Thursday, January 17, 2008

Black Success Stories by Zhana


About author, Zhana:
I have had many poems and short stories published, and am working on a choreopoem which celebrates Harriet Tubman and Harriet Jacobs. I have studied the lives and work of many successful people of African heritage, and this inspires my own work. I have written Success Strategies for Black People and Black Success Stories Volume 1 as part of my ongoing commitment to global prosperity and global peace.

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Interview with author, Zhana

Tinisha Johnson:
Q:
What inspired you to write your book, Black Success Stories Volume 1?

Zhana
A:
I was inspired to write it while I was working on Success Strategies for Black People and leading courses in the Black community. So many people said to me “I can’t, I can’t”, they kept repeating this like some kind of mantra or something. They were so convinced that they could not achieve their goals, they did not even want to try. They believed that racism would stop them from achieving anything. I wanted to show examples of people who have overcome racism and achieved success in a wide range of areas. We should never believe that racism will stop us. We can achieve anything we want to if we set our minds to it.

Tinisha Johnson
Q: What type of feedback from others have you gotten after writing Black Success Stories Volume 1?

Zhana
A:
People have really liked the book. Remember, this is just the first book in the series. Some people have asked me, ‘Are you just dealing with financial success? Because there are many people who have achieved success who are not necessarily financially wealthy’. I say, ‘Look at the book, look at the website’. I am celebrating a whole range of different kinds of successes in many fields.

Tinisha Johnson
Q: What do you want people to get out of your book, Black Success Stories Volume 1, and why did you choose to offer your eBooks for free?

Zhana
A:
I want people to get education, inspiration and upliftment from the book.

Some of the stories are so amazing and heartwarming. Like Isaac Dweben, who started a charity to support Black people who are affected by cancer. He knew nothing about cancer, he had no training in that area. And he funded it out of his own pocket. And of course someone like the late Len Garrison, who started collecting Black memorabilia when none of the museums in the UK were collecting it, and ended up founding the Black Cultural Archives.

I particularly wanted to provide positive role models for young Black men, because so many of our young people are disaffected and ending up in prisons. The next book in the series will focus more on women.

I want people to say, ‘So and so did this, I can do what I want to do’. And in some cases, the book gives step-by-step guidance on how to achieve particular goals – for example, how to have a successful career in TV; how to pursue a journalistic career. I got five points from millionaire Rene Carayol on how to be successful in business.

I am offering the eBooks as a way for people to have a free sample of what I am offering in the books. To try before you buy, so to speak. I am also using the eBooks to help promote Black businesses and other organisations which may not be well-established as yet, but which can use the publicity to help to build their businesses. It’s a chance for me to do something for my community.

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Zhana is seeking motivational articles from writers of African heritage. To submit go to: http://www.black-success.com/articleswanted.htm

Visit Zhana and purchase her book Black Success Stories:
http://www.blacksuccess1.com/blacksuccessstories.htm

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