Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Floridian, residing in Florida for many years. I have an Associates of Art Degree in Business Administration. I have Certificates of Completion in Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced Floral Arranging and Design, I have received a number of Recognitions of Appreciation Cards, plaques, trophies and certificates over the years from clients and students as well. I opened the doors of my flower shop in 1995,as a licensed florist, called Floral Designs By Alberta. I have done work in the floral industry since 1984 and is still a florist now. I am an All Occasion Floral Designer, A Floral Design Instructor, teaching Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced Floral Design. I have taught flower Arranging and Design since 2005 in West Palm Beach, Fl.
I am an active person that like interesting environments where nice things are happening such as great and interesting conversations where I am learning something new or creating something worthwhile that will benefit myself and others.
I am married to my husband James and we have 2 adult children.
I have always loved the beauty of flowers so what better way to be around beautiful flowers than to become a Floral Designer to create beautiful “Floral Designs” and be able as a Floral Designer to provide a beneficial service to others.
I have written one book to date. The Book I created is a “CURRICULUM OF STUDY GUIDE COURSE BOOK”.
The title is: FLORAL DESIGNS BY ALBERTA A Self Taught, Self Paced Education and Application Curriculum of Study for Floral Arranging and Design Beginners. It is a step by step educational teaching guide that enables a person to learn to create flower arrangements in the privacy of their home or personal space . People learn at their own pace when they invest in my Study Guide Course.
People that purchase the Study Guide Course can:
1. Purchase and study at their own pace
2. Purchase the Study Guide Course Book with the option of purchasing 3 DVDs, that I created with flower arrangements being created from scratch to completion, that will assist with their study. A Certificate of Completion can be earned with Teacher Assistance if they want that as well.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is a” CURRICULUM OF STUDY GUIDE COURSE BOOK” called:
FLORAL DESIGNS BY ALBERTA A Self Taught, Self Paced Education and Application Curriculum of Study for Floral Arranging and Design Beginners. I was inspired to create the Study Guide Course Book to make it easier for people who really want to learn the fundamentals (from scratch) of flower arranging and design to have an easier way of learning. I feel they will learn the basics easier by studying and learning from the Study Guide Course book while studying at home. I believe people that are very serious about learning how to create beautiful flower arrangements will be willing to learn, (THE BASICS) from scratch and do what is necessary to stay involved in the education and application process until they become excellent Floral Designers that will welcome any challenge and take it head on because they know they will learn something worthwhile after the challenge is completed. I put the conclusions I made from challenges I had that worked for me as a Floral Designer, from when I first became a Floral Designer after I earned my Certificates of Completion, in The Curriculum of Study Guide Course Book that I wrote.
Many of those challenges were not just from learning to create flower arrangements . Some challenges were from learning about flowers in particular, their colors, their types, their longevity, how to sustain cut flowers for a long shelf life and much more knowledge I needed to acquire to become a good Floral Designer.
As important as all the reasons for needing floral knowledge are, we also need to concentrate on learning to create “FLORAL ART”, not just making flower arrangements. We as Floral Designers need to be different in our creative imagination and be unique in our creative ability because “WE ARE CREATIVE FREEDOM”.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Maya Angelou-American Poet, singer, memoirist, Civil Rights Activist, Author, Historian, Songwriter, Playwright , Dancer, Stage and Screen Producer, Director, Performer, Singer, Story teller, etc. – April 04, 1928-May 28, 2014- at 86 years old. She has influenced me by being who she was as a person. She was in my opinion a brilliant woman with a great sense of humor, very articulate, knew who she was and who she belonged to. She was
“A GREAT COMMUNICATOR” in every way and one of the most fascinating people in America. Her list of attributes goes on and on and on. All of American claims her because she truly is a “ONE OF A KIND AMERICAN”.
I know why The Caged Birds Sing is one of my favorite books.
The book that has influenced me the most from childhood to now is the King James Bible. It is the most fascinating book of all the books in the world, to me.
What are you working on now?
I am working on A Self Taught, Self Paced Education and Application Curriculum of Study for Floral Arranging and Design, The Intermediate Course. This course is created for people that have learned the fundamentals of the Beginner Floral Designer and is able to accept the challenges of learning a more complex Floral Design Strategy that this curriculum course will teach. It is the Second Edition to The Curriculum of Study Guide Course for Beginners.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am trying to find the best methods when it comes to promoting my Curriculum of Study Guide Course Book. Ingram Spark has been a great help for as an Author. Being on their email list has enabled me to receive a number of very good tips on how to promote my Book. I now have a Google listing for my Business, a Facebook and Twitter account.. I will be getting listings on other sites as well. I have a website: www.flowersbyalberta.com that I am promoting the book on as well.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice as a Published Author is, always be aware that your book, no matter it’s status or classification now, was created from your hard work and intellect. It is no easy task to create Curriculum of Study Guide Courses or books of any kind that are well thought out and compiled the right way. We as Authors should not feel timid or reluctant to represent our hard earned creation, in the proper way that is right for our work.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard concerning The Curriculum Of Study Guide Course Book for Beginners, was from someone that criticized the color of the book cover of my book. At first I felt bad that the book cover color was criticized . I remembered why I created the color of the book cover in the first place. I remembered why the single stem flowers are on the front and back cover, why the front and back covers are identical. The Book cover was designed to be the way it is because it is a large piece of a number of pieces of the same puzzle that was needed in the creative process, that needed to fit to make the book complete. After thinking about it, I fully understood what my purpose was in doing what I did on behalf of my book to make it the best it could be. Later, I respected the negative criticism I had gotten about the book cover from that person. I decided going forward, I will respect negative criticism along with positive feedback about my work because both negative criticism and positive feedback can both be constructive if we allow them to be.
What are you reading now?
Now, I am reading a number of marketing books, looking for the best way for me to get my Curriculum of Study Guide Course Book out in the market and being sold. I feel the training at home method is a very good and convenient method that will catch on as more people purchase and study this course book.
What’s next for you as a writer?
The next thing for me as a writer is to complete the Second Edition of the Curriculum of Study Guide Course, “The Intermediate Course.”
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring :
1. The King James Bible.
2. FLORAL DESIGNS BY ALBERTA A Self Taught, Self Paced Education and Application Curriculum of Study for Floral Arranging and Design Beginners –
Author – Alberta C. Brown
3. I know Why the Caged Birds Sing- Author – Maya Angelou
4The African American Experience – A History – by Globe Fearon Educational Publisher
Author Websites and Profiles
Alberta Brown Website
Alberta Brown’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account