Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Christie Black-Murrell.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My writing journey started as a young kid probably around age 8 or 9 when I started journaling. This was my safe place to put all of my feelings and thoughts good or bad. As I got older, it was where I would write my poems which later turned into my very first book. “Random Thoughts of a Perplexed, Relaxed Soul”, was my first collection of poems and was so special to me because it started being written when I was high school. Now 14 years later, I have written twelve other books in various genres including poetry, adult fiction, and children literature. The one common glue of all of them goes back to my purpose of “speaking life” to all I come into contact with.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Nothing worth having is ever easy but always and I do mean always worth it. There have been many days especially when I am in the re-writing process or when my editor rips my draft to shreds that I feel like is this really what I should be doing. However, just as many moments that I have of doubt there are twice as many of smiling faces of little readers finding joy in the words I have written. Or even when I use my poetry to do Spoken Word and the crowd finds hope in the words that I have spoken, I am reminded that this is God’s plan and path for me. Another major struggle, I believe probably for all self-published authors and that is marketing the masterpiece that you have written. It’s hard to zone in on your market and be sure that all of your branding speaks to them specifically. Oh, and one last struggle comes specifically with Children’s books and being sure that your chosen illustrator depicts the characters that you see in your head.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an author, speaker, and counselor. I write to educate children about the importance of social emotional learning. I create stories that speak life to all who read them. I love storytelling and seeing the joy on the face of a little one when they are excited about a book. Reading has always been my way of seeing the world, building my imagination, and growing my vocabulary. As a school counselor for the last thirteen years, I have seen more and more the importance of social emotional learning skills (i.e., self-awareness, social awareness, responsible decision-making, and resilience) to name a few. I love being a mom which is partly why I began writing Children’s books back in 2020 because my oldest loves to read. The things that I feel make me different are my compassion for the next generation and the hand of God that guides my writing.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
There are far too many people to name when I think of who has helped me to get to this place I am in. Of course, the first would be my God who has given me this gift. In addition, my family are huge supporters especially my husband, Mario and our two daughters, Morgan and Cydney. They are my very own beta-readers when I write anything, I run it by my greatest supporters and greatest critics all in one. My mom will never miss a book launch, meeting, author visits, pop up, and the list goes on she will be in attendance cheering me on. In addition, I have wonderful friends who always support every endeavor I launch. Lastly, there are also influential teachers along the way that cultivated my gift.
Contact Info:
- Email: cblackexpressions@gmail.com
- Website: www.cblackexpressions.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/authorchristie_blackmurrell
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/authorchristie
Image Credits
Brian Jackson Photography
