Comversations w/Candice Preau

Candice Preau Bio

Candice has been writing poetry, short stories and monologues since the age of 10. When she was younger she would recite pages of Dr. Suess stories for family and friends. She often exercised her creativity in drawing, painting, art and design throughout school, and most recently she is focusing on the arts of writing and acting. She has a B.A. in Advertising from Southern Methodist University and is working on an M.A. in English and Creative Writing. She currently does freelance writing for Examiner.com as well as public relations and business writing. In school, she was often singled out as the one to think outside the box, winning a contest for best copywriting and design in class, which resulted in having her ad featured on a store window. On her first screenwriting attempt, her screenplay short was selected to be shown at the Dallas Black Film Festival.

Currently, Candice is writing monologues, songs and poetry, and even keeps her box of colored pencils and drawing portfolio for when the visual artist side arises from time to time. She is building her writing portfolio to include published articles and reviews on various subjects, business writing, songs, monologues and 2 published books of poetry, Windows to the Soul , which was published and is available for purchase this year, and Emotional Metamorphoses and States of Being, which will be published in the year 2010/11. She loves to write her heart out and hopes that someday she can inspire the world with her artistic talents in various forms.

Synopsis of Windows to the Soul

Windows to the Soul is a compilation of poetry, prose and short stories from the heart and soul of its author, Candice G. Preau. Windows is the author's first published book, but not her last! She will continue to awe her readers with future artistic works in the form of poems, song lyrics, short stories, monologues and even screenplays! This book explores and describes many emotions as experienced by the writer. This book touches on subjects of politics, social justice, love, spirituality, inspiration, encouragement and even disappointment. The reader is sure to not only read but feel the words on the page. This work of art got a positive response from well-known poet Nikki Giovanni, and several nods of approval from those who have read it. Be sure to keep abreast of new artistic inspirations at www.poeticbutterfly.com!



Weblinks for Candice Preau

www.poeticbutterfly.com

http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=4047104




Questions/Answers



What attracted you to the art of writing?
I remember falling in love with Dr. Suess books as a child, and memorizing lines of his work for fun and reciting it for family and friends. I’ve always been in love and have had a knack for reading and writing. English was always my strongest subject. In the 5th grade my teacher gave the class an assignment to write a short story on any subject. Being a romantic from a young age, I chose to write a love story about two ants. I remember the title of the book was Antoine and Lillybug’s Love Adventure. To my surprise the story was a hit with classmates, the teacher, and the room full of parents she had me read the story to one night. From that time on, I fell in love with writing. Several other short stories followed that one.



When did you start writing poetry?
I started writing poetry at the age of 11, when I was introduced to the works of Langston Hughes. His work was so powerful yet simple at the same time. I was awe-struck and also read the works of Maya Angelou and other poets. My very first poem was inspired by a poem I read by Langston Hughes called “The Cup of Life”. I read that poem at every chance I got. My church would take the youth out to volunteer at the nursing homes and children’s shelters and every time I had a chance I would read poetry. That was the love of my life since I wasn’t allowed to date at the time.



How did you and do you cultivate your craft of writing?
In high school I wrote monologues and performed and won several oratory contests, and in college I wrote articles for my college newspaper and a magazine called the Cayenne Pepper, and took other classes in the arts to cultivate my writing such as acting, media, communications, journalism, copywriting, literature, drama and even music. All of these classes and the writing experience helped broaden my scope and creativity for writing in various forms. Currently I write for an online newspaper as well as do business writing and editing, and help friends with editing their papers and documents, and I am also of course, working on my next book of poetry and lyrics called Emotional Metamorphoses and States of Being. This work will be shorter, but each poem will be more in depth and will explore about 77 various emotions and states of beings that we face as people in different stages of life.



Who inspires you?
Definitely my parents, because they have sacrificed a lot for me to go to school, and be the person I am today. They taught me the value of serving others and being strong in the Lord. My faith in God, because without that I would truly be lost and have no sense of purpose. The world in which I live, because just about every day I am faced with or see something that triggers a thought/poem/something to write about. My life experience, because in 28 years I have gained so much wisdom, knowledge and appreciation of myself as a person. Last but not least, my vision, because I continually see past today, tomorrow, next week, next year, and I’m continually thinking about the contribution to the arts that I would like to make on this earth while here.



What is a fun fact about you?
One of my most recent accomplishments was being cast in a Church’s Chicken commercial. We did so many takes of eating cold fried chicken, for about 12 hours, that I haven’t had fried chicken in about 10 months and don’t know if I’ll ever eat it again! (Though I love Church’s chicken) (:



What do you do to relax and have fun?
I like going to the movies with a girlfriend or a date when they come around, I also like to travel. My favorite places so far have been San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, Miami, Vegas and Colorado. I plan on visiting Europe and the Caribbean next year. My family is from the Caribbean and a visit is long overdue! I love to write lyrics, poetry and short stories of course, and love to watch Lifetime movies