Your real name and pen name? Jennifer Cummings; My Pen name is Hailey Rose Barrett. I use my pen name for everything related to my writing and special projects.
Please share some of the best memories of your childhood I remember coming home from school and my mom would have homemade cookies and bread waiting for us. I remember the aroma and it was comforting. She made everything from scratch.
About your education I have a Bachelors degree in Nursing and a Bachelors degree in Food and Nutrition. I studied Biomedical Science for a year at a local university. I am a Certified Diabetes Educator and Certified in Maternal Newborn Nursing.
What career did you plan during your education days I planned on being a nutritionist first; nursing school was an afterthought. I never dreamed about writing a book. That came much later in my life. I wanted to help overweight children improve their self-esteem and motivate them to take responsibility for their health and well-being.
What languages you can speak and write? English
What is your biggest source of inspiration in life My two boys. They inspire me with their youthful and energetic outlook on life. They keep me young and technologically savvy. :)
What hurts you most in this world. I do not understand the “hate”that the terrorist have for other human beings. I don’t understand the cruelty. I don’t understand fighting and killing for land or religious beliefs. I cannot imagine the pain and suffering for the people fleeing Syria because they are starving to death. I can’t comprehend it.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced? How did you overcome it? The biggest challenge I encountered in my life, was when I was dismissed from the medical program I was in because I did not meet the grade requirements. It was the lowest point of my life, but I had no one to blame but myself. This situation was the catalyst for my writing. I talk about what I had to do to turn my life around. I had to begin the uphill climb to reclaiming my life, by turning the focus inward and accepting that I was the only person who could “save”me. I had to “clean house”in my personal life if I was going to move forward and live a productive healthy life. This is what my story is about.
If you had to live a day of your life as one of the living or dead personality, who would it be and why? Jim Carey. I have the same sense of humor he does and I am a comedian in my own mind :)
When did you start writing? What is the purpose of your writing? I began writing after I had been through a terrible relationship with someone that I met on match.com I didn’t want to forget any of the events that had occurred, so I started to put it all on paper. One thing lead to another and it wasn’t long before the ideas about a book came to me. I thought of a way that I could integrate my childhood into the story about my adult life situation, that landed me face down.Through my writing , it is my intention to inspire others to never give up, and to share my insights to help them navigate through difficult challenges they may encounter in their life.
Which of your work has been published so far? Would you like to share a synopsis of your work. Changing Lanes: From Hell to Heaven. It is an Inspirational true story about learning how to forgive, creating self-worth, and discovering the power of humane love. There is a movie script that is based on the dramatic love triangle that occurred in the story. It is the project that I am currently working on.
What are your forthcoming writings? I am currently working on a self-study workbook that is a continuation of the book.
What are your future plans? My plans are to continue helping people through my work and my writing. I do motivational speaking and I am passionate about helping overweight children elevate their self-esteem. My 5 year goal is to run a non-for-profit organization called “Hailey’Shunshine.”It will be a program for teenagers and young adults. Mentoring our youth is important to me.
How much real life goes into a fiction writing? No Fiction writing as of yet.
Is high level of imagination important to have for an Author? I think for fiction, having great imagination is essential. For Non-fiction, not so much.
Your dream destination on Earth? Tahiti. The pictures look awesome!
Your origin of birth and other countries you have visited/ stayed. I have visited Caribbean Islands while cruising. My favorite so far is Saint Kitz. I have not been to Europe or any other countries abroad. I have been to Cancun Mexico and I really love the beautiful setting there. I was born and raised in Miami, Florida. What best things you liked in these countries around the globe? I love the crystal clear blue water and the beauty of the Islands. So tranquil and relaxing. The pace of life is much slower and I feel completely relaxed and can unwind in the islands.
Your favorite time of the day? My favorite time of day is at sunset. What a great time to go out and take a long walk.
Your zodiac/ sunsign? I am a Pisces.
Your favorite color and why? Purple. I am drawn to that color because it is my birthstone. I have always loved that color, even as a child. It gives me a sense of tranquility.
What is the last book you finished reading? What is the current book you are reading? The last book I read was Chocolate or Vanilla Life is All About Choices, by Nancy Venditti Muellar. The current book I am reading is Broken For The Promise, by Chasity Strawder. I joined a book review group, so I will be reading a lot more in the future. I like reviewing other peoples work. Your favorite book and why? For some reason, Many Life Many Masters, by Brian Weiss is my all time favorite. It makes so much sense that nothing in life is a coincidence, and that we are all on a path, and we all have many previous lives that have an impact on our current life. That is fascinating to me.
Your favorite movie and why? The Note Book. It is the all time favorite love story of hope and perseverance. We all want to be with that one special person when we die, because none wants to die alone. The actors in the movie epitomized true love, and they were each others life long soul-mate.
Your favorite celebrity and why? Tina Fay. I think she is very talented and smart, as well as very funny.
Your favorite food? Mexican food, Italian, American, I like it all.
What comes to your mind when you think of India? I think of serenity and peace, incense, rice, curry, reflection and personal awareness.
Some quickies: Sun or Moon, Laughter or Smile, Morning or Evening, Coffee or Tea, Mountain or Sea, Long Drive or Short Drive, Silence or Conversation, Water or Fire, Air or Earth, Mars or Jupiter, Tulip or Rose, Red or Blue, Left or Right, Glance or Stare
What three words come to your mind for each – Technology: Ipad, iphone, podcasts, Life: lessons, family, self, God: Grace, goodness, abundance Humanity: goodness, giving,outliers, Terrorism: Unreasonable, unnecessary,sad Racism: reality, unfortunate,unfair, Childhood Abuse:destructive, devastating ,victims. Love: light,happiness,human, Parenting:rewarding,sacrifice,beautiful Old age:Inevitable, knowledge, traveling
State your signature line/ tagline/ best quote: “Never forget that you are a huge blessing here on this earth, and never forget you are someone’s sunshine on a rainy day because you matter.”
The last line of your autobiography would be… She loved life; helping people was her life’s purpose.
What made you interested your genre - I felt that I had a unique story. Since it was a true story, it fell into the non-fiction genre.
Links: Twitter handle: @Haileyhrb
Facebook page: facebook.com/HaileyRose
Goodreads author page:Hailey Rose Barrett
Amazon link: Changing Lanes: From Hellto Heaven - Website:www.haileyrosebarrett.com