Claudette Freeman spent some 24 years in radio in South Florida, before launching her own media corporation, Emily C. Freeman Creative Holdings, LLC. The company does business through E. Claudette Freeman Literary Services, which provides an array of writing services including: coaching, editing, commissioned stage/film works and publishing consulting. Employing literary principles and styling to empowerment modules, Freeman, a Certified Life Coach Practitioner through the American Association of Christian Counselors and a Licensed Minister also hosts Arise Through Your Spirit, in-home, conference, ministry and workplace based literary empowerment and birthing purpose programs; and along those lines is preparing to launch her Write For Your Life Tour. The company also delves into the publishing arena through Pecan Tree Publishing, presenting a globally-attractive catalog of spiritually, socially and culturally enriching titles.
As a writer, Freeman has received various honors. She is the author of the collection of short stories: PIECES AND ME; three invigorating and engaging devotional/essay journals THE MORNING HOUR: ARISE, WRITE, RELEASE; FABULOUS YOU: POWER NUGGETS FOR THE MOMENT and IF I WRITE IT, IT CAN HEAL. She is also the author of three collections of a trio of journals releasing in 2016: Enduring Woman Journal Collection, Keepsake Power Journal Collection and the Writer’s Muse Journal Collection. Freeman lives in South Florida with her son Isaiah Langston-Michael Freeman.
JMAG: Claudette you clearly have a love affair with all things literary and have been a strong advocate for writers and authors. What attracts you to the written word?
Claudette Freeman: Your words – the words in you – don’t betray you. They may hurt sometimes. They may reveal a bit too much of your truth sometimes, but they are organically sincere. For me, they have been a constant companion. I can listen to a conversation, or something strange can catch my eye and I see or hear a storyline. Or, I can sit and breathe and purposely listen to what my soul spot is saying and be healed or challenged in that. There is some type of connection to a deeper thought realm – if you will – when you put or read words on paper. The words open your imagination. So, I fell in love with that – and plus, I’m STILL single!
JMAG: Tell us about your book When I Danced With God.
Claudette Freeman: I am a vivid dreamer; to the point that there are times I am consciously aware that I am dreaming something that I need to bring acute attention to. In sharing some of those dreams, people would call them intuitive or prophetic. Someone told me I am clearly a spiritual empath who God speaks clearly to in dreams. I thought if that is my truth, then it likely is someone else’s as well. So, I took several of those dreams and their interpretations and put them in When I Danced With God. The title actually comes from a dream I had during a very dark time in my life. In that dream, I sat in this dark room and had a conversation with God, and He asked me, why don’t I dance with Him anymore.
JMAG: Tell us about the business side of your brand and your company E. Claudette Freeman Literary Services
Claudette Freeman: The business side of me is a literary coaching and editing services provider. I work with authors in various genres (with the exception of erotica and extremely morbid stuff). My task is to help them assure they have all of the elements in the recipe in their work. I am a little different as a coach, because I may actually read something in the work that I know is a mask for the author, it’s a hiding place and then my task becomes to help you deal with that. You can’t lie to your words and through your words and expect them to impact anyone positively. Because I’ve lived the truth that your own words rather written in fiction or non-fiction terms can heal, liberate and deliver you; I also do “life” coaching under the guise of literary coaching – so that a client can be comfortable with that engagement. Through the business, I’m doing more group and workshop type of coaching; and will be introducing a line of teaching products to learn at your own pace.
JMAG: Who are some of your favorite authors and what genre of writing interests you most?
Claudette Freeman: Genres are really based on my mood at the moment. When I read fiction, I love dialogue and characters that make me want to hit them, run from them or love them. Zora Neale Hurston and James Baldwin are my absolute favorite! They introduced me to stories about people and ideals that I could relate to. They showed me self in words. I also love Eric Jerome Dickey, Brad Meltzer, James Patterson, Tina McElroy Ansa, J. California Cooper and Pearl Cleage. I love August Wilson. People would think it strange that I would sit and read plays like they were novels.
JMAG: How has the book publishing industry changed since you first started?
Claudette Freeman: It’s had some ebbs and flows. When I initially became “a writer” the norm was your work had to go through a literary agent and it seemed to be a lot of hoops to jump through. Then the self-publishing industry exploded, initially not so well, because people flocked to it without any concerns for the quality of the work or how it was presented. When that side of the industry started demanding better; then the quality increased. To me, it seemed to slow the challenge of putting your work in a professional agent’s hands, even for me. Why face rejection when you can publish it yourself. Still, I think it is something writers should do. If you get an agent that offers critique within the rejection, then you get valid points to better your writing.
I think whether you decide to self-publish or go the agent route – you have to put in the work. Study the craft, spend time with your words, fine tune them, work with professionals to help you along the way and produce quality work with long shelf or Ebook reader life. That’s the other thing that changed in the industry Kindle, Nook and similar readers. It became a way to become “a bestseller” not based on the weight of your words, but how low you could drop the price and employ social media to drive up sales in a short time span. True readers- like me – will always buy the book that we can feel in our hands and I think the industry is starting to see that truth again.
JMAG: There seems to be quite a bit of spirituality in your professional and personal life. Tell us why and how does that manifest itself in your work and your work with clients?
Claudette Freeman: I am clearly aware that there is more to this life than what we experience at the moment. I believe that whether you call God, God or Universe, they are the same. For me, God is the absolute power/person/thing that makes life – life. God is the giver of what I possess and so often that intuitiveness or that counseling to the things written that you didn’t know you wrote, becomes about me just being the vessel. I become your stopping post, meaning – if you trust this Spirit and this gift in me, we can get the book or the play written – but we can also FINALLY deal with those words crying in your inner being too. For instance, I have a client that was working on a project dealing with the presence of rape in her life, on more than one occasion. And each time we met, I knew there was something not clicking in the power of what she needed to write. Finally, I asked, “Why are you so mad with God? Why do you telling me you love Him and you knew He was there, but you are pissed off with Him?” That session became about admitting and releasing. Then we could move on. I don’t necessarily know when it’s going to happen or how; but sudden silence and tears usually tell me spirit – word and truth just hit home!
JMAG: I am intrigued by your book If I Can Write, I Can Heal. That’s so powerful in itself. Tell us what inspired you to pen that work.
Claudette Freeman: Having done journaling and word healing workshops I know that people often get stuck at “where do I start” or “how do I start saying this” and other sentiments. So If I Write It, and The Morning Hour at actually my musings, coupled with words that start you off. I figured if I give you the initial line and you just go with the flow from there – then you’d be okay.
JMAG: Share some of your wisdom in another one of your works titled Fabulous You Power Nuggets of the Moment. Do give us a nugget!
Ok here’s one: Sometimes there is a knot of tears that builds up in the pit of my stomach and it wants to break free. I let it. It washes away all of the cares that I needed to cast to Him who cares and can do something about it. I have not cried my last tear – instead I let them go so that they take the pain, the sorrow, the distress right along with them. Today, I wash away the cares of________________.
JMAG: Tell us one thing people might be surprised to know about E. Claudette Freeman
Claudette Freeman: I love bridal shows. I have never dreamed about a big wedding, or a fairy tale wedding or anything like that – still – I love bridal shows and I try to rope people into going to them with me.
JMAG: What’s next for E. Claudette Freeman? And how can we stay connected with everything you do?
Claudette Freeman: What’s next? Hmm. Short term coming is a weekly Word Power call for Anyone interested in writing – it will be encouragement, challenges, and a quick writing tip (so email me if you want the call in number). I am honored to have two theatre pieces going up in July. July 15-16th, my show The Way My Mama Loves Me will be part of the Women’s Theatre Festival of Memphis, in Memphis, TN. And July 23rd, my show Tears A Sister Cries will close out Tracie Bonnick’s REALITY UNMASKED season, at the Plumosa Theatre in Delray Beach, Fl. When the curtains go down on those, I’ll be launching a series of intimate writing to heal type sessions, called Write For Your Life.
Connect with me at www.eclaudetteliterary.com, on Facebook at ecfreemancreative, Twitter is ecfcreative, and LinkedIn is Emily (E.) Claudette Freeman. You can email me at coaching@eclaudetteliterary.com.
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