Guest Blogger: Dr. Tiffany Brown

Today I’d like to welcome Dr. Tiffany Brown as the special guest blogger here at Thoughts in Progress as she makes her way through the blogosphere on a virtual book tour.

Dr. Brown’s current release is THE REFLECTIONS OF LIGHT FOR DAILY LIVING: A BOOK OF AFFIRMATIONS FOR THE AMBITIOUS (ISBN: 978-1-4512-3143-4). She is also offering a special giveaway with her post. She’s giving away one autographed copy of her book and smart phone app to 1 lucky person who comments on her post between now and 8 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, Nov. 6. Be sure to include your e-mail address with your comment if it isn’t included in your profile. 

Now Dr. Brown, who is an Atlanta (GA) author, has stopped by to answer some questions about her book and her writing.

Mason: How did you start out your writing career?

Tiffany: I have always liked to write. But I really begin to write more through my Twitter page from my mayoral campaign. I started with leaving famous quotes and begin to gradually share my thoughts about life for the ambitious.

Mason: What did you learn while writing this book?

Tiffany: I learned not to take things so personally. Most decisions are based on individual personal ambition. Ambition is never right or wrong; it is the inner drive to have something more in your life. But sometimes your ambition can clash with others. You must not take it personally.

I also learned that having just me is enough because of God’s love. I now feel comfortable in my own skin; imperfections in all. I may not be perfect but I am attempting to be a best that I can. And that is enough as long as I try to stay aligned with God.
Mason: What did you hope to accomplish with this book?

Tiffany: Never give up on your goals in life but allow God to revise or tweak them into being aligned with his Will. Every failure is not a nightmare and every opportunity is not a blessing. Some failures can be blessings; some opportunities can be nightmares.

Allow God completely into your heart and watch your life begin to expand in the most amazing ways. I trust God in completely different way than before because I now have a testimony that I never had before. There is nothing like spectacular fall to truly give you a new relationship with God.
Mason: Is the “writer’s life” what you thought it would be?

Tiffany: No. It definitely a lot more business than I thought. You have to really hands on and have a strategy to encourage book sales.

Mason: Which five characters (can be from books, movies, or TV shows) would you invite over for dinner and why?

Tiffany: The five characters would be:
• Claire Huxtable (Cosby Show) because of her poise and thoughtfulness.  
• Mark Zuckerberg (Real person and Social Network Movie) for his passion and drive.
• Juror No. 8 (12 angry men the movie) for his tenacity and perseverance.
• Bourne (The Bourne Ultimatum ) for his intelligence and ability to think fast on his feet.
• Jesus (The Bible) for his unwavering faith.

Mason: What are three things you wish you’d known before you reached where you are now?

Tiffany: The three things are business strategy, marketing and publicity. Each are incredibly important when you building yourself as a brand. I don’t think I really understood this component when I was younger.

Mason: Can you give us one do and one don’t for those aspiring to be a writer?

Tiffany: One do is to be to be strategic about selling your books. Hiring your own publicist may be a good idea to ensure you get your desired response. Don’t assume you’re a major priority just because you have book deal.

One don’t is similar to the do. Do not wait on the publicity department for your publisher . Do not rely on your publisher for everything. You can miss out many additional revenue streams by waiting on your publisher to act.

Mason: What was the best advice you’d ever gotten about the publishing industry? The worst?

Tiffany: The best advice was to hire my own publicist and the worst advice was not worry about digital rights. The digital rights are extremely important and you should try to retain them if you can.

Mason: If you could be a character from any book you've read, who would you be?

Tiffany: It would be Nico or Victory in Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell. They are such strong woman but are human as well.

Mason: Can you give us a sneak peek of your next book?

Tiffany: My next book will be a book of prayers. There are some prayers in this book and it was such overwhelming positive response to them via Twitter that the next book will be just prayers. I also may do a cookbook but that depends on my schedule during the holiday to do the legwork.

Mason: How can readers get in contact with you? (mail, email, website)

Tiffany: Readers can contact me by email at info@tiffanycbrown.com

Tiffany, thanks for stopping by today and giving us a glimpse at your life and your writing. Wishing you much success.

For more information on Tiffany and her work, go to her website at www.tiffanycbrown.com or her twitter page at www.twitter.com/drtiffanybrown