MY WRITING LIFE IN 2013 & LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

MY WRITING LIFE IN 2013 & LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

 

   Now that 2013 is drawing to a close it's time for me to do what I do every year...reflect. Yes I know it's cliché but every year I reflect over what has happened the last year and make new goals for the future. Do I meet those goals? Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't.

   2013 was a monumental year for me. After buckling down and finally listening to the voice that had been telling me to write for the longest, my first novel was published. Goddess of Legend is my baby and I am extremely proud of it. I am so grateful to everyone that took the time to read it. It means a lot to me.

   With the happiness that I felt at finally becoming a published author, there also was tons of rejection. I had a hell of a time finding someone who believed in my vision for Goddess of Legend. There were times when I was ready to give up on being published at all. But I kept going and now I'm telling myself to do the same thing.

  I'm currently shopping around my second novel, Siren's Choice, and hoping to find a publisher or land an agent. I have already received some rejections, but I'm determined to keep going. After all, rejection is part of the game when it comes to writing.

   This year I also completed my third novel, The Diary of An Ugly Stepsister, a new take on the Cinderella myth from the viewpoint of one of the stepsisters. I wrote this novel in about six months and I'm really proud of it. Do I think I will have a hard time shopping it around? Probably. After all, I write multicultural fantasy romance. And that is a hard genre to shop around, but we'll see what happens.

    Overall in 2013, I completed 2 novels and have started writing my fourth novel, Goddess By Chance. So with a new year approaching what are my writing goals?

1. Complete the first draft of Goddess By Chance, Book 2 in The Demi-God Daughters Series

2. Complete the first draft of Siren's Embrace, Book 2 in The Mermaids of Astaeria Series

3. See the publication of Siren's Choice, Book 1 in The Mermaids of Astaeria Series

4. Start second draft of The Diary of An Ugly Stepsister, Book 1 in The Fractured Fairytale Series

5. And if I'm really lucky, find an agent.

So what are your goals for 2014? Drop me line and share.



BAD WRITING HABITS

BAD WRITING HABITS

 

 

           Regardless of whether or not you are a writer or not, we all have bad habits when it comes to grammar and writing. I am no different. I have recently started writing my fourth novel, GODDESS BY CHANCE. After writing three novels in first and third person, I think I have a base to pull from when it comes to recognizing some of my own writing bad habits. And today I will be brave enough to share mine with you.

 

 

TENSE USAGE. I am the world's worst at slipping in and out of correct tense. One minute I am writing in present tense. The next I'm writing in past tense. This is a big problem of mine and I have to remind myself constantly to be on the lookout for this as I write. I think I run into this a lot when I'm shifting between telling backstory that has happened and what is presently happening in the story. It's a problem and I know it.

 

 

DESCRIPTIONS. I struggle with writing descriptions, not because I can't, but because I don't like to. I'm the type who wants to get to the story. I don't like wasting time writing long descriptions because I feel like they can in a sense distract from the story. If you spend so much time with the long descriptions, they can cause your reader to lose track of your story and you to lose the flow as you write. There needs to be description in your novel, but you have to make sure that you walk the line between too much and not enough. My problem is I tend to write not enough description. I have a habit of skipping over it to get to the story. But I need to do better, so I am making a conscious habit of trying to take the time to have adequate descriptions throughout my novel. After all, I want my readers to be able to clearly imagine the world I have created.

 

 

WORD CHOICE. I am guilty of the sin of using the same word over and over again. I don't try to do so, but it just happens. I've taken note of this while transcribing my third novel, THE DIARY OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER. I have used the word "look," like a thousand times in the first few chapters. Clearly I need to have a thesaurus to refer to when I'm writing to vary my word choice.

 

 

POINT OF VIEW. Yes, this too is a bad habit that has been brought to my attention. The last time I did it was today. Forgetting that the story was supposed to be in third person, I switched to first person and had written a whole paragraph before I realized what had happened. Needless to say I shook my head at my own foolishness and quickly went back and edited the paragraph. My preference is first person. I like writing the character as if it were me, but third person allows you a wider view of the world so I'm trying to stick with that.

 

 

DIALOGUE TAGS. I've heard many writers say the only dialogue tag you need is "said." I absolutely do not follow this rule. I am the Queen of Inventive Dialogue Tags. I love them. I feel like they jazz up what is being said, but I know they are bad. Pray with me as I try to stop using them so frequently. I already know I cannot go cold turkey just yet.

 

 

So those are my "deadly writing sins," that I watch for during the first draft and try to clean up during edits. Be brave. Share with me a few of your own bad writing habits.

SEPARATE BUT UNEQUAL....DIVERSITY IN THE WRITING WORLD

SEPARATE BUT UNEQUAL....DIVERSITY IN THE WRITING WORLD

 

 

      America has a long and complicated racial history. In 1896 in the case of  Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation,( also known as separation) was equal. Things only finally changed in 1954 in the case of  Brown v. Board of Education when, the Supreme Court ruled separate but equal is inherently unequal. We like to think that since those dark days in American history, things have changed for the better and in some way they have. But in others, they remain the same. Things are the same in the publishing world, at least that is what I've been seeing in my many years as a reader and now in my short time as a published author.

    Today I went to the two bookstores in my city, Books-A-Million and Barnes and Noble. When I walked into BAM, I saw that in the front of the store the new arrivals in fiction were displayed. Right next to those books was the African American category. Now I cannot fault BAM for where they decided to place these books. They were up front in the store for everyone to see. But as I stood and watched people come in and out of the store, the African American section was ignored completely. People went over to the new arrivals, skipped over the AA section and then moved to the fiction section right next to it. My heart sank.

    I found myself angry. As I looked at the books on the shelf in the African American section I thought about how so many of these books would fit in other categories and gain so much more exposure instead of being put adrift in a category, readers walk right past. Simmering with aggravation, I continued my browsing around the store. I came to the romance section and was shocked. I saw a brown face on the cover of a romance book. I picked it up to investigate further. It was a Beverly Jenkins book. In the entire romance section, she was the only African American author that had not had her books put in the African American category. I had no idea what to think. I was happy to see heroes and heroines that looked like me, but it shouldn't be up to just one author to carry that weight. I made my purchases and left, but something nagged at me so I went across town to Barnes and Noble.

    At Barnes and Noble, there was no separation of books by race. As I browsed the shelves, I noticed books by African American authors on the same shelves, in the same section as everyone else's. I was happy. Quite pleased. It seemed B&N had the right idea. Separate is not equal. But at the same time, I noticed there were less books overall at B&N than BAM, limiting your selection.

    So now that I'm home thinking about things I have a lot of questions. Who decides where a book is shelved? Is it the publisher? Is it the bookstore chain? Or is it up to the discretion of each book store?

    Whoever came up with the idea for an African American section may have thought they were doing a good thing. Maybe their intention was to encourage more people of color to read by showing them books with people who looked like them on the cover. And while a few more people of color may be reading more, authors of color are losing out. With the diversity of books in the African American section that could easily fit in other categories such as romance, chic lit, women's fiction, suspense, ect., these authors are missing out on those markets because readers seeking these types of books will never see their books because they are placed in the African American section. It's sad, but true.

  A separate category is not an equal category. In my opinion, I think the African American section needs to be done away with. Period. If you want to have an urban section to put novels written about the ghetto and crime, fine. But the rest of the authors unfairly stuck in the African American category need to have their books placed on the shelves in the appropriate genre they belong to. African American is not a genre. It is a race based category and it needs to go away forever. All writers want to have the chance to have their books exposed to a wide audience and they deserve that chance. So when it comes to having an African American section in the bookstores, thanks but no thanks. The Supreme Court ruled separate is not equal and I wholeheartedly agree.



FEELING PRESSURE

FEELING PRESSURE

 

   Contrary to what many think, nothing about being a writer is easy. Not everyone has it in them to write a complete novel. For those that do, it is a major accomplishment. To have said novel, published is an even bigger accomplishment. But what happens after your novel is out? What happens when you start the process of trying to build a career as an author? I don't know how it is for others but I can share my experience.

   After seeing the successful publication of my debut novel, Goddess of Legend, I became even more motivated to pursue my love of writing. I spent months re-writing my second novel, Siren's Choice, and finally felt ready to submit. After giving my previous publisher first dibs and receiving a rejection I was devastated. And so begins the hard process of finding someone to accept my vision and love it as much as I do.

    Right now, I'm pretty frustrated. I remember the hell I endured trying to find someone to publish my first novel and I'm in no hurry to experience it again. I'm feeling under a lot of pressure. What if it takes forever to find a publisher willing to accept my novel? What if I can't find a publisher willing to take a chance on this novel? What if I have to try and attempt to publish on my own? But worst of all, what if by the time is out, my readers have forgotten about me?

   Let's face it. I'm a new author with 1 novel out. I do not have a built in fan base. I'm still trying to get people interested in me. Time is a luxury I cannot afford. In order to build a fan base, I need to keep myself on the forefront of their minds when they're thinking about buying a new novel. But in this, I'm helpless. I can't make a publisher look at my submissions any quicker and were I to decide to self publish that too would take time. So I'm stuck, waiting and under pressure.

  But the waiting game is not the only source of pressure I've been feeling. I take note of what's popular in the writing world. The genres and things that seem to be selling well. And getting the unexpected rejection for my second novel made me think about it more. I started to think, maybe I should take a stab at something I know will guarantee a publisher picking up my story. Why don't I try a romance with shapeshifters? Why don't I try a ménage? Or what about a male/male novel? My mind has been in turmoil. Do I? Or don't I?

   Let's face it. I don't have an established fan base. I probably could venture out and try something else.  I'm sure I could write a novel with the above mentioned things, but I probably wouldn't enjoy it so why do it? I'm not going to. Despite the pressure I feel I'm going to stick with writing the things that I love. There's no point in me trying to write a book I personally wouldn't want to read. Besides, there are enough writers out there doing those other genres. They don't need to add me to the mix.

   When I decided I wanted to become a serious writer, it was because I wanted to carve my own path in the writing world. I want to write novels that people may not have thought about before. I want to write my way. So no matter how much pressure I may be feeling I have to remain true to myself. After all, if I don't want to read it, who will?



SPOTLIGHT ON STEPHANIE DRAY'S "DAUGHTERS OF THE NILE"

SPOTLIGHT ON STEPHANIE DRAY'S "DAUGHTER OF THE NILE"

 

I recently had the pleasure of reading this novel and I would like to spotlight it today.

From critically acclaimed historical fantasy author, Stephanie Dray comes the long-awaited new tale based on the true story of Cleopatra's daughter.

After years of abuse as the emperor’s captive in Rome, Cleopatra Selene has found a safe harbor. No longer the pitiful orphaned daughter of the despised Egyptian Whore, the twenty year old is now the most powerful queen in the empire, ruling over the kingdom of Mauretania—an exotic land of enchanting possibility where she intends to revive her dynasty. With her husband, King Juba II and the magic of Isis that is her birthright, Selene brings prosperity and peace to a kingdom thirsty for both. But when Augustus Caesar jealously demands that Selene’s children be given over to him to be fostered in Rome, she’s drawn back into the web of imperial plots and intrigues that she vowed to leave behind. Determined and resourceful, Selene must shield her loved ones from the emperor’s wrath, all while vying with ruthless rivals like King Herod. Can she find a way to overcome the threat to her marriage, her kingdom, her family, and her faith? Or will she be the last of her line?

 

Read the Reviews

"A stirring story of a proud, beautiful, intelligent woman whom a 21st century reader can empathize with. Dray's crisp, lush prose brings Selene and her world to life." ~RT Book Reviews

"The boldest, and most brilliant story arc Dray has penned..." ~Modge Podge Reviews

"If you love historical fiction and magical realism, these books are for you." ~A Bookish Affair

 

Read an Excerpt

Below me, six black Egyptian cobras dance on their tails, swaying. I watch their scaled hoods spread wide like the uraeus on the crown of Egypt. Even from this height, I'm paralyzed by the sight of the asps, their forked tongues flickering out between deadly fangs. I don't notice that I'm gripping the balustrade until my knuckles have gone white, all my effort concentrated upon not swooning and falling to my death.

And I would swoon if I were not so filled with rage. Someone has arranged for this. Someone who knows what haunts me. Someone who wants to send me a message and make this occasion a moment of dread. My husband, the king must know it, for he calls down, "That's enough. We've seen enough of the snake charmer!"

There is commotion below, some upset at having displeased us. Then Chryssa hisses, "Who could think it a good idea to honor the daughter of Cleopatra by coaxing asps from baskets of figs?"

The story the world tells of my mother's suicide is that she cheated the emperor of his conquest by plunging her hand into a basket where a venomous serpent lay in wait. A legend only, some say, for the serpent was never found. But I was there. I brought her that basket. She was the one bitten but the poison lingers in my blood to this day. I can still remember the scent of figs in my nostrils, lush and sweet. The dark god Anubis was embroidered into the woven reeds of the basket, the weight of death heavy in my arms. I can still see my mother reach her hand into that basket, surrendering her life so that her children might go on without her. And I have gone on without her.

I have survived too much to be terrorized by the emperor's agents or whoever else is responsible for this.

If it is a message, a warning from my enemies, I have already allowed them too much of a victory by showing any reaction at all. So I adopt as serene a mask as possible. My daughter blinks her big blue eyes, seeing past my facade. "Are you frightened, Mother? They cannot bite us from there. The snakes are very far away."

I get my legs under me, bitterness on my tongue. "Oh, but they're never far enough away."

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