Blog Tour Post: The Writing Process

My dear friend, Shameika Rhymes, queen of the Mofo Chronicles, invited me to participate in the Blog Tour post about the writing process. 
I love words, I love to write and make up stories. And most importantly, I love my freedom. So, when I say, 'careful or you'll end up in my novel,' that means, you've pissed me off so badly that I want to harm you, but going to jail is not in my plans. 

The purpose of this blog tour is to answer four questions about your craft and introduce your readers to three new writers.

Here. We. Go! 









WHAT AM I WORKING ON:  I'm currently working on my latest novel, a short story for an anthology and a novella that will be released this summer, possibly. (LOL) Some people say hearing voices in your head is a bad thing. Those people are not writers. When the voices of your characters stop, then there is a problem. I love having so many different stories to tell because we as African American writers should control the images that are fed into the mainstream media. We can't allow others to control what we look like on screen. And we certainly should not be painted with the same brush. OK, hoping off my soap box.

HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF ITS GENRE: When people think romance, they usually think perfect characters with no flaws. I create flawed people who fall in love. I'm told by a lot of people that I'm funny. I don't see it but if that's what the readers think, then I'm all for it. Romance allows writers to be free and it is also one of the hardest genres to write because everyone knows the hero and the heroine will be together in the end. You just have to make sure you put them through a lot in the middle.

WHY DO I WRITE WHAT I WRITE? The thing that I love the most about romance is that you're able to craft characters who look like the people you'd like to hang out with. They have a rocky past, but they overcome it, are successful and fall in love. Who doesn't want that kind of life? And I love the fact that the readers of romance are so invested in the characters and want more —when you deliver a good book to them.

HOW DOES YOUR WRITING PROCESS WORK:  It starts like this, brew coffee. Turn computer on, write. Sip coffee. Write. And repeat. It's important for me to write something every day, even if I know that tomorrow those words will be deleted and replaced with something else.

Here are some writers who you should get to know.

  1. Nila N. Brown. She is someone I love to read, fun, serious and one of the few African American fantasy writers who think outside of the box. Black folks writing about demons? Yeah, get to know her! http://msnilanbrown.blogspot.com
  2. Cassandra Baker-Durham. There are some people who you meet and you know they have been touched by God. Cassandra is one of those people. An amazing writer with talent beyond measure. www.saltlightandwitnesses.com.
  3. Eve Vaughn. This USA Today best selling author crafts erotic romance and is just a hoot to be around. I met Eve at Romance Slam Jam in New Orleans and she is as amazing of a person as she is a writer. www.evevaughn.com/blog

Comments

Makeup By Nila said…
I really enjoyed reading this. It's great to see how the mind of an Author works...I wish I was as focused as you are, and thanks for the shout out!
June 2, 2014 at 9:51 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Woman rapes a dead man and gets pregnant

Image
So, stop me if you've heard this one. Woman has a last romp with a dead man and gets pregnant. No, this isn't the beginning of a short story, this is a true story . A 38 year old female mortuary worker is being held on $250,000 bond after becoming pregnant by one of her clients-a dead man. The alleged crime took place at the Mourning Glory Mortuary just outside of Lexington, Missouri. Police have charged Felicity Marmaduke with desecration of the dead and necrophilia. According to a statement made to police by Marmaduke, the alleged victim experienced a post mortem erection while being bathed. Being alone, Marmaduke straddled the dead man and proceeded have sex with him. Much to her surprise, the alleged victim came to orgasm after several minutes. A few weeks later, Marmaduke had a positive pregnancy test while receiving a routine medical exam. Upon telling her doctor the circumstances leading to the conception, the police were notified. Marmaduke was
Read more

Django Unchained or The live version of Catcher Freeman

Image
Forget what Spike Lee has to say about Django Unchained , I want to know if Aaron McGruder recognized his work on the big screen. After reading what Quentin Tarantino said about Roots , I had plans to sit this one out. Then I got an invite to see it.  Tarantino called out Roots as inauthentic as a part of his battle with Lee, who accurately said Django was disrespectful to his ancestors. About ten minutes into this overly long spaghetti western/blaxplotation flick, I wanted to make a tee shirt that would read, SPIKE WAS RIGHT.  Tarantino should've made a western with a black hero -- the slavery aspect of the movie was just so unnecessary. Granted, this movie is a work of fiction and not based on any historical slavery story. And yes, people go to the movies to be entertained, but overly violent movies aren't entertaining to me. However, I digress.  The fact that some many people are talking about how "original" this movie is proves one thing: Y'all don
Read more

We can be so petty

Image
Sixteen year old Gabby Douglas won a gold medal in the London Olympics. She's the first African American to ever, EVER, win gold in the all around gymnastics. And you petty people are talking about her hair? And when I say YOU PEOPLE, I'm looking at the media. The Huffington Post : I really thought you all were more progressive than this. I guess your progression stops at the African American hairline. The New York Times points out how people weren't happy for Gabby. It kind of only matters that her mother, her beautiful mother, was over the moon proud of her child. And at the end of the day -- this is all that matters: Douglas, a 16-year-old who left her Virginia Beach, Va., home and her family when she was 14 so she could train and learn better gymnastics in Iowa, won the Olympic gold medal Thursday at the North Greenwich Arena. She led from start to finish, scoring 62.232 and leaving a pair of Russians, Victoria Komova and Aliya Mustafina, as disconsolate silv
Read more