Felecia Causey's Blog

  On March 15, 1999, I was blessed with a 7.5 baby girl. A year prior I had suffered a miscarriage. My rainbow baby was born and immediately a void that I had felt for years was completed. God loaned me the precious little one for 16 months.  July 20, 2000 I received a phone call to go to the hospital. As I rushed to the hospital not knowing what to expect. We all sat in the family room awaiting the news that would forever change my life. As the state trooper walked in and as he spoke of every individual that was involved in the car accident. He then asked who was the mother of the young child, he kneeled down to his knees and as he told me my child did not survive the fatal accident my life changed. I could no longer hear, I could no longer feel, I couldn’t imagine my life without my one and only child at the time. The loss of my child cut deeper than any hurt. Still to this day my heart is heavy. People say don’t question God. I believe God is a God of answers. I believe you should s

Photos Provided By: Amber T. Bogan Me:  Please share with my readers a little about yourself. Amber:  https://www.ambertbogan.com/about-the-author Me: Tell me what inspired you to start writing. Amber: Black children deserve to see themselves positively reflected in the books they read, and more importantly, they deserve to be front and center as the main character, not only as support. Not only do they deserve to see themselves in the book, but also as the storyteller. That’s why this journey is so important to me, I get to help fill a gap both with the work product itself and as the creator. Me: How long have you been writing? Amber: I have always had a love for writing. As a child I would write short stories and poetry that I typically kept to myself. Little Miss is Destined for Greatness is my debut title which was released in 2019. Me: In your opinion what was the hardest part of writing your book. Amber: The hardest part by far was creating the vision for the illustration. While

Photos Provided by: Jamillah Yates    Me: Please share with my readers a little about yourself. Jamillah: My name is Jamillah Yates, I have lived in Atlanta for about 2 years now. I have been involved in art every since I can remember; however I have recently taken up painting in march of 2020 and it is a passion that allows me to express the things that words can not. I hope to share my vision and    a little peace of my mind with others. Me:  Tell me what inspired you to start doing art? Jamillah: What inspired me to start doing art was the fact that it allowed me to freely express myself in anyway that I felt like at that moment, without any constraints. Me: How long have you been painting? Jamillah: I have been doing art for 13 years, but i have only been painting for about a year. Me:  In your opinion what was the hardest part of putting your art work out there? Jamillah: In my opinion, I believe the hardest part of putting my art work to the public is expanding my audience.  Me:

Me: Tell me what inspired you to start writing.   Yecheilyah: Thank you so much for having me over! I appreciate the love. There are several inspirations for my writing. I have always been a quiet person who loved to read. When I felt down or felt the need to express myself, I would write in my diary, journal, or notebook.   The central turning point in knowing I wanted to be an author was after I read  Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry  by Mildred D. Taylor. This book was set-apart from other books I had read because the books in school didn’t teach about black family life, black history, and where black people fit in the world’s history. After I devoured the Logan family series, I knew I wanted to be a writer and that I wanted to focus on black life in particular.    Me: How long have you been writing?   Yecheilyah: I have been writing since I was twelve years old. I started with poetry and then transitioned to write short stories. I published my first collection of poetry in 2010, my firs

  Me:   Please share with my readers a little about yourself Katrina: My name is Katrina but I go by the pen name Kay Shanee. I have been a published author for 2.5 years. I've been married to my college sweetheart for 23.5 years and we have two children, ages 17 and 20. I write about all things BLACK LOVE because I absolutely love it. Me:  Tell me what inspired you to start writing. Katrina: Honestly, there was no specific thing that inspired my writing. I have always been an avid reader and sometimes I would read a book and think, "I could write something like this." When my daughter went away to college, it freed up a lot of my time because I didn't have to attend her sporting events 3-4 days a week. I also began teaching part-time the same year and I found that I had a lot of time on my hands. I decided I would write me and my husband's love story and that's how it all began. Me:    How long have you been writing? Katrina:  In total, I've been writing 

Written By: Felecia Causey Models:Casey, Tommy, Annelise, Aiyanna, and Alaina Rockwell    In a world where there should not be a boundary when it comes to love. Unfortunately in reality, we live in a place where people have a cap or visual of what and how a person should be or look like. There is also a “norm” of what a family should like.  What so many fail to do is mind the business that pays them. There are so many families that may look different, but their love for each other is as strong as any other family is. When you view from the innocent eyes of a child they don’t see color or see different, they are not aware that people despite their family, all they see in their sweet eyes, is unconditional love. There is no acceptance in their home and around most family members, or friends, but it is a factor in what love should look like in a cruel world where the color of your skin plays a factor in what love should look like. In such a time, where skin color is a very sensitive su

  Written By: Felecia Causey Happy New Year!! Wow 2020 was a year.  I can honestly say my family has been blessed. Although it taught me some heartbreaking stuff, I do know that it has made me stronger. I have learned to love my family harder and hug my kids more. As my kids have done virtual school since the pandemic has started, I have enjoyed the family time that we have had during these unknown times. I have watched them grow, and although I have great communication with my kids, it’s even better. As I realize that they both are no longer babies, I will enjoy the times making them hug me and have them lay their head on my shoulder like a baby. They hate it, but they will one day appreciate laying on my shoulder. The many board game nights, and the not so happy kids, for getting beat by their mom(me) are priceless. I wouldn’t trade the late movie nights that ended up with me falling asleep after the commercials for anything. Many families have lost loved ones, and I do realize that

Photography: Felecia Causey Hi. My name is Darial Smith. I guess my lupus would start the summer of 2014. I remember it just like it was yesterday. I was at cheer camp with my high school squad. We were on the campus of Auburn University going to the campus shop to get a snack before bed. When suddenly both of my knees went completely out. I fell and my teammates helped me get back to the dorm where we were staying for camp. When I returned home to Montgomery my mom decided that we needed to see a doctor. The first doctor told us my joints were aching because of cheer and that I was a natural growing teenager whose bones are growing faster than my body. At that point me and my mom decided to get a second opinion. The blood work was sent off by my old pediatrician and the results came back that I had been diagnosed with Lupus and Crippling Arthritis and they wanted to start chemotherapy immediately. For a moment, my world stopped, and I could see my mom get weak, my dad is full of anger

  Tell my readers about yourself: I was born in Pasadena, TX on April 18, 1957.  I have two brothers, one older with straight arms and one younger with arms like mine.  I was married (divorced now and he is deceased) and have a son and three grandkids with one on the way.  I prayed every single day that they would have straight arms and God does answer prayers.   My parents are now both deceased.    I was born with clubbed arms absent radius. That means the radius (bone) that holds the arm straight is missing.  When I was 5 weeks old I had my first surgery at Shriners Crippled Children's Hospital.  A skin graft (taking skin from one place (buttocks) and placing it in another (the crook of my arms) was performed .  The surgeries continued until I was ten.  The Drs. had tried several times to shave the wrist bone and insert a stainless steel rod and leave it for six weeks.  As soon as the rod was removed they would fall back.  The Drs. said there was nothing else they could do, but f