An Interview With I. Teddy Bonet
Tell us a bit about yourself. What would you like us to know about you?
"So far, I've written a self- published book of urban poetry, entitled: "Uniquely Yours - Minor Segments in One's Life". This is an introductory literary piece that reflects many of the experiences I have had as a well-rounded, worldly Black/ Hispanic male growing up in NYC. Watch out for me as I have several other riveting and empowering novels on the way....
What are you doing now? (Career? Married? Single? Children? Pets?)
In 1997, I changed careers working in the mailroom of a prestigious Law Firm in midtown Manhattan. Consequently, I was forced to take a huge pay cut, Due to the fact that I didn’t have any College credits under my belt. My mother had been a crisis management paraprofessional at District 75, for about ten years, and suggested that the BOE Career Training Program, could be a way for me to attain a collegiate experience. I filled out Applications and payed for fingerprinting, started substituting at a Public School in Queens, and won over the staff and principle with my maturity and professionalism. I was hired permanently within a month. Becoming a health paraprofessional, was a job that was already very familiar for me, due to the fact that I started babysitting my cousins and friends of the family since I was twelve. That is where I learned to have patience, and how to take care of others' needs.
What is your favourite food?
Soul Food!!!
What is your favourite colour?
Any color that I can blend together to create that enhances my moods.
What is your favourite sound?
The ocean waves.
Who is your favourite person?
My Mom.
What is your favourite place?
My home.
What is your favourite memory?
Remembering the times that I help others.
What is your favourite article of clothing?
Sneakers.
What is your favourite word?
Consciousness
What is your favourite writers' quote and why?
"You cannot move ahead unless certain roadblocks are removed, it is up to you to do something about it." – I. Teddy Bonet
Because it is my own self affirmation.
What is your most favourite quality about yourself?
I consistently try to be a responsible young adult, where I have worked since I was 14.
What is the least favourite quality about yourself?
Too trusting and soft spoken at times.
If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Nowhere, I like everything about where I am now. My friends, Family and Career are here with me.
Plus, NYC is where it's at...
What inspires you to write and why?
Being properly taught the value of money, but not the value of myself. Settling for mediocre pay, pay cuts, and inflation all the while still trying to be a productive part in society.
What is your favourite book and why?
PUSH by SAPPHIRE.
The most personally touching story of urban life, it's hardships and pitfalls. It is how one could be persecuted in life with no mercy, and still accomplish to tell her story.
What is your favourite genre and why?
I like them all. Crime and mysteries, all the way to Erotic excerpts, poems and short stories.
List your three favourite authors (any genre) and why?
Iyanla VanZant, although we have never met, my spiritual mentor.
Maya Angelou, for beautiful works of writing.
Terry McMillan, for giving me books to read that reflected my life in fragments.
What do you think makes a writer successful?
Experiencing life and it's lessons that we all must learn. It is inevitable. From money issues to molestation. Some people have to learn the hard way, and other's just turn a blind eye to the problems that knock at their door. Waiting until it festers into a boil.
Knowlegde of the English language, respect for the craft of words and a personal attachment to their stories. Having their own individual style of writing to me, makes a successful writer in conjunction to the above point mentioned.
Whta is it that makes you successful as a writer?
Pass on my knowledge, thoughts and perception to those with similar issues. To know what social issues and personal things plague many people today. To make a connection, even with one person who can say, "I know what he's talking about."
or "I've experienced that before.", types of feelings from my readers.
Which lets me know that I have written to the best of my ability, something that is clear of my thoughts and concise. There are no misunderstandings and they "get it"!
What are your goals as a writer?
"So far, I've written a self- published book of urban poetry, entitled: "Uniquely Yours - Minor Segments in One's Life". This is an introductory literary piece that reflects many of the experiences I have had as a well-rounded, worldly Black/ Hispanic male growing up in NYC. Watch out for me as I have several other riveting and empowering novels on the way....
I hope that my stories will make an impact on all people to help straighten out not only Black and Latino youth of today in America, but help all young adults from making huge mistakes in their lives. There is a great need for the setting of good clean examples and morals for these children and adolescents. Babies having babies, and juvenile crime that is on a rise. To help others unlock the secrets of what we all posses inside but need help, guidance and nurturing so desperately. Their actions and behaviors cry out for attention constantly.
All books will revolve around my trainings, up-brining, self-taught lessons that have led to mastery of a subject, based upon the bible teachings through my parents. To help build a conscience from being taught positive morals and values. To always analyze, think consistently, constantly of what level I am at in all areas of my life, as well as to always examine and analyze where other people are psychologically, socially, metaphorically, and literally. To realize their own full potential, and that there is a schematic outlined and planned out for my life, as well as everyone else’s. To believe that anything is possible, if we just change our mentality and perceptions.
My life experiences are mainly internalized (self-psychoanalysis). The many inward and outward mental and emotional struggles that one must journey and experience in a short life span. Trying to understand my emotions. How my views changed in the presence of love, during periods of an open/closed mind and heart at times. To turn my knowledge into wisdom from daily observances and experiences within different aspects of my life.
To quickly catch onto, analyze, and see why and how people talk and act to survive among enduring different social and psychological issues. ie: How people adapt to learning in a positive or a negative aspect within different environments. For me to break down that life learned lessons, and how I dealt with them, and other times that I couldn’t cope. Because two situations seemed so different and far apart, and me learning a new way to train myself to see the commonalities, and associations in our daily problems.
To make external role models (feeding ourselves false hopes, ie: Brittany Spears etc.), in the absence of someone real and present in our daily lives. To prove how much society makes us look outside ourselves for things that are not real, which is also a break down of the very fabric of close-knit families, as well as friendships. To get sidetracked, lose belief in our selves, not deal with our past, neglect our daily routines of learning life’s lessons, and to put our positive efforts into negative baskets, hoping for a better means to an end of a problem.
To only get to see that there is no solution to the problem and spiritual shovel to dig our souls out of the pits of hell we put ourselves into daily. To consistently make the wrong decisions and feel that those with the answers are always hiding the answers, and to not be SHOWN- not told (through love), how to heal themselves, or properly know where to find our answers. I am not talking about the well educated, the minority being today’s average or even below average intelligences of people from all races, backgrounds, and countries. The constant underdogs amongst our society, and the ignorance’s of man.
Examining myself; experiences within my environment and how I cope to understand the dynamics within cultural, class, and gender differences. Being of two worlds, torn between others views, opinions and perspectives, intertwined with my own of race. Being of Black and Hispanic origin, and living within a misunderstood, contradictory, and mis communicated environment. Trying to understand others’ ignorance’s, my own values, ways of life, self-esteem, self respect, etc. all at once, while trying to be alert, aware, and present in all of our decision making of every day life, for our families, friends, spouses; leading to our being burnt out, overwhelmed, inconsistent, multi-tasking our mental and physical states of being.
Showing in my books, my upbringing through a family of women sand their struggles/ turmoil’s that they have endured within their lifetime, their achievements, accomplishments, passed down beliefs, and values. Things that I have learned about life, while living life, (surrogate mothers, extended families. Etc).
To show how a person, no matter where they are in life, that it is inevitable to control life. For me to be right where I am supposed to be now, not focusing on where I should have been in my career, family, etc., “that you can’t cry over spilled milk” mentality, or time that you can never get back.
To open up the readers mind so that they can relate to the many characters lives, and struggles that intertwine among characters, that break all race, religion, and culture boundaries. –I know what the hell I’m doing, or at least trying to do.
What is the best tip you can give to fellow writers?
Push, Push, Push….
Push yourself with motivation.
Push negativity out of your mind.
Push anyone out of the way (like a bulldozer), that will try to deter you and hold you back. (Including friends, family, agents, con artists, etc.) “Then hit dem bitches in the head”…lol with a one, two, knockout punch, to show what you CAN do, if you don’t settle into FEAR. – make them gag!!!
To find a real forum full of artistic people and poetry buffs. I would like to know how can I become more involved in getting my work out there and building a stronger fan base as well as learning from my peers? Ask yourself questions…
What do you hope to provide your readers with through your writing?
Same as my goals for myself listed above.
To show how a person, no matter where they are in life, that it is inevitable to control life. For me to be right where I am supposed to be now, not focusing on where I should have been in my career, family, etc., “that you can’t cry over spilled milk” mentality, or time that you can never get back.
To open up the readers mind so that they can relate to the many characters lives, and struggles that intertwine among characters, that break all race, religion, and culture boundaries. –I know what the hell I’m doing, or at least trying to do.
Peace & Blessings
I. Teddy Bonet
List your three favourite online writer-resource sites and why (include URLS).
teddybear818.com
www.myspace.com
www.blog.myspace.com
www.urbis.com
www.lulu.com
writerscafe.org
editred.com
and
PRWeb.com for press releases
If you have published a book, tell us about your publishing success (title, publishing date and company, where it is available to purcahse).
Uniquely Yours- Minor Segments in ones’ life. - The Poetry
Uniquely Yours- Minor Segments in ones’ life. - The Beginning Novels
teddybear818.com
www.myspace.com/teddybear818
www.blog.myspace.com/teddybear818
www.urbis.com/teddybear818
www.lulu.com/teddybear818
writerscafe.org/teddybear818
editred.com/teddybear818
writesight.com/teddybear818
Because they are my accomplishments...
from 1996- present.
Peace & Blessings
I. Teddy Bonet
P.S. PLEASE go to my website:
teddybear818.com
and
Sign my Guest Book and keep in touch...
Go Here to Purchase and submit a review of
Uniquely Yours… The Poetry
Written by I. Teddy Bonet
www.lulu.com/content/630204
www.teddybear818.com ... yyours.htm
How long did it take you to write your book(s)?
Uniquely Yours- Minor Segments in ones’ life.
This Book of Poetry has been over ten years in the making. By putting together a multiple number and eclectic array of my poems that have both expressed and inspired me to never give up. Having many feelings throughout the years of a 9 year relationship, parents divorce, just tough things in general, that I felt that I had sat back helplessly and unattached to my soul. Letting others make critical decisions for myself. Other’s decisions that were never in my best interests, or in their heart and minds. How some people can walk over people that they do not respect. For the most part being the lack of respect that they have for themselves. To deal with feelings of re-learning how to forgive myself, move on, and live in the present.
What would you do differently if you could repeat the same publishing experience?
Now, looking for good people to travel with me to the top, sorting through the Blood- Suckers, that are only tagging along for an easy meal ticket.
What have you learned about the publishing world?
It's not what you know, it is who you know...
This is your chance to 'Talk Back' to your readers. What would you like to say to them?
Thank You for being a supportive part in my efforts to help our youth of today. Through my stories, excerpts and fragments of things we push out of our mind, we all realize that there will be no further growth, unless we deal with the things before our feet.
I am taking this global, by submitting all of my works into publication everywhere. I am currently working on twelve things at once, Documentaries that deal with “societies controversial issues”, A reality television show, because I still want to keep my job teaching and molding children in NYC. Submitting to “Chicken Soup for the…Soul”. Submissions constantly to get my ass on Oprah. And still trying to finish ten books at once. I just hope that I don’t wind up in the “Looney Bin”…
I am doing, what most think is impossible. I am writing ten books at the same time, to deal with the last ten years of my life. Just to keep the writing consistent, in tone, moods, jargon, as well as point out morals of a story “type of thing”.
What's the one thing that you want them to know about your writing?
Most of my writing focuses on the rationalizations that we have with ourselves. The realizations that come about which ultimately lead to many conversations that we have amongst ourselves daily. I sometimes forget where I’m at on the street and answer myself out loud, and boy do the people cross the street quickly… But I feel and believe that we talk to ourselves for re-assurance and to maintain a connectedness with our spirit & soul.
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