juvenile detention center in Florida where I’m from. Reading that book told me that our stories in our communities held value. Then there were others like Sista Soulja, John Grisham, Eric Jerome Dickey.
What do you want readers out there to take away from your experience in the prison system?
Take away from all I have been through to get to this point in my life, that I’m the trucker 50 miles ahead, and there’s been a major crash on your route to get to this point, and there was some others along the way, and I was in a few myself. This just may not be the route they want to take. I’m telling the stories of why not to, not why too.
If you had to give aspiring writers out there any advice on writing a book or getting a book published, what would it be?
For any aspiring writers coming in to this game of writing and publishing is this. First unless you are signing to a major publisher, then self publishing is the best way to go. Learn all you have to learn about how to publish your own works, do not allow nobody to make money off or work who is not worthy. But please go for your dreams and know to become a successful author it’s a grind.
The post One On One With Author Michael Swain appeared first on Talking With Tami.
from Talking With Tami https://ift.tt/8yqAt9u
0 Comments