Today we’d like to introduce you to Charmyra Fleming.
Hi Charmyra, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I began my journey as an author in 2018. At that time, I started my company, Creative Calfuray, LLC, to self-publish my books, as well as, provide creative services such as, makeup, graphic design, and consulting services. Since then, I have written and self-publish five books, won numerous awards including, Baltimore Sun’s BEST Readers’ Choice Award for two years in a row (23’ and 24’), and worked with an array of clients on various creative projects offering my services and expertise.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest struggle or challenge, but also an opportunity for me when I started out, was not being a “household name.” Some people have traditional publishing to assist with marketing and advertising to get the word out about their books. I do not. Everything that I have done has been the result of my hard work, and putting myself out there. I have had to learn a lot along the way, and build the following that I have around me and my books from the ground up. All organic, might I add. The book industry is really tough, particularly, romance. It is very competitive. I write African American romance novels and novellas, and romance fiction has been a tough genre for me to compete in. However, my goal was to carve out a space for people that found my books interesting and love them. I don’t need a lot, just a few.
Some of my struggles at times has been not having the support that I know my books would have, if more people knew about them. That’s a hard pill to swallow. Keeping the same energy even when the support is not always there. It’s tough watching celebrities and other lesser known authors become bestselling authors, and you put in your dues and only sell a few copies. I learned over the years it’s about the passion I have for writing that keeps me going. For me, it’s about my readers and putting out books and content that resonates with them. It’s figuring out what makes romance readers tick, and writing in a way that speaks to what they love to get them to become part of “M.A.I.” Tribe!
Finally, keeping a positive mindset; in other words, “overthinking the positive” is what helped me to overcome those struggles and challenges of being a new, unknown indie author. As a result I’ve had incredible experiences, and grown in my ability to accept where I am in my journey! One day more people will learn about me and hopefully love my books.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a romance author. I have a collection of books called, “The Purple Charm Series.” I love to write about the peaks and valleys, joys and pains of falling in love with a realistic flare. I write the kind of stories that I always wanted to read with characters that readers can feel like they know. I am most proud of my fourth book in this series, “Love Dazzles in Sapphire” because, it has won multiple awards in 2025, most notable is the “International Impact Book Award” in the romance category. I think what set me apart from others is that I am not one dimensional. Although I am a romance author, I also have many other creative interests where I use my writing skills and creative talents. As an extension of my books, I have my own branded merchandise called, M.A.I.®️which means to, “M.OTIVATE | A.SPIRE | I.NSPIRE. I also have a motivational blog. I am the host of my own podcast called, The Purple Charm Experience Podcast, and I even have music tha I have created to go with my books and the “experience” of enjoying tha is associated what I do. Through my business, Creative Calfuray, LLC, as I previously stated, I have worked with individuals, small businesses, and nonprofits to create social media graphic design materials, social media management and marketing services, websites rebuilds, copywriting, grant writing, and consulting services.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Most people may not know that I love to dance. I soul line dance (I have a line dance that created in 2016, called, “Purple Charm” that I dedicated to Prince; my favorite musician) and I also bellydance. I actually used to dance with several groups at two separate times in my life. In my hometown of Greensboro, NC, circa 2007-2008, I used to used to attend bellydance fitness classes led by one of my closest friends and instructor, Diane “Daliana” Simons of Daliana Dance (Greensboro, NC). At the time (still does) she also had a performance group called, “Troupe Bellysima” where I auditioned to join and eventually became part of for a brief period of time before moving to Boston, MA in 2009.
In 2015, while living in Boston, MA, I began taking soul line dancing as a form of fitness. At the time, I took weekly soul line dance fitness classes with “Muryelle “Coach Murry” Staco. Eventually, I began to dance with the Boston Rhythm Riders which was founded and led by, Angie “Mz. Rhythm” Dickerson. I danced with them for about five years.
Now, I continue to bellydance and soul line dance on my own. I continue to stay immersed in both genres of dance through classes, attending events, learning new techniques and choreography, listening to the music, and staying connected to the major individuals from those communities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.CreativeCalfuray.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creative_calfuray?igsh=MW5nZGJyOGJwOXJuMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1PtUeZiGbh/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cefleming?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@maicreativecalfuray?si=o0doMsHZpxedUOpD
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/9JanCVBBHj8jUuaA5h
