Conversations Magazine Feature: Wahida Clark

by Cyrus Webb

I first interviewed bestselling author and savvy businesswoman Wahida Clark on December 10, 2007. At that time Conversations Book Club was holding meetings at Waldenbooks in Jackson, MS and we welcomed the public out to our conference calls with authors each week. During that conversation which took place right after her release from prison it was fascinating how even though she was an author with fans around the world she didn't seem to grasp the magnitude of what she was creating.

Clark began writing her first novel while serving a decade-long prison sentence. She told me in that first interview that she had to do something to support her family, and reading an article in a popular magazine gave her the idea to try writing. That proved to be a wise decision. While behind bars, Clark inked a publishing deal with a major publishing house, wrote and released 7 novels garnering devoted fans that continue with her even today.

Now a New York Times bestselling author and CEO of Wahida Clark Presents Publishing, Wahida Clark is proving that she is a force to be reckoned with.

I have had the honor of hosting Ms. Clark in book events in my home state of Mississippi twice now, and each time was like catching up with an old friend.

This year Conversations LIVE made history again by bringing together Wahida and Jackie Collins in their first joint interview---drawing record numbers for the radio show and excitement across the internet.

With everything that she has been through in the last decade, Wahida related to me in her first interview that she can’t even look at her jail time as a bad thing. “I can’t say it was a negative," she told me. "Without it there is no way I would not written a book.”

Definitely an example of what is possible regardless of your past, Wahida Clark shines bright as a gifted storyteller. Her advice to other aspiring writers out there? "I would tell them to write. I have had people tell me that they have five books in their head. What I tell them is they need to put them down on paper, because they aren’t doing you or anyone else any good

while they are just in your head. Do your research and make sure it is the best it can be.”

Currently Wahida is gearing up for the release of book four in her popular "Payback" series called BLOOD, SWEAT & PAYBACK. Stay in contact with her at www.wclarkpublishing.com. Listen to my interview with Clark and Jackie Collins at www.tinyurl.com/jackiewahidainterview.