Interview: Daryl-Jarod Author of Pain In My Heart @daryljarod #interview
As a child he’d write short stories and songs, which later aided him in transitioning into the talented storyteller he is today. His writing career all began with a short poem he composed in third grade entitled, “My Teacher is Neat”, which was selected to be featured in a publication of poems from talented students throughout the state. The encouragement of his mother, teachers, and peers, pushed him to continue writing.
Years later, he is now the author of Silk, an acclaimed erotic series that debuted atop of Amazon’s Best-Seller Erotica charts. With many more book releases in the works, he has also displayed his skills as a singer-songwriter and rapper on his debut mixtape, “The Liberation of Daryl-Jarod”. Despite consistently maintaining a busy schedule, he always kept his acting goals in sight as he graduated from Coker College with a BA in Theatre Performance.
Daryl-Jarod is hard at work promoting his latest and most personal offering, Pain in My Heart.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: www.daryljarod.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/daryljarod
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daryljarodrandolph
I WONDER
I
wonder, would they miss me?
If
one day I decided I’d grown tired of
trying And wanted nothing more
To
do with this cruel, cruel world
If
I woke up one morning too weary
Of
being called sissy and faggot
Too
ashamed of living day-to-day in this skin Because no one seems to understand me
They
have no interest at all
In
comprehending my daily struggles
Just
because I walk the way I walk
And
talk the way I talk
Does
that give anyone the right to exclude me? Or find humor in my uniqueness?
Is
it even ethical to taunt a timid soul
Already
on the brink of destruction?
If
I suddenly decided to give into
The
darkness that follows
And
if I for once and for all
No
longer had to endure the torment
Of
bullies and insecure bystanders
Would
anyone care?
Tell
me, would anyone care at all? I wonder...
Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? When did you come up with the idea to write your book?
Initially, I planned on releasing this book as an autobiography. There are so many life-changing situations I’ve encountered over the years. And I was positive that the story I had to tell could be a bestseller. I even began outlining chapters and figuring out what I wanted to say. But after much consideration, I decided if I’m going to really deliver the autobiography the way I wanted, discussing certain situations could possibly hurt a few people in my life.
From there, I pondered on my love for poetry. My first published piece was a poem I wrote in fourth grade. So, I guess you could say I went back to basics with this book. In 2018, I officially began creating new poems, which mostly were the result of some very deep emotions from the past. And I have absolutely no regrets. It turned out exactly how it was meant to be.
Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?
I’ve always been self-published. I love it! It is more work because you’re literally in charge of every aspect of your project. But it’s also rewarding when you see that final product you spent so many hours, months, maybe even years, putting your energy into.
Don’t get me wrong though, if the right situation came along, I could see myself considering a contract with a publisher.
Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?
It showed me how I can sometimes be my own worst critic. With each release, I see that more and more. I say that because there are always bits and pieces of a book that I consider making adjustments to. I always wonder how certain aspects will be received. But thankfully for the most part, the reception has usually been well.
Do you believe a book cover plays an important role in the selling process?
You know how they always say, don’t judge a book by its cover? Everyone says you shouldn’t, but people do anyway. Myself included.
I do believe in order to engage a reader’s attention, your book cover plays a big part. An amazingly designed cover draws their curiosity to take a look at your book. However, it’s what lies within the pages that hold their interest from start to finish.
How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?
It was fairly easy to write it, mostly due to it all being centered around my life and experiences. I will say it was difficult to release it though. I had so much fear of how this material would be received. I worried what family and friends would say. But I finally decided to listen to my spirit, with high hopes the book would be of help to someone.
What other books are you working on and when will they be published?
To be honest, not much at the moment. I do have a few ideas floating around in my head. I’ve mostly been focused on promoting Pain in My Heart, the podcast centered exclusively around the book, and also new music. As of right now, I don’t have plans for another book to be scheduled this year. But never say never.
What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?
The photoshoot for the book was taken back in 2018. I expected the book to be released much sooner. But I also couldn’t stop myself from altering poems and making changes.
Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?
You are not alone. No matter what trauma you may have endured. No matter how bad things may seem at the moment. There’s someone experiencing that pain as well, maybe even more so than you. And most importantly, it’s totally fine to talk about how you feel. We keep too much of what we’re experiencing bottled up inside.
Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?
Thank you so much! On a final note, I’d like to add that the Pain in My Heart Podcast is now live on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, and Google Podcasts! In each episode, I discuss a poem and what I may have been going through at that moment. It’s possibly even more eye-opening than the book.
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