Celebrity ghostwriter Ardre Orie is known for her ability to masterfully articulate the human experience, becoming one of the most sought-after celebrity ghostwriters in her field. Her ability to resonate with readers has afforded her the opportunity to expand her creative endeavors to become a book publishing expert, playwright and film director and CEO of 13th and Joan Publishing House. Her clients include VH1, MTV, WETV, Bravo, Centric, YouTube, and Grammy-award winning artists.
After walking away from a budding education career, the serial entrepreneur took a risk and bet on her dreams. Fast forward to today, and she has written books for Grammy-award winning artist Thomas McClary, VH1 Love and Hip Hop New York’s Amina Buddafly, Celebrity Hairstylist Elgin Charles and more.
While the wordsmith has made a playground of the English language, it is her own story that inspired her to see the power of using words to empower. Like many of her clients, her early life was one of challenges and upheavals. Growing up in a single parent home after being abandoned by her biological father, she was afforded front row seat into violence, abuse, and low self-esteem.
“A girl’s father is her point of reference for who she is and how she moves in the world. In his absence, I could never really define what love was for myself. I walked around half, not whole. My mother, the strongest woman that I have ever known, later attempted to discover love and came up empty-handed. Our home that had once been peaceful was filled with bloodshed and violence beyond words. We learned together that love can hurt,” she explains.
It would take a relentless strength and determination for the author to fight her inner demons and heal wounds. She candidly explains it was her faith that propelled her change and helped her find purpose from the pain to help others do the same.
“I found ways to address the hurt from my father’s absence. I stopped blaming myself and questioning if I had not been good enough for him to stay. I began to focus on what God had for me. I began to attempt to establish my own definition of love, separate from anything that I had seen. And while I spend all of my days encouraging you to share your stories, today, I am humbly transparent about mine.”
It is the transparency of vulnerability expressed by her clients that Arder soars, seamlessly painting verbal pictures that transform her clients’ deepest and darkest secrets into carefully-crafted masterpieces. A gift, she holds in the highest regard.
“I have been entrusted to write their stories because I can hear their hearts. We all bear a story untold and we all have a chapter inside that we are dying to share or relieve ourselves of. Most importantly, we all deserve an opportunity to tell the world who we are.”
As the chapters of her life continue to unfold, the ‘Queen of storytelling’ hopes to use her platform to inspire a new generation of writers of color to share the untold stories the world needs to hear.
“My mission has been and will always be to continue to create media that helps us to see the depth and variety in our lives and to redefine how we see ourselves and the world. Serving as a ghostwriter allows me to be a vehicle to push forward with this mission. I believe that no should bear a story untold. We deserve to tell our stories, read our stories, watch our stories and most importantly, experience the freedom that accompanies walking in our truths.”
