Meet Tyra Racquel: National Bestselling Author & YouTube Personality

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tyra Racquel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tyra, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
During my writing career there has been a few times that I’ve wanted to give up. The first time that I was signed to a publishing company, I was dropped because the publisher had been having hidden ill feelings towards me and when I turned my book in one day late she dropped me the very next day through a text message. I went the self published route after that and failed terribly until I was given another opportunity to be apart of a different publishing company. I still felt out of place, but I pushed forward. Unknowingly I pushed myself towards failure again to the point where I wasn’t writing anymore, I had given up. I ended my contract with that publishing company and pursued self publishing again. I bought a book cover and edited a book all in the matter of one week, released the book, and ended as #52 on the charts in the urban fiction category. A few months after that I became a National Bestselling Author. So, with that being said, dreams don’t work unless you do and you have to believe in yourself. You will fail at times, but if it’s your passion then continue fighting for it. If it’s for you then it’ll all come in full rotation.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As an author I feel like my books are literal art. From the book cover to the words that are on the pages. I create an imaginary world for my readers to dive off into and step away from reality a little bit. I don’t cater to just one audience, I cater to all through my novels of urban fiction, urban romance, erotica, and poetry. Indulging in the world of other genres wasn’t easy because people expect you to write one genre and stick to it. You just have to push through and on the way you’ll gain new supporters that you didn’t know you would have. I learned that strangers support me more than the people that I know do and that’s ok. The Brownie Squad started off as me just wanting to promote my books, but now it is a safe space for all of my members to share what books they like and why or hound me to why I haven’t dropped a quick short story for them to read while I create their next escape place. We are literally a family and I am grateful for the expansion of The Brownie Squad.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The best brunch spot that I’ve been to is Ellen’s Southern Kitchen. It was so good! The French toast is literally to die for and the mimosas were bomb. XOXO is a cute little vibe and a nice place to take pictures at. South Dallas Cafe was some bomb southern food that I’ve eaten in Texas and I highly recommend it. I enjoyed the downtown of Dallas it’s so beautiful! Definitely recommend to go whenever the pandemic is over. The Galleria Dallas is every woman’s dream. So many stores that you’ll have to go early just to go to all of them and see everything. A great mall to visit and the restaurants all have delicious food!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shout-out to my parents for supporting me and actually believing in my writing dream. I want to thank my best friends for listening to me talk about my storylines and book titles trying to figure out if they sound crazy or not, Also thankful for them giving their advice on book covers because they know how I want my brand to be represented. Lastly, a big thank you to my supporters— The Brownie Squad! Without y’all, I wouldn’t be where I am in my career today and I can’t wait until we flourish even more than we already have.

Website: #TheBrownieSquad
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/tyranobanks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tyraracquel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1803386419676141/
Youtube: www.YouTube.com/c/tyranobanks