Meet Moniqua Sexton: Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Moniqua Sexton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Moniqua, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Being an author was something I’ve wanted since I was a child. I was always a reader, but writing was my true escape. I published my first book in 2012, however, it wasn’t until 2019 that I really became serious about doing this full-time. What prompted it was my love and passion for the craft. Nothing else has brought me as much joy as writing and publishing these stories (well, aside from my son, lol). I know I’m an amazing writer and storyteller, so I knew that working towards making this a full time career was a step in the right direction.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am an author who doesn’t stick to writing just one genre. My tag line is “Penning Across Genres” because that’s what I do. I write adult fiction, romance, paranormal, thrillers, and crime fiction. I believe it has a lot to do with the types of books I read from various genres. I’ll be honest and say writing comes naturally to me. The hardest part I believe is depending on what I’m writing, it can play on my emotions and mental. I’ve written scenes where I’ve had to walk away for a minute and regroup. Something I’ve learned with being an author is just to be authentically me and not try to fit into spaces that I don’t belong, meaning staying in my own lane. I see so many authors doing great things, but those things aren’t necessarily what I want for myself. My goal is to have my books reach the masses. I want to share these stories and take people’s minds away from whatever it is in their life that is causing them mental discomfort. I want my stories to be their escape, if only for a few hours.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
So, let’s say covid is nonexistent. First, we’d go and explore the botanical gardens. Mercer Arboretum is breathtakingly beautiful, especially in spring. Downtown would also be on the list, hitting up Discovery Green and partaking in whatever event is going on. We would definitely have to drop by Soul Food Vegan over in Third Ward. Their food is amazing, and the vibe is always welcoming. I’m such a museum buff, so we would definitely have to visit all of them, especially the Museum of Fine Arts. As a creative, the arts are kind of my thing. Last but not least, we would check out The Aquarium and the Houston Zoo.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a shoutout to Jasmin Rutledge. She was a coworker of mine at the current school where I teach. To see her start her business and how it has flourished over the past few months has been beautiful. It has also been so inspiring when it comes to me being persistent. She’s always offering words of encouragement and pouring into me. I want to shout her out for being such a bomb human being.

Website: www.MoniquaLashae.org
Instagram: @authormlsexton
Twitter: @mlsextonwrites
Facebook: Author M. L. Sexton
Youtube: www.YouTube.com/mlsexton88

Image Credits
Images by Moniqua Sexton