And so the tour begins… a peek into process and plot
Wednesday, September 3, 2014 at 3:00 AM 
Tamika ChristyBeing a writer is a wild, wonderful, and often excruciating adventure. Turning into an author (as my publisher says I am doing now) is even wilder. There are a zillion new things to learn and people to meet… and I adore learning and meeting!! Today, I’m delighted to introduce you to Tamika Christy, a fellow BQB Publishing author, who invited me to participate in this blog tour.
Tamika is the author of Anytime Soon - a finalist in the African American category of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in NYC - and she is currently working on her second novel. Learn more in her post, “A Little Closer”. It’s fun to meet someone who’s creating smart, thinking fiction. Thank you, Tamika, for inviting me to join you on the tour and now I'm excited for this opportunity to tell readers more about my latest project! So here we go...
What am I working on? I am beyond thrilled that I have recently signed with BQB Publishing and am in the production stages of my debut novel, Blue. Blue is a work of contemporary fiction that arose from the recesses of my mind when I committed myself to November 2012’s Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge.
How does my work differ from others of its genre? First, it differs because it’s my work! In this novel, I’ve taken my unique point of view, imagination, and personal life experiences, stirred in the influences of education in psychology, spirituality, and the arts, and added a giant dose of fantasy and mysticism to create a smart, funny, and at times bizarre mix of venues and characters.
Why do I write what I do? For more than a decade, I’ve been known as an inspirational non-fiction writer… a ponderer extraordinaire, so-to-speak. My 2012 daily meditation book, As I Lay Pondering: daily invitations to live a transformed life, speaks to the bigness of life in bite-size portions.
I love exploring how human beings interact with each other, the natural world, and the Universe or being called God. I am also a huge proponent of bringing play and joy into our lives.
Writing this novel gave me an opportunity to break down the barriers of what things should look like and have some fun playing with what they might look like given certain circumstances and life events. The process was an amazing combination of play and challenge, and now I get to refine it into the best possible experience for my readers.
How does my writing process work? My writing process varies from day to day, but I find that I work best when I set a goal for myself. It could be completing a blog post, writing 1500 words, or a minimum time limit of one or two hours. Getting started is always the hardest part, but having a goal gives me a beginning point and I usually get rolling from there.
I used to think I worked best in the morning, but the essential ingredient for me is to be grounded in myself. I do this by meditating, walking, or going to a yoga class and if I get stiff, stuck, or agitated while writing, I take dance breaks. I put on a fun piece of music and dance like no one’s watching for 5 or 10 minutes. Then I sit myself back down at the desk and type away.
Often my writing starts in my journal. When I was in the crux of creating Blue, I would wake up and have a whole sequence rolling through my head. Putting pen to paper is less disruptive to that dreamlike state, so I put it down first in handwriting and then transcribed it onto the computer.
It will be very interesting to see how the process goes now that I’m receiving edits from my developmental editor with deadlines and all that good stuff. I'm learning to be part of a team and loving it. Woohoo!!
Thanks so much for reading and please...
Welcome these amazing peeps—Up Next on this Blog Tour!
Debra Smouse is a self-admitted Tarnished Southern Belle, life coach and writer living in Dayton, Ohio. An expert de-tangler, she sees that busting clutter is a path to greater clarity and believes within every woman is vibrant, passionate, and sexy being just itching to make their inner sex kitten roar. She knows there’s a special truth in that first cup of coffee each morning and a beauty to the art of simple living. Are you ready to create a life you love? www.debrasmouse.com
You know how I love doing things a little nontraditionally, so my next guest is someone who recently completed the "tour" with another host. I met author and writing coach, Mary Montanye, a few years ago in Taos, NM at a writers' retreat. At the time, our books were in infant stages and today they are walking around in the world (with assistance from peeps like you)! Her memoir, Above the Treeline, is the story of one woman’s spiral downward into physical and mental breakdown and her return to wholeness by courageously, and some would say recklessly, following her intuition. Click here to check out her tour entry called, "Blame the Beatles or Why I Write"
Reader Comments (2)
Kayce, thank you for introducing me to Tamika and Debra and your book, Blue. Can't wait to read it as it sounds like the type of fiction I love most. Keep us posted on when we can expect it, and thanks for linking to my site, too!
Mary - you are most welcome! I love connecting readers and writers!! xoxo