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Writing, editing .... because it's cheaper than therapy.
About Lahongrais Enterprises, LLC
The Beginning
In 2005, I lost my father. This was the most impactful, most devastating loss of my life up to that point. While struggling through my mourning, I began therapy. When my therapist recommended that I journal about the things that triggered me so that I could release them, I balked.
“I don’t want anyone to find my journal after I’m gone,” I thought. Instead, I decided to write about and dissect my issues through my characters. In 2010, I began my journey toward my calling as a wordsmith. I started thinking about and laying down the groundwork for what I thought would be my debut novel, “Resurrection of Dead Dreams.”
Still reeling from the death of my Dad, my Superman, I participated in NANOWRIMO, which is no longer, for the first time. Out of that came SINNER'S RIDE, which was published in 2011.
This release was followed by DIVERGENT LIVES in 2012, and was a final-quarter finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) contest two years later.
I lost my brother in 2014, and the thirteen months that followed, I lost four other loved ones, including my mother. Just three months after my Mom passed away, in January 2016, I was pushed and seriously injured on a subway ramp in Times Square. I broke my right wrist and busted my left knee in that incident, requiring its reconstruction. Anticipating I would be bedridden for weeks, I hunkered down at my daughter’s place, taking over my grandson’s room.
When I returned to work in the Spring of 2016, I was of the mindset that life was too short and that I needed to figure out a way to do what I enjoyed for a living. But death wouldn't allow me that just yet because that summer, I lost someone I’d been friends with since elementary school. A friendship 50 years old just went poof and it was now. Additionally, a Queen I considered my second mother passed away three weeks later. The end of this dark period of mourning came in early 2017 when I lost my favorite cousin.
Lahongrais is the name given to one of my ancestors after she was freed from slavery. I use it to honor her and the women who came after her, not her enslaver. I named and incorporated my company as LAHONGRAIS ENTERPRISES, LLC. after the women in my mother’s lineage to honor them and hopefully inspire the women that come after me in my lineage.
I have had both successes and failures—lots of them! My biggest failure was my old Shopify store, SERENITY ZONE. This experience taught me that I didn't have to do something I really didn't enjoy just because I feared losing everything.
While trying anything I could to get sales, I spent a lot of money on mentors and advertising. I attended webinars and purchased apps. My daughter helped me strategize. But I was unsuccessful. I hesitated to work on the shop because I didn’t enjoy doing so, and writing product descriptions didn't feed my creativity. I took any opportunity I had to do what I love, which is to create worlds and conflicts within them. Combine those feelings with the pandemic and the massive loss of lives, as an empath, I became dangerously depressed.
So, back into therapy I went.
Bottom line: I have achieved my dream of becoming an author and expanding my workload. I now write content I enjoy for several websites and have been certified as a book editor by the Professional Book Editors Association. Visit “LAHONGRAIS BOOKTIQUE" for descriptions of my editing services and scheduling.
I am a happy camper and eager to work with writers who aspire to be published!
To learn more about me, my thought process, and other random musings, visit the Word Nerd.
Who Am I?
I have always been an avid reader. We weren’t rich growing up, but I had an enviable stack of Archie comic books I would read repeatedly, each character’s voice different in my head. When watching movies, I don't remember a time when I didn’t try to figure out whodunit or catch something that didn’t click within the story. Sometimes, my Dad and I would discuss alternate endings. Then one day, he said, “That’s good! You could become an author, except that field doesn’t pay.”
“So?” I naively inquired. Yet, I didn’t start writing until after my father’s passing.
My favorite genre to write in is psychological thrillers with a supernatural bent because adding a paranormal edge to my stories is so alluring. I have several WIPs in various stages, including an anthology of short stories and two women’s lit manuscripts.
Research into my ancestry inspired me to write an ambitious series entitled RESURRECTION OF DEAD DREAMS as an homage to my ancestors. The first book has been completed and I have begun work on the second in the series.
My published works have been both challenging and a joy to write. The main character in my debut novel, SINNER’S RIDE, features Cinnia “Sinner” Reems, whose mind snaps after she’s been assaulted in her home. This story started as a diamond heist, but my muse took it elsewhere.
An obsession with twins inspired DIVERGENT LIVES. This is the story of fraternal twins, RJ and Adina, who were separated at birth and raised by two different types of parents. The twins lived miles apart. Neither knew of the other. Each of the twins was a sociopath, but one was a serial killer. Talk about twisted!
The year 2020 was the year I believed I would clearly see which path I needed to follow. Instead, I witnessed a murder along with others on television as George Floyd was killed in broad daylight by a policeman. I saw the protests and followed BLM activities. Discussions about aliens were now being spoken about in mainstream media. A group wanted to storm Area 51, and we were experiencing a pandemic. Not getting honest answers from officials was and probably is an eternal threat. It seemed the world was heading to hell in a hand-basket.
To explain all the mayhem I was witnessing with fantasy, I wrote CRADLE OF CHAOS. Dante, a teenage boy, came across a silver orb at a beach in California. The orb was dropped to Earth by a hybrid being from another dimension, with the knowledge that doing so would wreak havoc on Earth, destroying both it and his home. Ovus planned to come down to Earth and help get the orb back before it was too late so that he would be recognized as a good being by his leader, Humanica. However, upon entering the Earth’s atmosphere, Ovus turned evil. Only one person could prevent the pending destruction of two celestial bodies – Dante.
Visit the Lahongrais Booktique to purchase a copy of any of my books. Who knows? There might even be a sale!
Why Do This Now?
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I’d been employed in various industries, including hospitality and legal over a 50 year "career." That's in quotes because those were just jobs. What I do now is my career.
I was the first person of color in the Executive Office of a famous hotel in NYC before spending more than 35 years in the legal industry as a Legal Assistant working only with Partners.
Because of the 2016 incident in Times Square, I saw things differently; it brought my biggest desire to the forefront of retiring rather than commuting to Times Square on a daily basis. The incident in that train station inflamed my PTSD. Now, I can no longer see myself in NYC. I do not enjoy crowds and spend most of my time either at home or close to it.
I follow the news and love to discuss the psychological side of politics. If a discussion provides an idea for a plot twist, I will research it and jot down notes for possible inclusion in a future book. My current Roman Empire is the British Royal Family because of their politics and how they are managing (or aren’t) their current public relations problems.
Though raised as a Roman Catholic, I converted to Buddhism in 2009. I still chant daily. I am uncovering my African roots and revisiting my mother's beliefs, which were those of our lineage. The curiosity surrounding my ancestry has seeded a deep interest in esoterica (astrology, mystical fables), teachings of different schools of Buddhism, and human psychology.
I am a sensitive person and an empath. People can sometimes trigger me, but words? Words are a comfort to me.
The pandemic was the perfect time for me to resign from my last job, which had been coming for a long time. I was extremely unhappy in that position.
I have embarked on a new chapter of my life. I am officially retired from the 9-5 workforce and take on jobs I enjoy from the comfort of my home, at my pleasure. My focus is editing and writing. I love to advocate in my way for people with special needs and try to support their families. Close to my heart are issues surrounding the needs of the disabled.
In addition, in 2023, I began copywriting for several websites while working on and completing my certification as a book editor with the Professional Book Editors Association. If you or someone you know needs an editor, go to “Book Your Service” on the home page to review what services I offer. Click on each service for detailed descriptions.
I am excited and can’t wait to continue editing and helping authors mold their babies (manuscripts).
Currently, I live in Tallahassee. I have one daughter who has gifted me with beautiful grandchildren I adore. I am eager to delve into the minds of my readers and learn about the books that captivate them.
Join my mailing list and write to me about the kinds of books you enjoy reading or if you need editing services!
I would love that!
"Everything I write, tells a small truth about me, but I'll never tell you where to find it."~~ Minnie Lahongrais
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