Rising Stars: Meet Lotunja Wright

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lotunja Wright.

Lotunja, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in the small town of Dublin, GA., and I began writing stories at seven. As the youngest of three, with a somewhat big age gap between my siblings and myself, I spent a lot of time alone, so my stories were my friends…my escape from my loneliness. I remember writing my first story about a girl named Charlotte who had a huge family. We had just read Charlotte’s Web in school, so that story undoubtedly influenced my main character’s name. I went on to write poetry and short stories throughout my formative years, and I was published in a poetry book for young American poets during high school.

As a “country girl,” I had no idea of the vast array of career options the world held for me or what career options I could create for myself. When I started to dream big, someone told me I needed to look at where I was from and be more practical. Being practical meant going into careers that were widely known in our town, like teaching children…so I eventually did.

I graduated with honors from East Laurens High School in 1997 and as a Presidential Scholar from the University of Georgia in 2001 with a Bachelor’s degree in English Education. Fast forward to 2007, I graduated with my Master’s Degree in School Library Media from the University of West Georgia. I served as an English teacher from 2001-2006, and I’ve been serving as a school library media specialist from 2007 to the present.

I understand that educating children was my assignment, and I do not regret my path, but I wish I’d been privy to more options. I want children and adults to know they can dream big and do things they would have never imagined doing.

So far, I’ve self-published four books, and I’m working on my 5th and 6th books. My first book was for adults, but the last three books have been for teens, preteens, and young children. I published my first book, In the Fire, in 2005. I went on to publish Choosing Sides: An Interactive Character Education Workbook in 2017. You are Amazing, Remember That was published in 2018, and Panda the Puppy: The Case of the Missing Tiara was published in 2021. In addition, I’ve created 24 educational resources for my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Teachers Pay Teacher is an outstanding educational Marketplace for educators.

I also enjoy blogging on my inspirational blog, apushedwoman.com. The blog came to be during a tough time in my life, and I felt that because I needed encouragement, it would uplift me to encourage others. I know that when you give to others, the fulfillment that God gives you will beat any discouraging situation you may be going through. So, that is why I created the blog, as well as why I wrote my third book, You are Amazing, Remember That.

My goal in life is to encourage others to live their best life and aim as high as possible. We only get one life, so to not live it to your fullest potential and shine your light as a beacon to others is a disservice to yourself and everyone who could benefit from your light. I believe that for people to reach their highest potential, sometimes all they need is a little exposure. So, my goal is to expose aspiring authors to the self-publishing process and the fulfillment of being a published author.

Many concepts I’ve learned from educating, blogging, and writing have prepared me to create my course, The Self-Publishing Blueprint.

The Self-Publishing Blueprint, a self-paced course, walks aspiring authors of all ages through the steps of self-publishing. The course covers the following topics:
1. Writing and editing best practices
2. Finding a quality editor, graphic designer, & formatter
3. Creating a publishing budget
4. Creating a publishing plan & launch plan
5. Publishing with Amazon KDP, Barnes & Noble, and other printers
6. Setting up book signings, book tours & other events
7. ISBN & copyright purchasing
8. EIN application
9. A resource guide, jam-packed with phenomenal resources
10. Marketing and more!

The course website is:
the-self-publishing-blueprint.teachable.com

It would be my honor to walk with any aspiring author on their journey to authorship.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This journey has definitely not been a smooth road for me. I’ve had to overcome health challenges, infertility, and miscarriage, as well as the health challenges of my parents, the death of one parent, and the health challenges of my miracle child. Dealing with these obstacles slowed down the momentum of my writing career and course creation, but God would not allow me to stop. I’ve always known that I was called to write, encourage, and help others, so that has sustained me during my most difficult times.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in writing books and course creation, and I am most proud of my books and my course. I have created a course that will walk any aspiring author step-by-step through the self-publishing process. Utilizing my experiences and years of research on best practices, I have developed a course that will provide my students with the most current and beneficial publishing information. I believe what sets me apart from others is my experience educating children. Because of that experience, I understand the importance of scaffolding information, so I have divided my course into manageable chunks. As a result, aspiring authors from various walks of life are able to follow the pace of my course and be successful. Also, I am available to assist students with questions.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I may be contacted via email at: theselfpublishingblueprint@gmail.com. My course can be found at: the-self-publishing-blueprint.teachable.com

Pricing:

• $97 for The Self-Publishing Blueprint.

Contact Info:

• Website: the-self-publishing-blueprint.teachable.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laplumbooks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/La-Plum-Books-102747922435778

Image Credits
Mary O. Pelt of m.o.p. Photography (Photographer for pictures with yellow dress and flowery dress.) Book signing with readers photo credit: author’s personal picture.