i WEAR MY RED HEELS BECAUSE i AM HEALED!

Originally from Moss Point, Mississippi, Latrina R. Graves McCarty is the daughter of Pearline E. Ward and the late John D. Graves, Sr., and the granddaughter of Laura and Jessie Whigham. She has three siblings, Dr. Sabrina Graves, Marcel Graves, Sr., and John Graves II. Upon graduating from Moss Point High School, Latrina wanted to become the next Oprah Winfrey and explore the effects of television on children. She pursued a broadcast journalism and speech communication degree and graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS. 

While attending USM, McCarty met and later married LaRue F. McCarty, and they claimed Hattiesburg their home. Together the couple became the parents of Joshua Christian and Ana Gabrielle. 

In late 1998, McCarty was a Service-Learning Coordinator for The University of Southern Mississippi. She coordinated academic service learning and volunteerism with over 82 Hattiesburg Pine Belt Area nonprofit agencies. She was also a student advisor to VISION (Volunteers Impacting Service through Individual Outreach Now). The organization's mission was to link both school and community to serve. During her tenure, McCarty received her credentials to teach and excitedly entered the classroom where she taught several subject areas, including photography (yearbook advisor); communication studies; middle school English; speech and debate; drama; Advisor to yearbook and newspaper; English I, III, and IV. 

McCarty received her master's degree in education with a centration in English from William Cary University in Hattiesburg. Both she and her husband were educators in the public school setting in Hattiesburg Public School District, Forrest County, and Lamar County Schools until he died in 2010. In 2011, she and her two children relocated to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where she taught middle and high school English along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 

Losing her best friend, her husband, was a devastating tragedy. As life brings tragedy and happiness, McCarty found solace in her writing. In 2014, she was inspired to compose her one-act stage play, "Just a Little Sunshine." Even though the play was fictional, it was based on her life as a widow and single mother. She later wrote "Only a Shadow" and "After the Rain" as part of a three-part sequel, "The Light Series." 

Later, McCarty was inspired to compose a six-act play, "Off the Court." McCarty brought the entire cast to the Mary C. O'Keefe stage in downtown Ocean Springs during the summer of 2019. All stage plays are available on Amazon. 

McCarty began to explore the idea of writing her first novel. She compiled a few of her journals and finished her first novel of a sequel, "Olivia's Journey." Her writings reflect the renewal of a journey that creates a new destiny for one's path and life. McCarty entitled her book series "My Journey" because she believes everyone has their journey and should enjoy the ride. After publishing "Olivia's Journey," McCarty completed a book tour where she sold her books in Barnes and Noble and libraries from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana coastlines. 

McCarty is pursuing a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. She is the founder and CEO of LGM Productions, LLC (My Journey and Destiny’s Elite Girls) and Mississippi Speaker Connection, LLC.