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When Writing is a Passion


Insiders Knowledge: One on one with local Author Deanna Martinez-Bey


Area of Expertise: Writing, Copy Editor and Social Media Management

Business: Author


 

POC Mag: How do you start your business work week off?

Each day, I get up at 5:45 am and run! I then, get my daughter ready for school, drop her off, come home and work on social media management for my clients, all before going into work. I have a part-time job at a local fitness facility. After picking her up from school, I come home and start working on copy editing for my clients. It’s a long day, but worth it, as I am growing my business! In the evenings, I write my books and work on my blogs. www.authordeanna.com and www.thefierywhisk.com


POC Mag: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? I started writing short stories as a young girl. I would say I was about 10 when that began. In 2009 I decided to write my first book.


POC Mag: What made you come up with the idea of writing a book? At the time I was writing my first book, I was heavily into church and Hallmark movies. It is a combination of the two. The genre for my first book was Inspirational Fiction. Over the years, I have stepped away from the religious thread and morphed my work into Woman’s Fiction.

POC Mag: How long did it take to complete? The first book, Twinkle, Twinkle Christmas Star, took me just under 2 years to write.


POC Mag: What’s your favorite type of novel to read? I enjoy Contemporary / Women’s fiction.

POC Mag: If you could sit down with an author and have a one-on-one conversation, who would it be and why? There are 2 authors I would love to sit down and speak with. Martha Stewart, because...Martha Stewart and Debbie Macomber, because we have similar writing styles.


POC Mag: Now, you have two other roles you play; copy editor and social media manager. How did those come about? As a published author, I had to learn about social media in order to be successful in building my brand and selling my books. I took everything I learned and started using that knowledge to help other people, brands, and businesses do the same. In addition, I copy edited my own books. My publisher would always compliment me on how well they were written. So, I got my copy editing certification through a local college and now I am providing copy editing services for others as well.


POC Mag: What’s the biggest challenge with social media management? Working with the public is a challenge in itself and some people are more difficult to work with than others.


POC Mag: Where do you draw your inspiration from? That is a fantastic question and it has required me to take a moment and give it thought. I am a firm believer in affirmations. Meaning, we can create our success by seeing and speaking what we want to achieve. I have visions of myself doing certain things and those visions are where I draw my inspiration.


POC Mag: Where is one of your favorite places to dine at in the triangle and why? I am a regular at Poke Burri. I think so highly of this establishment, that I wrote a review about it on my food blog: http://thefierywhiskbakery.blogspot.com/2019/10/poke-burri-raleigh-nc-review.html


POC Mag: Name (3) things you believe it takes to get to that next level of success?


  1. Belief in yourself

  2. A strong work ethic/drive

  3. Support from those you love


POC Mag: How do you handle adversity and doubt? When those negative thoughts try to enter into my mind, I cast them out and force myself to think about the positive. We have control over what we think and what we do. Complete control. It is up to us to take control.

If adversity and doubt are not coming from within and are coming from others, I ignore it completely. You have to have thick skin when you are sharing anything with the public.



POC Mag: How do you plan on growing your business within the next year? I will continue to share my skills with the world through social media. Word of mouth is a fantastic way for your business to grow as well. My plan is to continue providing top-notch services for my clients so they can tell others, in-turn, my businesses will grow.


Thank you for the opportunity to be featured with POC Magazine.


I have written a social media course that will help individuals, brands, and businesses successfully network on social media. If you are interested in getting more information about the course, please email me: book.writer.deanna@gmail.com


You can also find me here:



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