Meet Stone Abdullah

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stone Abdullah a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Stone, thank you so much for making time for us today. We can’t wait to dive into your story and the lessons you’ve learned along the way, but maybe we can start with something foundational to your success. How have you gone about developing your ability to communicate effectively?

First, thank you so much for inviting me. It’s an honor. To answer your question, I built my communication skills by observing my late parents. My father and mother were community activists, leaders, and entrepreneurs. But above all else, their conviction toward speaking the best words to foster the best outcomes for themselves and others stood paramount. Neither of my parents graduated college, yet they possessed an incredible grasp of language. You can imagine growing up under such guidance significantly impacted my understanding of the purpose behind language and the objective behind communication. As I walked through life, using tools like listening, patience, consideration, critical thinking, empathy, and respect helped me navigate many troubled waters and mend broken bridges. These ethics are easily transferable into any domain, from small business ownership to being a storyteller. I’m still learning, and not everyone likes my approach, but I’m not out here to please everyone. Haha. I am striving towards mutual understanding and sharing as many ideas as possible before it’s my time to leave this Earth.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’ll start by mentioning my parents (may they rest in peace). Everything I am is because of them. My father and mother constantly reinforced that knowledge is something people can’t take away from you. And for whatever reason, I had an extraordinary interest in physical sciences as a child. So, over time, I learned as much as possible, earned a bachelor’s in science, worked in government labs like NASA, NOAA, and the DoD, and even pursued my Ph.D. At the same time, I taught myself music and writing. Because, in my mind, there was an intersection of creative expression and the scientific method. This was predicated on an idea for a story that struck me around 1999. Then, during my second year of grad school, I self-published my first space opera romance novel, “Journey of the Shadow: Volume One.” Little did I know that was the beginning of me fulfilling my passion into purpose.

Today, I own Journey of the Shadow Online Enterprises, LLC. I am a member of the National Small Business Association’s leadership council on economic development and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. My company aims to increase the number of Black authors in the self-publishing industry while advocating for that cause and injecting more sincerity within the romance/erotica genre. What I find most exciting about this path is it’s unconventional, not being “part of the crowd” in any sense. For example, the story of “Journey of the Shadow” takes a young man, a powerful supernatural warrior fated with incredible responsibility, and surrounds him with incredible extraterrestrial women of various high-ranking positions (including goddesses!) to foster the narrative. I could have written him as an arrogant hothead who somehow possesses the wisdom of an old sage, but convention often serves commercialism, not meaning—or artistic value. This means I couldn’t bog my ideas down into a box; the message I hope to deliver about uplifting women in our society, existentialism, patience, empathy, overcoming adversity, and other themes needs leverage from other genres. And in taking this approach, I found more opportunities. I apply this to my life, business acumen, artistic endeavors, you name it. The work is hard, but the rewards are tremendous.

My friends, please check out the newly released “Journey of the Shadow: Darkness Falls,” the second novel in the series, and look forward to the third novel installment, “Journey of the Shadow: Vengeance Theorem,” scheduled to be released in 2025!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Great question! My three qualities are patience, discipline, and self-awareness. Regardless of what you do or where you go on Earth, if you can maintain your patience and discipline and have a sense of self-awareness—that is, to improve or reform yourself—you can endure adversities better, function through difficulty better, and be better equipped to navigate rough seas.
Regarding patience, understand that no person owns time and knows tomorrow; comparison is the thief of happiness. Regarding discipline, take the mundane portions of your everyday life and perceive them as processes instead of “motions.” Implementing self-discipline helps one organize one’s thoughts and behaviors without feeling like one needs to climb a mountain to achieve personal structure. Finally, a well-defined problem is half solved. If you can ascertain elements of what’s interrupting your ability to “do” or even think clearly, take a step back and ask yourself what’s wrong. Seek help and investigate yourself. Once done, you can construct a realistic solution for moving forward. Operating blind is self-sabotage. All of this is a life-long practice, my friends. But in my experience, it is well worth the effort.

How would you describe your ideal client?

Wow, ideal client. After a few years of consumer demographic studies, my marketing data shows that women who love seeing themselves as strong, confident, intelligent, and ridiculously sexy fictional ladies are my proverbial “target audience.” There’s an imperial commander princess, an ex-elite mercenary, a galactic military first lieutenant, and a supernatural genius/goddess incarnate who has two younger goddess sisters. Journey of the Shadow features many incredible women possessing different viewpoints and perspectives, and I leverage that in my storytelling to build immersion for the reader. But the magic is when each woman encounters the main character, Commander Tsumisu, and you see those perspectives collide. Soon, new dynamics manifest that begs you to wonder, “What happens next?”

But at the same time, a subset of male consumers also appreciate my products! These readers want to see themselves as likable, supernatural ninjas facing down Hellish opponents while navigating “unknown romantic territories” with the extraterrestrial women. It’s just a lot of fun! And that’s what I’d say boils down to an “ideal client” for Journey of the Shadow: Anyone who’s looking to escape into a world with extensive urban fantasy and sci-fi lore, fast-paced action, engaging and meaningful dialogue, unorthodox narrative, wholesome romance, and logically placed “spicy” moments. If that sounds like you, my friend, I invite you to read “Journey of the Shadow: Volume One” and the sequel, “Journey of the Shadow: Darkness Falls.”

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Stone Abdullah

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