Ashleigh S. Wilkerson is a senior here at Seton Hall, and majors in Journalism. She just recently published her book The Silent Curse. Her Campus had the honor of being able to interview her and find out a little bit more about her as an author and the book itself.
Her Campus: What is The Silent Curse about?
Ashleigh S. Wilkerson: So The Silent Curse is really relatable, even though it’s fiction. The main character returns home for a brief interview with a young journalist. Basically there’s been a murder and someone’s guilty and they’re trying to get her side of what happened. The person [who dies] is related to her. There’s a couple different events like that where someone has died and it all builds up. Basically the story is telling about her tragic childhood, things that she’s gone through, and lack of self esteem. There are issues like infidelity, colorism, and racism. She finds out who her family is through all this and she finds herself as well.
HC: That all sounds really really good. Where did you get the idea for this book?
ASW: So I’ve been writing forever, like a bunch of different short stories and everything. A lot of my inspirations come from, believe it or not, Lifetime movies and soap operas. I started watching Soap Operas when I was little. I would get out of school and my grandma would be there like, “Oh come over to my house,” and we’d watch it together. Or I would call my other grandma and let them know what happened. So stuff like that just lead to inspirations to my stories. And like I said my story is relatable – if you think about it we all know some one who has been cheated on and that’s if you haven’t been cheated on yourself. Or someone you know who’s been discriminated or treated unfairly, or even just favoritism within the family. So I basically drew inspiration from things I’ve seen or heard about.
HC: That’s really cool. I really like that it’s relatable too. I think this book sounds really good. When did you first decide you really wanted to be a writer?
ASW: Thank you! Like I said it’s been forever. From poetry to song lyrics to short stories. And now I’m doing journalism, which I’ve been interested in since high school and even before then. I would say around elementary school for sure. I was sharing one of my short stories with one of my teachers in the 5th grade.
HC: How did you jump from poetry to song lyrics to writing?
ASW: It’s always been writing and music for me. Originally I wanted to sing. That was like my number one. So I would always write my songs. And poetry is so similar to songs. I would always write out my feelings and things that I was going through personally. I was writing a love song at 12. And then for journalism and writing, that basically started when I got into high school and I wanted to write a lot about basketball. I had a real passion for the sport – which I got from my father – and so I just wanted to write about that.
HC: How long did it take you to write your book?
ASW: Originally I wrote it up and put it on Facebook, for some feedback here and there. It took me about 6 months to finish in 2017. When I decided I was going to get it published I took it down really quick. My sister and I went on vacation in May and I rewrote more than half of it while in London. So it took me like 6 – 8 months.
HC: Wow. That is impressive. I cannot even imagine how difficult that must be. But also that must’ve been something that you were really passionate about if you were able to sit down and finish your book so quickly.
ASW: Yeah. It was something that once I knew for sure that I was going to be published by Black Gold Publishing – I love love love them. I was signed and knew what date I wanted it to be published on and I just pushed for that date. I just kept that in the back of my mind.
HC: How do you manage being a student, working, and writing a book at the same time?
ASW: I don’t always sleep as much as I should. I just keep telling myself that I was tired of my excuses. I don’t want to be in the same place next year. I just want to keep growing and growing, so even though I’m losing a little sleep right now, hopefully in the long run I’ll gain a little back.
HC: Hopefully. Sleep is very important. Do you plan on writing more books?
ASW: I actually have. My second book comes out on December 12th, my birthday. It’s called Twelve and it’s a book of poetry. And March 12th, part two of The Silent Curse, titled Still Cursing Signed Karma, is coming out. I just want to keep going going going.
HC: That’s really amazing. So what does your family think about your writing?
ASW: Well my sister, my mother, and my father all really love it. My mother wrote a little bit so she’s like super excited. My sister just graduated from Rutgers in May. She is an English major, so she does editing. So if I have a problem with words she’s like my human dictionary. She’s like my little Merriam Webster.
HC: What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book?
ASW: Wow. That’s a good question. I learned that it’s easy for more characters to pop up than expected. The original cast really expanded and now part two is even more so expanded. In the second one they’re going to be visiting Peru and in the original one they’re from down south.
HC: What do you think makes a good story?
ASW: I would say the heart of the writer and some of your actual experience. Even though you’ll say its all fake you still have to have some kind of feeling or experience with what is happening in your writing.
HC: What has been your favorite book to read ever?
ASW: The Color Purple. That’s also my favorite movie. So originally I watched the movie. It was to the point where I didn’t even need to put the movie on, I knew everything that was going to happen. So when I was in high school, my teacher tricked me a little bit. She was like you have to read this book. And I was like no no. I’ve already watched the movie it’s the exact same. She claimed it was very different. I read all the way through the book and only TWO SCENES are different. So I went into class and was like you lied to me. But I fell in love with it. It was really good. I still felt like I was right there while I was reading it.
HC: Do you have any suggestions to others to become a better writer?
ASW: I would say to become a better writer write down EVERYTHING. Don’t miss an opportunity to write down anything. I always have a notebook and a pen, or I have my notes up on my phone. If someone else was listening to us right now they’d have a whole story to write about too. You never know what you can write about. There is a story in everything
HC: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
ASW: The biggest thing you need is confidence and to just go after your dreams.
HC: Alright. Last question. Do you have any advice about getting published?
ASW: You can try Black Gold Publishing. But honestly just shoot your shot. Go with your confidence. Have enough of a story that you’re going to send to a publishing company. Most people want something that is going to be captivating right from the beginning, so send out the chunk that is going to get their attention.
If you’re interested in buying Ashleigh’s book The Silent Curse you can get it on Amazon here. Also check out her Facebook Page for updates on her upcoming books.