The Official Website for the author who wrote The Magic and the Mayhem
My next book is called Frank Lee. It is loosely based on the lives of my parents. My mother was born in South Carolina but raised in Harlem, New York and my father was born in North Carolina and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. My mother is interracial, her African-American mother and her white father never married. Of course it was against the law for blacks and whites to marry in the 1930’s. As the years went by many people defied the law and married one another out of respect for each other but in the United States, interracial marriage only actually became legal in 1967.
The story spans the time before they were born through the birth of their first two children. I was their third.
The launch of Frank Lee is planned for March 2009.
This blog is dedicated to my writing and will hopefully give other first time novelists an opportunity to learn from my journey. I try to write every day. My first (writer's) draft is written without any thoughts as to where the story is going. After the initial twenty pages or so I put together an outline because the characters really do take on a life of their own, and it takes a certain measure of discipline to remind these "made up characters" that you're the boss. Following an outline allows your story to have a fluid beginning, middle, and end. Without an outline and a dedicated resolve to follow it the story will be scattered and may never find its end. I usually read through a chapter ten or more times before I'm satisfied enough to move on to the next one. I never let anyone read my novel until its ready to go to the editor. I chose to self publish The Magic and the Mayhem using www.lulu.com. Self publishing gives authors a tangible product so they can introduce their work to the world, get feedback, and strengthen their skills. Some people think its cheating and that it somehow invalidates an author's work but the more traditional publishing houses are virtually impossible to gain admittance to. It's obviously not impossible but getting into the game is like hitting the lottery. I recommend self publishing along with routinely submitting your work to reputable publishers but while you're waiting, keep writing!
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