Awilda Prignano On The 5 Things You Need to Know to Become a Great Author

The most important one of all, get enough rest every night. Taking care of yourself in this way sets you up to be your best self while developing and continuing to create your craft. Make sure you are intentional with your daily self-care.

As part of my interview series on the five things you need to know to become a great author, I had the pleasure of interviewing Awilda Prignano.

Born and raised in Chicago, Awilda has recently relocated to sunny Arizona where she earned her B.A. in English at Arizona State University. Since childhood, Awilda had always had a passion for writing and her dream came true when she was published in several anthologies and recently, self-published her first children’s book, Loving Lulu. Awilda engages very easily with everyone she meets, and her mission is to inspire through her storytelling, the values of love, kindness, and compassion for others.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you share a story about what brought you to this particular career path?

Writing is a second career for me. Looking back, I should have always been a writer as that had been my passion since I was a kid. It’s funny, when I was in high school trying to decide on colleges, I didn’t pursue writing and I can’t even explain why. I began as a music major which actually, turned out to be more of a hobby. Then on the advice from my advisor, I switched to an International Business major mainly because I loved studying foreign languages — Spanish and French. During all of this, I did the unthinkable — started working — which as a college student, doesn’t always pan out as then one is lured toward the immediate money flowing in.

Being miserable and unhappy in my choice to take business courses, I decided I preferred the excitement and energy of working in retail. I was quickly promoted into management which is what I did for over 30 years. In my last role as a retail manager, I remember feeling how I no longer belonged. What once felt like a good fit felt more like I was sacrificing and minimizing myself and my self-worth. I’m meant to do so…