Today we’d like to introduce you to Latrice Slaughter.
Hi Latrice, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Latrice Slaughter. I’m an author based in Los Angeles, CA. I’ve written 4 children’s books that are centered around happiness and building self- esteem in children. My journey in writing started when I was a little girl. I can remember being 9 years old writing in my journal, documenting everything that happened at school or writing about how I understood and felt about life. I still have journal entries from when I was 9 years old and what I find so fascinating about 9 year old Author Latrice is that I didn’t know it at the time, but I was documenting the beginning pages of my autobiography. As an adult, I can look back and see how my mind processed life as a 9 year old and I’m able to understand why it is imperative that adults constantly plant seeds of positivity in children because it greatly impacts the trajectory of their lives.
I sincerely believe that self-love is essential for having the best quality of life, and for this reason I’ve made it my personal mission to plant seeds of self-love and positivity in the mind of every child that reads one of my books. For the past 11 years, I’ve read my books at schools and libraries and I have spoken and taught at various speaking engagements regarding the importance of self-love and how making the choice to love everything about yourself can literally change your entire life.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Has it been a smooth road? In the words of my mother, “absolutely, emphatically no!” lol Life has always and will always present it’s challenges. For starters, I am a single mother. And balancing my most important role in life which is motherhood, paired with going after my dreams has presented several challenges. When my mother was alive, she helped me with my daughter greatly. I always had a babysitter if I needed to be present for a book signing and she always helped with funding if I needed to pay for my daughter’s school trip. My mother was always there to offer support. So, essentially I was able to ensure that my daughter had everything she needed, while still going after my dreams of becoming a world renown writer. My mother was my safety net so when my mother died in 2021, I had to pivot and change my work and motherhood strategies because by safety net was gone (and not returning,,,,yikes,,,,my mother straight left the planet). So, that meant not making it to every book event or having to put a hold on creating another book to make sure my daughter had everything she needed for school.
I should also mention the challenge of trying to maintain my sanity after my mother (my biggest cheerleader) died. I mean really, who still feels like accomplishing any type of goal after losing a mother? How about, I just stay in bed and eat cookies and cream ice cream for the rest of my life? I’m actually quite fine with that idea, however what kind of example would I be setting for my daughter if I gave up? So, I can’t give up.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a writer, however writing falls under the umbrella of being a creative, and at my core, I am a creative. Although I love to write children’s books, I cannot and will not put myself in a box. I am a strong advocate for growth and I see myself growing in my writing by not only writing and story telling for children, but for adults as well. I specialize in helping both children and adults alike see the bright side of life and I accomplish this through my writing. What sets me apart from others (although I’m certain there are others who feel deeply about everything, as I do) is that I’m self-less. I put other’s feelings before my own. Sometimes to a fault. I want people to win in life, even if they don’t want me to win. And if they don’t want me to win, I’m okay with that, as long as they win. This way of living has led me to have my feelings hurt on several different occasions, however I understand that my purpose here on earth is to serve and to assist people with fighting life. And when you are assisting people with fighting life, sometimes whatever it is that they are fighting, will try to fight you back. So, it hurts sometimes but I’ve learned to not take things personal and just focus on the mission.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I won’t call it luck. Luck implies that things are happening by chance and I don’t believe in coincidences. I’m blessed. I’m blessed because of my faith in Christ, and because of my faith in Christ, things always work out for me. I’ve delt with a lot of challenges, but God said in his word in Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but God delivereth him from them all.” I’ve met some really cool people on my journey of writing and I’ve had nice opportunities present themselves along the way. And it’s definitely because I’m blessed! You have to know you’re blessed. You have to believe it and trust with every fiber of your being that everything will eventually work out for your good.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: lioness_publishingllc
