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Listen Linda! Hosted by Jacquiline Cox
Music commentary
Listen Linda! Hosted by Jacquiline Cox
Breadcrumbs and Plot Twists: The Art of Storytelling with Dr. Rhonda Lawson
Ever wondered what happens when someone plays with the wrong person's heart? Dr. Rhonda Lawson's romantic suspense novella "Trust" explores this dangerous territory with a page-turning intensity that keeps readers riveted from the very first scene.
In this illuminating conversation with Dr. Jacqueline Cox, Rhonda reveals the careful craft behind her compelling storytelling. Drawing from her 23-year career as an Army journalist, she shares how military training taught her to make readers feel emotions rather than simply telling them what to feel. This show-don't-tell approach creates the rich character development and authentic tension that have become hallmarks of her 23 published works.
The discussion takes fascinating turns as Rhonda explains her technique of leaving narrative "breadcrumbs" throughout her stories—a method learned from the late Eric Jerome Dickey that allows plot twists to surprise readers while still feeling earned. She also opens up about balancing her Christian faith with mentoring writers across all genres, maintaining that creativity flourishes best without judgment.
Looking toward exciting new projects, Rhonda shares plans for the revival of her powerful stage play "Twilight" addressing teenage sexual assault, and the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Black History Month Literary Weekend returning to New Orleans in 2026. Her three-step approach when doubt creeps in—"Remember your why, always pray, and stay focused"—offers wisdom applicable far beyond the writing world.
Whether you're an aspiring author seeking guidance or a reader curious about the mind behind the stories, this conversation offers rare insights into the delicate balance of craft, faith, and authenticity that creates truly compelling fiction. Connect with Dr. Rhonda Lawson on social media or at www.mtwimagesolutions.com to discover how she can help elevate your literary journey.
Hey there, I'm Jacqueline Cox, but you might know me as ListenLinda. Um, where do I even begin? I guess you could say I wear many hats Podcast host, entrepreneur, Mrs Illinois, usa, and so much more but it all started with a simple passion to tell stories and empower others. Building a platform wasn't easy. There were days when I wondered if anyone was even listening. But then something amazing happened. I realized the power of my voice. Suddenly, my words were reaching people, touching lives, making a difference. Now I see my mission clearly to create spaces where every voice can be heard, because when we listen to each other's stories, we grow, we connect, we become stronger. Every voice matters, every story has power. So what's your story? I'm here to listen and together we can make our voices echo far and wide. To be a guest on Listen Linda. Contact Jacqueline Cox on Facebook Messenger.
Speaker 2:Hey, hey, hey. Listen, Linda family, I am your host, dr Jacqueline Cox, and today we're sitting down with one of our 2025 Awesome Authors of 2025, the one and only Dr Rhonda M Lawson. Hey, not so, hey, girl.
Speaker 2:Hey, hey 23-time published author, army veteran educator, playwright and the founder of Meet the World Image Solutions. Y'all know she poured life into others through her authorship and literary coaching and today we're going to talk to her about her latest romantic suspense novella, trust, which the reviews say it's a page turner. It's given suspense, sass and a serious plot twist. So grab your coffee if you're on the bus, if you're on your way home, because tonight we welcome a queen, a mentor and an inspiring trailblazer, dr Rhonda Lawson.
Speaker 3:You are so sweet.
Speaker 2:You know, you, my girl, this is my friend girl, y'all Okay.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's true, we friends, friends.
Speaker 2:So, before we get started, y'all know how I do when I do what I do I got to thank the Lord first, so let's pray us in, and then we're going to get started. Father God, thank you. Thank you for this divine appointment. Bless Dr Lawson and every listener under the sound of my voice and under the sound of her voice, lord God, may her story, her conviction, hope and boldness to trust you more In Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 3:Amen Amen.
Speaker 2:Alright. So, dr Lawson, for those who don't know who you are, which is very few, okay, tell them who you are, your own word.
Speaker 3:Okay, well, hello everybody. This is your girl, dr Rhonda and Lawson. I am the founder and owner of Meet the World Image Solutions, which is a publicity and literary services company. I am based here in the DMV in Maryland, so the big M for DMV. I'm also a 23-time published author. I'm a book coach, I'm an editor, I'm an oral storyteller which is something new. I just started doing that in the past year and I'm just all about supporting authors and helping business owners expand their platforms, because every business owner needs a book.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, Absolutely. So, before we get into the book, share a little bit about your journey from army journalism to becoming a literary leader and a Globetrotting mentor. And when I say Globetrotting I mean that this lady. You look up, she everywhere you go from there to there, she on a jet Like where is going? Oh, this girl be everywhere.
Speaker 3:And I'm traveling right now.
Speaker 2:How, how, how, how. And what was your journey like from transitioning from that army journalism to being the literary what I like to call you guys literary giant that you are today? 23-time published author? That is a giant in its own right, okay.
Speaker 3:Amen, amen. Well, I will tell you you, I have to go even further back. So, um, writing is something that I've always done. I mean, I actually wrote my first book when I was 12 years old. I just never did anything with it, and if I ever find that manuscript I might actually publish it. But uh, so I always knew I wanted to be a writer and I went to college, at Loyola University in New Orleans and sorry if I'm speaking too low, let me know if I go too low.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're okay.
Speaker 3:Oh, okay, I went to college at Loyola University in New Orleans and I studied. First I studied communications, because I just knew I wanted to be a lawyer and I decided I didn't want to be a lawyer. So I switched over to English and that's where I really fell in love with writing. I had probably some of the hardest instructors, but what they did was to help me to strengthen my writing. So then, when I joined the army and they told me I could be an army journalist, I said yes, that's exactly what I do so I spent.
Speaker 3:I was only supposed to spend five years in the army, because Loyola got expensive and I wanted some army benefits so I could go back to school.
Speaker 3:Amen but I wound up doing 23 years in the army and about midway through the army I wanted to go back to fiction writing because I love writing, and I published my first novel. It was called cheating in the next room and it was kind of. It was kind of on and popping from there. So I went from cheating in the next room I wrote my second book, a dead rose, and then my third book was Putting it Back Together, which was kind of a continuation from Cheap and Extra. And then I went on to publish Some Wounds Never Heal, which is like a part of the trilogy One second, somebody's trying to call me Okay which is like part of a trilogy.
Speaker 3:And then I went on to Twilight, which is all about sexual assault and teenage sexual assault. Yeah, that book is my baby. It's very, it's very raw, but there's such a powerful message in it. So if I have to choose, I'll say that's probably one of my favorites. And I actually turned that book into a stage play, a very powerful stage play, and I hope to do it again next year. And then I did Trust, which was my first novella, because my books are usually a little longer, so Trust was the first novella I'd ever written.
Speaker 3:It's about 25 000 words yeah, ever since then, I've contributed to helped other people write their stories. I've done coaching. I'm actually even doing ghostwriting. Right now I'm in the process of ghostwriting uh one, and I'm about to start on another book. So yeah, I do a lot, but it's all about promoting literacy.
Speaker 2:Well, you do a phenomenal job, because when I read Trust baby, we couldn't get into some things. I was like no, she came up with this. Wow baby, this baby. I'm linking baby Now.
Speaker 3:Oh, so everybody likes Savion. Some people say, well, why did and I'm not giving it away when I say this but they were like why'd you have to kill Savion? He could have been worked with. No, he had to go he had to go.
Speaker 2:He had to go. He did the right thing. Okay, because I sat down to read this book. I was like, oh no, oh no, oh no, she didn't, oh, she better my sorority sister called me.
Speaker 3:Look, my sorority sister um, texted me and she said what in the? What in the light skin, curly hair, genuine looking thing is going on?
Speaker 2:and you know what? I didn't even picture him like that at all. You know what character I gave him in my mind Morris Chestnut.
Speaker 3:I can see that. I can see that.
Speaker 2:Morris Chestnut. Just like in the Coldest Winter Ever, I gave Midnight Taye Diggs and his prime Okay, I can see that I'm a tall, dark and handsome. You've seen, Mr Cox, you know how I roll I'm a tall, dark and handsome, so if I see anything of that caliber I'm putting them right in that category. We gonna talk about Semyon Do, the charismatic man with two women, the player.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 2:Now when the truth falls the player. Okay, now when the true fall and consequences was like what inspired, like the high stakes for that story, For people who may not know, we gonna give y'all a little glimpse.
Speaker 3:I was a little angry when I wrote that story.
Speaker 2:I can tell in the words I'm not a page words. They don't have faith girl.
Speaker 3:Believe me, I've never done what happened in the book, but I did get my feelings hurt and I always wondered these men, or all the city's people because these people play with people's hearts and they don't care how do they know they're not going to play with the wrong person and the wrong person is going to do a man?
Speaker 3:yeah and so I wanted to. I wanted to just kind of delve into that a little bit and I came up with that story. I thought about the lies, that we even know that they're lies, but because we want it to be the truth, so bad, we listen to it and we say, okay, you know, or you know that the person has somebody else, but you don't want to lose to the other person and I talked about that in um.
Speaker 3:I visited a book club a couple weeks ago and that was one of the things that we talked about. You know that the guy has somebody else, but you feel like if you walk away you're losing to the other person. So now you you unconsciously put yourself in a position to compete it's not about the guy.
Speaker 2:Women, women. For some reason we always want to compete with each other. Oh, I got her man right, husband, oh I got her this, and it's always just. But. But you don't understand your. Your um need to compete or be better than the next female. I feel like you got one up on the other female. It's gonna cause your downfall every right, right.
Speaker 2:You only cost yourself and you actually affect yourself by doing something like that and putting yourself through those situations now with with with this, like, like I said, I went and I did looked at some of the reviews that you had on amazon and on goodreads about the book and some of the um the. The reviewers were saying like it's a page turner with strong characters. It's fun, yet suspenseful. Um, how do you balance? Because I'm doing a book club I mean a book boot camp right now, like an Arthur boot camp, and they are watching these, watching you guys, because I told them to say homework, so I'll be asking y'all to help them navigate their writing journey, right.
Speaker 2:So, balance, because I got somebody that's doing a novella right now.
Speaker 3:I don't know if you know, myra cooks, but she's doing a novella right now. How do you balance tension with readability?
Speaker 2:that's a very, very good question yeah, like you, keep a great balance. I follow you, you know, I read your stuff and the way that you write is so I'm like I would have been moving off track. I probably would have got my fillet into it and not being stable enough and I always have to go back and get my editor to kind of help me. But right, do it slowly. How do you keep that?
Speaker 3:well, there's actually a few things. The first thing is, I always tell myself that when I finish writing this story, I'm not going to be able to stand behind every person who reads my book and explain to them what's happening. I'm not going to be able to explain to them what I was thinking when I wrote it. So I want to make sure that it's very clear so that when somebody reads it, they understand right away.
Speaker 3:Also, as an Army journalist, one of the things that I used to also teach journalism at the Defense Information School, which is the military school that journalists go to, but one of the things I used to always teach them is that you don't want to tell people how to feel. You just want to make them feel it. So instead of telling you that my character's sad or my character's to be able to describe it, I want to be able to describe it in her actions. I want to be able to describe it in the words that she's saying and that along with the character and I never have to actually see the character that the reader's going to feel. So that is that I took in. And then the last thing is something that the late, great Eric Jerome said.
Speaker 2:Okay, hold on one second Because you've gone out, so give us a second. You know what? I'm going to take a minute break. So until Rhonda's, until her connection gets here, it's going to take a minute break and then we're going to come right back and I'm going to come back to that question.
Speaker 4:Sis, have you ever survived something that was supposed to take you out? Have you walked through something so heavy, so painful that you didn't even recognize?
Speaker 4:yourself after, but somehow you made it through through the rain is for women who've been through the storms, all women who face unique challenges and triumphs. This is about what we went through and how God pulled us through. This ain't just another book. This is real talk, real healing and real ministry For all women who've been through it and still got the strength to speak. Your tears, your triumphs, your testimony they all matter. You don't have to be a writer, sis. I got you From ghostwriting to one-on-one consults. I'll help you get your story out the way it's meant to be told with grace and power. Your story has power. Let it do the ministry. Come join us through the rain. We're waiting on you, sis. Spots are limited. Payment plans are available.
Speaker 1:DM me today and let's walk this journey together. It's time. Pastor, a wife, a mama, a woman of faith with decades invested in love and now staring down the storm of her life. He's God's servant too, a preacher of the word, a man who stood at the altar and said I do with this. They have the titles, the faith, the calling, but even covenant can get caught in the crossfire of generational curses.
Speaker 4:Baby, what you gonna do with all you done invested in that man. Just hand it over to the next woman.
Speaker 1:That was the moment God stepped in, not to end it, but to refine it. He wasn't trying to break them apart. He was burning off what he couldn't use. This isn't just a marriage. It's a ministry, a movement, a miracle in motion. Some couples survive storms, others rise from them with purpose in their bones and fire in their testimony. Read the story, break the cycle and remember what God joins together. No storm can tear apart what God joins together. No storm can tear apart. Pre-order Through the Rain anthology and read all about Dr Velma's journey of love and war, and love again, destroying the Curse of Divorce Coming this fall.
Speaker 2:Contact Dr Velma Bagby to pre-order now all right, all right, all right, we are back sorry about that.
Speaker 2:Guess I passed through a really bad patch yeah, I kind of figured and see, I'm used to it. Now when some of the authors they come in and they internet be shaking, I go right to commercial. Uh, uh, we not gonna do that, we gonna get this answer today, okay. So can you go back and see we gonna get this answer, because we could you that? I think? Eric Jerome Dickey, you shaky again. Ok, you bet, ok, okay.
Speaker 3:Rhonda, can you still hear me?
Speaker 2:I can hear you now. Yes, yes, yes, a bad connection okay, can you hear me now? Yes, ma'am, okay, so she just went out again. I'm sorry y'all. Until she come back, we're going on commercial again. We're going to hear about Through the Rain.
Speaker 5:Hey y'all. I'm Katrina Fuller and I'm honored to share my heart in Through the Rain, the anthology. My chapter is titled when the Sky Clears, and it's about what happens after the storm when the silence hits, the healing begins and clarity finally comes. I open up about the lessons I've learned in the aftermath, how God spoke to me in the stillness and how peace became my portion after pain had its way. This anthology is a powerful collection of real women with real testimonies. Through the Rain reminds us all that the storm might shake you, but it doesn't have to break you. You can pre-order your copy through me for $30 and it officially releases in fall of 2025. Trust me, every page will leave you inspired and courage and ready for your own breakthrough.
Speaker 2:She was already broken all right, all right, we back with ronda. She ain't gonna get past this question. I don't care. Readability how do you balance that? You were speaking about eric jerome dickie before you, um, before you got off okay, great, that was the part um.
Speaker 3:Can you hear me okay?
Speaker 2:yes, oh yeah okay, perfect.
Speaker 3:so I was saying, um, when I first started writing, I I happened to have the fortune of doing a book signing with Eric Dickey and he bought my book, which I'll always be honored about. But he told me that when you are revealing your plot line, what you do is you leave clues and you tell people what's going to happen, without telling them what's going to happen, you just drop, like basically breadcrumbs all the way up until you're ready to reveal your. And so that way, when you reveal the plot, you didn't bring anything on anybody. It's like, wow, she did say that, she did, he did say that she did, he did say that.
Speaker 3:And so you'll notice that in Trust there was a scene where Carla went to Savon's house and he was on the phone and he was talking. He was supposedly talking to his friend, but turns out he wasn't actually talking to his friend. But turns out he wasn't actually talking to his friend. But then when she thinks back later like yeah, he couldn't have been talking to his friend all that time because he was talking too fast. You know, he was pretending to have a conversation, but you don't know that right away. You're just thinking that they're having a conversation. So when you drop those little breadcrumbs along the way, the plot twist makes sense when it actually happens.
Speaker 2:You did a phenomenal job in Trust Baby. I'm going to let you know that right now I was all the way in. I read it in one sitting. That's how you know. It was good because a lot of people's stuff I'd be reading. You have to take a break from it and come back, but I had to finish that as soon as I started and it's only like 100 pages, you guys, and to me it keeps it tight. I know why you do it, but can you explain to the audience and to people who may be listening later on, why do you choose to keep that concise format Like how does it serve the storytelling for you?
Speaker 3:Okay, well, I've contributed to probably about 17 or 18 anthologies, so I know how to write a short story. But the danger in writing a short story is that sometimes you leave things out or you leave the reader hanging and you don't get to tell a complete story. But with my novella, with Trust, I wanted to make sure it was very important to me that the reader had a beginning, a middle and an end, that it still felt like a full story. Once they're finished. It may only be about 100 pages, but when they're done reading they're going to feel like they read a full story because it's going to have everything that you're looking for. It's going to have character development, it's going to have description, it's going to have plot twists Everything that you would get in a full-length novel.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was really good. I can say you didn't leave no star unturned. A lot of times when I read stuff I'm like, okay, it's holes here, so what happened with this person? What happened after that? You told it all, honey. It was good. It was really good. I read it, it was good.
Speaker 2:Thank you girl, thank you, go get into your teaching and the impact that you have right now. I read it, it was good. It was good. Thank you, girl, Thank you, Go get it to your teaching and the impact that you that you have right now with meet the world image solutions, Cause I really, even though I'm highlighting books, I really want to highlight you guys as day to day and what you guys do and try to highlight. You know your, your business and the things that you do and now you run Meet the World Image Solutions and you mentor so many different authors. How does your faith, your service background and your writing all intersect within Meet the World?
Speaker 3:That's a very, very good question. I love that. First of all, there's nothing I can do without God. I pray over my business all the time because there are certain things that I want to do and I don't want to sacrifice anything, and I also don't want to justify doing something wrong just for the sake of trying to get further. So I'm always praying over my business. So that's how my faith plays a part in this, and I will tell you. I've had people ask me are you sure you can read this? Because I'm not a Christian author. I don't judge people on what they read, what they write and what they read is on them, and I'm not going to not take a client because they might write something that's a little different from what I believe. I pray all the time and I know that what they're saying is not going to affect my relationship with my God, so I don't really worry about that. Yeah, not with my service.
Speaker 2:I say I agree wholeheartedly. You have to let people be in their own creative space. Everybody has their own creative space and we can't judge people be in their own creative space. Everybody has their own creative space and we can't judge people based on their own talent, their own creativeness. That's not I don't. I agree 100% with that absolutely now.
Speaker 3:I don't hide my faith from anybody. Anybody who works with me knows that I'm a christian and then they know I have I relationship with God and sometimes they might hold back because they're like okay, well, I'm not going to give this type of work to her because she's a Christian.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:No, but I'm not going to refuse to read your work just because of who you are.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I appreciate that about you because it's not a lot of people out here. They take their religion and what they believe. That about you, because it's not a lot of people out here. They, they take their religion and and what they believe and they and they push that on to other people and if you're not, a part of that is it's almost like cliquish, you know it's like okay, well, if you don't write this type of thing or you don't do this, that I can't work with you.
Speaker 3:I'm not that type of person either.
Speaker 2:Um, now, what I like is what I like and what I don't is what I don't, right, but if you're coming to me as a client and you need me to format something, you need me to edit something, you need to grab it because of what you, what you write, I'm not going to shut you out. You get what I'm saying, right? Don't ask me to join. No erotic anthology. Ok, my words on the paper.
Speaker 3:It's funny that you say that. It's funny that you say that because my last anthology was A New Renaissance and I did say no erotica. I did not want erotica in it because I knew I was going to have children's stories in it. Now there is one story in the book. It's not erotica. There is one story in the book it's not erotica, but there were heavier scenes in the book.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I have some intimate scenes.
Speaker 2:I'm okay with that because if anybody reads, like Chi-Town, diamond or you know, mountains or a few of my works, it is intimate scenes in there. It is, you know, sexual scenes in there. But erotica goes deeper into description. It gets, it gets very vulgar and that's where I draw the line as far as me participating. But I have, um, I have edited some erotica right, I've had done those types of things and formatted them for people and you know, just doing the basic things to try to help them, you know, but I don't, I don't participate, I don't write and if that makes sense I don't.
Speaker 2:But I would be lying if I say I haven't read song, because anybody who know me know I'm a, say I love zane, um, I, I read her stuff in high school when I shouldn't have been reading it. I love me, I love my queen of sister soldier Okay, I think that's my cousin in my head and the coldest winter ever. You know those were two of my favorite books in high school and I know I shouldn't have been reading them but I was Okay and so I can't say that I wasn't because those are the things you grew up on. But as you mature and you get into and I get into, you know, get into who I am spiritually, then I know for a fact. I'm not going to be writing at that extent.
Speaker 3:Right, right right.
Speaker 2:It's okay to write. You know intimate scenes and books. That's okay to write. You know intimate scenes and books, that's okay. Oh yeah, dead girl walking, she said was is in renaissance that was in the anthology.
Speaker 3:She did an amazing job with that story oh, man, we ain't gonna talk.
Speaker 2:We ain't gonna talk about dead girl walking girl. You know I love this book girl. And then she got jane's journey girl. That's the, that's the sequel to this girl, then she coming out with silver moon I'm waiting on that one. So she got a whole three-part girl for dead girl.
Speaker 3:Well, dr. Dr audreanne is gonna be bringing all those books to new orleans for black history literary weekend 2026, so I can't wait.
Speaker 2:That's my girl. She told me that she wrote this in your book. I said, you know, dr Rhonda is my friend in my head, right? Okay, just letting you know I love me some Dr, I love me some Dr Rhonda baby. And when I was like, okay, so this all makes sense, like it really does, like the group that I have in this magazine and, uh, the july edition, the 25 awesome authors of 2025 it seemed like it all makes sense. It's like all the indie authors and some of them are traditional published but most of them are indie art and it just all comes like full circle.
Speaker 2:Everybody in this group right awesome, awesome group um I want to ask you about trust. We're going to get back to trust for a moment. What is one moment or review from a reader that from trust that stays with you today, because I know it was quite a while when you wrote it. So what was what? What is like a moment in that book that you wrote that kind of sticks with you, or a review from a reader?
Speaker 3:um, that's a good question. Um, I think a moment from the book is the very first scene where he's staring down the shooter and he's not backing away. He is so caught up in himself and he is so evil that he actually laughs at her pain, even though she sold him a gun at him.
Speaker 2:The opening scene had me like, okay, I got to read more because who he think he is? Yes, right, yes, girl, that was one that, yes, that's what made me look y'all this book. It pull you in. As soon as you read the first page he's staring down the barrel, and he just know he ain't finna get shot.
Speaker 2:He just know he is who he is, hon, and she show his tail, baby. She's going to say, yeah, okay, I got your tail, it was a good book, y'all, y'all got to go get it. I'm going to do the call to the action at the end, but just know, y'all got to go get this. Now you are a prolific author, stage adapter and an educator. What's next for you? Is it any plays, books or events that you got coming up?
Speaker 3:Well, a few things going on. So this coming Saturday I'll be at the Independent Book Festival in Philadelphia, so I'm looking forward to that. Also, in October, I'll be at the National Black Book Festival in Houston. Um, and that's going to be. I always forget the date, so I'm going to say it's the last weekend of October, so whatever that is.
Speaker 3:I think, yeah, whatever that last Thursday through Saturday is in October that's when it is so. Then in February is the Black History Month Literary Weekend. We will be celebrating our 10th anniversary, so I'm super excited about that. All of the slots are already gone, but I want to add in a couple more Louisiana authors. So if you are an author from Louisiana, please reach out to me, because I want to have you as part of this event, with this being our 10th year. You know the scholarships are going to be more, the essay contests are going to be more.
Speaker 3:We're going to really make an impact in New Orleans, and New Orleans is where it all started. I moved it to the DMV back in 2021. However, in 2026, I have to take the event back where it all started, because New Orleans is what made this event special. So I'm really looking forward to that. There are going to be a lot of great surprises for not just the authors, but for the attendees as well. We're going to have a good time Now. One thing that I am looking at doing and I'll be making that decision within the next month is we are going to bring back Twilight, the stage play. Oh, wow.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we did it in 2020. And unfortunately, the world shut down like a month later and so we were never able to do the play again, so my plan is to bring it back in 2026. So just stay tuned for that. There are going to be auditions coming up in New Orleans and it's going to be an amazing stage play. When I did it back in 2020, it was amazing. Those actors, they did their thing. They brought those characters alive, so hopefully I can get some of them back. One of the characters is actually an actor on All the Queen's Men right now, so hopefully we can still get him. He's a little busy right now.
Speaker 2:Oh man, that is awesome.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh my goodness girl, look, you got to make sure you record it and put it out there so we can probably put it in like film festivals and stuff like that. I think that would be awesome.
Speaker 3:Yes, that's the plan.
Speaker 2:Awesome, yes, yes. And New Orleans writers, make sure you contact her right here. I got her information on the screen. I want to shout out one of my favorite New Orleans writers, Teresa Reese Dorsey, with your book Trapped. Oh girl, oh Girl, you would like Trapped?
Speaker 3:Okay, I'm going to go find it.
Speaker 2:Yes, her name is Teresa Dorsey. Her PN name is Reese R-E-E-S-E. She was one of the women of the waiting room, the volume one. When I tell you trap and trust is, but trap, trap, trap is great. Teresa Dorsey, if you're watching this, I'm trying to put you a plug in. Okay, okay, contact Rhonda. Okay, matter of fact, when we finish with this, I'm going to tag Teresa Dorsey. Okay, okay.
Speaker 3:All right, teresa Dorsey, I'm looking for you, girl, I'm looking for you.
Speaker 2:Dorsey. She is all man. Trap was great and I know she came out with a sequel to it, but I haven't got a chance to read it right now. And right now you know I got followers Not coming to me. But her name on Facebook, I think, is Reese and or Reese Dorsey. She might be Teresa Dorsey, but if you look her up on look up T, you look her up on looked up Trapped on Amazon and I'm sorry I'm plugging up, but trust me, you will be trying. Yeah, get with Rhonda Teresa. Okay, I'm trying to put you a plug Anchor, okay. So right now we're going to do the lightning round, okay, so I want you to finish this.
Speaker 3:Trust is Okay, so.
Speaker 2:I just answered Okay. Trust is intriguing. What's one piece of advice for young authors, starting today?
Speaker 3:Write what's in your heart and not what you think is popular.
Speaker 2:Give us your three-step faith reset when doubt creeps into your right.
Speaker 3:Remember your why Always pray and then stay focused. Never compare yourself to what you think other people are doing.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely. So this is the call to action. Y'all Okay, grab Trust on Amazon or Barnes Noble and read it tonight. Leave a review.
Speaker 3:Please leave a review.
Speaker 2:Please leave a review, because I'm going to leave mine, because we want to help Dr Lawson spread her message. Okay, and if you're an aspiring writer, check out her platform. Meet the World Image Solutions for coaching, editing and just literary inspiration. Ok, dr Lawson, thank you for your time, thank you for your heart and for your wisdom Helping my boot camp, my little baby boot camp. Ok, you are more than a guest, you are family here. Okay, so this conversation has been so, so powerful. The devil tried, but he won't win, girl, because I got commercials.
Speaker 3:We're not letting him win. We're not letting him win.
Speaker 2:I got commercials ready Just in case he tried throw on the commercials, trying to come back, because we're going to get this question.
Speaker 3:okay, I can't wait to host you again, Anytime you want me back, just say the word and the same offer to you Anytime you want to come back to the Horizons.
Speaker 2:Author Lounge just say the word Put me in there because I got some stuff coming up. I'm glad you said that. I was waiting on you to say that Put me in there. Some stuff coming up too, so put me. I'm glad you said that. I was waiting on you to say that, put me in there. And I always ask my people, tell people, uh, where they can reach you and then close us out in prayer okay, wonderful.
Speaker 3:first of all, you can always catch me on tiktok, instagram, facebook and even linkedin. Um, those are my four main platforms. You can reach out to my website, wwwmtwimagesolutionscom, and I want to meet you. Even if you just want to say hi, tell me what you thought of the show, leave a review for a book, or if you want to maybe chat about how I can support your journey, just say the word. This is what it's all about. There's enough stuff for us all to get some shine.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely, and pose us out in prayer.
Speaker 3:All right. Dear Heavenly Father, first of all I want to just thank you. Thank you for the heart and the spirit of Jackie Cox, just the love that she shows to other authors. This is what we all need to respond to. So thank you for that, thank you for connecting me with such a wonderful spirit and thank you for continuing to bless us in a way that only you can. All of these things, father, you've done in Jesus' name, you're redundant in our lives.
Speaker 2:Amen, amen, amen, amen. Well, this concludes another episode of listening to book club live. We got our number eight guest coming up. I'm not going to tell y'all who that is, I'm going to let that be a surprise. But have a wonderful night. God bless you all and I will talk to you soon.
Speaker 3:Bye, bye. Yeah, smile at me.
