Ira Robinson's Blog, page 6

How to Feel Inspired to Write

I often see new and upcoming authors (and even more experienced ones) ask those of us who tend to be prolific the question of how we can feel inspired to write.

It’s a really big question, actually, and there are many different facets which go into the answer.

The first and foremost answer I can give is this: sometimes we’re not.

In fact, I think it’s fair to say that a lot of authors go through “dry spells” and moments where we just feel there is no juice in us to sit and write.

Life can get in the way, whether we like it or not, and that’s okay.  Personally, I feel if I pressure myself to get words down, those words may come, but they may not be the best words I can do, and that does a disservice to both my readers and myself.

Sometimes, if we have just come off a large project, such as a novel or series of short stories, a break is needed to help the mind rest and recover before moving on to another.

For me, this is usually a couple of weeks before I feel I am set to hit the pages again.

That doesn’t mean I stop working entirely, though.  There is always marketing, schmoozing, editing and so on needing attention, and those particular things never seem to end.

That being said, there are some ways I have learned work for me, and I thought I would share them with you here in the hopes it will help you get through any dry spells you may be encountering.

I’ve been writing since I was very young (starting at about age 8), and one thing I have learned over the course of those years is to train my brain into certain habits which ease me into the “writing mode” and away from the other “procrastinator mode.”

One of those is music.

Music is My Answer

Below, you will find a playlist I have created on my YouTube channel that contains about 300 hours’ worth of music I write to.

It is by no means an exhaustive list, but it will give a good start, I think, to anyone seeking to use this method.

I highly recommend using music to help you get into the mood to write, but there is one thing I would warn about.

Don’t use music that has more than scant lyrics.

The main reason I suggest this is because if I listen to music with lyrics, I invariably find what I am writing is being influenced by the story being told in the songs I am hearing.  I want my own story coming out, influenced by me, and not by whatever thing I happen to be listening to at that moment in time.

I tend to gravitate toward rock instrumentals, postmodern/shoegaze rock, epic scores and that type of thing.

Here’s my playlist.

 

 

Basically, my brain has become trained to know when I hear that kind of music, I am in writing mode, and after only a few minutes’ worth of time, I am already tapping at the keys with one idea or another going.

Another music type of thing I use is a website called myNoise.

The site was designed to help create atmospheric and ambient tones and sounds as a relaxation aid, external noise cancellation aid, that type of thing.

They have a huge set of sounds available to listen to, and, if you are a patron to them (costs about $5.00 to get it going and is a lifetime thing), you also get access to special “channels” they have created.

These “channels” are amazing.  What they do is select 5 different soundscapes from their collection tagged with different types of themes, and animate the sounds in random ways to create special “music” fitting a different genre.

One of the channels I have fallen in love with is one called “Space Odyssey” and has a large soundscape of space and science fiction type of sounds, all randomized in gentle ways and playing softly in the background.

So, for instance, as I write this article, I am hearing musical tones, interspersed with gentle beeps and hums of a spaceship bridge, while the soft crackle of a “numbers station” wanes and wefts around.

It’s really amazing to listen to, and I know in just a couple of minutes the soundscape will change in tone and timbre to something new.

Every time you load the page, something new happens with it, and it’s always interesting to listen to as it changes.

For those not interested in a channel like that, they also have a nature sound channel, with blowing winds passing through the leaves of a forest, while a brook babbles softly somewhere nearby.  Maybe as the sounds of footsteps across the leaves on the ground happen, you will hear a distant rainfall start up.

And that, too, will change every few minutes as the atmosphere warps at random, yet all coherently.

It’s a really cool site, and one I can’t recommend highly enough.

Something else you can do is have your writing space established as a permanent thing.

What I mean by this is, wherever you write, make it that way all the time.

Again, this is a way to help train your brain to know whenever you enter that specific space in your home or office, you are going to be in the writing mood, and it will actively engage most of the time.

While I do not have a specific space I go to when I write, I do use a special machine to write on, and that alone helps me get into the frame of mind I need.

My Freewrite is for writing only and has no distractions built into it in any way.  I know when that device is sitting in front of me, it’s time to write, and my brain shifts right to it.

Using these techniques can help you get into “writing mode” any time you need, even when you do not feel particularly inspired at that moment in time.

I hope this helps.  Later, I will do another article specifically about different ways you can find inspiration.

 

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The post How to Feel Inspired to Write appeared first on Original Worlds.

A Look Back On My Writing Year

 

The ground is covered in snow and I swear I can hear the bunnies beneath the porch snoozing the winter away.

We are already halfway through December, and I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by.  I’ve spent a lot of the year with my fingers on the keys of my little Freewrite putting words on the e-ink screen.

This year has been a productive one for me, with a lot of changes I have done in my personal and professional life to try to facilitate making the best use of my time, not only for myself, but for my family, as well.

As I think about what all has happened in the past year, and the crazy ride my author side and my radio side have been taking, I find myself a little bit shocked that I have done what I have.

Just before the first of January, 2017, I began writing “Voices Carry,” the second book in the Takiq Cycle and the sequel to “Silent Steps.”  I put the final words into that titan at the beginning of  March.

I could not believe how fast the words came out and how much of the story transformed as it went.  Writing it took a fair bit out of me, but I was happy with it overall.

Normally, I set a book I have written aside for a few weeks before doing any kind of editing on it, because it gives my mind a chance to step away from it and come back to it with fresh eyes and a better perspective.  I thought I would do a couple of quick projects before diving in to the edits on that particular book.

I put my concentration into my radio shows for a while, and, I believe, the change of pace did me some good.  It was only a matter of a couple of weeks before I got the writing bug again, coming up with the idea of writing “Haunted: Finding an Explanation for the Unknown.”

Now, bear in mind, it was during that particular part of the year I started to get really sick, and it was only the beginning of a cycle of illness that kept coming throughout the first half of the year.  I went through the flu, a cold, a sinus infection and stomach flu one after the other.

With all of that going on, it became difficult to do the radio shows, because a lot of my energy was simply sapped away.

So, I decided to concentrate on writing to get me through.

After “Haunted” was completed, I thought I should get to editing “Voices Carry.”  However, before getting a chance to do it, another book idea struck me, and it was one I just could not resist doing.

That book became “Penitence,” and I have to be honest, it was exceedingly difficulty to write.

Not because of the verbiage used in the book or any plot concerns, though.  It was difficult because a lot of stress on our family was happening and I had to spend a lot of time and energy concentrating on getting things resolved.

“Penitence” ended up taking me far longer to write than I would have liked, and, frankly, took me to some dark places in my mind to get the right tone of the story going.

By the time it was done, I felt I could do nothing else for a while.  I needed time to recoup.

Well, that lasted all of a week before I felt the craving to write again.

“The Eternals Game” was the result of that craving.

The timing was good for me to try to fit it into NaNoWriMo this year, so I decided to participate in it for the first time.  The outline for the book was monstrous, taking up over 17000 words (a fairly large short story in and of itself!), but that gave me a chance to write the book very quickly.

I put the final words into “The Eternals Game” within 21 days of starting it, and I am really happy with the results of it.  It was a story I have had in the back of my mind for an exceedingly long time, and it’s good to have finally gotten it out on the page.

As you can see, it’s been quite a productive year for me.

During this period of time, I decided, as well, to cut the amount of time I do radio shows down by a couple of days, simply because of the amount of time both writing and radio takes up.  It’s difficult to give full creativity to two different creative processes at the same time, and, though I adore doing my radio shows, I also want my dream of being a successful author to be a reality, and that is where I decided to focus.

It was also during this year I did a lot of freelance work.  I ended up ghostwriting 3 books for other people this year, as well as many articles for the web and other things along those lines.

I think I also came up with 12 different short stories and flash fiction writings, too, all of which you can find on my website for free.

Will next year be just as creative? We’ll see.  I know in the first months of the year, both “Voices Carry” and “The Eternals Game” will be published (my publishers are amazing!) and I am already putting the skeleton together for my next book.

I’m just glad my family loves to support my insanity!

 

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The Eternals Game is DONE!

For those that are not aware, I began writing my new novel, tentatively titled “The Eternals Game” at the beginning of November, 2017.

I am proud to announce its completion, as of November 21, 2017!

I was really surprised at how fast the book came out of me, and, though it was written so rapidly, in reality, the book itself came out of an idea I had about 10 years ago.

During that period of time, I would “practice” my writing skill by creating writing prompts, and then write a first chapter of a book based on that writing prompt.

Most o the time, they were complete crap and will never see the light of day. I still have some of them stored on dust-covered DVD-R’s on my bookshelf and there they will likely stay.

Some of them, however, were pretty good and I kept them around on my hard drive.

Most of the time, they are ignored completely, but once in a while (maybe once every 6 months or so), I find myself going through the text files to see if there is anything that sparks with me.

One of them I simply titled “Stephen” and contained about 500 words of really interesting things. I knew there was a story to be found in it, somewhere. I could feel it waiting, just beyond the edge of the words which were written into the file, but I did not know what it could be or where it would go.

After I finished writing “Penitence” and completed the editing on it, as well as “Voices Carry,” the second book in the Takiq Cycle, I wanted to do a story different from the dark way Penitence turned out.

My past 3 novels involved females as the protagonists and it had been some time since I wrote from mainly a masculine perspective. So, when I started hunting through my imagination for my next book, I realized Stephen was there waiting for me.

I spent a few days building an outline for the story, putting in much more information than I usually do for such things. The outline, in fact, ended up being over 17,000 words long, a hefty short story or novella in its own right.

If you followed me on my NaNoWriMo journey, you know I wrote furiously fast with this book, and I am very pleased with how it came out. I think a lot of the reason I was able to do as much as I did as fast as I did was because I had the extensive outline sitting there waiting, all I had to do was flesh out the words.

Writing paranormal fantasy is a fun venture, and I will definitely do it again. It lets you go to places the normal science fiction or fantasy genres won’t allow, and you can do some really cool things with it.

I have not started editing the book as of yet. I will likely start in on that after the holidays are over. In general, I prefer to leave a book sit for a few weeks between writing and editing so I can come at it with fresher eyes and see the flaws easier.

If I am able to get it done to my satisfaction, I will send it to my publisher after the first of the year and see what happens.

Maybe by the middle of 2018, you’ll be able to read it for yourself. I’m excited to see what you all think.

Thank you for supporting my words, and for being there as I continue this journey of exploration I am on. I hope you are enjoying the ride.

 

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Would I Do NaNoWriMo Again?

Although NaNoWriMo has been around for a long time now, and I have been a writer throughout the time it has existed, this is the first year I have participated.

The reasons for it are varied, but mostly it comes down to the fact I write when I am inspired, which is quite often, but I also need some time between projects to let myself recoup a bit.

During the 2017 year (so far!), I have written 3 novels and a non-fiction book. While non-writers out there might think that’s not a lot, believe me, folks, it is a lot of typing, and it sometimes takes as long to edit a book as it does to write it. Occasionally even more.

Also in that time, I have written quite a number of short stories and flash fiction, as well as articles for my websites and hosting radio shows (as well as being a guest on a bunch).

in other words, it takes a lot of time to do this kind of work.

Oh, include in the above books written 2 OTHER books that I did ghostwriting for, and you see how this kind of thing adds up swiftly.

While this year has been a little more productive than some years past, it’s still about the average amount of work I do in any given time period.

So, when NaNoWriMo comes around, I am usually between projects or already deep in the midst of one and would be a little unfair to participate.

This year just happened to coincide with the start of a new novel, “The Eternals Game” and I thought it would be a good chance to give it a go.

While it has been an interesting quest thus far, and I have, in fact, already beaten the challenge, I’ve been asked by a few people if I would do it again, perhaps next year.

My simple answer would be, “Probably not.”

Don’t get me wrong, here. It’s a good program, and has been interesting to do, but there are a few factors I would like to address with it.

The first is that it simply does not fit my style in the best of ways.

See, I am a person who already writes rather prolifically. It’s “what I do.” But the way I do it does not really work that well with the NaNo situation.

I work on a project, but there are some days where I am “not with it” for whatever reason. Maybe I wrote a few chapters the day before and am a little burned out from that particular bit of story, or I need to let it ruminate further before setting to again.

When that happens, I will either take the day off, or will write a short story or flash fiction. Maybe spend the majority of the day marketing or something along those lines.

Second, given the things I do aside from writing, there are some days I simply can’t dedicate to writing.

For instance, if I am going to be hosting a show that day and a particular guest needs a lot of research on my part, I will have to spend a lot of time doing that work before airing live. If I am soloing that day, it’s especially that case.

I’m also a dad and a husband, and there are some days I simply have to take to dedicate myself to them, and will not write that day at all.

The trouble I have with NaNo, personally, is that with those things above, it has the psychological effect of burning me out quickly.

Even if I am dedicating the same amount of writing each day as I would have otherwise, the thought “I HAVE TO WRITE!” is so much a part of it, it becomes a chore instead of a joy.

And that is my whole purpose of writing. It is my joy.

I don’t want to step away from a novel I have written and think to myself, “I dislike this baby.” And that’s what my novels are. They are my brain babies.

Does everyone feel this way about NaNoWriMo? No, there are many who absolutely love it, and I do not begrudge them that at all. In fact, I am glad for them.

The program is a good one, and I am glad it exists to help those who otherwise wouldn’t to write their first (or whatever) novel.

It’s just not for me, I think.

We’ll see how things are come next year. If I am in the mood, I may try again just to see what happens. After all, I always say I’ll try anything twice.

Either way, The Eternals Game is nearly completed. I have about 6 more chapters if I stick to outline to go before it is ready for editing, and I am very happy with how it has come out.

I think you will be too.

 

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The Eternals Game and NaNoWriMo Update

We’re halfway through November already (Wait… already? Holy crap!) and I thought it would be a good time to update everyone on my NaNoWriMo exploits, and let you know about some interesting things going on with The Eternals Game.

One of the purposes of NaNoWriMo is to write, within a 30 day period, a novel with 50000 words or more.

As those of my frequent readers can attest, my books often range in the 70-120k word range.  Sometimes, it will take me a two month period of time to write a novel, but I try to not push myself into just doing “words” with a lot of fluff.  I want each word to really mean something for my readers.

The challenge with NaNo is to tighten up the time writing.  What I’ve found different with it is that I have been doing more “sprinting” with this novel than I usually do, which has taken my writing into strange directions I am not accustomed to.

A personal goal for me when I write is to put down at least 1500 words in a day, and, normally, I overtake that mark in a big way.  I tend to average more along the lines of 2500 words, and have quite a few days where I go over 5000.

“The Eternals Game” has had many more of those 2500+ days than usual.  Because of that, I have had to take extra time making sure it’s tight and concise, so I have found myself editing a little bit more as I write, insttead of letting the words pour out to later edit, as I am used to.

I’ve officially hit that 50000 word mark with Eternals, and still have some chapters to go before it is finished.  I can “feel good” knowing I have completed the challenge already, especially knowing so many others end up drifting away from it before they “win,” and it has been an interesting experience for sure.

Will I do it again next year? Perhaps, if the timing is good, as it was this time around.  I’m not sure on it, as yet.

I will do a separate update tomorrow on my reasons I may not go through it again.

Either way, I hope all of your own writing challenges, should you choose to accept them, go well for you!

 

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The Feeling of Holding Your First Book

Today marks the day my 7th book, “Penitence,” is being released world-wide.  My second one released this year, as well (Haunted: Finding an Explanation for the Unknown was published in July).

Coincidentally, earlier today I saw a post from someone on a Facebook group for authors I am in that asked what it was like when we who have been published held our first published book.

I thought it would be interesting to share my own experience with it.  Why? Because, why not?

While it was not the first book I published, the first one I actually received as a copy from my publishers was Silent Steps, the first book in the Takiq series.

It was one year ago, almost to the day today, that I got that book in the mail and felt it.  Touched it.  Smelled it.

I turned the pages, going from one to the next, reading the words written on the paper and I was … shocked? I guess that is the right word for it.

I could not believe, after so many years of trying to find publishers, trying to work through the fears and disempowerment I had gone through each time I wrote something down, that there I was, holding my own book in my hands.

I actually ended up crying a little bit.  Not in that moment, because it was too overwhelming and there were other things I had to process.  But, later that night, after everyone went to bed and I was sitting up with it next to me on my desk, I picked it back up again and held it to my chest, realizing the moment had come when I actually could feel like I had done something worthwhile.  It was then the tears began to flow.

It has been my dream, since I was a small child, to have people read the stories I write.  I went through some real nightmare situations to get to the point I could actually offer up the words to a publisher and, to my great surprise, have them accept them.

Did I feel I “made it”? No, I knew the hard part was still to come.  But I felt a great relief.  A huge weight lifted from me, knowing I had a chance.  I had done what I had always dreamed of doing.

I shared my worlds, shared the visions in my head, shared the people living inside of me.

I was home.

That’s what holding my first book meant to me.  I had come home.

I still feel the exact same way when I hold that book, and all of the other books I have published.

I know I will feel it again when my copy of “Penitence” comes in and I pull it from the box.

Thank you all for helping to make all of it possible.

 

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The Hardships of Getting Started…

I posted this on my Facebook page a couple of weeks ago, and thought I would share it here, as well.  This is the situation a lot of authors go through when they try to write.

As I prep myself to start writing my new novel, “The Eternals Game,” I realize I am going through “That moment” again.

I have always been a writer. I love to tell stories, to bring people to a special place they only share with me. I love to make my readers think, feel, BE there.

BUT…

I also feel I suck. I feel I cannot do this. I feel I am not worthy of anyone opening up my books and reading even a single word.

You see, years ago, I was together with a person who found pleasure in bringing me down. She took great pains to make me feel as bad as she could, and, before the end came, she took everything I had written and tossed it all to the fire.

Gone. Everything gone in a moment. All of my little brain children destroyed.

It took a long time for me to recover from it, but I finally did and started to put my fingers on the keys again to let words flow.

A few years later, another woman I was together with decided, in a moment of rage and petulance, to destroy everything, before leaving the relationship. She took everything – computer, backups, clothes, you name it. The only thing I had left was the clothes I wore to work that day and the car I drove to get there.

After that, it took nearly 10 years before I wrote a single word again.

Now, whenever I start a new project, I find myself with the argument in my head. It’s a familiar one, one that is almost comfortable, in a sick sort of way.

“I suck. I can’t do this. No one cares. No one will ever like what you do. Why even try?”

It goes on from there.

Fear really is a terrible thing. When that fear is from a traumatic experience (or experiences), it makes us feel things about ourselves we would never have felt otherwise.

It’s disempowering, it leads us to believe things about ourselves we do not deserve.

I’ve learned how to push through it all, and I do not let it stop me, but I thought, since it is something I am going through right now, I would share it with you, because I do not think I am alone.

Whatever you are going through, whatever pain you have in your past, in your heart, in your subconscious, don’t let it control you. Don’t let those people who victimized you before to keep victimizing you now.

Show them you are, in spite of their petty ways and horrible actions, something they will never understand.

Please, share this with people you know need to hear these words. You never know who is needing it right now.

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NaNoWriMo Update and “The Eternals Game”

Well, folks, another day has passed and I have another set of writing completed.

As you might have read in my update yesterday, I started doing NaNoWriMo this year, mostly because of the coincident timing of it all.  So far, I am quite pleased with how the book is turning out.

This one was a weird one for me.  You see, I always do an outline when I am working on a novel project, and this time was, of course, no exception.

However, I will admit I went a little overboard on the outline with “The Eternals Game” (That’s the tentative title for this new one).

While I usually dedicate a fair amount of space to an outline, my previous word record for them was about 6000 words.  This time? 17000 words.

“Oh my goodness, Ira,” I can hear you saying.  “That’s just excessive!”

Yes, dear reader, it certainly is.

However, it has definitely given me a chance to really flow with this book, shockingly quick, in fact.

Right now, the book is sitting at just shy of 31000 words and I am at a little less than the halfway mark, Chapter wise (at least, if I stick fully to the outline).  My fingers are a tad sore, but that’s not unexpected.

I expect I will, if I keep up the pace, have the book done by the end of November, and can then move on to a couple of other projects that have been kicking around in my head.

Thursday may be a slower writing day for me, since I have 2 different shows to record and broadcast, but we’ll see what happens. If i can get more done in the morning hours, I will probably meet my goal for the day.

Oh, I did get some really good news today, as well!

 

Penitence, my new book coming out on Friday, is now available for pre-order!

If you guys want to grab it before everyone else, you can find it on Amazon!

 

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My NaNoWriMo Journey So Far…

As some of you may already know, I have decided to take part in NaNoWriMo this year.

I decided to do this (my first time, in fact) since the timing of it was good.  I already had the outline created for my new book, “The Eternals Game,” and figured, with the coincidental timing of it all, I may as well take part in the journey.

The story so far is going really well.  I am just shy of 30,000 words overall and am currently on Chapter 18 (out of a planned 36), so I guess I am officially at the halfway mark, chapter wise.  I think, in the end, it will have about 90,000 words total.  Very respectable, I think, for a speculative fiction title.

One of my fellow authors posted a questionnaire about how the journey thus far is going, and I thought it might be interesting for all of you who follow me to know how it’s going.

With that in mind, here you go!

1. Overall, how is your mental state, and how is your novel going?

Mentally, I am doing just fine, if a bit frazzled.  That, however, is not due to the novel or the writing process, but a matter of external things which have been happening around us lately.

The novel itself is flowing really well, a thing I am extremely grateful for.  Sometimes, I have trouble when starting out a novel, and this one was no exception.  But, once I got started, it’s been good.

2. What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?

Bear in mind, it’s raw…

The little boy stood, watching the sun edge above the horizon.  With each degree it rose, the light reflected brighter from the tears dripping down his cheeks.

 

3. Who’s your current favorite character in your novel?

I think it would have to be Tris, the ghost of the sister of the main character.  She has been a really intriguing part of the story, full of mystery and a background that is… ambiguous.  A lot of fun to write from the perspective of a departed spirit.

4. What do you love about your novel so far?

I always have loved telling the stories of departed spirits and what they might be thinking on the other side.  This book incorporates a lot of that in it, so it’s been a very interesting, if trying at times, book for me to write.

5. Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes?

I am a prolific typo-ist.  I feel very sorry for my poor wife, who has to proofread everything.

6. What is your favorite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?

Beginnings are, I think, the funnest part for me.  I once met Stephen King, and he told me, when I asked him what the most important part of the story is, he told me the first sentence has to grab the reader or it’s done.

So I spend a lot of time crafting the perfect way to hook readers in from the very first word.

7. What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? 

Music, for me, is probably one of the most important components when I write.

I set up massive playlists of music to write to, and while I like most genres of music overall, what I prefer to write to is things that are only or heavy on the instrumentals.  This way, the words in the lyrics don’t interfere with or change the tone of what I am writing.

However, the music itself is important since it helps me to get into a flow, to disconnect from myself for a bit and just zen out to the music while the words spew out.

There’s no specific time i write.  Instead, I go with when the inspiration or urge hits me to start going.  That could be an hour after I wake, or a few hours before sleep.

That being said, I do set myself goals.  I used to demand I write 1500 words per day when I have a project going, but, since I beat that almost every time, I have slowly increased it to 2000 words.  I don’t punish myself if I do not reach it, but I do feel a little guilty.

I do think, though, my “best time” to write tends to be in the evening, after everyone else has already gone to sleep.  Keeps the distractions to a minimum.

No specific snacks.  I eat when I am hungry (or remember I haven’t eaten).

8. How private are you about your novel while you’re writing? Do you need a cheer squad or do you work alone (like, ahem, Batman)?

This depends.

I do have someone proofread for me, because of my vision issues.  That person is primarily my wife, Jolene, who has learned to speak my version of fluent typo.

I don’t need a cheer squad, per se, but I do enjoy sharing out things I have found cool or fun in the story without giving anything away.

9. What keeps you writing even when it’s hard?

I think my habit of 2000+ words per day has sort of trained me out of not writing when it gets hard.  If I don’t hit that goal, I feel guilty, which helps to push me even when I don’t necessarily feel up to it.

I also heavily outline before starting to put words into the novel, which, I think, helps me to avoid any writers block, and helps push me each time I sit down to write.

Not to say it isn’t hard sometimes, but I’ve learned to work past it.

10. What are your top 3 pieces of writing advice?

Look through my site to find  a lot of writing advice

Penitence OFFICIAL RELEASE November 10, 2017!

I am pleased to announce the official release date for my new book, “Penitence,” has been set for NOVEMBER 10, 2017!

I will have the links for pre-ordering soon and will post them the moment they become available, but I am so excited for this book to finally be unleashed upon the world.

When I got the idea for “Penitence,” I thought it might just turn out to be a fascinating piece of short fiction, something I could quickly write and give to people to entertain them.

However, as the words started to come out, I realized this book was taking on a life of its’ own and there would be no turning back until it was done.

And when it was finally finished? Boy, I was surprised at what came out of me.

The book is disturbing, it is apt to twist the mind, and it will shock you.  It will evoke emotions you may not have felt before for a book.

It will also show you what love can do.

Pick up “Penitence” in paperback or eBook on November 10 and discover how life can changed dramatically when a horrible choice has to be made.

 

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