I’ve always wanted to write, but life got in the way. I’m sure many of you know what I mean. You know, things like eating, having a roof over your head and clothes on your back, have a way of making you go to work and get a real job. Well that is exactly what I did. I went to school, earned an Associate Degree in Business Computer Programming. Then I went out and got a job as a computer programmer at a local manufacturing company. I was happy. At least I thought I was. It wasn’t until September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacks rocked our world that I realized how short life is, that I wasn’t enjoying life, I was just enduring it. I was basically going through life on auto-pilot, doing what was expected of me.

That day, when the world stood still with their eyes glued to the television as they watch in horror, I decided that it was time to make a change in my life. I decided to go back to my first love, writing. I sat down at my PC and wrote my first novel, Rap Superstar. I was back, I thought as images in my head came to life on my computer.

Feeling proud, I set out to get my first born, “Rap Superstar”, published. Months later, after numerous rejection letters, informing me that no one wanted to read what I was writing but “good luck anyway”, I came to the conclusion that maybe the majority of society had no interest in the things that I wrote about, but I was sure there was at least one reader who may find my writings entertaining, and me, never being one to give up just because someone closes a door in my face, I decided to self-publish. I mean, I’m pretty smart. How hard could it be right? So I set out on my self-publishing journey. Well let me say this, self-publishing may not be the easy mountain to climb, but once you get to the top, the view is breath-taking, and my view was the view of my first book, bound, printed and published. I was a happy camper, needless to say.

A year later, I signed on with Urban Books and they re-released Rap Superstar as well as my second novel Fallen Star. However, after a not so positive experience with Urban Books, I went back to self-publishing and re-released Rap Superstar as Rap Star and Fallen Star as Triple Platinum under my publishing company GenNext Publishing in 2007. In 2008, I released Joy and Paine and I am currently working on my first fitness book.

Now, I don’t know if I’ll get rich off of the literary gems that I am writing, but damn, it sure does feel good.


Debra M. Clayton