Jayne D’Alessandro-Cox is a Virginia author whom I came to know through one of my business colleagues, Philip Day. Ms. D’Alessandro-Cox has written several children’s books and a unique book on the first 31 years of Thomas Jefferson’s life. I can personally attest to her engaging writing style since I have purchased all of them myself! It is a pleasure to feature Jayne as a true entrepreneur in action.
1. Career influences
At this chapter in my life, when people ask me, “…and what do you do?”, I humbly answer, “I am an author”. One question seems to lead to many, but the occasion always reminds me that career paths can be so unexpected in life.
My career influence was my English teacher in my sophomore year of high school. The assignment was to write a Christmas story. As a 16 year old, that was the last thing I wanted to do on Christmas break. As tears dropped on my loose leaf paper, I said a prayer and asked God to help me think of something to write. What happened next changed my life. Within 2 ½ hours, my attitude went from feeling sorry for myself, to excitement, as God had inspired me to write the sweetest Christmas story, in verse, which I titled, A Miracle in Bethlehem. I cannot ever remember writing in verse, but the end result got me a 95% with the following remarks from my teacher, “…with some illustrations, this could be a very nice children’s book!” If it were not for my teacher’s written remark on my paper, I would not have saved it and published it over 35 years later. Unmistakably, my English teacher was my career influence, but God was my inspiration.
2. Biggest Career Success
This has to be my most recent book entitled Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man. It is a historical, autobiographical, and biographical account of Thomas Jefferson’s first 31 years of life, written in journal form and supplemented with background text to further inform the reader. It documents Jefferson’s childhood, adolescence, and journey to manhood. The reader will get to know our founding father more intimately after reading about his early years. To understand the man, one needs to learn about the boy. There is no book like this on the market today, and it is, thankfully, getting rave reviews!
3. Recent Lessons Learned
As an author of four books, I’ve had to do numerous book related tasks and projects that were completely out of my comfort zone. Once my first book came out, I assumed that it would be in every book store nationwide. So not the case! That “may” happen for a celebrity, but certainly not for the “average Joe, or Jayne”! I’ve since learned how to represent and promote my books through book signings and speaking engagements, and give radio interviews, while actively promoting them over social media. It helps to have a great web site, thanks to Brian Loebig and Philip Day Communications! (www.jaynedalessandrocox.com)
4. What Inspires and Motivates
What most inspires and motivates me is my relationship with Christ. If everyone could only experience how wonderful it is to have an intimate communication with Christ, what an amazing world it would be! I know my purpose in this world, and I understanding why I was created: to know, love, and serve the Lord. Writing my first three Christian books was to honor and serve Him. When I prayed at my bedroom desk that December night in 1972, it didn’t surprised me that God answered my prayer with such a sweet story. What did surprise me was how quickly! As a result, children are discovering the joy of knowing Jesus in their lives. What could be better than that?
5. Share a Leadership Story
As an author, I realize that I am fully in charge of marketing my books. The first promotion year was exhausting, and I thought, “Does every new author have to go through this?” The answer is “yes”, unless you are a celebrity or hire an agent. After the first book-signing Christmas season, I decided to invite as many authors as I could fit in a hotel ballroom, advertise, and hold a huge book signing event. The author’s table fees and sponsor fees covered all the expenses. It was called Meet the Authors Book Signing Event, and it has become a growing and popular local event. Although a labor of love, I believe that it gave the opportunity to many new authors who were not as resourceful in promoting their published work. I have found that every new project that I’ve taken on, no matter how difficult or time consuming, could not have been achieved without prayer. God hears our prayers, and if they honor Him, he blesses us with a favorable answer.
6. Your Top Two
- I believe that one must have an unwavering determination to accomplish a specific goal…no matter what the goal is or how difficult it is to achieve. Do whatever homework is necessary to learn all you can about the project. I love the story of The Tortoise and The Hare. Slow and steady wins the race, just never give up!
- Also, for me, prayer is essential. I know that I can do nothing without the help of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, nor would I want to. My prayer for you is that you sit down in a nice comfortable and quiet place, and have a conversation with God. Be open and honest. Tell Him that you would like to know Him, and ask Him to come into your life. Begin the dialogue. Trust me, life is good only when God is in it! God bless you all, Jayne D’Alessandro-Cox
7. About Jayne D’Alessandro-Cox
Jayne is a top rated author and analytical historian living in historic Charlottesville, Virginia.
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We LOVE this author! A Miracle in Bethlehem was the perfect story to read our children on Christmas Eve. And my son adores Thomas Jefferson- Boy to Man. Thank you for your hard work on these exceptional books!! You have an amazing gift!!