This Week's Spotlight~Kimberly T. Matthews-Hooker: She Has A Story To Tell

Kimberly T. Matthews-Hooker is a 12 time published novelist, speaker, content editor, ghostwriter and literary agent. Her debut novel, Promise You Won't Tell Nobody, was self-published in 1997, and is listed as recommended reading by Love our Children USA, the leading national nonprofit and ‘Go-To’ prevention organization fighting all forms of violence and neglect against children in the United States. Kimberly achieved national publication attention in 2006 with her third novel, The Perfect Shoe, (published by Kensington, a romantic comedy which was once ranked as the number one African American Romance novel on Amazon.com (June 2009) and currently carries a 5-star rating.  Since that time, she has released eight other titles and has published a number of nationally syndicated articles in a number of forums including Yahoo! Associate Writers Network.

Kimberly has been the featured guest all over the nation on various author panels with best-selling authors such as Kimberla Lawson Roby, Jacquelin Thomas, Carl Weber and Mary Morrison. She’s signed books and shared evenings with book club members and events, and has appeared on both radio shows and television programs. Her works have been nominated for several African American fiction awards, and she has served as a judge in various writing contests.

My Greatest Accomplishment to Date Has Been:
Having my debut novel, Promise You Won't Tell Nobody, was self-published in 1997, and is listed as recommended reading by Love our Children USA, the leading national nonprofit and ‘Go-To’ prevention organization fighting all forms of violence and neglect against children in the United States.  This honor allows me to know that my struggles and pain have not been in vain, and someone can be helped and healed as a result of the book's publication. 

The Most Challenging Thing I Ever Experienced was:

Realizing my own self-worth and value, and being able to properly react to that. Sometimes women forfeit for the sake of what we perceive as love, when actually what we perceive is just an illusion or a counterfeit of the love we truly desire. We learn to compromise and justify negative behaviors, although deep within, we know something isn't right and we deserve more - a love like the Father gives.  While none of us are God, God gives us an example to govern our relationships, none of which display disrespect or abuse. 

My Most Valuable Lesson(s): 

My lessons have been many; it's difficult to pinpoint a single lesson as most valuable, however what I have recently learned is that unforgiveness can greatly impact your life and keep you from maximizing your potential. Forgiveness can be very difficult because it is hard to forget pain. But what I've learned is that once you forgive, release and bless those that hurt you, you can truly be free, and move on to accomplish your goals without spiritual hindrances.

Final Remarks: 

It's truly an honor to be considered as a nominee in this awesome women's forum. I thank God for every step of this journey that has brought me to this point, and I pray that He finds me worthy to be used of Him to impact the lives of others for the better.

Visit Kimberly online at www.kimberlytmatthews.com
On Facebook at www.facebook.com/KimberlyTMatthews
On Twitter at www.twitter.com/KimberlysTips

BOND Inc Spotlight features ordinary African American women from all over who are doing extra-ordinary things.  If you or anyone you know would like to be featured, send your requests for more information to iambondinc@gmail.com.