C.M. North's Blog, page 7

Song: I’m Drowning

This is the third song written for my upcoming novel, The Broken. Called “I’m Drowning”, it’s about the depression influenced by domestic abuse suffered by singer Malcolm James growing up. IAmLost in the blackOf another heart attackGone way off trackAnd I didn’t ever askFor the shit that you give meAnd you only want to hit meWith […]

Portraying Mental States in Literature

For those of you who’ve read my first novel, 22 Scars, it should be no secret that many of my characters are, for lack of a better term, pretty messed up. From chronic depression to alcohol abuse and violent anger, the personalities present in my work range from the dark to the demented. Except not really. […]

Making Up Music

One of the best parts of my new book is that it involves a fictitious band, The Broken. Part of the story is their rise to fame and subsequent fall from grace following an attempted murder/suicide of two teenage boys, but more of it involves the people in the band, and their own personal struggles […]

New Year, New Book, New Hopes

Happy New Year, all! As we ring in 2019, it occurs to me that 22 Scars was written in the early months of 2017 – nearly two years ago. And as much as I spent much of 2018 working on the third installment of my fantasy series, The Redemption of Erâth (despite much of that having been written in […]

The Difficult Business of Selling Your Work

I first published my debut YA novel, 22 Scars, in late October last year (2017). My best period of sales and reviews was in the following months, until something like March or April of 2018. And while I’ve continued to garner reviews and a few sales since (I’m up to 84 ratings on Goodreads), it’s come … Continue reading The Difficult Business of Selling Your Work

Happy Anniversary to 22 Scars!

A year ago today, 22 Scars was first made available on Kindle and Apple Books (with the print version released a week later)! Tackling serious issues such as teenage depression, abuse, self-harm and suicide, I knew from the outset that it wasn’t going to be for everyone – and I’ve had plenty of reviews that … Continue reading Happy Anniversary to 22 Scars!

I’m Sorry, But I Can’t Apologize

I came across a review of 22 Scars today (odd that it was published all the way back in July), and possibly for the first time, it bothered me. The reviewer, who goes by Addy, does note that they felt the book was important to discuss, but then goes on to explain why they weren’t able … Continue reading I’m Sorry, But I Can’t Apologize

End of the Road: A Tribute

At 7:44 this morning, I lost a friend. I don’t like to use phrases like ‘passed away’, or ‘in a better place’; I don’t like to paint the brutality of his suffering with a soft brush. He had cancer for two years, and this morning he died. I’d known him for seven years. I will … Continue reading End of the Road: A Tribute

October Is Here, and I’m Giving Away 22 Scars

It’s October, which is probably Amy’s favorite month – it’s autumn enough to feel the fall chill and the changing of the colors, but it isn’t her birthday yet, which she hates. It’s a month when it’s considered acceptable to dress all in black, and no one bats an eye when you say there aren’t … Continue reading October Is Here, and I’m Giving Away 22 Scars

The Argument Against Reading

I often come across authors, writers, and others in the literary world asking—sometimes of themselves, sometimes of others—how much should a writer read? The general consensus seems to be ‘as much as possible,’ but I have a variation on that question that I sometimes ask myself: Should writers read at all? Now bear with me—I’m … Continue reading The Argument Against Reading