Beyond the tears I've cried here I am Still Standing (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780997529005)

Tomika Yvonne Reid is 34 years old and a mother of two girls Isis, age 13 and Iyanna, age 8. She was born in Brooklyn, New York raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Tomika graduated from Automotive High School and continued her education in Medical Billing. Tomika had a passion for doing hair, and she had dreams of opening her own salon. Later on, she studied cosmetology at Empire Beauty School. She was not able to complete it, due to child care, but she enjoyed writing. She never knew that writing was a gift that God has blessed her with. She knew once she started to write, it was hard for her to stop. As a teenager, Tomika expressed her feelings through poetry and writing songs. She felt like she can let everything out through writing. When loved ones passed, she would write a poem to express how she felt about that person. Tomika struggled and has been through many trials and tribulations growing up. She lost her first daughter's father in 2003, her mom in 2004, and her second daughter's father in 2011. It was very hard for Tomika to cope with all 3 deaths. She allowed herself to put her faith in God and become more spiritual in her life now than ever before. She felt writing would be the only thing to help keep her moving forward in life. Tomika, also knew that her daughters needed her most. She had to be strong for them but the pain was so unbearable, then Tomika's childhood friend, told her she needs to write a book about her life story. She thought about it and wrote things down, but she didn't take it too serious until Iyanna's father died. She knew then that she needed to write a book, a "Memoir." While writing the "Memoir," the thought of a children's book came to mind. By the grace of God, she pushed the "Memoir" to the side and began writing an inspirational children's book. Tomika combined both of her daughters into one character and wrote a book, titled; "Nicolli and The Shining Star" Self-published: September, 2013. Tomika realized that God put her through everything she has gone through, so she can share her testimony to help others overcome their obstacles and those who have lost love ones. Tomika is currently a single mom raising her daughters alone. She is a Self-published Author. She will continue expressing her life experiences through writing and turning her dreams into reality. Website: Iyannicepub.com