1.) Can you tell us more about Yvette Kendall and what motivated you to start The GOD Maps sci-fi series and Biblical Futurism?

In regard to ‘The GOD Maps,’ there was not necessarily a motivation; a better word for it is inspiration. After I decided to end my career as an inventor and product developer, I was hit with a sudden flash of genius in the form of a story. That story became ‘The GOD Maps,’ or a large portion of it. The genre of ‘Biblical Futurism’ was born out of necessity. ‘The GOD Maps’ story is so unique that I had a hard time trying to find a suitable category to place the work into. So, I decided to create a sub-genre specifically for it.

• What was the motivation and intent behind creating a series based in science and technology mixed with religion and philosophy?

When the story revealed itself to me, I didn’t argue with it. I accepted it whole for what it was. It told me the story of an ancient coin [currency] with two sides—once as old as time and the other, the promise of the new age. Religion and Technology are sisters with their own unique relationships with their father. It all made sense to me, even with my lack of formal education in the former and the latter.

• What originally made you want to be a writer and an author who produces SciFi content? 

As stated previously, it chose me (lol)! I don’t believe I had ever considered it before. As a child, I always won spelling and poetry contests. As an adult, I loved writing technical things like contracts, complaint letters, and patents. I somehow overlooked my capacity to utilize that penchant for literary purposes. However, when the opportunity arose, it became as natural to me as breathing air. I suppose I was always a nerdy type of person—I mean that affectionately. I love anything to do with space, technology, and futurism.

• Who are your biggest influences/heroes/role models in your life and were any of them instrumental in your journey to becoming an author?

One of my biggest role models was my grandmother. She taught me so much about the real world, timeless fashion, being inventive, and having a sense of creativity personally and in business. She was a giant in her own right, a sort of a Renaissance woman, and even had a radio show back in the day with Don Cornelius.

2.) What is the story behind the creations of the Zombie Comic Book Anthology “The American Zombie Chronicles” and the children’s book series called “A Zombie For Mommy!”?

The birth of those two projects kind of happened simultaneously. After I wrote ‘The GOD Maps,’ I was contacted by a guy who wrote comic books. He wanted me to write some zombie stories for his publication. Within a week, I had written something like twelve stories. He loved them all! A few days later, he told me a story. He said, ‘Every time they are at a convention, little children would drag their mothers to his booth to buy one of his zombie comic books.’ He would eventually have to tell the parents that his books were too graphic for the kids. While I listened, I came up with the concept for ‘A Zombie For Mommy!’. I wrote the entire book about a week later. Now, there is an entire line of books for children under the umbrella of ‘Somebody For Mommy!’. Book two has already been published; it’s called ‘A Werewolf For Mommy!’ There will be four more books in this line.

• What separates Stravard Lux Publishing & Distributions and Element 99 Publications from the other book publishers out there?

Stravard Lux/ Element 99 are boutique publishers committed to working closely with emerging authors. One of our distinctive features is our ability to promote intellectual property across multiple platforms, including a literary version, comic book adaptation, and/or graphic novel rendition. At Stravard Lux, we place a strong emphasis on promoting to children, aiming to foster authorship from a young age. Imagine children authors earning residuals from their work throughout their lives. We are dedicated to advancing childhood literacy through authorship, offering not only creative fulfillment but also the potential for significant financial gains.

3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has had any influence on how you approach your work?

Yes, I’m very aware that success is fleeting. I have had explosive success followed by devastating failures. I take nothing for granted. I treat every day as a new beginning and another God-given opportunity to do something great. I don’t believe in wasting time—if it can be done now, then I do it right now!

• What motivates you to continuously create content?

I feel that I have a job to do. God has placed me here for a reason. I create when He gives me a story. If I wait for His direction, the story will be seminal—a force to be reckoned with, undeniable.

4.) With Dr. Ameerah Mahar being the main character of your book ‘The GOD Maps’ and being created in the likeness of your daughter, was there any other motivating factor behind the creation of Dr. Ameerah Mahar?

Yes, I wanted Dr. Mahar to contradict the status quo. Black women are often depicted in a one-dimensional way, and it was important to me that her intellect and compassion were the dominant components of her character. Yes, she’s young, yes, she’s beautiful, but she also has a stellar I.Q. and commands a team of some of the brightest and sought-after minds in the world. I purposely didn’t offer too many physical descriptions for Dr. Mahar or any of the other characters. I wanted people of all nationalities to care about the story and not focus on the fact that the cast are people of color. Dr. Mahar “IS” why this book is so phenomenal!

• Are you a fan of the superhero movie genre and comic books? If so, was there anything from any superhero movies and/or comic books that was an influence in the creation of Dr. Ameerah Mahar or any of the other main characters in the series?

Yes, I am a fan of the superhero genre. Dr. Mahar and another character by the name of ‘Scilectra’ are the only two characters in the book that cross over into superhero/supervillain status. They are both powered by their personal stances on religion and technology, yet they are vastly opposed. I don’t want to give the story away, but the protagonist and antagonist scenario must play itself out.

5.) Aside from money being a motivating factor, what else is a motivating factor for growing your business? What is your process for business growth and expansion?

To be honest, I don’t force it. I try to give it what it needs to grow organically. Especially in the days and times we live in. Growing too fast in an unstable environment can be a recipe for failure. Adopting incremental advancements works for me best. We are now crossing over from publishing into shopping IP for movie and television deals. That can help fund growth exponentially. It’s not easy, industry setbacks seem to be more of a rule than an exception but that’s par for the course.

6.) When it comes to small business ownership, there seems to be many talented individuals who more or less try to thrive in their chosen industry yet they don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or hard work. What do you do (or plan to do) to make sure your business stands out and gets noticed and doesn’t fall to the wayside?

I don’t worry about recognition. If you make good products and do good work, that will send off flares and the right people will see it.

7.) Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, how do you think the internet and social media affected the book publishing industry and the way books are distributed and sold in the marketplace?

Yes, social media has made it so much easier to find and maintain customers and a fan base. However, it’s not perfect. Human nature is fickle and untimely—two things that can ruin a business of any type. That’s why a constant presence and engagement are important. Partnerships and associations are key too.

• Do you think any business will be able to survive and thrive in today’s economy if they’re not social media savvy?

The short answer is ‘NO.’ Social media is a utility now, like water and power. If you don’t use it, you will still exist, but your quality of life will be greatly diminished.

8.) Can you give the readers some insight on the skills you had to acquire to get your business started and to where it is now?

I had to learn certain platforms within the literary and book printing industry to efficiently print and distribute books. It’s still a work in progress because technology and platforms are ever advancing. There are so many moving parts to starting, completing, and getting a book (and author) ready for the market. There will always be challenges.

• What was the process of getting your books created and put into the marketplace?

There are many layers involved in the publishing process, including writing, cover design, artwork, proofreading, editing (in several stages), re-writes, copyright, Library of Congress, focus groups, formatting, securing ISBN, printing, distribution, author bios, photos, book signings, tours, websites, and more.

• What made you come to the realization that your books are what people need in their own life and what is the ultimate takeaway after reading your books?

It’s all about relevancy. What I write can align with belief systems or cultural systems. I believe that the seminal work that I have created resonates with people on a visceral level.

9.) When it comes to the society that we live in, do you think black authors get the respect that they deserve? Why or why not?

Oh my gosh…now this is a loaded question for me. In short, no, I don’t think that we get the respect that is deserved. However, I also feel that we should venture out of the spaces that we have been relegated to. I think that people outside of our communities just don’t expect to see our work in more advantageous genres. And when we do, we are almost instantly shunned for not belonging. I think that we have to show an undeniable presence in all areas of literature.

• Do you think black women business owners get the respect that they deserve? If not, do you think black businesswomen not being recognized enough is a result of systemic racism, sexism or both?

No, we don’t get the respect we deserve. I have learned that everything is about sex(ism) [in culture and out of culture] and some level of racism. Both can be quite the obstacle.

10.) If black entrepreneurship is one of many avenues to black economic empowerment, do you think we will see more black business owners coming on the scene? If so, what do you think it will take for black business to truly compete in a world that seems to be rapidly advancing?

Business ownership can be a main component in economic empowerment. If history is any indication, then I do believe that business ownership among the Black demographic will continue to expand. Educating ourselves on business, finances, marketing, and creating strong and reliable networking relationships in and out of our communities will give us a competing edge in business.

11.) Within the past few years or so, there has been a rise in black woman-owned businesses. During the pandemic, there has been business growth amongst women of color in general. What do you think the reasons are for the emergence of black female business owners before, during and after the pandemic?

I believe that factors such as increased access to resources, a desire for economic independence, and the availability of more digital platforms for entrepreneurship and education may have contribute to the growth.

12.) It seems that black entrepreneurs have to really fight to be seen and heard in a world that more or less doesn’t embrace black business. With that being said, what are some issues that you feel that you and other black business owners face when it comes to gaining the momentum necessary to compete in a white-dominated capitalistic society?

Black entrepreneurs often encounter challenges in gaining visibility and recognition in a world that does not fully embrace black businesses. It can be tiring to navigate a white-dominated society and struggle with limited access to funding, systemic barriers in networking, biases in mainstream markets, and a lack of representation and support. All of that can definitely slow down the momentum.

• What are some of the challenges that black businesswomen face on a regular basis?

Lack of adequate funding, assistance, home-work balance, bias, lack of support (personal and professional), lack of opportunity, minimum grants for some specialized fields and age groups.

13.) There are multiple ways of attaining customers and building up your customer-base. What are some ways you attract people to your content and attract them in a way to get them to become readers of your books ?

The best way for me to acquire new readers is to have a dynamic cover, an engaging synopsis, and to release a chapter or two of the audiobook for whatever title that I’m promoting. It works every time!

• If you were to advise an aspiring author on how to start a book series and/or a publishing company, what advice would you give them?

I would tell them to do it for the love of the craft! Not for the money, not for the notoriety. You have to love the art of telling the story. If you do this honestly, everything else will fall into place

• What would you tell the black girls out there who aspire to be the author of their own book series?

The previous advice holds true for this question as well. Additionally, I would emphasize writing something that has the power to make the world blush—contribute something indispensable that we cannot do without.

14.) Professionally, where do you see yourself and your business 5 to 10 years from now?

In the next 5 to 10 years, I envision myself in France, at the helm of an international publishing company, where I’ll be involved in writing and overseeing the printing of books in multiple languages. Additionally, I anticipate seeing my diverse collection of paintings displayed in art galleries.

• Are there any other book series in the works? If so, what are they and why should readers look forward to them?

Yes, I’m currently immersed in the creation of The GOD Maps, Volume 2 & 3, along with another captivating Biblical Futurism novel titled The Revelation Activation. Additionally, I’m diligently working on completing the last four books in the ‘Somebody For Mommy!’ Collection and the eagerly awaited second installment of Horrorgraphs and Other Short Creepy Stories. Excitingly, French versions of these books are also in the pipeline. Readers can anticipate a unique and unparalleled experience in each of these upcoming releases!