The latest news from Lena Land Books is an interview with On The Rise magazine.  Their motto is "we support the come up" and I was fortunate to be one of the many authors they are helping establish a place in the world of literature.  The interview is below. Also feel free to check out the magazine and their influence in the world of music, television, film and literature.
OTR: Hello, Lena how are you today? 
 Lena: I am blessed.
OTR: Tell us about your latest book-
Lena: A  Diamond in the Rough is one of several  books I released under Lena Land  Books.  It is suspense- fiction.  The  story is a coming of age tale  about a young girl, Diamond.  She thinks  she knows everything about life  and love until she meets a bad boy and  becomes pregnant.  The birth of  her first  child is a wonderful and  life changing event until the death of her  son’s father three months  later.  After that her life spirals out of  control.  She goes from one  extreme to the next to provide for her son.   Diamond finally gets on  track, earning enough money to move out of the  projects that her  mother, herself and her child were born into.  By then  it is too late  and Diamond has to pay for her dark past.
OTR: Who is your publisher?
Lena: I self-publish all of my work through Lulu.com.
http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=4396638
OTR: How and when did you first become a traditionally-published author?
Lena: My  publishing is non-traditional because I  self-publish.  There are many  publishing houses but none of them came  knocking at my door so I decided  to put my books out independent of  traditional publishers.  However, I  started working with Lulu.com in  2007.
OTR: How long have you been writing?
Lena: I have been writing since the age of eight, if memory serves me correctly.
OTR: Who inspires you as a writer?
Lena: All writers inspire me.  I am just as fascinated by reading Maya Angelou as I am reading Richard Wright.
OTR: What makes you stand out as a writer?
Lena: My   stories.  My first book, A Diamond in the  Rough is loosely based around  my own experience of meeting my son’s  father, becoming engaged,  pregnant and ultimately widowed.  I am sure  all writers draw upon their  experiences.  Also I am marketing myself as  not only an author but the  President of Lena Land Books as well.
OTR: Where do you see yourself within the next several years?
Lena: I  can see myself releasing more books, doing  more interviews and  eventually hearing my name mentioned with the  greats such as; Maya  Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks, Toni Morrison, Richard  Wright, Walt Whitman  and so many others.
OTR: What else do you do besides write?
Lena: I  am an Office Manager for MMG Mardiks,  Public Relations.  I am a  mother.  I also like to help others who feel  they want to write a book,  their memoirs or poetry but don’t know where  to start.
OTR: Why did you decide to become a professional writer?
Lena: Before  I go to bed at night I think about  writing.  When I wake up in the  morning I have dozens of ideas for  other books.  I live to write.  It’s  my passion.
OTR: Who are your favorite authors?
Lena: This  is such an unfair question for me.  I  enjoy reading journalistic essays  by Joan Didion, Toni Morrison,  Richard Wright, W.E.B DuBoise, Mark  Twain, Shirley Jackson, Dr. Seuss  and Emily Dickinson.  I think I’ll  stop here.
OTR: What are your  favorite books?
Lena: The Time Traveler’s Wife  by Audrey  Neffinegger, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Uncle Tom’s  Cabin by  Richard Wright, SubKorean by Charles Kim and A Diamond in the  Rough by  Lena Williamson.
OTR: What is it that you most people do not know about you?
Lena: Most  people do not know me at all.  My  closest friends would say I’m a  hermit.  I enjoy being alone.  I was  raised as an only child  (half-brother on my father’s side) and my  imagination created a  foundation for the type of writer I am.  I live  in my head.
OTR: What do you think catapulted your success as an author?
Lena:  
   My  persistence.  Each and everyday I think of another way to get  myself  and Lena Land Books noticed.  No matter what obstacles come  across my  path I believe persistence overcomes resistance.
(Read more...)
About Lena Land Books 
 Established in 2009, the goal of Lena  Land Books is to reach as many readers in different genres as possible,  from fantasy fiction to fairy tales, all under the pen of one author.   Lena Land Books has released five titles under three different genres  since its inception. In 2011 Lena Land Books released all titles in  e-book format.  What makes all of these accomplishments a remarkable  feat is the fact it is all done by one person, author Lena Williamson.
A Diamond in the Rough, self-published 2009