Writing under a pen name...

A lot of things are going on right now so I haven’t posted in a bit. I am in the process of getting my YA LGBT book edited. We are also working on book cover ideas. I feel a dance coming on as I think about it, but instead I'll keep writing. It doesn't mean that I won't dance. It just means that I'm not in the right place to dance right now.

I am very excited about bringing my character BrookLyn Scott to life. I will be writing my LGBT fiction under the pen name Coffey Brown. I have no idea why I selected that name. There's no great story to go with it except that I wanted something that wasn't common for the first name. Brown sort of just went with it. Yeah, that's it. LOL!

My YA and adult fiction that aren't LGBT, and my motivational or inspirational books won't be under a pen name. My goal is to acquire readers and not confuse them along the way. Isn't that only fair? That’s the only reason I chose to write under two different names. It makes sense to me so I hope that it makes sense to you.

I have a new blog being developed for BrookLyn's Journey. That will be where the excerpts and giveaways will be. Right now it's called Coffey Brown Books and it’s on WordPress. Stop by and enjoy!

Dreams remain daydreams when we don't put in the work. I was tired of daydreaming so I put in the work to bring my dreams to life!

And now the book cover idea…

The characters come easy. The words come easy sometimes, and the title comes before the words. So… why am I struggling with the cover? I wonder if it’s because I want it to be eye catching and pop off of the page. I know that I love to look at book covers and must admit that a bad one turns me off quickly. I know we aren’t supposed to judge people or books by the cover, but we do.

I have a few ideas floating around in my head and am getting a headache from trying to figure it out. Do I use a person on the cover, or a drawing, or an inanimate object? I am not really sure but I have been searching the internet for ideas.

I see some covers in traditional bookstores or online, and wonder why the author selected that font or color scheme. It might not appeal to me, and it makes me wonder if it appeals to others when the colors look sort of drab, and uninviting. Then I see other covers and am thrilled with how amazing they are. I want the latter for all of my books.  Maybe if I stop trying so hard, an idea will come to me. I am really not sure but I might give it a try. Well… at least until I start thinking about it again.

I am so excited to bring my character BrookLyn Scott to life. I changed her last name, and now the book is called BrookLyn’s Journey. I am happy that my dreams are coming to life, and look forward to seeing the book cover. If I don’t come up with something soon, I will be looking for help from my friends… Yes, that means you!

The next step on my publishing journey is HERE!!

The decision has been made and I have chosen an editor. I mentioned having one before but things weren’t official. Now things are official. I am beyond excited and look forward to working with Lisa Martinez. This means the world to me simply because my dreams are coming into view. I have faith. I own faith. So, I knew it was going to be. Now that efforts are being made to prepare my manuscript for publication I am ecstatic. This step takes my faith to an entirely different level.

I spend my day making every effort to encourage people to work toward their dreams. I try to encourage the hopeless and remind them to knock their fears down with their efforts to succeed in whatever they desire. I am excited about God blessing me with good people in my writing circle. I’ve connected with people that take the time out to help aspiring authors. They have directed me to where I need to be to get my dreams realized. I will definitely pay it forward.

So… I am on this journey that has taken another turn towards my dreams becoming realized and this ride is unbelievable. I can't imagine what I will feel like once the book is edited, the cover is completed, and it is ready to be shared with the young adult population that it was written for. [insert woo-hoo here!]

I will keep you posted. Happy writing!

Too many characters...

What do you do when you have so many characters floating around in your head? It's crazy! Each time I start working on a project another idea comes along. I am not sure what's the best way to deal with it. What I have done thus far is at least type the initial ideas down. I don't want to forget certain ideas the characters stir up. I try focusing on one manuscript completely but that's never worked for me. For many years, life distracted me from writing. Since it was stirred awake around 2006, I have been unable to rest. Not that I want to necessarily but it has become a larger part of my life than it had been. Every waking moment almost becomes an idea. [Insert an eye brow raise here.]

One of my projects is a story that's been stirring inside of me for years. I'm not sure if it will ever reach the world beyond the computer screen. However, I have to write it. It won't let me rest. So, I set a daily writing goal of 2000 words. Not on each project per day, but on whichever one I am working on that day. Isn't this what an aspiring author does? Why am I complaining? I'm not really.

Then the lyrics. They invade my thoughts too. I could be walking to get the mail, or on the treadmill, and lyrics pop into my head. My cell phone recorder has become my best friend. Sometimes its easier to just sing the lyrics into my phone so I won't forget the idea or the melody. Minister Steve told me to just keep writing them down and when we're ready, they'll be at arms length. So... each moment, every hour, ideas flow inside of me. I look like I'm listening to you, but I think my ideas have me a little distracted. Ha!

I apologize in advance because YOU might be one of the next character's in my book... Just kidding. Am I?

A to Z Challenge...

I have never been involved in blogging events but decided to join an event held by Alex J. Cavanaugh and a few others. I think its important for me to read other blogs especially since I want others to read mine. I know that by reading the other blogs I will learn how to make mine better too. I will also become more committed to my blog. I enjoy networking with good people and this seems like a great group to interact with. I look forward to reading other blogs and have already read some that I probably wouldn't have without stumbling across this challenge. It sounds like I am in a win-win situation. I'll be starting on April 1, 2012 beginning with the letter A... cool!