Our Feature on Author, Renarda Huggins
Growing up on the tough streets of Boston, isn’t easy. Even being fly, street-smart and full of sass you can still get hurt. In the novel, Lies He Told, Renarda Huggins intimately reveals details about her hard knock lifestyle growing up on the other side of the tracks.
Ironically, Renarda Huggins never had a passion for writing and the idea of this book came to her all of a sudden. A terrible car accident left her injured and bed ridden for the better part of a year. Subsequently after a dream she had; to pass the time away during her recover, she began to write. And the end result was a raw and personal memoir of a rough teenage life that most people wouldn’t want to talk about.
As the story opens; wise beyond her years, Huggins always flocked to an older crowd. This is where she was introduced to an illicit game of sex, drugs and whatever else fast ass girls who thought they were grown did. Selling drugs, hustling and getting paid by any means necessary was just a part of everyday life for young Huggins. She was in it deep and even had a Jamaican drug dealing, sugar daddy that eventually got deported. Although she was displaced at age seven and not able to live with her mom for a few years, she was street savvy. And by the time she was thirteen she was reunited with her mom and spent a lot of time watching her hustle; so naturally the apple didn’t roll too far away from the tree. Everything was good, until she met HIM and fell in love with the lies he told. It’s like getting a nice shiny red apple, then biting into it, only to find a worm. The book is a page-turner that offers a lesson in giving trust to the wrong person and the dangers of young girls being victimized by men.
Writing has a way of being therapeutic; and it definitely helped Huggins move forward and be impactful in making a difference in the lives of others. She’s able to share her story with others, which becomes a valuable and inspirational lesson to them. Working in the urban community, she gives service to the Women of Power Group. She talks to young girls stressing that education should always come first and they should strive to be smart and independent. It’s a hard struggle to break the cycle of generational welfare, but she wants to work on the stigma and warped way of thinking that the Government owes them something and the sense of entitlement that some young people have. Additionally, Huggins mentors girls aged 17-25, so they don’t fall for the same traps she did; because when you know better, you do better.
When asked to look back onto her younger self, what are some words of wisdom she could give herself; she offered, “To listen. I lost a lot of my family support system because I was out there being fresh and grown. I didn’t listen to the positive people that wanted to help me.” Life can be a struggle, there’s no doubt about that, but after the life she’s lived she encourages others to learn as much as possible, go through it and then get over it. She’s been in abusive relationship, was even in love with an heroin addict at one point of her life, but without a doubt it’s all made her a strong woman, a stronger mother and she never gave up. She got wiser, educated herself by graduating from college and works to help people with addictions.
As a walking wealth of life experience, she’s already plotting her next steps. She foresees her story making it to the big screen. She’s considered turning it into a script and may even consider playing herself if the opportunity ever presented itself. She’s taking acting lessons currently, in preparation for whatever roles come her way. With a restored determination and motivation, Huggins will likely meet and succeed in all her upcoming goals. She has a can’t stop, won’t stop attitude and her life motto is, “Even when I feel like I’m winning in life; I fight like I’m losing.” This has always been where she finds her strength to do what she has to do to make her struggle just a little lighter.
Renarda Huggins was recently signed to G Street Chronicles and the publishing company will be the home to her future releases. The Final Edition of Lies He Told will be released before the end of the year. Also look out for Lies He Told pt. 2, which will be released at the beginning of 2016. Lipstick Diaries 3 is available now on Amazon.com. She’s also working on a T-Shirt Line #WINNINWINSDAY & #MARVELOUSMONDAY. Be on the look out for those as well.
Renarda Huggins on social media:
Instagram: @renardahuggins
Twitter: @renardatheauthor & @ShanaeHuggins
Facebook: Renarda Huggins
