Sunday, January 1, 2012
PROFILE: Author Omegia Keeys
by Cyrus Webb
After being introduced to her work in 2010 I actually had the opportunity to meet Omegia Keeys the person in October 2011 while she was on tour with her latest book RISE AND FALL OF A TRACK STAR and what an experience it was. You can feel her confidence right away, but it is tempered with her gratefulnes for what she loves to do, and that's writing.
This is not something that was new to her. When we sat down to talk about her journey as an author and what led her to write the book that chronicles many of her personal experiences good and bad, Omegia shared with me that reading and writing were things that were encouraged years ago.
It all really began in 9th grade, she told me, thansk to a teacher that took an interest in a group of girls and started a book club with them. The girls were encouraged to write questions for the discussion of the book. Omegia came to the discussion with stacks of questions and ready for the next selection. Even before that, however, she was known to write dialogue for her paper dolls, planning out scenes for them and leading them on a journey of her choosing.
Today she is doing the same with her books, attracting readers not only across the United States but beyond as well. When I asked her what surprises her the most about her success, she thought for a moment and answered: "That people actually like what's going on in the mind of Omegia!" This along with the feeling she has of living her dream brings her joy.
Anyone who has read Omegia's new book, RISE AND FALL OF A TRACK STAR, are introduced to a side of her life that is not always full of happiness or joy. We are able to see how she deals with abuse, being young and pregnant and the decisions she made that have enabled her to do what she is doing today. She told me that she wrote the book in about a month, and that the process was a liberating one for her. "I think I cried harder writing it than after the actual events," she shared. While she was going through the abuse she says she never went through the victim stage, never asked 'Why did this happen to me?'. "I was always a person that thought it could be worse," she says. This caused her to build a shell around herself and her feelings.
Today she sees the sharing of her story, the highs and the lows, as something that is good not just for herself but for others as well. "I think my life has prepared me for what Is next or ahead," says Keeys. "It takes alot to bother me now."
The attention she is getting for her craft is not something that she takes lightly. She told me that she sees her role as an author as being educational. The lesson for others to realize? When you don't make the right choices there are consequences.
There are some who might have folded under the abuse of given up, but Omegia says this was never an option for her. "I write about strong women because I came from a line of them. My grandmother had 20 kids. My mother had seven. Who am I not to be strong?"She wants readers to be entertained but she also hopes the lessons she has learned and have incorporated in her books come through. "I don't want anybody to go through what I have," she says. "When you judge people you are victimizing that person all over again." Her key to success that she wanted to pass along? "Keep trying. Don't let the people that tell you that you can't do something influence you."
Following author Omegia Keeys' advice will definitely help you in your goal to begin living your life anew from the inside out.
To keep in contact with Keeys visit http://fromthemindofomegia.blogspot.com/ or http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com.
http://www.conversationsmag.blogspot.com/2012/01/profile-author-omegia-keeys.html?spref=fb
