Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela May.
Hi Angela, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I once heard a speaker say that whatever you love to do for “play” as a kid–the thing that captures your attention fully–is the thing you should try to turn into a career. How lucky I am to do just that!
When I was a kid, reading and writing were my favorite things to do. So much so, I remember spending weeks writing in an old, orange notebook a story about a secret portal in a basement. I begged my teacher to grade it. She opted to write words of encouragement instead. Keep writing, she said.
Fast forward to high school, a journalism class at Stratford High School in Goose Creek, SC sparked a desire in me to pursue broadcast journalism. I loved sharing other people’s stories through the challenge of words, images, and sounds.
After internships, part-time gigs, and a degree from the University of South Carolina, I spent several years working at my hometown’s ABC news station, doing multiple jobs, and eventually morning news anchor. Near the end of 2008 though, I felt a stirring in my heart to do something different. But what?
I took a leap of faith, and started the New Year off leaving the industry behind, and soon launched my own business, May Media and PR, LLC, where I could still help others share their stories, using my media and writing skills. This new chapter of my professional life included working with nationally bestselling novelist Mary Alice Monroe by assisting her behind the scenes with publicity, book tour planning, and other day-to-day tasks.
Several years later, the opportunity arose to write a middle-grade book series together. I was floored! She had given me the opportunity to try to live out the quiet dream in my heart–to write books for children.
It’s been five years since that fateful conversation. Today, I’m happy to say we have published a New York Times bestselling series– The Islanders (book 1) and Search for Treasure (book 2). The third volume, titled Shipwrecked, is in the works.
It’s been deeply gratifying to see our stories enjoyed by both kids and adults. Through our stories, which are inspired by a unique Lowcountry barrier island, we hope to spark curiousity in readers about the wild places near them. There’s magic to discover when you’re out in nature.
It’s been many decades since ten-year-old me wrote that long story in the old,orange notebook. How lucky I am to see in hindsight that I get to do the things I loved doing as a kid, as my career, in evolving and unexpected ways.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The journey of life is not a straight path, wouldn’t you agree? It’s full of hills and valleys, dead ends, wrong turns, detours, and some hairpin turns. One thing that’s certain in life is we all will face challenges.
For me, those challenges sometimes felt like walls that forced me to take turns I didn’t necessarily want to take. Looking back, I can see those challenges for what they really were. Not walls, but instead, meandering stepping stones that led me forward and made me stronger, wiser, and grateful along the way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a media specialist and a New York Times bestselling co-author in children’s literature for middle-grade readers (ages 8-12). You can find our books, The Islanders and Search for Treasure, available at your local bookstore and everywhere books are sold online.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.angelamaybooks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelamaybooks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelamaybooks/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelamaybooks
Image Credits
Head shot by: Anne Rhett Photography
Other photos: Angela May
