INTERVIEW IN CIESART'S CULTURAL DIPLOMACY MAGAZINE
1. Please provide a brief overview of your personal and professional background, including your nationality.
I am Brenda Mohammed from Trinidad and Tobago. At age 16, I
graduated from High School and started working at Barclays Bank D.C.O. in
Couva, Trinidad, with its Head Office in London. After obtaining a Diploma in
Banking at the Institute of Bankers in London, I moved up the ranks from a
clerk to Supervisor, to Bank Manager, and Area Credit Manager, responsible for loans
and overdrafts to personal and business customers. I worked in almost all of
the 38 branches of the bank, which was localised in 1972, and which changed its name
to Republic Bank Limited., Trinidad and Tobago. After my early retirement from
the bank, I moved into the Insurance field and obtained a Diploma in Life
Underwriting from the American College, USA. [LUTCF].
I qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table, the Premier
Association for Financial Professionals, [MDRT] six times in a row, and
attended their annual conferences in various cities in America.
My writing journey began after my bout with cancer, which
almost killed me. Miraculously, I survived after undergoing surgery and
chemotherapy in Miami.
2.
How
did your first approach to CIESART come about?
In 2021, I was introduced to CIESART by Lovelyn Eyo, who
was on the Administration team of the Facebook group, How to Write for Success
Literary Forum, which I founded in 2018.
3.
What
were your dreams during childhood?
I always dreamed of being a bank manager, and my dreams
came true. My father was a school principal, and he had a large library
filled with books for both adults and children. I loved writing and reading in
that library. In the bank, I had to write many proposals for finance for
customers, and I enjoyed writing them and getting the proposals approved.
4.
What
experiences or circumstances do you believe marked your life and led you to
become a global cultural reference?
My father, who was a school principal, was very helpful in
every community he was assigned. I admired his passion for not only helping his
students to succeed, but for his generosity and support of neighbours and
friends who crowded our home to obtain help and advice. His life is a lasting legacy.
I was the eighth in the family, and after his death, I compiled his memoirs
from his diaries and notes, and published a book which received many five-star
reviews.
My interviews and experiences with staff and customers in
Banking and Insurance broadened my outlook on life. I must also add that being
a wife to a supportive husband, and a mother and grandmother to loving children
and grandchildren, has given me the motivation to continue pursuing my passion.
5. What is your contribution to promoting a culture of peace?
I am an Ambassador for Peace with the Iqra Foundation of
India.
Together with many co-authors, I have published two books
on Peace.
They are ‘Peace Begins with Us’ and ‘Creating a Better
World.’
As President of CIESART TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, I have opened
a Facebook page to promote CIESART’s great work for Peace, Love, and Humanity.
All members of CIESART can join.
6
Share
with us a free message you would like to send to the official members of
CIESART around the world through our platform.
I would like to share our anthem for CIESART, Trinidad and
Tobago.
Our anthem defines our mission.
“The Trinidad and Tobago Arm of the International Chamber
of Writers and Artists
Stand for change with music, art, and lyrics.
Spreading our wings worldwide across seas and sky,
We join hands with all nations to raise our voices high.
As sisters and brothers of one Creator, God Almighty,
To create a better world, for peace, brotherhood, and
humanity.”
7.
Have
you published any books? If so, how many and in which years?
From 2013 to 2025, I have published 64 books. I have also written a screenplay for my sci-fi novel, Zeeka Chronicles: Revenge of Zeeka, and I will be submitting it to interested movie companies.
My genres include memoirs, science fiction, romance,
self-help, mystery thrillers, children’s books, psychological thrillers,
Christian books, poetry, and poetry anthologies.
I have received awards for my books as follows:
1. I Am Cancer Free,
a memoir, won an award for Health and Fitness in the Readers’ Favorite
International Awards 2018.
2. Barry Holmes
Mysteries, a mystery fiction:
a. The Culture, Literature, and Research [CLR] Award in
India for Best Fantasy [2021].
b. Finalist in the Independent Author Awards 2024 hosted by
Literary Global Awards.
3. Zeeka Chronicles:
Revenge of Zeeka
a. Readers’ Favorite International Award [2018] in the
category Young Adult thriller.
b. Author Academy
Global Awards, in sci-fi thriller category. [2018]
c. EMagazine Readers’ Choice Award in sci-fi thriller
category. [2018]
4. How to Write for
Success
a. EMagazine Readers' Choice Gold Medal in the category of
non-fiction. [2019]
b. It also placed second in all categories and won the
silver medal too. [2019]
5. Stories
People Love
EMagazine Readers’ Choice Gold Medal and first-place winner
in all categories. [2019].
Thank you, President Lily R. Baylon, C.E.O. and Founding President of
CIESART GLOBAL for this opportunity.
Brenda Mohammed
National President CIESART Trinidad and Tobago.
