Dr. Lynda Mubarak is a native Texan, Army veteran, and grew up in Waco and Ft. Worth. She is a retired teacher and special education facilitator with 37 years of experience in special needs instruction, ESL education at Tarrant County College, and developmental writing at Strayer University. Lynda is a graduate of P.L. Dunbar High School, Ft. Worth, TX. She earned her BS in Elementary/Special Education from Texas Christian University, M.Ed. from Texas Wesleyan University, and Ed.D in Higher Education from Nova SE University. Dr. Mubarak is an active volunteer with several Ft. Worth organizations. She loves crossword puzzle competitions, live theater, contemporary music history and traveling with her husband.
Dr. Lynda is currently a Co-Host on The Author’s Lounge Radio Show, airing on Tuesdays at 3:00pm – 5:00pm CST on the Fish Bowl Radio Network. Listen to the show: Go to the Grey Stream – http://fbrn.us
Could you tell us something about your most recent work?
STATIONS is my debut novel. It is available on Kindle and also published in paperback at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The book is composed of essays I have written over the years. Each essay covers a phase, decision, transition, pathway, or challenge that ordinary people experience during the course of a lifetime as children and later as adults.
What inspired you to sit down and actually start writing this book? Why now?
I have always wanted to write a book, but only discussed it briefly (and quietly) with a few friends over the years. I assumed that my thoughts and ideas had been written and discussed many times over and there was no need to ‘repeat’ what others had done. I began to write down my observations and thoughts several years ago and decided to publish them after a chance meeting with a former colleague in a restaurant. She and I were teachers at the same middle school over twenty years ago. During those years, she told me weekly about her desire to write a children’s book. When I asked if she had accomplished her dream, she explained that she had published four books and that I should move forward and contact a publisher. I did, and the rest is history!
How does your book’s message relate to kids and their care-givers?
It relates to the various circumstances that families face when raising children from early social skills and financial responsibility, to proactive soft skills and behaviors required of students, new workers or tenured employees.
Are there any under-represented groups or ideas featured in your book?
Yes. STATIONS addresses many issues and concerns of young parents, first generation college students, at-risk youth, adults in job transition, and ex-offenders in re-entry programs. Some persons have not been exposed to the nuances of a college campus, support group interaction, workplace protocol, or even networking practices. STATIONS attempts to cover these areas in a simple, but practical manner
How does your book relate to your present situation, education, spiritual practice or journey?
I think my book is a condensed version of the positive and negative experiences of my life and the lives of persons I have encountered over the years. The topics I selected were the ones that had the most profound effect on me as a child, parent, educator, college adjunct, observer, confidant, advisor and caretaker of aging parents.
Did you learn anything personal from writing your book?
The personal lesson I learned from writing this book is acknowledging that we often have things (gifts) in us that we do not investigate, promote, develop or expand. Many times the hesitation stems from fear and doubt. My husband had been trying to persuade me to publish for over 20 years. I simply had one excuse after another to delay my dream of writing a book. After my parents died, and I talked with my former teacher, colleague, I realized that I had run out of excuses. Finally, I learned that often when it is time to act, we create reasons or hurdles to slow down or hinder the decision to move forward. My excuse had been my parents’ declining health.
What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
My goals and intentions of this book were to encourage and inspire others to move forward while making better decisions, utilizing time wisely, and identifying those skills and competencies necessary for living a life filled with achievement and personal success. Most important, teach all children the concepts and behaviors required to survive in the fast moving world that becomes more competitive each day. In the end, they will be working on jobs that were not created during your lifetime. I think I wrote in a way that was thought provoking and parent friendly!
What projects are you working on at the present?
I am currently working two projects. The first one is about my childhood memories of living in segregated Waco, TX during the 1950s. The name of the book is “Carver Park”. Carver Park is an African-American community area east of the Brazos River and downtown Waco that was designed years ago by public officials for people of color. The second project is a handbook for novice writers who are seeking a theme or focus for a book. My objective is to provide strategies for identifying the plot and planning the initial phases of a novel. Readers can find out more about my work at: www.lyndamubarak.com. Visit me on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011551415498
Purchase STATIONS: Changing Your Life – Changing Your Career by Dr. Lynda Mubarak
GENRE: Parenting, First Generation College Students, Urban Education, Elementary & High School Student Success,
College & Workplace Readiness, At-Risk Youth Programs, Displaced Worker Programs
https://www.amazon.com/STATIONS-Changing-Your-Life-Career/dp/1478766670
Author’s Lounge Radio Show
Tune in: Tuesday Evenings at 3PM – 5PM
Listen: Go to the Grey Stream – http://fbrn.us
Hosts: Sheryl Grace and Lynda Jones-Mubarak
Dr. Lynda Mubarak is a native Texan. She was born in Mart, TX and raised in Waco and Ft. Worth. Lynda graduated from P.L. Dunbar HS in Ft. Worth. She is a retired special education teacher and facilitator and has served as a crisis intervention teacher, student teacher supervisor, and private school administrator. She earned a BS in Education from TCU, M.Ed. from Texas Wesleyan University, and a doctorate in education from Nova SE University. She and husband, Kairi, live in Ft. Worth, TX. She loves to travel, live theater, and crossword puzzles!
Sheryl Grace is a Louisiana native currently residing in North Texas. Sheryl began her love for writing in high school. Her inspiration to become a writer was prompted after reading Maya Angelou’s, “ I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. She continued her love for writing in college where she wrote fluid poetry. After graduating with a degree in Mental Health Counseling, she began her career as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Through her life and work experiences, characters begin to formulate in her head that she had to share. The desire to create a female character that could overcome even the worse of life events, filled her day and night dreams. Her debut novel “He Calls Her Blue” has received numerous five star reviews and this is just the beginning.
Show page: http://fbrn.us/shows/authors-lounge
