Better Know An Author – Lamar Neal
Our weekly spotlight series on authors from around the world. This week we sat down with Lamar Neal!
Please give a brief introduction, including your name and where you are based
My name is Lamar Neal. I’m a poet and author based out of Southern California, the Inland Empire to be a little more specific.
What book or books have you published or are working on at the moment?
I’ve published three poetry collections (Charm Bracelet, We All Need Therapy and [Pale] ) and one novel, A Misc. Eden, over the course of six years. Currently, fifth book is scheduled for release on March 4, 2022. It’s entitled Stages, and it’s a contemporary romance following two college students as they fall in love while their personal lives fall apart. Pre orders are available now on Amazon. It will be available in other places upon release.
Pre order link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/
What drives you to write?
Three things specifically:
1) to give life to my over imagination
2) tell the stories I wanted/needed to read growing up and
3) to rant.
My mind is always racing with character or story ideas. It never stops. I can be listening to a song and the ideas overwhelm me to a point I just write. So, I guess you can say creating is a way for me to tame my overly active imagination. But I see it as a good thing. I’m telling the stories that I always wanted to see–the stories that I don’t see often, if at all. Growing up, I rarely saw people who look like me be kings, gods, or just live normal lives without stereotypes. When I write fiction, I want to show that black people aren’t monolithic. I want to show that there’s more to black people than slavery, racism, struggle stories, police brutality or sports. And those stories need to be told, as they reflect realities in our culture. That’s why I address many of these topics in my poetry.
When it comes to my poetry, it’s a vessel to rant about life. Let’s be real, life sometimes is terrible. I sit back and observe all of it until I reach my breaking point. Then, I let it all out. Writing poetry is my therapy. It’s my way to process my emotions and make sense of the world.
Where can folks find you online and on social media?
They can find me on:
Twitter: @ghostcharades
IG: @Theghostcharades
TikTok: @theghostcharades
What is one piece of advice you would give to another author out there who might be struggling?
Keep going. Never give up. There’s someone out there who needs to read your story. Don’t let social media algorithms or engagement discourage you. Your words and stories matter.
What are some of your five-year goals with writing?
Start up a publishing company.
Publish more books
Do my first book signing
Write a screenplay and get said screenplay picked up
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