Stacy Hawkins Adams in Profile By Bonnie Atwood
No bling
required. When Stacy Hawkins Adams looks at you, she radiates all by herself. There’s no other word. She actually radiates. Her attention is so focused on the listener, it appears that rays of light are coming from her eyes, her smile, and even her dimples. Dressed in her characteristic basic black suit, pink shirt, black boots and understated jewelry, Adams greeted attendees at the Women Who Mean Business Summit sponsored by the Metropolitan Business League in Richmond, Virginia., in January 2011. As part of the trade show, Adams had a booth set up to feature her six nationally published novels of inspiration. 70 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2011
She was also one of a panel of authors who presented their personal stories and fielded questions from an enthusiastic audience of entrepreneurs. Adams seems born for this role, and, indeed, she told the audience that her interest in writing dates back to early childhood in Pine Bluff, Ark. She loved to read poems. At the tender age of 10, she wrote a letter to the police department. She wrote some pieces which her sister, Barbara, stapled together for her. “Now you have a book!” said her sister. That did it. Adams knew what she would do in life. Adams covered the real world of social issues before she developed her craft as a fiction writer. She was a full-time newspaper reporter and columnist for 14 years, primarily at
Inspiration
the Richmond Times-Dispatch, where she also wrote an inspirational column. She still writes a weekly parenting column called “Life Notes.” Her most recent column is typical of the important messages that she imparts. It reviews an important documentary film for parents: “Race to Nowhere.” She keeps up with all things of interest to parents and families. On these matters, she has a frontrow seat. She’s the parent of a child in elementary school and one in middle school. Adams’ work is filled with food for thought. She tells stories of faith, social issues, and personal growth. The characters in her novels are creations (“I’m not Serena,” she says), but they are representative of you and me— real people with real and modern problems, hopes, and dreams. Adams encourages readers to “tune in to hear God’s whispers.” She reveals her deepest thoughts, and even doubts, about a God that “I couldn’t see or touch.” She comes through her journeys with a clearer, deeper understanding of God’s role in her life. This is the message that she so successfully shares with her devoted readers. Adams’ fourth novel really skyrocketed her career. That book was The Someday List, which maintained a steady presence on the Essence bestseller’s list, and then went on to the Kindle bestseller list. Adams says that her characters are all made up, but they are based on the concerns that real people send to her. After every book publication, readers pour their hearts out to her in emails. Some of the topics are those that are important, but tough to talk about, like domestic violence and infertility. She handles these topics carefully, but, she says, “not in a soap-operaish way.”
This reporter first met Adams at a Richmond Toastmaster meeting—the best place where nervous, amateur speakers can come to learn to be polished orators. Adams was a natural. She has developed her speaking career right along with her writing. She is a member of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and can keep an audience entranced and uplifted. Adams has now added personal coaching to her resume. She launched her own coaching service called “Author in You.” If you have book trapped inside you, yearning to get out, she’s your coach. She helps fiction writers and nonfiction writers to complete those manuscripts in progress. Many writers were quick to give her credit for her coaching, and she’s taking it up a notch with a new teleseminar coaching service. Adams uses her considerable talents to give back to the community, too. She does child advocacy as an active board member and as a marketing consultant for such issues as children’s advocacy, prevention of child abuse, and promotion of literacy. Adams’ eighth and latest book is due out in early 2012. Her publisher is Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. The Metropolitan Business League (MBL), which sponsored this summit that featured Adams among it speakers, is composed of small business owners in the Richmond, Virginia, region. The MBL has been serving entrepreneurs of all kinds for 40 years. This summit brought together some of the best and most successful businesswomen in the nation, including the keynote speaker, personal financial advice guru Suze Orman.
The latest of Adams’ acclaimed novels is Dreams That Won’t Let Go, published a year ago. In May she had a book of nonfiction released: Who Speaks to Your Heart? Busy women from all walks of life can relate to these books of devotion. Adams empowers women. Her goal is to “ignite hope and faith to fuel your dreams.” She calls her first three novels the Jubilant Soul Series, in which “faith, family and drama co-exist.” Her books are the kind that people read when they need a lift, and write notes in the margin. They’re the kind of reading that makes you want to talk to your friends and re-commit to something greater than yourself. They’re the kind of books that make you want to, well, contact the author herself and tell her how you feel. July-August 2011 | Exceptional People Magazine | 71