Author Bio: Nicole “Jahzara” Bradley, who has been writing since age 9, is an award-winning author and ghostwriter. Her works span women’s fiction, inspiration, and urban fiction. She holds a degree in Criminal Justice and a master’s in education and has worked as a therapist. Nicole’s publishing company, Tranquil Moments, has released nine of her books. Her rich background and diverse experiences infuse her storytelling with depth and authenticity, captivating readers across genres.
1. Nicole, you have published works under the pen names Jahzara Bradley and Nyree Chandler. How do you decide which pen name to use for a particular book?
If the book is inspirational or nonfiction it will be under Nicole “Jahzara” Bradley, most fiction and urban fiction is written under “Jahzara”. Nyree Chandler was a special instance of a collaboration between me and an ex. In the book His Wife, Nyree and Ivan’s story is based on me and my ex, so we decided to write a book, Typical Hood Story: 2 Raw and Uncut Stories. I decided to write under the pen name Nyree Chandler for that book.
2. What inspired you to start your own publishing company, Tranquil Moments, and how has the journey been so far?
I wanted to write and publish on my own terms. It has been a great journey.
3. Can you share a bit about your dual roles as an Educational and Financial Consultant and how they influence your writing?
As an Educational Consultant, I help parents with children who have special needs and Individual Education Plans. I review IEPS and attend conferences to ensure that we are doing what is in the best interest of children. As a Financial Consultant, I help people plan for their financial future. Prior to working in the field of education, I worked as an individual and group therapist and utilized many of those experiences to craft ideas to write about.
4. How do you manage to balance your time between writing, running a publishing company, and offering Literary Consultations?
I have created a self-care planner which is available at iamnicolebradley.com. I plan my days in advance much like I did when I was a teacher and had lesson plans. So, each week I have goals that I want to accomplish, and they are put into the planner. Consultations must be scheduled otherwise my schedule gets thrown off.
5. What do you find most rewarding about helping other authors with their literary careers?
I think what’s most rewarding in that aspect is to see an author who had an idea and then that idea becomes a published work through their efforts and hard work.
6. Can you tell us about a particularly memorable moment or achievement in your literary journey?
It was winning the Distinguished Author’s Guild Literary Award for Romance for my book, Love of My Life.
7. What advice would you give to aspiring authors who are just starting out in the literary world?
My advice is for aspiring authors to start writing. Emphasis on the start. People tend to procrastinate; they worry about being perfect. No, get to writing. Get a schedule and stick to it. I would suggest not trying to have everything be perfect.
8. How do your personal experiences and beliefs influence the themes and messages in your books?
In my book series, My Love Won’t Last Forever with characters: Malachi and Nyree Chandler my readers get glimpses of some of my personal experiences through the character, Nyree and you get to see her evolve as a person. Nyree is a sweetheart but she’s not going to let anyone run over her. She is not to be played with and just when you’ve counted her out, she turns the situation around and makes it work for her.
In the book, Love of My Life, I was very pleased that readers embraced the Do It Afraid theme. I also sell Do It Afraid shirts.
9. What are some challenges you’ve faced in your writing career, and how have you overcome them?
When I first started in my writing career, one challenge I’ve had is working with individuals not paying me or completing work they had been paid for, now I have a dynamic legal team and contracts are in place.
10. What upcoming projects or books are you working on, and what can readers expect from you in the future?
I am rewriting my first novel, Contradictions and the first two books in the My Love Won’t Last Series. My daughter who is also a writer has challenged me to get into script writing, so maybe I will have a short film completed early 2025. I also run the day-to-day operation at The Nicole Bradley Experience and create massage candles. Our most popular massage candle is Forbidden Fruit. I am also available for speaking events for my books, Crazy Faith, Never Would Have Made It: A Testimony of What God Has Done In My Life, and The Diva’s Dating Assessment Guide: Girl, Please!
Social Media Handles:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mznicolebradley
Facebook Author Page: Jahzara Got ‘Em Reading | Facebook
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literaryjahzara/
Website: iamnicolebradley.com
