Thursday 22 December 2016

The Saga Continues or #UseYourWords

A few years ago I used to live and work in Mombasa back when I was just starting out as a grunt in the pharmaceutical industry. I lived in a flat not far from Mombasa town, no furniture except mattresses on the floor, a few plastic chairs, a cooker and later, a fridge. You can't live in Mombasa without a fridge.
We had no TV so me and my son used to sit on the verandah in the evenings and count stars.
Sigh.
Good times.

Anyway so we had these neighbors...
Family of eight or thereabouts, father a retired civil servant, mother a house wife. five or so kids running the place.
So because I'm such a nice person, and I hadn't yet learned how to say no, the wife used to sometimes treat my house as if it was hers. And I became her de facto best friend.
She used to tell me stories about how her husband was this and that. And I just used to listen because it's something I'm good at and clearly she needed someone to listen to her.
So one night, really late, my son and the maid have gone to bed and she knocks on my door. Now I'm daddy and mummy, protector of my home etc and someone's knocking at 11pm at night. The door is not that sturdy. If it's thugs wanting to kick it down there's not much I can do except cover my son with my body and hope for the best.
Turned out to be my neighbor. Apparently her husband had beaten her up and thrown her out of the house. And she wanted to go report him to the cops. At 11pm in the night. And she wanted me to go with her.
Now I had work in the morning, I had my son alone with just the maid in the house. I had no car and neither did she. It was a risky proposition is what it was.
But the maid told me that they'd be fine, I should go and help the 'mama' next door. So I did. Luckily it was Mombasa and I think it was even during Ramadhan so the matatus ran late. We took public transport and went to the cops.
There was this guy at the front desk, he listened to us as the lady told her story. How it wasn't the first time he'd beaten her, how he threw her out of the house and she had nowhere to sleep...yada yada.
So after she finished, the guy is like, okay fine, you want us to arrest your husband yes? Say we do that, do you have another source of income? Who is going to buy your food? Pay your rent? How will you live?
And neighbor lady just caved.
She was like I take it all back. I don't want to report him.
She slept on my floor that night.
The next day she went back home.
And the cycle continued.

So I was out a good night's sleep, a visit to the cop station, paying the transport to boot and at the end of the day, nothing was achieved.
That was the first time I saw first hand the complexity that is domestic violence.
It's all power dynamics and need perception.
Why am I telling you all this you ask? What does it have to do with writing you say?
Well for one thing inspiration for stories comes from everywhere and it ties in with my various conversations I've had this week about Child of Destiny, Leo, Mya and the power dynamics of their situation. The power dynamics we barely want to acknowledge because somehow we think they'll just go away by themselves.
The trigger of course was the development of the +Blacc Chyna +Robert Kardashian situation where it 'emerges' (that word makes me laugh) that there might have been domestic violence involved.
And everyone gasps in faux shock and clutches their pearls.

Come on.
Anyone who has watched so much as a snippet of any Real Housewives show sees how much 'putting the paws' on someone is a legit option in an argument. Is it lack of Montessori schools? Were people not taught to use their words enough? I don't know. I just know that domestic violence is pretty widespread yet we all act like it's something new and shocking when  someone who experiences it is famous enough to make the news. We treat the perpetrators like some sort of outcasts when the reality is, they were just doing what 'everyone else' does.
Surely there must be another way.
What is the other way?
That is the question.
Think on it as you have a Merry Freaking Christmas!
And yes I didn't say 'happy holidays' because it's actually Christmas being celebrated this week, right? When I wish people a blessed Ramadan I don't say happy holidays either. I say Ramadan Mubarak. Let's not try to generalize what doesn't need it in an effort to hide from the real issues of discrimination that we do face huh?

Monday 19 December 2016

The Two Star Review

I am not conceited I don't think. But I do have a healthy appreciation for my own work, what I can do. Some call it arrogance, some call it self awareness. I call it realism.
I'm not used to getting bad reviews for my work.
But today...today I have my first two star review.
It hurts. I won't lie. It hurts like hell. My books are my second babies and anyone can tell you I don't much tolerate people talking bad about my babies.
And yet I asked for it.
Yep.
I asked that the person who wrote this review put it up.
Why did I do that you ask? I'll tell you. Or rather let me show you. Here is the review, go read it.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1842842592


When I wrote Child of Destiny I expected that it would generate some controversy. I mean hell my editor couldn't help going on about 'what am I teaching people about relationships' and there is too much sex, it's gratuitous. We sat down at Java and had a really loud er, discussion, about the sex scenes. Me explaining exactly why each was relevant and he still insisting I needed to tone it down.
I didn't.
Because the purpose of even writing on this was to bring the topic right in your face. It wasn't to draw a delicate veil over the nastier aspects of what happens in relationships. I'm sorry, in Child of Destiny you're probably getting a lot more reality than you're maybe comfortable with.

When I was writing I had a vision of people setting up discussion boards to argue about whether Mya was right or wrong in what she did and how she acted. Was Leo a hero or anti-hero? Do we like them, or do we loathe them; best case scenario, we like them and we loathe them?
And that's exactly what this review is giving me.
She didn't stop at, "It's a good book, or it's a bad book."
She let us know how it made her feel; the characters were real enough for her to be affected by their actions on a personal level. And so two star rating or not, I think this is the best review I've ever received.
+Toinette Thomas is an author as well as a book reviewer. You should check her out. (she did not tell me to write this.)

Sunday 18 December 2016

Telling Yourself Stories

Let me begin by telling you a story.
So there was this man hunting in the woods, he came across a tiny baby poison snake whose mother had died of bullet to the head. The man was going to pass by but the snake pleaded with him to stop.
"Please help me", it said, "I'm all alone. I need you."
And the man shook his head resolutely and turned away, "If I help you, you'll bite me." he said.
The snake reached out to him, "No I won't! I swear. I'll treat you like my mother and father. I would never hurt you."
So the hunter sighed and said, "Okay then. Come home with me."
So the man took the little poison snake home. He fed it, nurtured it, gave it a place to sleep. They lived together happily for some time. Then one day, the man reached for a hot poker to stir the fire in the cold winter months and startled the snake. Quick as...well...a snake the snake lashed out and bit the man on the arm.
As he lay dying by his fire, the hunter looked at the snake all betrayed and said, "Why did you do that? You said you'd never bite me."
The snake looked at his dead keeper sadly, "You knew I was a snake when you brought me home" it said.
THE END.

Now boys and girls, who can tell us the moral of this story?
And why did I choose to share it with you today?
It's about choices y'all.
I was surfing through my +Instagram this morning when I came across a post on baller alert of +Robert Kardashian in his feelings because, he says, +Blacc Chyna left him and took all the baby furniture. His voice was all shaking and shit and I was inclined to believe she actually left. 
So I was like "Aww tooo bad. And with your 'baby special' airing soon and all, it must be hard." and then I moved on with my life.
Not two minutes later, a screenshot of a post by Blacc Chyna appears on my timeline saying that yes, she did in fact leave Rob's ass because he's a bipolar, emotionally abusive baby and she's sick of it. Especially since he 'promised not to be like Tyga' (I'm paraphrasing heavily). 
So she has two kids with struggle baby daddies and she's starting all over again. Once again.
Two things I want to say before I get with the harsh reality:
1. I have come to really respect Blacc Chyna. She's strong, intelligent and has a good heart. At least as far as I can see. She made the best of her life when she didn't start out with many aces in her deck. 
2. I can't remember what the second thing was.
Now to harsh reality.

She knew he was a snake when she brought him home.

Let me tell you a little something about weak ass men and single moms. Just as a warning in case you haven't figured it out.
When a man sees that a woman is a passably good mom, that she looks after her child, puts him first, shows up as a parent; he immediately extrapolates all that love and attention to himself and he wants it. He wants that woman to look after him too. Trust he'll be proposing within weeks of knowing you. And he will want to have a child with you, like right now!
Why?
Because the child is a guarantee that you'll never leave. At least that's what they think. And once they have you they start emotionally abusing you so you feel worthless and maybe not leave them for somebody better. Because they want you to believe you don't deserve better.
You're allowed to believe this bullshit once.
But twice?
How many times people? What is your count? I'm guessing it can be deduced by how many kids you have by different baby daddies.
I'm sorry.
But I'm not.
Somebody has to tell you and I guess I've designated myself den mother.
Stop it.
Stop choosing the same type of guy over and over.
Stop telling yourself that this time will be different.
Open your eyes and see who the guy is, or girl.
See them, and make a decision with your eyes wide open.
Not your eyes wide shut.
Please.
The only stories you should be telling yourself are the ones you're writing that will hopefully make you some money.
And I'm not saying you can't date a weak ass little boy if you want. Just go into it knowing what you're doing.
Remember in 2012 when +Rihanna gave +Chris Brown a second chance? (I hate to even bring it up but it's like the most perfect example) And everyone was trying to tell her what to do? What did she say?
"If it's a mistake, it's my mistake."

She didn't say "I love him and we're gonna be happy and you're just trying to break us up because you're jealous..."
Yes I'm looking at all a y'all who say such things with a straight face.
She saw who he was and she was giving him another chance because she accepted that this is who he is and she still wanted to take the chance on him. Of course when she discovered that no, she didn't really want to deal with all this bullshit, she was out.
So was Chyna.
So I commend her for knowing when to look after herself first.
But let's not make the same mistake a third time. Please.
So many new types of mistakes to make. Let's try one of those.

Saturday 17 December 2016

Sex and Violence Themes in Child of Destiny

This morning I received an email from a reader who won one of my giveaways. She had finally got around to reading Child of Destiny and she had some concerns.
She started the email with all the positive things she had to say about the book which I really appreciated and it also put me in the mind set to really hear her concerns. I need to learn that skill; I don't think I'm good at it AT ALL. I mean well though.
Anyway so she said that the book grabs you to begin with but then she wasn't prepared for all the 'gratuitous sex' and stopped reading. Now you would think that since this is how the book begins, it would have occurred to me to maybe wonder if it was too much or maybe that I should place a warning. Probably a trigger warning because the sex is in no way consensual.
But I didn't.
I didn't think.
So I really want to thank +Toinette Thomas for pointing it out to me.
I want you to be prepared when you open the book.

The email came in the wake of some feedback I'd gotten from a writing group on +Facebook where two people point out that I have three punctuation errors on the first page of the book. The question I had asked was why more people don't leave reviews so that really threw me.
Is punctuation that important?
I was dubious.
But then I remembered that yeah, I always notice when tenses change when I'm reading something so if I've made such mistakes I'd like to correct them.
This weekend I'm editing Child of Destiny to see if I can catch those. It really made me wonder though; is that really why y'all haven't reviewed the book?
- Are you unable to get past the sex to see the story?
- Are you put off by punctuation errors?

Tick the box which applies to you.
I want to talk about the sex and violence a little bit. Give a little background.
Child of Destiny begins with a sex scene which has dubious consent AT BEST. I want the reader to decide for themselves what they feel is going on.
It's stark.
It's in your face.
You'll probably be embarrassed and/or turned on and/or triggered and/or put off and/or disgusted. It's not gratuitous. It's essential to story progression and it's also a subject that tends to be glossed over to 'protect sensibilities' and yet it's an issue that plagues many girls in the world, of that age.
Including me.
I wrote the beginning from two perspectives; jumping from Mya's head to Leo's. The same Facebook page and many people before have said that that's confusing. But it's essential for you, the reader, to be in both their heads. To follow their trains of thought. To come along with them so that you can understand what is happening. To write it any other way is to make it gratuitous.
I am accepting all emotions but I want you to go in there prepared for what you'll find.
So if you've read it, or started reading and abandoned it, talk to me. Help me to help you. Whichever means you use, I'm listening.

Thursday 15 December 2016

Last Day for Half Price Book Sale!

Yes, it's these four books that have been on half price since beginning of November...until today. Cop it while you can.
Read extracts below and take your pick.
Since Requiscant In Pace is at the lowest price and The Swamp is Full of Mystery is free on this site they are not included in the offer. So it's  two books;
Between Death and Heaven



And Child of Destiny





Tuesday 13 December 2016

Social Media Creativity

So I'm sure you've seen this pic on +Twitter or +Instagram of +Rihanna and #SarahPaulson probably on set for +Oceans 8. And it has just led to an explosion of memes that had me laughing my ass off.
This one was captioned: Don't Touch My Hair featuring Rihanna


I mean...seriously I try sometimes to come up with captions like this but my head just isn't wired that way. It makes me admire people who can do this even more knowing that it's impossible for me. The one line zinger is the new short story. This one wasn't even in my top ten for this particular meme. there was this other one:
That just had me dying
I mean can't you just see it? Some white woman going ahead to touch a black woman's dreads on a train; they probably don't even know each other, just happened to sit together and not only is she TOUCHING HER HAIR, but she's also at the same time spouting her offensive philosophies in the black woman's ear and thinking that they're just having a lovely conversation. 
All of this despite the look on the black woman's face and the fact that she's clearly restraining herself from inflicting physical damage.
It's funny because it happens. It's funny because it's RIHANNA and SARAH PAULSON but it's also #anyblackwoman and #anywhitewoman. It's a classic depiction of the trials and tribulations People of Colour go through on the daily, and it's also suggesting that no one is exempt. But all done with such comedic accuracy and in just one line. It says everything without giving you a long story, or preaching or hating. It's perfect and I'm jealous that I can't do it. 
However this still isn't the best meme.

Cries.In. Solange.
I've been trying to use the phrase 'Get out my Caucasian Mentions' for a while in the correct context and the other day I succeeded and ticked it off my bucket list.
This is my new goal; Find the perfect situation to use 'Cries in Solange' and come up with a caption that captures the emotion, the situation, the context so damn perfectly.
I mean....
Bow down to whomever came up with this phrase.
Bow down.
Today I landed a really lucrative ghostwriting gig and I tried to come up with similar phraseology to depict the state of my pysche. The best I could do is 'Dances in Dollar' which is just lame and unimaginative. Can anyone come up with something better? Hit me up in the comments.

Thursday 8 December 2016

Creativity Defined Now Has An App!

Creativity Defined

So I got myself an app which makes it easier for you to connect with me, talk to me, keep up with my books and interact with me. I've posted the link above so feel free to download it and let's get interacting!

Tuesday 6 December 2016

Rihanna, An Inspiration

So in just the last month or so, I watched my idol +Rihanna go from the set of +Oceans8 to the set of +Bates Motel, back to Ocean's Ocho and then off to Dubai for her last +ANTI WORLD TOUR 2016 LIVE performance. She managed to avoid exciting talk about her and +Drake Aubrey Graham.

Do y'all think they broke up?
I don't particularly care but I am not convinced of it. Just taking history into account, +Rihanna isn't on social media enough to be single. When she's 'occupied' she tends to disappear. And she surely has disappeared. If it wasn't for paparazzi we would have no idea where she was. Also Leandra Simone, Riri's friend and social media manager, posted something about a 'dinner date'. My suspicion is that going public wasn't her idea and she wanted to get back under the radar with their relationship.

You remember I said once that everyone has a mental illness?
Well I really believe that she suffers from PTSD from that incident that shall remain unnamed.
So I do believe they're low key still together.
Anyway back to her grueling schedule.
So after going to Dubai for her last show, slaying it, she was back in BIM for the 50th Anniversary celebrations. There, she met Prince Harry and brought my ship to life for four five seconds. They did a HIV test in public together...

Speaking of HIV tests, y'all should go get tested. I understand that now you can get a 'to-go' kit and do the test in the comfort of your own home, without anyone's help. Also if you are positive, and you catch it early enough, you can go on medication and live a happy, loving long life. It's not a death sentence anymore. So go and get tested today. And use condoms.
Back to Rihanna's schedule; so after she was done educating us and making us die with feels, she was back in New York on the Oceans' set...On top of that, she released those velvet Puma Creepers that are giving me FOMO (whatever that is) and a new collaboration with +Manolo Blahnik, and accepted the award for Shoe of the Year - the first time a woman has ever gotten that award.

Meanwhile I'm just trying to get through this one novel. I tried doing Nanowrimo but couldn't find the time to write anything apart from my day job. When I watch Rihanna slaying like she does, it inspires me to try harder, do better. I wrote Child of Destiny because of Rihanna's Only Girl in the World then new album then Diamonds World Tour schedule. I was like, we all have the same 24 hours. Look at what she does with hers. I felt like I was drastically under-utilizing my own 24 hours. I still feel that way.
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
However, so long as I wake up and Rihanna is still trying well then so will I.
My characters though, I think they do better than me when it comes to trying. Take Phil and Lillian for example. They're dead right? But they're still trying. What other possible excuse could there be not to keep at it?


Friday 25 November 2016

#EraseandRewindChallenge is Live!

So you've bought the book. You've read it.
I hope.

Now win an $10 Amazon gift card by posting an +Instagram video of yourself reading from the book in thee moste dramatique fashion imaginable. I'll repost your vids on my instagram (@fictionistah) and the one that gets the most likes wins the prize.
Yay!
So simple right?
Get posting!
Challenge ends 10th December.


Wednesday 16 November 2016

Of Ghosts and Legends

Child of Destiny has really benefited from Erase and Rewind launch week. But not my other books. Not Between Death and Heaven or Requiscant in Pace
*ponders why that could be*
Could it be that I pay too much attention to Child of Destiny and not enough to the rest?
Maybe.
So today, I'm going to talk about Between Death and Heaven. The fun facts.
For example did you know that my editor for the book called it a masterpiece? He was pretty in love with it. So in love in fact that he wasn't too thrilled that Child of Destiny went off in different tangent.
There I go, mentioning COD...
Anyways, seriously let us discuss the reasons why Between Death and Heaven is epic.
http://bit.ly/BDAHbookpage

  • It gives a whole new perspective on the after-life. Not totally original of course (what is?) but a twist on various cultural beliefs and legends plus a bit of Beetelgeuse which kind of depicted the afterlife as this dreary government office where you get these forms in order to move on to the next phase. And there are endless lines and lots of waiting.
  • Between Death and Heaven has forms to be filled, and hoops to be jumped. But...like any good story, there are obstacles to getting there. Also Hitler.
  • We meet Mama Ruth in this book. If you've read any of my child of destiny series books, then you know Mama Ruth. Only she and Armand are in all of them. Forever mysterious, forever pulling strings behind the scenes.
  • Ah Armand...Mr. Hot Sexy Piece of Ass. What is he? Who is he? How does he fit? When I was writing him, I kinda visualized him as Louis de Pont du Lac. Not the Brad Pitt version; the original in the novel. Tall. Green eyed. Graceful. Angsty. Self-absorbed...Super cute.

And then there was Phil and Lillian. I wanted to write Lillian as the most anti-heroine to ever exist. She's taller than Phil, self sufficient, not delicate in any sense of the word. Hell, she's from south London. She comes from the Ends. She wrestles crocodiles for a living.She's a modern day Amazon. If she reminds me of anyone, it's Jamie Fraser.

Phil on the other hand is a delicate flower. In my head he kinda looks exactly like JLo's ex-husband Marc Anthony. Or Maria Doria Russell's Father Emilio Sandoz. Phil is actually part Native American so the latter probably fits better.

Yet.
They're a perfect fit.
Because the hero isn't always tall, square jawed and muscled.
And the female isn't always a crying, shrinking violet who needs to be saved.
Sometimes they save each other.

Sunday 13 November 2016

A Look Behind the Curtain

Now that you've had time to read Erase and Rewind it's time to take a look behind the scenes. A few facts that might interest you about the writing of.
First of all you might have noticed that there was some kind of foreign language in the story.


What is that?” she exclaimed in fear taking an involuntary step back.
Djab”, the sailor said falling to the ground.
Devil.

That language is Haitian Creole. I used google translate to write so I hope I got it right. Let me know if I fucked up huh?
I like to do that though. I like to mix and match cultures according to their lore and beliefs. A thing that I find is that there is a lot of intercourse between the cultural beliefs of different peoples. The people of Hispaniola who are featured in this story carried their beliefs in a boat from West Africa and then modified it from Christian beliefs, and the cultures of other peoples they came across. The thing is that ultimately, we all come from the same root.

This week is a good one to remember that huh?
There is also no escaping that mix and match that has taken place because it's like HIV. It gloms itself onto your DNA and you can't kill it without killing yourself.
Which makes me question all these so called cures people are claiming to have. If you've found the cure for HIV it means you can now cure viruses. All viruses. Because they all behave in the same way and that's why you can only manage them.

It's the same thing with supremacy. Be it white supremacy, kikuyu supremacy, wherever you find it in the world. People think it's a cure but it's not. It's a blindfold. A blindfold to assist the person donning it to escape from reality.
One thing I like about myself and it's reflected in the way I write is that escaping from reality is not in the cards. My books might give you a new way to look at that reality, a way to gain new perspectives; but not to kid yourself about it.
Some people don't like that. They prefer the 'bury your head in the sand' approach. More power to you. :)

Saturday 12 November 2016

And Now...For My Next Trick

It's been about...twelve days since Erase and Rewind was released. I'd like to thank you all for all the copies of Child of Destiny you've bought as a result...Very confusing but gratifying nevertheless.
I did manage to get my first review for Erase and Rewind and it was FIVE STARS!
Wooohooo!
Whoever you are Kindle Customer, I'm so happy you enjoyed the book.
I was thinking about maybe doing a sequel but then you guys seem more interested in Child of Destiny so maybe I concentrate on that sequel. It's more than half written but life has been happening at a 2016 rate so...
Is anybody having an epic 2016?
I won't complain because I haven't missed a meal, my son is alive and healthy and I have work to do, and y'all enjoy my books.
At least a little bit.
Yeah?
Well so anyway, pretty soon I shall be unveiling the #eraseandrewind challenge to take advantage of the current social media craze and give you another reason to buy the book.
 It involves reading.
In accents.
Will you join me?

Wednesday 9 November 2016

Now What?

So orangeface won the election a.k.a Donald Trump. He is now President-Elect...

Let's just let that sink in for a moment.
Are you alright? Have you done some self care? Ran across any fascists trying to lynch you in the streets? If so I don't know what I can say to make it better. I don't know who you turn to when your leadership is in favor of your extermination. I really don't.
I feel a little selfish even mentioning it but I feel personally betrayed by white Americans. I feel like every single one who said that they weren't voting for Trump was actually a lying liar who lied. And I don't know if I can even watch any TV show starring white people right now.
There are like four famous white guys who have demonstrably indicated that they are devastated by the Trump win; the Carver twins, Chris Evans and Misha Collins. Everyone else is suspect. Because if 62% of white men voted for Trump, and if you subtract Gay and Trans white men, what percentage of straight white men are left who didn't vote for Trump?
20%?
Less?
All in all, I do not trust y'all lying asses even a little bit.
Yep. I'm talking to you Jensen


The thing is white American racist people, I get it. It's disturbing that #Oscarssowhite and #Blacklivesmatter is getting so much attention. It's disconcerting when Beyonce brings the 'Black Panthers' to the Superbowl and performs at the CMAs. It's disconcerting that she discovered that she's black..
Black Lives Matter went from a fringe terrorist group to a legitimate mainstream phenomenon. People were actually acknowledging that Police were in the wrong! After 200 years of doing whatever the fuck you wanted! Philando Castile died so #BLM could become legit.
It's all very....frightening to you; I get that.
On top of that Mr. Motherfucking Perfect Obama came to office for eight years, and did an outstanding job. Y'all can't have that! No. Better to destroy the country.
Right?

it has began
The thing is though...white people, trying to hold back the march of progress does nothing except get you left behind. You want to maintain the status quo as it was eight years ago or whatever? Try. 
But the genie is out of the box and it won't go back in.
Furthermore, the rest of the world just lost major respect for you, as it has with Britain and France. 
Your president-elect is in bed with Vladimir Putin who is determined to keep up this war in Syria. Do you really think that bombing the fuck out of Mosul is the way to defeat ISIS? Who is really hurt here? Your continued war against the Muslim world means that you're continually unsafe. 
America
Britain
France
Germany
All you hear out of you is bad news; being bombed, mass shootings, death and destruction. 
Trump will continue to fuel that cycle.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world is quietly working away. Importing cars from Japan, importing electronics from China, making trade deals with their neighbors, buying locally manufactured shit...I look around me and I don't see one thing American made. 
The West is being left behind. The people that you reject as 'immigrants' are what make your country great. If you don't appreciate the blessing, it will be taken away from you. Your current economic troubles are not because Mexicans are taking your jobs. It's because you're so used to living on unlimited credit. And then 2008 happened and y'all had to learn to live within your means.
It's hard to do that. We all know that. But you can't bring the pre-economic crisis world back again no matter who is in charge. You can only learn to live in the new world.
Or perish.

Tuesday 8 November 2016

Can I read you a story?

Are you voting today?
I know people see the choice as bad vs. evil but trust me, you do not want Donald Trump at the helm of your country unless you want to be downgraded to a third world country by the end of his term.
Y'all are going to be chapter elevened by 2020.
Food for thought. 
Now enjoy my videos.
Introduction


Excerpt



Monday 7 November 2016

Launch Week Day 5!

Hi! Now that we've had time to buy and read...haven't seen any reviews yet though...maybe y'all should get on that;
TIME TO ENTER THE COMPETITION!
Fill in the form below and enter to win.
Mwah!


Saturday 5 November 2016

Launch Week Continues: Erase and Rewind

Wow it's been three days of my first ever launch week campaign.
Learning curve people, learning curve.
So...
I got this new book out right?
Erase and Rewind?
You mighta heard me talking about it?
Funny thing.
Y'all are acting like I'm promoting Child of Destiny...
Were you guys just WAITING for that price to come down so you could buy it?
Readers are like sooo...unpredictable.
Anyways, here's Erase and Rewind once again. Click on the preview. Read. See if you'll enjoy.




Do you enjoy magic? Stories about magic? Lore? Mythology?
I love it. I love the way different cultural beliefs are similar and different.
There is a lot of lore surrounding twins; what powers they have, what they can do...whether or not theyr'e from the devil...
So Rosemary is a twin.
Her father is also a twin.
Rosemary is the only female in this double twin family.
It puts her in a unique place to break a family curse.
And that's all I'm telling you.
Buy the Book.

Thursday 3 November 2016

Erase and Rewind: Book Launch Day!

It's Launch Day! for Erase and Rewind...your surprise November book.



I like to let the book speak for itself, so click on the preview and...preview it. I'll just...wait here.


Did you like it? Was it good? Alright so what's next?
Click on buy of course. And while you're there you might as well click on Share as well. Best to be thorough.
Now here's where it gets good.
For one thing, there's a prize to be won for just buying the book. And here's how you win it:
1. Have you liked my face book page? If not, do that. Just scroll to the top of this page and find the icon for 'Facebook Page'.
2. Join the launch party event by clicking on 'going' on Facebook or registering on eventbrite below.
3. Shop. You can click on the buy now link above, shop now on Facebook or go to bit.ly/EraseandRewindbookpage
4. Read the book.
5. Leave a review/fill in the sign up form.
6. Get in the draw to win a prize

In addition to ALL of this awesomeness, all my other books are half price this week. huh? HUH?

In addition to all of this, I have a proposition for you...unfortunately it isn't dirty...
If you're a writer you know how hard it is to get people to review you right?
Well, I have a new system; probably it's an old system but I just thought of it...
You buy the book if you feel it's your cup of tea, you read it, review it and send me the link to your review. When you do that, I send you your money back. Win win.
If it's within this launch week, you also qualify to enter for the prize.
Win win win!
Who's in?

Monday 31 October 2016

Announcing My Book Launch!

Surprise!
I have a present for you; an #newbook is out and will be available from November 3rd everywhere ebooks are sold. 
Even more exciting? It's only 99 cents!

This book is science fiction/fantasy which I'm told is a topic not many African authors tackle. I'm not even going to give my opinion; once the book is available on amazon I'll just post the link to the preview and y'all can judge for yourselves if it's worth buying.
I think it is.

In honor of the launch of Erase and Rewind Creativity Defined will carry out a promotion and here's what's gonna happen.

  • Like my Facebook page
  • Sign up for the launch party event
  • Click on 'shop now' and buy the book.
  • Fill in the form below
  • Or leave a review on Facebook or the book site
  • Get the chance to win the prize (pics in the form below).
  • BONUS: All of my other books will be half price during launch party week!
Now isn't that a great way to begin November?


Here's the form; don't fill it out until AFTER you buy the book.



Thursday 27 October 2016

A Post About Writing A Blog Post

I just completed an assignment and the sense of achievement is heady. It's a book about a fashion blogger who meets a CEO and they fall in lurve. Ghost writing endless stories with more or less the same theme can get boring sometimes and you end up looking for different ways to spice things up even if it's giving people names which have personal meaning to you...for example, I was watching Luke Cage for a good part of the latter writing, so the heroine's father is called Luke. Anyway I won't bore you with my self-stimulating quirks; my point was, I've been away for a while and I was able to come back today because of the surge of energy resulting from satisfactorily finishing a story.

While I've been working, I've also been studying this business called writing. And having the right type of blog seems important for that. The type of blog I'm talking about involves pre-planning, knowing what you're going to write about three months in advance, SEO, content marketing....it's not just writing. It's writing with purpose.
My problem is I write from the heart. It's all spontaneous. Many times I don't even read through the post before publishing.
I have MAJOR hubris.

So as I have been studying the art of writing effective blogs that win you friends and influence people and trying to reconcile it with my more laissez faire style...Doesn't look good does it? How am I ever going to be a serious writer if I can't even get my blog to behave?
Worse.
I like that my blog doesn't behave.

Which reminds me, remember when I told you my dog disappeared? Well she was found.
Yep.
She's back.
Just today actually.
She was a bit frisky, not wanting to be touched and what not when she was brought but it's been twelve hours and she's back to her old self. She houdinied out of her leash (clever dog) and managed to open the back door and come into the house.
I ain't hatin'.
Apparently I like things that don't behave the way they're supposed to.
Now I gotta go update my Thoughts on Supernatural blog as well because damn Daniel....
Buy my books. Here are the links.

Between Death and Heaven
A ghost romance story about surviving the afterlife; Beetlejuice meets Supernatural

Child of Destiny
The only thing that remains undefeated when you pit love, mixed couples, teenagers and magic is the truth.