Many years ago on a cold Monday morning, Josette came into the world. She is a woman of fire, of creativity, and magic. And on this day, she, her family, and her friends would like to send wishes out to everyone. Wishes for happiness, good health, and wisdom. Give the gift of escape... send a romance reader one of Josette's books...
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My Critique Partner...As many of you reading this know, my critique partner, S.E. Isaac, and I provide support and a first round edit to each other. We met while working on an anthology and soon realized that we worked really well together. She has become one of my best friends and is like a sister -- a very honest and critical one. In addition, we also write several series together. S.E. has forced me to step out of my comfort zone and explore new romance sub-genres to write in as well as writing in new ways. Working with her has definitely helped me grow as an author and I'm extremely grateful to the universe for bringing her to me. Other Authors...Since I began working on my books I have met some amazing readers and authors. Working with other authors on fundraising anthologies, multi-author series, and many other activities has been a tremendous learning experience. They have taught me a lot about how to work with other creative types, how to write both longer and shorter stories, and to write based on a concept dreamed up by another author. Learning to let go of some of my control in order to meet requirements for these projects has been difficult yet rewarding. Anthologies have given me a chance to give back to my community and to help others. Favorite Authors...My list of favorite authors is long and ever changing. One thing many learn about me is that I'm always changing based on my experiences and of course on what I read. S.E. is definitely one of my favorite people and authors. However, a few authors who stand out -- authors who encouraged me to write -- are Laurann Dohner, Jayne Rylon, Lara Adrian, Katie Macalister, Molly Harper, Heather Killough-Walden, Suzan Tisdale, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Karen Marie Moning, and JR Ward. Granted there are a tone of other authors that have encouraged me, worked with me, and given me hours of reading enjoyment but the ladies listed above were some of the ones who helped me to find my way back to my love of books and of writing. There stories truly impacted me.
The simple answer -- Yes. The more complicated answer -- Yes. Real life does influence my books. Everything that occurs to or around an author influences them as a person and therefore as a writer. Often, it is the smallest thing that triggers a story idea. For one story, it was a humorous tin of mints. I can't remember now what it said but it triggered an idea that became a story... "Of Love and Fox Tails." The story was included in an anthology where each author wrote a story based on the primase that had sparked my own imagination -- paranormal creatures sent to Anger Management classes where their anger is turned into love when they find their true mates. However, my Dásreach Council Novels is the one most impacted by real life. The series was created as a way to add myself and my friends to a story. The book worms in the series are loosely based on real women as a way to give them depth and to assist readers in being able to see themselves in the pages of the books. Each of my characters has facets of those I meet. A certain trouble-making fairy godmother is modeled after a dear friend of mine. Inside jokes between myself and my writing/critique partner, S.E. Isaac, have made it into the pages of my solo and our joint stories.
My own love of paranormal and fantasy stories along with fated mates/ love at first sight themes makes it way into almost every story I write. I'm a voracious reader and even though my current preference has been paranormal romance, I love a lot of fiction sub-genres. This has led me to write Contemporary, Sci-Fi, and Paranormal based stories. Of course, I'm a full-fledged romantic, so they're always romances. I believe in striving for realism when it comes to my characters and worlds. The reason for this is that I want my readers to be able to see themselves in the story. Books have always been my escape and I that is my goal for my readers. However, I often add ideas in to the stories to bring awareness to different real world issues: PTSD, Autism, vision impairment, bullies, emotional trauma, societal issues, and environmental issues.
The Dásreach Council Novels are only available on Amazon in eBook and print. For those who have Kindle Unlimited, they can read the books on KU for FREE. Flash forward a few years, I was working as an administrative assistant for a software company which led me to go back to school for an English degree. Previously, I'd gone for art and then office administration. Once I graduated with a Technical Communication degree, I use those skills in the computer software industry. I spent close to fifteen years in the technical communication field writing software documentation... sadly, it was not very creative work.
Then, issues with stress and depression had me turning back to my love of reading and writing creatively. I begun to work on writing or reading during my breaks. It allowed me to release some of the negative feelings and work better. However, my mental state grew worse and in 2013 I resigned my full-time technical writer position and began working on writing my first full-length paranormal romance novel. I'd tried writing two different stories which didn't move forward. Then, the Dásreach Council Novels idea took root. The Dásreach evolved while I was a member of a book group which became the basis for the women in the series. In 2014, my debut novel was published... "Finding the Dragon." Sitting here trying to come up with an idea for this blog post and I began to wonder what those of you reading would be most interested in hearing from me. I've tried a few different angles over the years -- mostly just talking about things on my mind and my mental state -- and I think I need to look at things from a new perspective. What unique insights can I provide? However, I do realize that much of what I can say has been said over and over or is possibly only pertinent to me. So, I'm still at a loss. But the show must go on. Issues with Being an Author... From the time I was young, I've enjoyed creating stories. My dad used to say I was going to grow up and make him lots of money. That, of course, was before I learned that being an author doesn't equal money. (Insert sad laughter here.) Some of my biggest difficulties:
Does any of this sound like you? There are lots of personality types out there. And with all of them you have those who are more and those who are less successful. It's mostly about hard work and determination when it comes to being an author. About finding a process that works for you. Be true to you and your vision. What I have found is that you need to make decisions about what will allow you to achieve your goals. Start by determining your goals. For me, I simply had stories to tell. However, I'm also a control freak and didn't want to lose the creativity of my words by letting someone else determine what I should write. I've never been one to follow trends or to go with the masses. My writing is no different. However, that has put me on a more difficult path. Many writers do market research and determine what the readers are most interested in reading and write to those parameters. Many authors write several books before they release their first one, so that they have books ready to release in a consistent schedule. Other authors write extremely fast, some really slow. As you can see, it becomes difficult to determine what the best options are to be a successful author. Which is why I say, "Be true to yourself." Make decisions based on what will make you happy. Take it one day... one story... at a time. Once again time, responsibilities, and the hundred things in between have kept me from blogging. So, I won't give you a sob story or promise I'll do better. I think by now we all realize it's a pie-in-the-sky dream.
However, I would like to discuss creativity and what happens to many of us creative types. IE. How does life and what is going on around us impact us? I live with depression and anxiety. Some days it's a struggle to simply force myself out of bed. Other days, I work like a fiend and I'm surprised by everything I've accomplished. Covid and the fallout from being on lockdown has impacted all of us in ways we never realized. Myself, it has acerbated my normal seasonal lows that make my depression worse. So, between having to limit travel and straight out having book signings cancelled, even I -- a self-proclaimed introverted hermit -- have been feeling the strain. Changes are a huge distraction. My son's girlfriend moved in and the whole house has been turned on its ear. He just turned 21 last month, so he's not a baby anymore. However, life is difficult and Covid has made it difficult for him to get on his feet and find his own place. I have a feeling they'll be living here for a while. We have a good sized house and they are using the basement. He lost his bedroom when I remodeled it into my office when he lived out of state. His dad took over his sisters bedroom for his office. We thought they'd get the hint that we didn't want them coming back. (Insert sarcasm and laughter.) My granddaughter has been both a blessing and a sadness. She is growing so fast and I'm unable to see her as much as I would like. With Covid limiting travel and them living five hours away in Kentucky, it's just really difficult to set up chances to spend time together. She was born at the end of May 2020 and I've visited only a handful of times. I know that many grandparents don't see their grandbabies on a regular basis, so I try to appreciate the time I do have. I will say that online shopping is amazing. Between Amazon and Kohl's, Babybel is being sufficiently spoiled by her Gigi. So... creativity... Whether you think of it as your "Muse" or "the characters talking to you", it is highly motivated by your emotional and physical well-being. For the past several weeks, I've found myself struggling to write even a couple of words, let alone the thousands I should be writing. Instead, I've been working on covers, updates, and planning for promotions and future releases. I've outlined several future stories, too. I guess I've been productive, just not in the way I want to be. Which brings me to the number one reason creative types struggle with their "muse"... Self-recrimination and self-imposed ideas of perfection. I'm my worst critic and the more I push myself to do more, the more I put myself down for what I haven't accomplished. Therefore, I'm realizing that my need for self-care has hit an all time high. Next week I have a doctor's appointment. I'm hoping that I can talk to the doctor and figure out some ways to improve my mental and physical health. Until then, I'll keep trying and remind myself with the following images... |
AuthorJosette is a storyteller, artist, wife, mother, and grandmother. Archives
April 2023
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