RECAPPED AND READY TO GO

 

         Hi All,

 

 

I'm back. I've been off the grid for a while and we are days into a new year that none of us have any idea what to expect. (I'm looking at you America.) 2016 was a year of extreme highs and extreme lows for me. For starters, in February I dissolved my relationship with an agent that was no longer working for me. It was tough and not something I took lightly. To be quite honest, I was terrified. I worried that I had killed my chances of ever seeing my books in print on a shelf. Then there was the fear of going it on my own. Ultimately I decided to take a leap of faith and go where my heart lead me to go.

 

 

2016 also saw the publication of three novels with my name on them. Yes, 3. Cue Extreme High. This was a big deal for me. At the same time I was also confronted with the reality that one of my publishers was closing and I had no idea what in the hell was going to happen to my books with them, including the recently released, Devious Little Lies. Ultimately after many cuts and layoffs the publisher was able to stay open. However, the back and forth did absolutely nothing for my books sales which suffered tremendously. Cue Extreme Low.

 

 

But the show must go on and on the positive side of things I dipped my toes into the wonderful world of self-publishing by teaming up with the amazing Bethany-Kris to create the Gun Moll series. Cue Extreme High for two best selling books. Not only is Bethany-Kris, a supremely talented writer, but she is also an acute businesswoman and good friend. I've learned so much from working with her. Again, Cue Extreme High.

 

 

I never make resolutions because I never keep them, but I want to do more as far as my writing career is concerned. Here are my tentative plans:

 

 

1. Madame Moll-Book 3 of the Gun Moll series will be published and conclude Mac and Melina's journey.

 

 

2. Bethany-Kris and I are also planning at least 1 standalone story set in the same world as Mac and Melina, so look out for it.

 

 

3. I'm currently working on my first contemporary African American romance, Crossing Lines. I plan to self-publish it sometime this year. Cue big leap for me.

 

 

4. I'm currently in the process of revising my #ownvoices fairytale romance to submit to agents and publishers. Let me just say this is not your Disney fairytale. Shit happens.

 

 

5. Complete my third and final Demi-God Daughters novel, Goddess by Surrender.

 

 

So yeah, let's see if it all comes to fruition between nursing jobs and school. Fingers crossed.

 

Also if you haven't had a chance to experience the various works I've created, they can all be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Erin-Ashley-Tanner/e/B00FWZN9AG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1483813565&sr=1-2-ent



WRITING REVELATIONS

 

 

        You live and you learn and then you get LUVs. Anybody remember that commercial? I do and I remember thinking how cute it was then. Now, I see a nugget of wisdom in there that I've often ignored. "You live and you learn." For the past few weeks, this writer has been in an artistic funk. Not only has my muse decided to take a vacation, but my own self doubts about my place in this literary world have been plaguing me almost nonstop.

 

 

      As a writer you're often given the advice that each novel you produce should be better than your last. I've tried my best to adhere to that bit of wisdom, but what happens when you do just that and the stars still don't align? Well if you're me you fall into a funk of catastrophic proportions. You ask yourself should I stop writing? What's the point? Nobody is buying it. Yeah. That's just what I did, had a pity party on an epic scale. It felt good to have a tantrum in all honesty, but once that was over I still was left with a very important question: What now?

 

      Anyone who knows me is aware that I'm a woman who believes in having a plan. So what did I do next? I took a look at all of the novels that were getting rave reviews and selling pretty decent and thought that I need to try to emulate that. If I write the way those writers are I'll be sure to reach this mountain I've been pushing so hard to climb. So I read the first few chapters of some of these so highly rated best selling novels and you know what happened? I was bored to tears!

 

 

     Yes. You heard it right. As a reader I was bored and I couldn't understand how people were getting past the first chapter, much less giving these books 5 star reviews. So then I got angry. No way was I ever going to be able to write like those people. I'd bore myself to death first. That plan dead in the water I searched through some novels I'd absolutely adored and loved and I thought I'll try to write like them. But that experiment too failed and I found myself having to face a hard truth.

 

 

   You can't write like anyone but you. Yes. Let that sink in for a minute. Just as in life, with writing we all have to be ourselves. There already is a J.K. Rowling and a Jackie Collins. Those spots are taken and you will drive yourself crazy trying to emulate what has already been done. So be yourself. Write the stories that make you happy. Write in the style that makes you enjoy every minute of whatever you're working on. Love your story for being uniquely yours. You don't need to be anyone else but you.

 

   This has been a tough revelation for me to swallow. Ever since I gave into the call to write all I've ever wanted was to see my name on a best selling list and there is still a chance that could happen one day. I'm still a fairly new novelist with just 3 books under my belt, but if it doesn't I have to learn to be okay with the place I'm at. That means not looking at my stories and saying, "It's not true to life mafia enough," or saying, "This might be a little too gritty for some readers," or  "Yeah, maybe you need to hang it up." No. My muse is who she is and I'm sure that if I just keep listening to her, she will continue to give me stories that I will love to write, worlds that I will love to explore, and one day maybe a Best Seller title.

 

     But in the meantime I have to learn to be happy with the works I've created and remember that no matter what these stories came into fruition for a purpose, even if I can't yet see exactly what it is. BE YOURSELF.



WHY EVERY NOVEL SHOULD HAVE A PIECE OF YOU IN IT

WHY EVERY NOVEL SHOULD HAVE A  PIECE OF YOU IN IT

 

    I bet you're looking at the title of this post and wondering what kind of outlandish foolishness I'm proposing. Before you write me off let me explain. I'm currently writing my sixth full length novel and I think I've discovered some pretty amazing things as I continue to write and build my portfolio. What has occupied my thoughts lately is how every novel I've written contains a piece of me. What do I mean by that? With every finished novel I've either written about some past experience, a secret side to myself, my personality traits, a dream or fantasy I've had, my deepest pain or greatest desire and finally a chance to live life vicariously through someone else.

    So what point am I making? Every thing you write should have a piece of you in. When you look back over your body of work, you should be able to see a theme, or pick out a certain issue that was on your mind when you wrote it. Let me give you a few examples.

GODDESS OF LEGEND
     In my very first novel my heroine was so like me. Cameryn struggled with her self image and always felt that she was different or out of place. These are issues I've dealt with my entire life so while Cameryn Kane is her own woman, she is also very much a part of me.

GODDESS BY CHANCE
     In my fourth novel, my heroine is strong willed and has a mother of an equally strong will. Arienne just wants to live her life on her own terms without feeling like she has to measure up to what her mother expects of her. Arienne is me. My mother and I are both strong willed women and we butt heads on the exact same issues as my heroine and her mother do. Life and art are truly one with this novel.

MY CURRENT WIP
    In this sexy romantic suspense novel I'm exploring what it would be like to be a woman at the very top in a traditionally male domain, having the power to do whatever you want with no consequences and the joys of being with a younger man. This novel is all about exploring a fantasy and living vicariously through someone else.

     Now do you see what I mean? With everything I write I can identify some subliminal thing that gets put into my novels. So when you pick up that pen or sit down at your keyboard, next time think about what little piece of you that you'd like to share with your readers. Sharing is caring and while you're creating your own little world you could be making a real difference in someone else's.

What are some common things or issues you've explored in your writing? What have you written that hits the closest to home in your life?



SETBACKS, DELAYS AND CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD

SETBACKS, DELAYS AND CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD

 

 



 

 

 

         It's been a while I know. I'm still alive and kicking. Life has just really gotten in the way of my artistic pursuits. I'm currently in school pursuing the completion of a Licensed Practical Nurse program and let me tell you requires massive testing everyday, which requires me to devote all of my little free time to studying. As a result I have not written anything since completing my 5th book back in August. So now that I've caught you up on the life that is no longer my own, let me get to the real reason for this post.

 

       On the way to my dream of having my novel in print, in a store, I have experienced a major setback. My agent has been beyond impressive with the list of places she has sent my first novel in another paranormal romance series. I mean, majorly impressive. Unfortunately, everyone has passed on it. To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement. I thought (maybe naively) that having an agent would allow me to cross the final hurdle to my dream a lot faster. Apparently I was wrong. I was wrong about a lot of things and as I go on I learn.

 

      So for now it seems my other paranormal series is back at the orphanage and out of prospects of finding a forever home. But maybe a miracle will happen. You never know what the future will bring. Either way I've learned that waiting is a very large part of life. A fact that I am also facing is that stories featuring people of color are an enormously hard sell to "the powers that be."

 

      No, I'm not just blowing smoke out of my ass. Lately there has been a lot of pressure for my diverse books and while "some" have claimed that they rarely received novels featuring people of color, that is a flat out lie. I have met many fellow authors of color who have taken the plunge and submitted the traditional route with the same outcome as me: thanks but no thanks or no response. The truth is sadly that traditional publishing does not seem ready to open the doors up for more of us to come through anytime soon. But again, miracles do happen and maybe the second novel my agent has will have better luck. I can hope, but right now it is not the worry and source of constant stress it has been for me.

 

     I find myself at peace. Just as there are people in the world who will never like and accept you for who you are, publishing is pretty much the same. You are blessed if you find your niche, but if you don't it is not the end of the world. If your dream is to write, then there are other avenues open out there to make that happen. I'm done spending all of my time trying to write to please "the powers that be." Instead I am returning to what worked for me when I first picked up a pen...writing for myself. That's right. I'm going to write the stories that I want. I'm going to submit to smaller publishers like I initially started out doing and I'm going to self publish. Enough of allowing others to dictate what I write. I have a gift and no one is going to tell me how to use it. So while I've had setbacks and some long delays, I'm going to continue moving forward and putting the stories I want to write out to the world, one way or another.

MY WRITING PROCESS-- BLOG TOUR

Today is Blog Tour Day on my humble blog. This particular "writing process," blog has been circulating around for a little while and I am honored to have been tagged by my fellow agency mate Kelly Lyman. You can check her out here: http://www.kellylyman.tumblr.com/. So allow me to humbly share my writing process. It's actually great that I've been tagged in this as some things have changed since the last time I shared my process. http://erinashleytanner.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-writing-process.html

WHAT AM I WORKING ON?

Right now I am currently about three-fourths of the way finished with Goddess By Chance, the second novel in my Demi-God Daughters urban fantasy romance series. I am also working on a romantic suspense novel called Dirty Little Secrets.

HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS IN ITS GENRE?

My work differs from others because all of my novels feature people of color in stories that are normally only written for a white audience. As a young girl I was a vivid reader and read everything I could get my hands on, but the thing that bothered me the most was I never saw any heroines or heroes that looked like myself. So when I decided to get serious about writing I vowed to myself that I would write and showcase characters of colors in genres they normally would not be seen in such as urban fantasy, fantasy romance, ect. I think my work is also different because I am not afraid to push the envelope or go outside of the box.

WHY DO I WRITE WHAT I DO?

I write what I do because at a later stage in life I finally realized writing is my calling. It's something I enjoy doing too much to ever stop. Some of the stories I write because they are stories I would like to see told. The writers I idolize most in the world are Jackie Collins, the late L.A. Banks, James Rollins and Steve Berry. Just like all those fantastic writers are not afraid to bring to life the stories they want to see, I am not either. I enjoy everything from romance to historical fiction so eventually I would love to have a story out in all the genres I so love.

HOW DOES YOUR WRITING PROCESS WORK?

As I'm learning your writing process can change as you learn new things. I start with flashcards. On the first card, goes what the basic premise of the novel will be about (fantasy romance, urban fantasy, etc.) On that same first card goes a list of dramatic situations I might want to include such as the healing power of love, vengeance for a loved one, etc.

The next flash cards are devoted to character profiles of my hero and heroine. It includes their age, physical description, what character archetype they most identify with and any little quirks about them. I try to include an aspect of myself in every heroine I write.

The next flashcard contains a list of possible plots that might be woven into the story. (FYI: There are about 20 plots that are used to comprise almost every novel ever written.) Examples include: Temptation, Transformation, Forbidden Love, etc.

The last flashcard is a list of things or scenes that come to mind that I would like to include in the novel.

The last thing I do before getting started is a new tool that was recommended to me by my fellow agency mate CJ Matthews, The W. Method. This method is basically a way for you to keep track of the important places in your story. You include: Regular Life, Inciting Incident, Challenges, Turning Point, Bigger Turning Point, Conflict, Black Moment and the Resolution. After I've filled all these things in as best as I can I'm ready to start. On a sticky note I usually jot down what I think will happen in each chapter as I write the chapter. Now I'm finally ready to write.


COMING NEXT

Check back next Friday when I will be sharing best selling author Shelly Ellis' writing process.

Shelly Ellis- Shelly Ellis began her romance writing career when she became one of four finalists in a first-time writers contest at 19. The prize was a publishing contract and having her first short-story romance appear in an anthology. She has since published more short stories, a few novels, and was chosen as a finalist for the 2012 African American Literary Award in the romance category. Shelly released the first book in her critically-acclaimed Gibbons Gold Digger series in 2013. The latest book the series, Another Woman's Man, will be released April 29.

 

When she isn't writing novels or editing and writing articles for her day job as a magazine editor, she and her husband are chasing after their 1-year-old daughter and catering to their tabbie cat.

 

www.shellyellisbooks.com/blog



NEVER STOP LEARNING

NEVER STOP LEARNING

 

     A few days ago I realized that February of this year marked 2 years since I started seriously writing. And in two years I had wrote 3 novels, had 1 of them published, and was blessed to be signed by an agent who is doing her magic and gifting me with her knowledge as we edit my second novel. During this two year period the one thing I have never stopped doing is learning.

 

    Yes. Just because I am a published author does not mean that the learning stops. Some people (although I'm not sure who) may think that what they have in front of them is how the novel started off. It is surely not. Nobody writes a perfect first draft. Nobody. As you go through edits and you continue to read, you start to pick up on many things you shouldn't be doing at all and a lot of things that would really improve your manuscript.

 

   I thought I'd picked out all of my bad writing habits. Boy was I wrong. But you know what? I am so happy these things are being pointed out to me. With every novel you write, your writing improves and you learn new things. As my agent works with me I'm learning new things about my own writing habits and I'm making a careful list so I can look out for these things in the future.

 

   I have always considered myself a storyteller first and a writer second. So while I may be great at telling you a story, when it comes to the technical things I welcome any help that is offered to me. As a writer you must never stop learning. Someone has some technique or template or advice that is sure to make your writing life easier. So don't be afraid to try new things. Some may work for you. Some may not. But as long as you tried that's all that matters.

 

   Also don't be afraid to take advantage of the resources out there. You can find all kinds of books about writing written on different subjects. If there is an area you are struggling with or would like to know more about, then grab a book and get to reading. You will only learn something that is sure to help you along the way. Or how about picking up a book from your favorite author and studying it? Take a look at how the book is formatted. Take a gander at their word choice or where the action picks up. You can learn a lot to improve your own writing just from doing that.

 

   The point I'm trying to make is that just because you're a published author now doesn't mean you know everything or that the work stops. You still need to read and pick up what you can to improve your craft. So NEVER STOP LEARNING!



THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR FIRST NOVEL AND YOUR SECOND

The Difference Between Your First Novel and Your Second

 



 

 

I’ve heard other authors say that their second novel was much easier to write than their first novel. When the second novel comes along is usually when an author has figured out what their writing style is, what their daily writing routine is and whether or not they are a pantser or a plotter. My experience writing my second novel was completely opposite. I struggled heavily while writing my second novel and there were many times that I threw it to the side and thought about scrapping the idea altogether.

  
My first novel Goddess of Legend was written between February 2012 and December 2012. My inspiration for my novel was Aimee Carter’s Goddess Test series and the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. Writing GOL was fairly easy for me. I fell in love with both Hades and Cameryn.When I finished writing GOL I was proud of myself because not only had I completed a story that I believed was beautiful, unique and moving, but after years of talking about completing a novel I had finally done it.
 
 For a few days I basked in my accomplishment but I knew that I couldn’t just be idle. The voice inside my head was telling me to write again. I had no choice but to listen. My second novel Siren’s Choice is actually a very old idea. My heroine, Princess AaRiyaa was born as a character in my 10th grade English Honors II class during journal entry time. That was almost 10 years ago. During that time AaRiyaa made the typical journey associated with mermaids. She visited land and fell in love with a human choosing to stay with him on land. I liked my little short story but the only thing that differentiated AaRiyaa from other mermaids was that she was black. My story was too Disney-esque. In fact it was so Disney-esque that AaRiyaa and Ariel were best friends.

 Needless to say Siren’s Choice was soon shelved as I did what most people do, graduate from high school and head off to college. It was probably around the time I graduated with my Bachelor’s in 2009 that I decided to pick up Siren’s Choice again. I wrote ten chapters and absolutely hated it. I liked AaRiyaa, truly I did, but I just wasn’t feeling the story being told thus far. So once again, AaRiyaa and her story went away.

 In late 2011 I decided once and for all that I was going to fix Siren’s Choice. After all I loved mermaids too much not to have AaRiyaa’s story to share with the world. So I painstakingly re-wrote the first 10 chapters of the book and I started to think okay, maybe I can do this. Maybe I can write a believable adult mermaid/human romance with minority characters. Around this time however, the idea for Goddess of Legend was born and once again I put Siren’s Choice away.

 With GOL finally complete I returned to Siren’s Choice with problems I didn’t expect. For starters, it was hard to dive back into the story after being so engrossed with my first novel for so long. Once I finally started going again, I ran into a problem I had never experienced while writing GOL, I didn’t love AaRiyaa and my hero Jason. In fact I didn’t particularly like them. I constantly compared them to my hero and heroine from Goddess of Legend and found them lacking.

But I struggled on writing. With GOL I did virtually no plotting. I just sat down and wrote. With SC I had to plot everything and constantly struggle to find innovative ways to make my novel different from other mermaid novels out there. As time went on I started to like SC less and less. Once Siren's Choice was finished, I stepped away from it. I was too emotionally attached to my book to look at it objectively and decide whether I should trash it or start again. So I did the next best thing. I got myself a beta reader.
  
My Beta reader Monica has been the first person to read either of my novels and she always gives fantastic advice. I told Monica up front that I did not love Siren’s Choice like I did Goddess of Legend. As Monica continued to read chapter after chapter she kept asking me, “What’s wrong with it? I like it.” I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I just kept saying, “Something’s missing. I’m afraid of it being cheesy. I don’t like it.” Monica read on and soon she was completely done. Monica gave me some words of wisdom I won’t forget.

 She said to me, “Erin, this is a completely different story from Goddess of Legend. These are completely different characters. You have to give them a chance.” I thought long and hard about what she’d said to me. Monica was absolutely right. I was still so hung up on the romance I’d created between Hades and Cameryn that I wasn’t giving Jason and AaRiyaa a chance to have a romance of their own. I’d gotten comfortable writing characters with traits so similar to me that writing something new was scaring the bejesus out of me. But Monica’s words also made me realize something else, as a writer you cannot be stagnant. You must evolve. You must be willing to explore things that are outside of your norm.
 
Writing is all about creating worlds and emotions. You have to be willing to be open to creating new things. After taking in Monica's feedback and re-reading my story I started my second draft Siren’s Choice.  Yesterday I finished the second and final draft and although it was not easy writing, Siren’s Choice is not the terrible novel I once thought it was. In fact I'm starting to look forward to have a chance to share it with the world because I believe I have created a pretty unique story.

 Though writing my second story was much harder than writing my first, I have learned quite a few valuable lessons. For starters, it is okay to step out of your comfort zone and try something different. It's okay to not love your novel at first. It takes more than one draft for your story to start to shine. I also learned that no matter what you have to bulldoze your way through. You came up with an idea for a story. Not everyone can do that, so you must see your story to through the end. Don't give up on the vision in your head. But most importantly, remember all that matters at the end of the day is that you take a step towards change and see it through.