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Ericka Kendrick
Jun/05/07 22:42 |
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Erika Kendrick: These Are Her Confessions
Jun/05/07 22:24 | Writers
www.erikakendrick.com
www.erikakendrick.blogspot.com
With an amazing personality, good looks and intelligence to match Erika is at the top of my list of Authors. He book is a must read: "Confessions of a Rookie Chearleader"
Erika on the Wendy Williams Set
Just About You
Strive: Tell me a little about yourself? Where are you from, Brothers/Sisters, Children, Affiliations, Marital Status or anything else?
I’m an E-Listed literary ROCKSTAR originally from the Southside of Chicago. I’m an only child but my imaginary brothers and sisters in my over-stimulated psyche wouldn’t appreciate that. Right now I’m rockin’ the “Happily Ever After” with Cody, my cat, and I’m in couples counseling with my career. I’m the President of the New York Chapter of NABFEME (National Association of Black Female Executives in Music and Entertainment), a member of the Black MBA Association, the Stanford Alumni Association and the Stanford Black Alumni Association… and my heart perpetually pumps to the oh-so-fabuloso stomps of Delta Sigma Theta!
Strive: How did you get started? Have you always wanted to do this? Where did the inspiration and passion come from?
I got started writing girly novels when I left my gig at Island Def Jam… and ever since, I’ve been ‘RUNNING FROM THE CUBICLE!’ I never knew I was a gifted author, although I’ve always crushed on the cunning linguistics I have as a writer, but the daunting task of penning a really really really long 300 page love story was nauseating… until I got started and realized that I’d found my professional piece of heaven.
I’d just wrapped production on an Indy developmental reality show pilot and was finally sitting down to flush out one of my favorite treatments for an exec at MTV starring “CHEERLEADING” in all it’s gory glory. Having been an NBA cheerleader, I knew it would be a juicy docu-reality show with gallons of sideline sizzle. After working well into the next morning, I discovered that the one-page treatment had turned into a chapter of a sneak-peak read that’s never been written from this perspective before. It didn’t hurt that I could dispel a few mean unwarranted “BIMBO CHEERLEADER” stereotypes in the process. Believe me, when people find out that I am an Ivy League, MBA, X-NBA Cheerleader with a multi-book deal, the reaction is Mastercard priceless. But the biggest inspiration/motivation for me is still the ever present threat of the cubicle. Common put it best when he said, “I write for my life cuz I’m scared of a day job!”
Strive: What jobs did you hold before you became successful?
My career background reads like a schizophrenic chronology of a very bored Ivy Leaguer: 3rd grade teacher, waitress, third tier back-up dancer for a DD-list rap group, a professional NBA cheerleader, promotional model handing out handfuls of crap on that busy corner (yes, that was me!), a fortune 500 global public relations firm intern with seriously sexy stints at J Records, Island Def Jam, the Apollo theater, and far too many freelance gigs to name… and if you take away the perceived fame, the hangovers and the headaches were always the same!
Strive: Who influenced you the most in your career/life when you were starting out? Is there anyone's path that you particularly admire and would like to emulate?
I have watched the careers of a few women in New York that I’ve stolen twinkles of sunlight from every now and again. Tia Williams is an amazing author, writer and all-around fantastic chick! Mitzi Miller has been inspirational to me as well as I navigate my way through this E-Listed literary celebrity-doom. Right now I’m jonezing on Tyra and am in love with Harriette Cole (also a soror) ‘cuz she’s a retro renaissance Rockstar and the front woman in her own glam band! Sheer Hotness!!!!
The STRIVER in You
Strive: What signifies a STRIVER to you?
A STRIVER is someone who doesn’t, by definition, believe in dismissing possibility… a quintessential Diana, Ms. Ross if you’re nasty! DUIs be damned! American Idol - check! Additionally, an authentic STRIVER is obsessively taking notes, routinely recording blueprints of greatness. Failure never leaks into their definition of circumstance as they never fail because they never stop trying - always striving!
Strive: What makes you original or sets you apart? Why are you on top of your game?
I’ve gotten to a point in life where I am able to embrace my neurosis, massage my psychosis, and love on the layered lunacy that is me. Being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in college was traumatic and I spent almost a decade educating me about me! - and there’s just something incredibly randy about a chica in control of her journey which makes it possible to survive at the ridiculous altitudes consistent with being at the top.
Additionally, it def helps to have industry elite recognize your talent; that recognition drives me in ways incomparable to anything else: Wendy Williams naming Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader as her Book Club Pick of the Month for March, Ebony Magazine naming the title Top 3 Pick for April Fiction, etc. I’m driving/striving top speed and in talks to option the film rights. I’m also currently working on the screenplay adaptation and presenting Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader with a studio director who’s done mainstream/commercial fare with significant success. This is my journey, my story and I think I’m original and at the top of my game today because I get up every day to press on with the recognition and understanding that “This is Not a Dress Rehearsal!”
Strive: How do you define success? People often talk about "Making IT", but when will you consider yourself as having made it?
Success is being able to afford next season’s arm candy without scoping over my shoulder for Peter or Paul cuz neither got robbed to cop Chloe. One of my mentors always said “Success is Preparation Meeting Opportunity” and to that I say “Nice to meet you, come in and stay awhile.”
To Our Readers
Strive: Do you see any changes or patterns in the industry and what is your opinion of that?
The publishing industry is a tricky beast that bellows and barks at the neophyte author, particularly those without a marketing and promotions P.H.D. The successful author has to know how to market the ba-jee-bas out of their title and often times without a book tour! This makes it extremely difficult to develop a fan base with loyal Rockstar readers, and this publishing paradox doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon.
Strive: What is the insider perspective on getting ahead in your industry?
The book game is currently saturated with street/urban lit and in order to cut through the noise on 125th Street in Harlem or on the bookshelves at Barnes & Noble in Anywhere, USA, you’ve gotta stand out and separate your hustle from the masses. A Striver would embrace the current literary landscape and find a niche in the marketplace to “do her,” like inking CONFESSIONS OF A ROOKIE CHEERLEADER, a fiction title that’s never been written from this perspective before.
Strive: What advice would you give others attempting to make their dreams come true?
Surround yourself with bad ass Strivers who’ve adopted Big Pimpin’ Dreams and don’t ever look back unless you’re stuntin’ to see how far you’ve come!
Strive: What are your 3 lessons for success? Or what is your recipe for success?
Recipe: Mix a lotta preparation with a little luck. Thrown in a tablespoon of networking contacts and a pinch of persistence, bake at 350 degrees for effin’ forever and let it cool just long enough to enjoy the fruits of your labor before wrapping it in future success!
Last Words
Strive: What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning and what is the last thing you think of at night.
Morning: Thank You! Night: Thank You… oh yeah, and did I remember to change the litter box.
Strive: What do you know for sure? That I don’t know many things… for sure.
Strive: Any last overall advice? Dream BIG – HUGE, MEGAWATT! And know that you don’t need anyone’s permission to do YOU!
Strive: How can anyone reach you? I can always be reached at www.erikakendrick.com and on my blog at www.erikakendrick.blogspot.com
Jun/05/07 22:24 | Writers
www.erikakendrick.com
www.erikakendrick.blogspot.com
With an amazing personality, good looks and intelligence to match Erika is at the top of my list of Authors. He book is a must read: "Confessions of a Rookie Chearleader"
Erika on the Wendy Williams Set
Just About You
Strive: Tell me a little about yourself? Where are you from, Brothers/Sisters, Children, Affiliations, Marital Status or anything else?
I’m an E-Listed literary ROCKSTAR originally from the Southside of Chicago. I’m an only child but my imaginary brothers and sisters in my over-stimulated psyche wouldn’t appreciate that. Right now I’m rockin’ the “Happily Ever After” with Cody, my cat, and I’m in couples counseling with my career. I’m the President of the New York Chapter of NABFEME (National Association of Black Female Executives in Music and Entertainment), a member of the Black MBA Association, the Stanford Alumni Association and the Stanford Black Alumni Association… and my heart perpetually pumps to the oh-so-fabuloso stomps of Delta Sigma Theta!
Strive: How did you get started? Have you always wanted to do this? Where did the inspiration and passion come from?
I got started writing girly novels when I left my gig at Island Def Jam… and ever since, I’ve been ‘RUNNING FROM THE CUBICLE!’ I never knew I was a gifted author, although I’ve always crushed on the cunning linguistics I have as a writer, but the daunting task of penning a really really really long 300 page love story was nauseating… until I got started and realized that I’d found my professional piece of heaven.
I’d just wrapped production on an Indy developmental reality show pilot and was finally sitting down to flush out one of my favorite treatments for an exec at MTV starring “CHEERLEADING” in all it’s gory glory. Having been an NBA cheerleader, I knew it would be a juicy docu-reality show with gallons of sideline sizzle. After working well into the next morning, I discovered that the one-page treatment had turned into a chapter of a sneak-peak read that’s never been written from this perspective before. It didn’t hurt that I could dispel a few mean unwarranted “BIMBO CHEERLEADER” stereotypes in the process. Believe me, when people find out that I am an Ivy League, MBA, X-NBA Cheerleader with a multi-book deal, the reaction is Mastercard priceless. But the biggest inspiration/motivation for me is still the ever present threat of the cubicle. Common put it best when he said, “I write for my life cuz I’m scared of a day job!”
Strive: What jobs did you hold before you became successful?
My career background reads like a schizophrenic chronology of a very bored Ivy Leaguer: 3rd grade teacher, waitress, third tier back-up dancer for a DD-list rap group, a professional NBA cheerleader, promotional model handing out handfuls of crap on that busy corner (yes, that was me!), a fortune 500 global public relations firm intern with seriously sexy stints at J Records, Island Def Jam, the Apollo theater, and far too many freelance gigs to name… and if you take away the perceived fame, the hangovers and the headaches were always the same!
Strive: Who influenced you the most in your career/life when you were starting out? Is there anyone's path that you particularly admire and would like to emulate?
I have watched the careers of a few women in New York that I’ve stolen twinkles of sunlight from every now and again. Tia Williams is an amazing author, writer and all-around fantastic chick! Mitzi Miller has been inspirational to me as well as I navigate my way through this E-Listed literary celebrity-doom. Right now I’m jonezing on Tyra and am in love with Harriette Cole (also a soror) ‘cuz she’s a retro renaissance Rockstar and the front woman in her own glam band! Sheer Hotness!!!!
The STRIVER in You
Strive: What signifies a STRIVER to you?
A STRIVER is someone who doesn’t, by definition, believe in dismissing possibility… a quintessential Diana, Ms. Ross if you’re nasty! DUIs be damned! American Idol - check! Additionally, an authentic STRIVER is obsessively taking notes, routinely recording blueprints of greatness. Failure never leaks into their definition of circumstance as they never fail because they never stop trying - always striving!
Strive: What makes you original or sets you apart? Why are you on top of your game?
I’ve gotten to a point in life where I am able to embrace my neurosis, massage my psychosis, and love on the layered lunacy that is me. Being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in college was traumatic and I spent almost a decade educating me about me! - and there’s just something incredibly randy about a chica in control of her journey which makes it possible to survive at the ridiculous altitudes consistent with being at the top.
Additionally, it def helps to have industry elite recognize your talent; that recognition drives me in ways incomparable to anything else: Wendy Williams naming Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader as her Book Club Pick of the Month for March, Ebony Magazine naming the title Top 3 Pick for April Fiction, etc. I’m driving/striving top speed and in talks to option the film rights. I’m also currently working on the screenplay adaptation and presenting Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader with a studio director who’s done mainstream/commercial fare with significant success. This is my journey, my story and I think I’m original and at the top of my game today because I get up every day to press on with the recognition and understanding that “This is Not a Dress Rehearsal!”
Strive: How do you define success? People often talk about "Making IT", but when will you consider yourself as having made it?
Success is being able to afford next season’s arm candy without scoping over my shoulder for Peter or Paul cuz neither got robbed to cop Chloe. One of my mentors always said “Success is Preparation Meeting Opportunity” and to that I say “Nice to meet you, come in and stay awhile.”
To Our Readers
Strive: Do you see any changes or patterns in the industry and what is your opinion of that?
The publishing industry is a tricky beast that bellows and barks at the neophyte author, particularly those without a marketing and promotions P.H.D. The successful author has to know how to market the ba-jee-bas out of their title and often times without a book tour! This makes it extremely difficult to develop a fan base with loyal Rockstar readers, and this publishing paradox doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon.
Strive: What is the insider perspective on getting ahead in your industry?
The book game is currently saturated with street/urban lit and in order to cut through the noise on 125th Street in Harlem or on the bookshelves at Barnes & Noble in Anywhere, USA, you’ve gotta stand out and separate your hustle from the masses. A Striver would embrace the current literary landscape and find a niche in the marketplace to “do her,” like inking CONFESSIONS OF A ROOKIE CHEERLEADER, a fiction title that’s never been written from this perspective before.
Strive: What advice would you give others attempting to make their dreams come true?
Surround yourself with bad ass Strivers who’ve adopted Big Pimpin’ Dreams and don’t ever look back unless you’re stuntin’ to see how far you’ve come!
Strive: What are your 3 lessons for success? Or what is your recipe for success?
Recipe: Mix a lotta preparation with a little luck. Thrown in a tablespoon of networking contacts and a pinch of persistence, bake at 350 degrees for effin’ forever and let it cool just long enough to enjoy the fruits of your labor before wrapping it in future success!
Last Words
Strive: What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning and what is the last thing you think of at night.
Morning: Thank You! Night: Thank You… oh yeah, and did I remember to change the litter box.
Strive: What do you know for sure? That I don’t know many things… for sure.
Strive: Any last overall advice? Dream BIG – HUGE, MEGAWATT! And know that you don’t need anyone’s permission to do YOU!
Strive: How can anyone reach you? I can always be reached at www.erikakendrick.com and on my blog at www.erikakendrick.blogspot.com
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