"Revival Season" by Monica West, with a conversation about gratitude

The Acknowledgments

For Monica West, it took time to write a book that would impact and resonate with her audience. Her latest book, Revival Season, was nine years in the making.

Monica shares that writing was her place of peace, her escape, and her refuge. Monica also reveals the fascinating thing that inspires her writing; she sees an image and builds the story around that image.

In today’s episode, this brilliant author from Cleveland, Ohio, Monica, shares her sources of inspiration. Join me as I chat with Monica and she reveals the people who influenced her writing: her supportive parents, warm community, and long-time friends.

Monica also loves to read acknowledgments in the books she reads. She believes that acknowledgments are a kind of love letter to the community and people who helped shape the books she wrote over the years.

Monica West shares that one of the things that matter to her is being able to express her gratitude to the people that have supported her and she does that through the acknowledgments in her book.

Tune in and be inspired by today’s episode.

Discover more about Monica West and her latest book: Revival Season through https://monicawestwrites.com/.

Follow her social media pages and be updated on her events and awards: https://www.facebook.com/monicawestwrites/ and https://www.instagram.com/mlaurenwest/.

Timestamp:

01:10 Premise of Monica West’s book: Revival Season

02:00 The book revolved around relationships with family and friends, and faith in God.

02:53 What led Monica to have multiple pages of acknowledgments

03:13 Monica loved acknowledgments in books

03:51 Acknowledgments are love letters to her community and to people who shaped the book

06:10 The book was nine years in the making

06:27 The book Monica wrote prior to this one was 10 years in the making

06:50 Monica sees images and when they recur, she knows something is beyond fleeting

09:28 How Monica kept the motivation for so long

09:52 Writing has been Monica’s place of peace

10:37 Feedback was the first thing that kept her going

11:51 Monica’s three friends, whom she considered as sisters, were in her acknowledgments

13:12 From the beginning, these friends nurtured the book and Monica herself

14:36 One of the people mentioned in the acknowledgements is Gabby Ryan

15:47 Gabby has always pushed Monica to write

18:21 Miriam, the main character in the book, had traits that were a part of Monica

19:54 Monica’s favorite line of the book

21:10 Monicais writing a new book

25:12 The genres of books Monica reads

29:17 Monica’s parents read to her when she was little and helped her imagine worlds that existed in books

30:28 Books have always been part of Monica’s life

34:20 Remaining grateful