Rising Stars: Meet Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld of Virtual

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld.

Hi Lisa, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
How did Tomey-Zonneveld jump into publishing? She participated in programs provided through Meetup and discovered Living Poetry. This is a large poetry group based in the Triangle area comprised of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and surrounding areas. She would participate in and hold poetry workshops. This helped her own personal writing growth, especially with the poetry germination workshops and poetry critique groups held by Bartholomew Barker.
Eventually, Tomey-Zonneveld became more involved in workshops. She met so many talented poets who aspired to publish their work. Since she had experience with her own and others publishing, she did the research. After much deep thought, she decided that she could try her hand at part-time publishing.

It started out with basic publishing, some ghostwriting, some freelancing, and other writing projects to help fund the business. Over time, this business grew as more and more clients were signed up.

While it started out with poetry publishing, the opportunities presented themselves to publish short story collections, novellas, children’s books, and art with poetry collaborations. Large forms, such as novels, are not published by the press.

One of the most recent offerings has been children’s books. The first children’s book was Wings and Whispers Tales of Friendship, Volume 1, by Kaelen Felix, who wrote and illustrated her book. She has more in the series coming out next in 2026. Crabby Abby the Decorator Crab’s Big Heart by Ellen Kolman is the latest children’s book.

Prolific Pulse Press LLC has grown and changed. There are more challenges with the publishing industry, which lead to decision making daily. Is it worth it to take on this career choice? Absolutely! Are there challenges that produce stress? Absolutely!

The thing is that if there were no challenges, it may mean that things are turning stagnant. Life is a process with progressive changes. You must grab on and go with it or get left behind.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As an entrepreneur, I expected to run into roadblocks and I sure did. What helped is that I come with years of writing experience, but am also an avid reader. The main challenges, and expectedly so, have been to have input when running a solo business. It is not possible to be the lone person. I rely on trusted confidantes for feedback and ideas. It helps to be involved in communities both locally and virtually. A trusted community is golden and I have found this by communicating with others who add to the quality of this work.

In particular, we produce anthologies annually and co-editors are a true necessity. Consistently, I have been able to rely on Zaneta V. Johns for several anthologies, including one, “Cadence,” that made finalist in an awards competition. Richard Fireman has also been a trusted editor who co-edited Prolific Pulsations.

Financially, it would be impossible to manage on my own. Fortunately, I have an excellent financial adviser who helps keep the business afloat. There is no way I could do this business without this wonderful resource.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I manage Prolific Pulse Press LLC, specializing in publishing various books, including poetry collections, poetry chapbooks, novellas, children’s books, anthologies, and journals. As a part of publishing I run virtual book launches and marketing campaigns for the authors. Publishing involves staying on top of trends and many changes. It’s important to subscribe to the latest resource magazines and belong to organizations in order to stay informed.
I am most proud of helping the writers have their voices heard. This is a highly specialized field and can be hard to break into. Some might be surprised how long my rejection list is, but I do accept amazing writers. I am most proud of the relationaships with authors. It is important to me to listen to authors, pay attention to their specific needs, understand their passion for their works, and respect their voices. We are not manufacturers of books as much as we are assistants in helping dreams to come true and helping to get these books noticed. Another spark I believe is natural for me to offer is ideas. Learned from my dear, late sister, I am one to frequently have ideas that I love to help others to realize. It’s a wonderful working relationship when you have a common goal with authors. An artist, I also create most of the book covers for this press. Authors have the choice to bring their own or have me create for them. It’s something I absolutely love to do, but I am not so prideful that I can’t recognize and celebrate the works of others. When I find a cover artist who stands out, I am the first to recommed them for others.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Each day we risk the possibility of surprise. What would life be like without these surprises? Personally, I think that the element of surprise is essential to joyful creativity. There’s the old cliche about making lemonade when life gives you lemons. I think that’s a healthy analogy. Why not celebrate lemons and find a way to turn them into something meaningful. Just imagine the colors, the textures, the flavors and all one can do to be their most creative self.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.prolificpulse.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prolificpulsepressllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisajtomeyauthor
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prolificpulse/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@prolificpulse