Rosie Awori (LJl)
Reading is known to transport the reader to places they’ve never been or seen. It gives a chance to try an infinite amount of lives, explore different characters, worlds and experiences.
Stories are the doorway to so many possibilities. And Shinnely Jonas has understood this, and expresses it in her debut novel, ‘The Answers to Obstacles in One’s Life.’
An insight into Jonas’ journey from the age of 19 to 24 when she published, the book gives a keen look into her life and the lessons she learned along the way.
“This book gives the reader a chance to the different points I’ve been in my life. The points in my life where I was searching trying to find myself. The times when I had a lot of questions to answers especially when it came to motherhood,” she says, detailing her life’s journey to the CONTACT.
“I started the (writing) process at 19 years old and ended it at 24, so it actually took me five years to complete the entire book. So readers get a sequence of everything that happened within my life, you know… from being a child to becoming a mother. “
She says the book chronicles the many challenges she has faced and how she overcame each of them and the lessons she has learned along the way.
She believes that it can assist other young people as they chart their own life-journeys.
onas reckons the book, which follows the Q.A.A.C structure of Question Answer Action and Consequence, has done well because of the investment she put into it.
“I took my time and read many books and got as much knowledge as possible and I registered for sessions with well-known writers such as Devon Franklin and Megan Good.”
Shinelly Jonas was born in Linden, Guyana, in 1990. She later on moved to Canada in search of a better education.
She has been working as an administrative assistant at the English Montreal School Board over the past several years, where she says she has been honing her writing skills.
The way she sees it, the world of publishing is profitable. In Quebec she has managed to snag distribution with Indigo and even though the book is in English she has still seen success. Her advice to up-and-coming authors is to take their time with their writing projects.
“As an author I’ve learned that you have to take a break, and allow yourself to be inspired. I find what makes a novel a best-selling novel or something that people want to read, is the time put in. You really have to isolate yourself to get whatever answer you’re looking for. So I’ve learned patience… it is the biggest key,” she says.
The Answers to Obstacles in One’s Life is available at Indigo Chapters, and online at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and other platforms.
