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The Power of Persistence: An Interview with Ieshia Glover, author of The Best of Us

Ieshia Glover 1

I am a native originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I originally grew up surrounded by the history of Creole and Cajun culture, as well as the culinary styles of good old-fashioned southern soul cuisine. Growing up, I was raised under the influence of Christianity by my church and biological families and was always taught right from wrong. However, my Bible teachings were not the only knowledge I retained. Since a young age, I was fascinated by the idea of putting my thoughts into words and decided to ignite that passion by studying English literature. I started writing poetry using the information I learned, which soon turned into epistolary novels and novelettes throughout my school years. I kept those entries until the end of my adolescence, but I did not throw them away.

After graduating high school, I worked odd jobs for a while. They ranged from being a crew member in fast food to an administrative employee in state government. In July 2020, I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Phoenix. I remained focused on my work life for a few more years until I recalled the old writings from my childhood. After digging them out of storage, I felt the call of literature with renewed vigor and devised to become an author. With my passion reignited, I crafted some of my old poetry and short stories into my very first book—The Best of Us.

You can buy The Best of Us here.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.


Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

Back in high school, after I completed the rough draft of my book, it was originally titled “Life and Its Best.” Because it was themed about the type of characters people develop throughout life, I decided to upgrade the book to its current title. It’s a telling of how experience can bring out the good or bad in people.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

When I received the first draft of my book, I had the biggest smile on my face. I was feeling relieved and excited, knowing that all my years of struggling trying to publish the book paid off. The seed I had planted had finally borne fruit.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

During my adolescence, I developed a quirk for imagining different scenarios a character can be put through from TV shows or movies. Every time I would watch something, I imagined what a character’s script would be like had I placed them in my own written scenes or stories of how their fictional lives would play out, who they would meet, how they would act, and what they would do to solve a problem. The same could be said for video game characters from the console platformers I used to play. In today’s terms, the Internet would call that “fanfiction ideas.”

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

A few years after high school, my first job was working as a cashier in a discount retail store. I also was a member of fast food employment for a short period of time, as well as a temp-for-hire worker in big department stores like Walmart.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

What I liked most about publishing my book was the feeling of accomplishment I felt after reached the stage of its final draft. After high school, I felt like I had no purpose and felt stagnated, especially as I struggled surviving off of little to no income and had nothing to my name that would push me up the socioeconomic ladder. I felt like a failure the more I lived each day doing the same things, planting the same seeds, and reaping very little for it. When I published my book, I felt like I was worth something. I finally gained a moment of success for the first time in years.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

If more people would take the time to read my book, I hope I can inspire them to keep fighting what they believe in and to work hard to make their dreams come true.


You can buy The Best of Us here.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.

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