I’ve long been disappointed with the lack of diverse characters in popular fiction today. My current work in progress is an attempt to shrink the gap. However, yesterday I almost stopped. My current project is an interracial fantasy romance. My female main character is Afro-Latina, and her love interest is Asian. Oppression is seen as ...

It’s that time of year again. The leaves change color, people wear more layers of clothing, and they consider it socially acceptable to drink hot chocolate. It’s November, which means it’s time for National Novel Writing Month or NanoWrimo.  The goal is to write at least 50,000 words during the month of November.  Technically, you ...

Sometimes, writing is like pulling teeth. The words don’t come. Every sentence is garbage. Advice always says, “Write a few sentences to get started.” Those sentences are “Who wants to read this, anyway? Why am I doing this? Can I crawl under a blanket until the ideas come?” Jobs won’t let you take breaks if ...

Why should I be Afraid to die? There’s no pain, When it’s done, Of any kind. What I fear instead Is running Out of time Waiting— Waiting— For my words to shine. There’s a story In the news About a man Who lost his hands And an accident Where someone went blind. What could I do If ...

“Tell me about your book.” These are the words that many authors dread. I know this because I’ve written over a dozen book blurbs for fiction titles, many of which have become award-winning and Amazon bestselling books. As an author myself, I know that back blurbs always seem to stump us writers. It’s not because ...

Embrace the Creative Spirit I indulge in creativity during summer. I have are two modes of operation: Read several books or write a portion of a novel. Go back and reread after a few months and restart from a new place.  Break the Habit College helped me break that pattern because we had to read ...

I have written nothing for any of my stories in a while. Writing took a slight backseat while I started learning about my mental health. My characters have still been wreaking havoc in my brain, but the doubts prevented me from writing my ideas on paper. Next, came the inevitable thoughts about not being a ...

I’ve been asked various versions of the title of my story before, but as soon as it popped into my brain, I knew it was my first mistake. A mistake because it implies it isn’t hard for someone with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) to write. My second mistake was assuming the average person would ...

I’m awakened by the piercing sound of woeful screams The wind has stopped in recognition of a loss The sun has dimmed her smile in response to a man’s pain An exchange seems to have been made A soul has left a home And is being replaced by wondering and tears What is life? It’s ...

Roslynd Brenner meets a mysterious, cloaked figure who changes her life and her impoverished town. Her journey if full of adventure, mystery, and greed. Will she make the right choices, or will she fall prey to her new found abilities?