Inspired and influenced by her own family's history, author and TV personality Rolonda Watts placed the setting for her debut novel Destiny Lingers in Topsail Island, North Carolina. As one of the first black families to establish a community on Topsail Island they had first hand experience with many of the topics covered in her book. In addition to her family's history, Watts also wove other personal experiences into her story including surviving a traumatic hurricane event and encountering a police officer who served as inspiration for her main character's love interest. What started as a hobby and was initially shared only with her friends, turned into a desire to capture the past in a compelling fictional story of race relations, class relations and love. With encouragement from her writer's group and from the late, great Dr. Maya Angelou, Watts realized her manuscript's potential and ultimately self-published her award-winning book.
OMG! This is EXACTLY what happened to me. As far as feedback goes. OMG! Thank you so much Ms.Watts!