We are thrilled to feature Jasmine Griffin’s Bye Bye, Blackbird as part of our weekly feature series. As part of our weekly features, we are interested in learning more about our authors, and hope that their experiences will help to empower other writers. Please enjoy this brief Q&A with Jasmine!
What is the first book that made you cry?
The first book that ever made me cry was, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. That woman could tell a story. She had this way with words and the characters were so well developed. I was emotionally invested from beginning to end and it was one of the works I can truly say that inspired me to want to write.
If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?
As a teenager I would probably say that I should've believed in myself more and invested in myself more as a writer. I think I was afraid in the beginning. Even with the support of family, friends and teachers. I didn't believe I could do it professionally or anyone would want to read the stories I had to tell. It took me a long time to build up my confidence and embrace the fact that I am and always have been a writer.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Too many! I am one of those writers who gets ideas and starts them and then gets stuck and stops. The project I am working on now though is something that has stuck with me for years and inspired by my grandfather in a lot of ways and I feel like it is just as much his story as it is mine and so I want to finish it and bring it to life in a way that he and my grandmother would've been proud of.