In my series of interviews with bloggers and writers, I invited Tosha Michelle of the WordPress blog “Everything I Never Told You” to be interviewed and she accepted. It is great to have one of the literary greats of the 21^st Century and to discuss diverse subject matters.

 

Tosha Michelle is the author of “Confessions of a Reformed Southern Belle: A Poet’s Collection of Love, Loss, and Renewal» and  “Self Help to Self Harm : The Dubious Guide To Life, Love, and Relationships». We are now going to get started.

 

Tosha: I hope everything is well with you. Everything is great especially since I wanted to interview you about your blog. Here are the ten questions which you can answer within a week at your own time.

1. What is the purpose of «Everything I Never Told You«?

 It’s my own personal journal. I use it to express myself. It helps me get in touch with my feelings and offers me a creative outlet to unleashed my imagination and thoughts

 

2. When, Where, and How did you get your start as an author and poet? 

 I began writing at a young age. Poetry has always been a safe haven for me. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I felt compelled to share my words.  I’ve published two books. The first was a chapbook entitled. Confessions of a Reformed Southern Belle. The second book is my humorous take on the self-help genre. That book  is entitled Self Help to Self Harm: The Dubious Guide to Life, Love, and Realtionships. 

 

3. When did you start your blog and will there be a book form for «Everything I Never Told You»?

 I started my blog about five years ago. I am hoping to publish another collection of poetry in the near future that will feature some of the poems on my WP site. 

 

4. Your first book was «Confessions of a Reformed Southern Belle: A Poet’s Collection of Love, Loss, and Renewal». What inspired you to write it and what is its central theme? 

 I wrote it at the urging of my family and friends. My poetry has evolved quite a bit since then. The main themes are loss and redemption.

 

5. Who are your idols and what is your favorite genre and how did that inspire you in your writing style?

 I’m a huge fan of the confessional poets. I also love Emily Dickinson, William Butler Yeats, Robert Frost and Elizabeth Bishop. In addition, my writing is heavily influenced by F Scott Fitzgerald. He was such a lyrical writer. I wish I had his aptitude for storytelling.

 

6. You also wrote «Self Help to Self Harm : The Dubious Guide To Life, Love, and Relationships«. What inspired you to write it and what lessons can be learned from this masterpiece? 

 I certainly wouldn’t call it a masterpiece. That made me chuckle. Thank you. I thought it would be fun to do a self-help parody book. It’s my take on the genre. It’s supposed to be humorous, but a lot of people have told me they found a lot of wisdom between the pages. Note, they may have been drunk at the time. Ha ha

 

7. In your blog, you have section in which you sing. My congratulations to you since you have a beautiful voice. Besides doing covers, have you written and recorded your own music? 

 I have written one song. It’s called Come Along with Me. For some reason, songwriting doesn’t come easily to me as the poetry. However, I have been told there is a lyrical element to my poems

 

8. How can you describe Tosha Michelle to the world? 

 I’m a woman and child in a state of grace trying to find my place in the world.  I’m a paradox of light and dark. I feel things intensely. I think some people perceive me as being this perky open book. However, if you look beyond the surface there’s a lot of depth and angst in between the pages.

9. What is your one desire for the world? 

 

It would be wonderful if we could eradicate hate. It’s a pipe dream of course, but imagine how beautiful the world would be without it.

 

10. Do you have a message for our readers and the world at large?

 Sure. Always be authentic, kind, loving, and never let anyone define you. Define yourself. Oh, and make sure your house is fully stocked with chocolate and books at all times

 

 Thank you Tosha for your time. It was an honor and pleasure. My best wishes

 

Thank you.  It’s been a real honor.