Shai August's Blog, page 4

Black & Romantic: Featured Author Kelly Violet

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Favorite month of the year? Why?

That would have to be April. It's my birthday month. But it's also a time when we start climbing out of the miserable weather of winter. So, that's why springtime is hands down my favorite season.

Pen name or real name? Why?

I think this is one of the first extremely personal and important decisions to make as an author. Since I work in education, I decided to go with a pen name.

Which genre of books do you read the least? Why?

Nonfiction as a whole. I love the escapism of fiction, romance in particular. Because of that I tend to read exclusively romance and its many subgenres.

How do you work through writer's block?

I am building up my habits of working on more than one story at a time. When I am stuck on one then I move on to the next until the ideas start rolling in again. I have a few subgenres I'm currently dabbling in, so that process works for me really well.

Do you have a writing routine? If yes, what is it?

I have been reading books on craft and increasing my daily word count. One book in particular mentioned getting your writing out of the way at the start of your day. That way you feel productive right at the beginning and anything else is gravy. I try my best to follow this advice. Usually I'll spend the morning (1 hour) working on one story and then the evening working on another. I am still a night owl after all.

Which one of your characters do you most identify with?

There's something within all my characters that I identify with; however, I would have to say Rae from The Names You Call Me/The Love You Give Me. Throughout her life, she often feels like she doesn't belong, and it's one of the reasons she gravitated to literature and writing. I really enjoyed teasing out the facets of her personality.

Favorite distraction from writing?

I love watching movies and listening to music. My all-time favorite thing to do besides writing is reading. I love digging into a book and escaping for several hours.

Cliffhanger or happily ever after?

HEA, amiright?! But seriously, I love a satisfying happy ending. One that makes you feel hopeful and gooey inside.

Favorite romance trope?

One of my favorite tropes would have to be second chance. These stories appeal to me because they tend to have elements of the past weaved into how the present plays out. Do you forgive and forget? Do you let go of past mistakes (yours and theirs) and open yourself up to that person again? I love getting into the minds of both characters and see how they work through those questions.

What are you currently working on? What do you plan to do in the future?

My latest novel released on May 22; it's called Heal Me Gently (The Reawakening Series, Book 3). I am also working on a steamy contemporary novella to be included in an anthology. And this will be my first anthology, so I'm super excited about that. Lastly, I'll return to Book 4 of The Reawakening Series which I hope will have a late summer release. 

Kelly’s Link Farm

Website: https://www.kellyviolet.com/  

FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKellyViolet/  

Reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/KellyVioletReaders/ 

Mailing list: http://bit.ly/KVsubscribe

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-violet  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/kellyviolet  Twitter: https://twitter.com/KViolet_Author

IG: https://www.instagram.com/kellyvioletauthor/

Amazon page: author.to/KellyViolet 

Books2read: https://books2read.com/ap/8Z2p38/Kelly-Violet 

my lost fortnight with covid-19, part 1

I had no intention of even talking about this, like maybe a cliff note of a tweet...'I was sick. I'm better...' or something along those lines.

But my friend Gail who I've had in my life twenty-something years was like "Tell your story!! We hear about so many people who get sick and never get better...blah.blah.blah." and her personality is one thousand times more forceful than mine sometimes so here is My Lost Fortnight with Covid-19, the unabridged version.

It started off like a regular week. Me worried about my main goals - making money, paying off my SUV, and hitting my word count.

Basically, make money and tell stories. What my life as a writer distills down to at the essence.

Those aren't my only goals, those are the Covid-19 adjusted goals I adapted part way through the year, so I didn't feel terrible about not accomplishing all that I'd envisioned for the year. Even after my recent mid-year goal review, (which looked good) I still worried.

BITN is book nine, in the Rare and Unknown series, and even though I know all the specifics.... The alpha. The mate. The where. The how. I know their love better than I know my own love, I'm feeling behind.

I'm deep into writing my next paranormal romance/epic urban fantasy novel, Bachelor In The North. shameless plug here…. (buy my books)

I can see my kanban board which is my blueprint to my books and productivity with its lists of chapters remaining to be fleshed out staring at me, and no matter what I was doing; it felt like I was just throwing words at the board and nothing was sticking.

Let me start with I have suffered headaches my whole life.

No, let me be clear, I've suffered headaches - tension, pressure, hunger, sinus, Shirley Caesar scream you name it and that headache has become me. Migraines with auras and without, menstrual migraines since age eleven, I mean the entire gamut of headaches up to a stint with cluster migraines.

Let me say it like this if the wind blows too hard outside and I haven't eaten a sandwich while doing the perfect quarter turn rotation in my chair while holding a golf pencil of the perfect length and half a Cajun roast beef and baby wheel Swiss sandwich, my head is like a foreman shutting shit down.

So this terrible headache descends, and it gets progressively worse over the course of hours not days. I know it's bad because I want to cut all my hair off. Not just the eggplant purple and white waist length braids I was rocking (because I’m magical), I mean my own hair sheared off right at the scalp in a baldy.

No matter how I held my head, my hair and braids felt like loose Velcro trying to escape my scalp. Ponytails? Hurt. Bun? Hurt. Loose. Hurt. I napped twice Day One. I napped four times Day Two.

I try all the meds I have and know and in combinations that would probably astound medical professionals. Illegal dosages of ibuprofen and acetaminophen combined with things I probably shouldn't even have.

Nothing is working.

I'm feeling cotton headed at some point, I suspect from the borderline overdose levels of OTC meds and I'm drinking water like I should be hooked up to a hydrant and have a hose inserted inside.

While all of this is happening, it’s just Day Three of The Worst Sinus Headache Ever and me being me - I'm trying to work too.

Let me explain. I work from home. I don't even want a job if I can't do it from home. I hate going in the office, I hate the politics involved, but most of all I hate daily socializing with people I've already met and yes judged. I already know I'm going to dislike many of the people there because if you've worked a lot of jobs like me you can spot the types.

Look, I'm not a hermit. I wasn't raised in a barn even though if you ask my Uncle Bubba he may tell you different, I have all the socialization skills needed to thrive in the workplace, but I hate doing them. It feels too performative, and such a waste of a good day genuflecting to the old black lady who wants you to call her Miss Whatever or Aunt Such and Such. Listening to the war stories from Mr. I've Retired Three Times but my Wife Won't Let Me Stay Home. Having to be nice to Regina George of the Office Plastics. All while escaping the ire of the Office Dragon who may also double as the Gatekeeper and Holder of Snack Fortunes. Let us not fail to mention Darth Susan or Darth Karen or Darth Bill too who maybe lowkey racist or just bored, you can never tell, and their hatred all feels like a blanket of moth balls anyway.

Just let me log in, bang out whatever technical ideas or words you need or be an automaton, plug me in and let me run for specified amount of time and then let me go. I don't derive pleasure from the process of working anymore, it does not define me, and it has never been the extant of my social circle.

Back to the Covid-19, I'm probably short tempered with people on the phone. I'm trying not to be but whatever. I'm having The Worst Sinus Headache Ever, insert hand claps and rolls of thunder between each word. I think I even tweeted that I felt like a dainty southern belle with cold compresses and a line of pile bottles. Finally, I have my daughter cut my braids to my shoulders for relief, and I am like a pit crew removing braids so fast it blurred the eyes.

I feel a thousand pounds lighter with the braids gone, but my head is still being hammered open on an anvil by a Peter Dinklage like dwarf working on Thor's new power tool of office.

Day Five and that's when it happened, it went from being The Worst Sinus Headache Ever to something more because now my underlying bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis has been triggered. I start hitting my rescue inhaler like a crackhead on a pipe and it is insufficient.

It’s late. Before all of this, I’d be like I’m tired, but I can sleep when I’m dead and keep pushing until this post was seven thousand words and done, but now that I have been faced with my own mortality…. This is the end of Part 1, because energy levels are a thing that in my post-Covid-19 body that I have to respect.

Again go buy a book…or join my sticker club…or just become a Patreon.





































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Have you Swiped Right on Indian Matchmaking?

My Netflix queue has been getting all that work as I’ve procrastiwatched. Ridiculous amounts of television has been consumed in the August household; everything from Good Witch to The Blacklist to Quantico to Black Lightning.

The show I can't stop talking about is Indian Matchmaking. When I say I can't stop talking about it, I mean going so far as to find myself sliding in other people's DMs asking if they watched, putting out a call on social media for people who've watched it. Then sliding in their DMs to discuss and recap. Recruiting people into my addiction, I’m a terrible person, I know but I have always loved the idea and the concept of a matchmaker. For some of us, love is a treacherous thing and we aren't good at separating what our heart feels from the logical part of our brain from the rampant sex organs that distract us. Some want more of a marriage than simple love between two souls, they want to build a dynasty, acquire or take advantage, or maintain generational wealth, ensure that children any children produced have a better chance through DNA for such things as height, looks, and medical futures.

As a romance writer we try to merge the ambitions of the mind and maybe even family, as well as future desires with the compatibility the heart craves and this show features all of that IRL…This show! I swear gives me multilayered feels, like a multi-layer cake of emotions.

Layer One

Layer One is the mothers, and it’s thick, packed with conflict and shades of familial obedience, great expectations, and worst of all hard to swallow. Watching the opening sequence with Akshay's mother, Preeti is cringe inducing. The way Preeti or at least Akshay was rejecting women felt life a real-life game of Swipe Left. With the exception of Rupam’s father and maybe Nadia’s parents, they all exuded for the most part helicopter/tiger moms pushing a familial agenda over happiness.

No matter the family whether here in the US or in India, they all wanted the exact same thing, never giving room for personal preferences or personalities to shine through. Ankita never even got a match, and she’s amazing, funny, and driven but she didn’t fit the ideal submissive, get along to get along daughter most of these families wanted. It was finding a girl, or a guy and fit them into this mold that will best fit the standard all these other families are striving to attain. It's a whole 'Keeping Up with the Joneses' attitude or in this case 'Keeping Up with the Joshi', but in marital form. I always felt like the list or lists became an unerringly long of qualifications, but the producers trimmed it down for time.

Layer Two

Layer Two is Auntie Sima herself, she’s like a tart Meyer lemon; definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. One of her first statements on the show is basically saying, if this doesn't work out, don't hold me culpable; I think her actual words were "My efforts are meaningless if the stars are not aligned."

Sima is very honest and upfront about how a person will be viewed on the marriage market. How well they will fit into that "mold." Taller is better, wealthier is better, slimmer is better, fairer skinned is better. Single and never married is better. Educated, but not too educated is better. Or like the title of the first episode, "Slim, Trim, and Educated."

And she tells us that marriage is between two families not two people, and the logical part of me agrees. The romance writer in my heart is like the old lady in the Geico commercial saying "that's not how it works..." because I want to believe that two people together and in love can conquer the world.

Layer Three

Layer Three is a rich, decadent slab of chocolate because this is an original show with brown people; even though the show glosses over the Indian caste system with maybe a twenty second explainer during one episode.  I know this is superficial, but I love the casual viewing of wealth on the show. With so much being said to denigrate countries with majority black or brown population a showcase of wealth will go a long way in the American psyche.

Layer Four

Layer Four pure white Costco sheet cake because no one turns down Costco cake when you bring it in the office. When you watch, you’ll be blown away by how genuine everyone seemed, (at least on camera ((with the exception of Aparna, who should get her own layer))). I rooted for them to find love all with the exception of Akshay, because it was transparently clear that he was not ready to be matched or settle down. Like the rest of the world, Nadia’s effervescent personality coupled with her loneliness, Ankita’s driven one personality, and Vyasar’s outsized personality drew me in with soft squishy hugs.

I can even understand Aparna’s exhaustive list of wants and needs, because when you’ve dated a lot of people like she (and I’ll confess myself) have – you have higher expectations of what you want AND need in a partner. And Aparna like myself seems to have a honed intuition about how well someone will fit into her life, and she is ruthless about making those decisions quickly.

Layer Five

Layer Five is the worst and smallest layer like a dry, overcooked tiramisu of this limited series is that we get no satisfactory conclusions. The show was filmed over a year before it was released, there was no recap show. No “where are they now…” or anything from Netflix. Lots of digital magazines from Oprah to Good Housekeeping have obtained interviews with the cast, but don’t give us long articles to read when we’ve gotten used to them on video.

I know being single, things not working out - that's a part of real-life dating, you go in with only an open heart and a million expectations.

I wanted Ankita to meet Vyasar, because I think with his “unconventional” background he would be open to her assertiveness and drive. I wanted true happiness for Rupam, because second chance romances are truly the best. I'll echo Auntie Sima's words here "My efforts are meaningless if the stars are not aligned." Which is a no money back policy if I've ever heard it.

*In My Toni Braxton Voice* "Seven Whole Days..."

Insert me moaning into a microphone… “seven whole days, without a word from me - seven whole nights, and you’re just about through…” Okay, it’s been more than seven days, more like thirty plus… and it feels like seven whole months…(deep sincere breath)…and I’m sorry.

I freely admit I’ve been a bad blogger/writer/communicator. I don’t want to blame the COVID-19 pandemic because I was slacking off before then.

And it’s not like I haven’t written great blog posts about writing, and reading, and life. And I even have guest posts, and features of other black authors and creatives! I HAVE ALL OF THAT! But I’ve just had the energy and stamina of a three toed sloth.

My life lately has just been a circular continuum of nap, think about food, binge watch detective shows, nap, work, nap, write, food, sleep, coffee, nap; unvaried for a couple of months now.

My brain is still going a mile a minute, but my body can’t keep up.

I’ve set aside this whole day to work on this site, and carve time out of my schedule weekly to be a better blogger and writer.

For such a pivotal year such as 2020, I had so many plans and goals about this website, my writing, my health, my finances and my life. When I say plans and goals, I do mean an exhaustive list of close to one hundred bullet pointed list of tasks, both large and small.

One of my YouTube obsessions is the channel, “How to Get Your Shit Together” and she just led a video called “DON'T WASTE 2020! Getting Back On Track With Your Goals. How To Reset Your Life - Mid Year Review” to help you complete a mid-year audit. Following her method, it took me close to an hour but I audited my planner and journal finding thirty-eight accomplishments.

My mid-year audit showed me a few things.

First, I’m not that far off from completing half the list which given the year we’ve had so far is a minor miracle.

Second, I have time to potentially finish that exhaustive, overly long and complicated list.

Third, I did a lot of the heavy lifting in the beginning of the year like getting this site up. The rest is just maintenance or follow-up like blog posts and other content.

I’m working on a plan to divide the rest of my tasks into more manageable bites and add to my Kanban board.

Have you done a midyear review? How are you doing on your 2020 goals? Have you fallen off? Are you winning 2020?

Kanban board in May…so much to do….

Hindsight & Magnum, P.I.

For my social media hiatus I decided that for my daily writing exercise I'd blog. Get ready for a lot of me posting…

I've been going deep in the Amazon Prime video archives and started watching a childhood favorite show Magnum, P.I.

I know it's male fantasy porn, but I loved this show even with its terrible acting, meandering story lines, vomit inducing pendulum swings from almost ribald comedy to it's dramatic story lines.

It also made me hate all the women who cried at a drop of a hat instead of trying to take action. The show stars my perennial crush Tom Selleck, and even with the almost indecent booty shorts, and super tight Wranglers/Lee jeans - he's still a brooding, tall drink of water.

Magnum is former Naval Intelligence and looks like a wet dream in all white. He's a good bumbling Columbo-like detective, but he ain't no Jessica Fletcher.

But the character of Magnum is in a word - a bum...he drives a borrowed car, lives in a friend's house rent free, works maybe ten days a month if that.

He has a bar tab the size of a mortgage.

He don't break down on gas money for a helicopter which even in the 80's had to be a fistful of dollars to fill up.

And his biggest failure for me as a romance writer is the man is a horn-dog.

Besides his looks and empathy, the man has no other redeeming qualities. He wouldn't make a good husband or provider or much of anything besides the occasional bed mate until you meet Mr. Right. Magnum is Mr. Last Night...

Between T.C. doing his "Hello Nurse" routine every single time a woman walks by and Magnum's open leering I don't understand why I loved this show so much.

In the words of my daughter, FlamingoLegs - my inner child is yelling at the logical part of my brain to "stop ruining our childhood!"

The deeper I get into the seasons, the more I identify with Higgins. When I was a kid I absolutely loathed Higgins as a character as odious and uptight. I now strive to be more Higgins than Magnum. What have I become...

TL:DR The theme song is still a bop. Tom Selleck is a hunk of a man. Magnum is a mediocre detective, and at best a one night stand.

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Black & Romantic: Featured Author Michelle De Leon

Michelle De Leon














1. Day job or full-time writer?

I currently have a day job that's lasted 18 years, but I'm working triple hard to become a full time.      author/screenwriter.  This global crisis has taught me there's no day like today and we have to use our precious time pursuing our dreams.

2. Biggest writing pet peeve?

I annoy my own self by having so many good ideas, but won't give myself ample time to work on them on a daily basis.  Once I'm on a roll, I really roll; but so much more could get accomplished by just taking 45 minutes a day to write.

3. Favorite month of the year and why?

I'm an April baby and I love when my birthday falls on Good Friday or Easter. I also love April because spring is a beautiful season.

4. Favorite vacation spot?

Cruising is a wonderful vacation in itself.  Docking at tropical islands is just the icing on the cake. 

5. Cliffhanger or happily ever after?

I prefer a HEA as a reward for making it to the end of a story. Fans of the characters will follow them to the next adventure if there's a sequel, but we don't always have time to complete a series of books as readers so making them standalones is more satisfying to many.

6. What's the most expensive thing you've purchased for your writing career?

Last week I bought Final Draft 11 for screenwriters. Pricey, but 95% of the industry uses it for creating scripts.

7. What are you currently working on? What do you plan to do in the future?

Right now I'm writing Souly Yours; a BWWM novel where a white gospel singer falls in love with a black medical student who is an atheist.  I hope to see it produced by Called Higher Studios where I'm an investor. I also have Protecting Mi Corazon and Love's Taken Over competing for Favourite Romance at www.booksoffice.com. You can download them for free {here} and then register for free as a reader to cast votes for one, the other or both! (Update voting deadline has been extended until September. Go Vote Today for Michelle!) 

Michelle’s Link Farm

Website - www.heavensscribemedia.com 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/heavensscribemedia 

Instagram - www.instagram.com/michelle_denise_ceo

Twitter - www.twitter.com/michellecreates 

Novella downloads _ www.smsnovel.com/product-page/a-couple-of-forevers 

Newsletter https://mailchi.mp/89161b1549b9/book-to-screen-booksofficecom

love, peace, & quarantine: a journal entry for week 6

quarantine journal week whatever

Recently, and when I say recently, I mean since the quarantine begin, I joined a Facebook group that features African American bohemian inspired design interiors. I am obsessed OB-damn-sessed with this aesthetic! It is very Justina Blakeney or as I like to envision it - early Freddie Brooks from A Different World meets Denise Huxtable with a pinch of Jaleesa Vinson. Eccentric meets eclectic meets practical.

This first Saturday in May, my friend Meisha and I took the opportunity to roll close to hour north on a mini road trip to the Dirt Cheap in Picayune (pick - a - yoon), Mississippi. We normally roll there once a quarter or so, and this was our first trip since December.

My eighties heart and newly inspired Afro bohemian heart exploded with joy walking inside.

Mud cloth pillows in black and gray and white, my personal color scheme. Giant plant leaves for styling floral arrangements, and huge flowers.

A whole freaking caboodle. Yes, a caboodle.

And hold your seats, Jean Nate body spray.

shopping list

My list was a bunch of odds and ends that I did not want to pay full price for "if" I didn't need. *insert shopping list* I left more stuff behind and have monumental amounts of remorse about another pillow, and a nubby throw and a literal metric ton of Iman makeup, because I had gone over budget close to 300%.

I did not do too badly considering most of the stuff on my list wasn't there.

LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES! LIES!

I did terribly. 300% over budget!

But to be honest, besides some random orders off Amazon, and quick trips to the stores - this was the first time I had been "shopping" shopping since quarantine.

I should have known my original budget would have been insufficient. And I implemented none of the tips and tricks I use to fight my tactile nature. I love the touch of things. The more texture something has the more I want to physically and mentally fondle it.

My mind has a "touch it, buy it" default. So, one of the rules that I use to combat that mentality is to not touch things. I am like a toddler I feel the world through my hands, and this is so hard.

First rule broken the moment I walked in because the soft, and textured pillows were right up-front waiting on me like a hug.

Second rule broken; I did not inventory my purchases before tossing them up on the counter to be rung up. Or say, "You know I changed my mind about that..." when there were a couple of things that I could and probably should have put back.

Another rule that I broke was I did not put space for contingency purchases in my budget. I normally add ten percent for taxes and ten percent for thoil things. Thoil is a word I learned from former personal finance guru, Gail Vaz-Oxlade and it basically means 'you can afford the purchase, but you can't see yourself paying the asked for price'. I did not leave room for things that are on sale, or something I've been lusting after or some close out bargains that I can't pass by or just items to stock up on like a brand of face wash I like.

Last rule was of course I did not stick to the list. 75% percent of my purchases weren't on my list. I should blame myself for knowing my new obsession and not making a more expansive list too.

I want y'all to learn from my first shopping trip post A.C.

Have you been outside in the wide world? Have you gone shopping? Are you a chronic budget buster like me?

 

Black & Paranormal: Featured Paranormal Author - Phoenix Williams

Phoenix

What can I say about Phoenix?

Black & Paranormal is an ongoing series featuring paranormal writers of color.

Which one of your characters do you identify with?  I think I identify with all of my characters but Mika from Queens of Beasts or Sparrow from Sex, Love, & Other Drugs. Both are strong, independent, and super flawed. 

Which book had the best and most satisfying ending? Hands down Foolin' Around: Sarai and Jax. 

Which character do you regret torturing the most? My readers would love for me to say Blue from Sex, Love & Other Drugs. However, it has to be Revy from Queens of Beasts.

Which genre of books do you read the least? Why? Historical romance. I can't get into it. It drags for me and puts me to sleep.

Favorite distraction from writing? Anime! I love it and it watching it has improved my world building.

Favorite romance trope? Friends to lovers is my absolute favorite. I do this in every single series.

How do you address fans who want to set the agenda of your books? I've been blessed with readers that don't set the agenda. They may ask--a lot--when the next book is coming but I think we have a level of respect for each other where they understand my process.

Cliffhanger or happily ever after? Cliffhanger. 

Do you have a writing routine? Yes. I wait until the deadline is about two weeks away before I even begin writing seriously.

What are you currently working on? What do you plan to do in the future? Right now, I'm finishing up the Queens of Beasts series. In the future, I have the spinoffs of that series, the end of the Club Sugar series, and the beginning of a new, exciting series. On top of that, I'm getting ready to start the short films for a few series.

love, peace, & quarantine: a journal entry for week 5

love, peace & quarantine

a journal entry for week 5

Hey, from my personal writer’s room of unfinished thoughts, fragmented sentences, spilled coffee, and spicy nacho Doritos crumbs.

I don’t even know what day it is exactly of quarantine, but I’m coming to the conclusion that I should have kept better track. It’s too late for regrets, and way too late to try and recreate something. I can only charge forward from this morning on.

Currently, I’m bouncing between three projects, and those projects and work demand all my attention.

My life is a cycle of Work. Write. Repeat. Life is weird now, and keeps getting weirder.

We’re transitioning from life as we knew it B.C. or Before Corona/COVID-19 to where we are now in the Never-Ending Quarantine to whatever will come next in the A.C. or After Corona. And I don’t know if I like it or not, its too soon to tell.

I had assumed (incorrectly) that quarantine would give me more time to write, visions of early completed manuscripts danced in my head. My 2021 publication schedule started coalescing in my head, with hopes that new readers would soon be here. With time in my kerchief…

Ignore me I’m punch drunk off of yogurt, I think it may be going bad.

Here’s how I trying to cope.

·       I’m not going to let the internal voice of guilt make me feel like I haven’t accomplished anything. – Like everyone else I saw the memes – if you don’t come out of this pandemic with blah, blah, blah… Yeah, normally this is my mentality, but as many have pointed out to me and everyone else, this is not a normal time. Just trying to stay sane in insane times is more than enough work on my overworked brain. I can get back on my grind later.

·       I've limited myself on the number of things I'm trying to accomplish in one day. – I once read somewhere that you shouldn’t have more things on your to do list that you have working hours in the day. Currently, I’m bulleting six tasks and two hours of writing time. And reserving a spot for tomorrow just in case I don’t finish.

·       I find and consume whatever entertainment that satisfies my itch. Two days ago, or maybe three, whenever time is a blur. Black AF dropped on Netflix. It’s my kind of show, dry and droll humor with political commentary. After twelve minutes I wanted to quit, and I did. Normally, I give shows three episodes to capture my attention. I gave up, my time even if it seems unlimited now is too precious to waste trying to cultivate something that doesn’t automatically appeal to me. I returned to watching Money Heist.

·       I nap harder. I have always been a #naplife advocate but now more than ever, I’m trying let others stress while I rest.

·       I’m trying to take everything in stride. Yeah, so my hair is two different textures and three different colors. My eyebrows are millimeters away from holding hands. And my feet look like I use them to mill flour. So what? There are many others who are much worse off than me, they’ve lost their only source of income. Their insurance. Their everything.

How are you coping with this far from normal? How do you see your A.C. or After Corona going? Are you making changes now that will impact your life forever?

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5 Netflix Shows to Binge For Better Emotional Writing

Netflix Shows to Binge

Find the emotions your writing is missing…

I’ve said before that I don’t write in a linear fashion. If I had to write Chapter One followed by Chapter Two in succession then I would never finish a book, because my brain doesn’t work in that manner. Another thing that my brain doesn’t do is produce or recall emotions on demand . When I’m writing an emotionally charged scene, sometimes I stall out because I can't access the depth of emotion I need to convey.

I have to stop writing, and work on something else because I can’t force it. An example of this is when I killed off an older woman in Bachelor In Paradise. I know exactly what it feels like to lose a grandparent, all four of mine have been gone over a decade or more. But I couldn't access the raw emotion of first loss - the inconsolable grief that comes from losing a paternal or maternal figure, the fresh stabbing pain of thinking you may have wasted precious time, the yawning chasm of emotion that opens up in your heart and threatens to engulf you.

So, I did what I often have to do to unlock those emotions in me, I turned to one of my streaming services to watch something that would put me in the right place. The touching death of Moana’s grandmother unlocked that loss for me all over again. I literally sobbed with fat tears streaming down my face as I wrote the scene. Now I’m going to share some of the shows that I binge to help me write emotions better.

Dexter: All the seasons of this show are packed full of internal versus external conflict. If you don’t know the show, the title character Dexter is a serial killer who works for the police department. Every season is Dexter versus himself plus Dexter versus “big bad villain” and you find yourself rooting for the bad guy or the least-worst bad guy. The former Showtime series is based on the novels by Jeff Lindsay,

The West Wing: Not just because it is one of my favorite television shows of all time (I’ll post my top ten favorite shows on another post.) The West Wing is full of Aaron Sorkin’s fast paced and moving dialogue. You have to speed up your hearing to catch all of the nuance which I love. In addition to the spoken dialogue, the world is full of conflict at the highest level of government.

Into the Badlands: – I admit, I slept on this show when it was airing on AMC. I wish I hadn’t because the slow world building is glorious. The first season starts off like a tight urban neighborhood and by the end of the last season, there is a full continent of possibilities to explore.  Not to mention the fight scenes, I’ve started to sit and take notes to improve my fight scenes because the martial arts choreography is visually stunning and has made my heart pound on more than one occasion.

Rita: – First, I have to warn you this show is in Danish, so you’ll need to turn the subtitles on. It’s billed as a comedy drama or dramedy (think Desperate Housewives or Orange Is the New Black), but Rita is a study in character development. Ideally, you want your characters to grow in a linear fashion like they are going from first to second to third grade. That isn’t Rita. You want to see how a character makes all the worst decisions possible and still keeps going. That’s Rita. Rita is a fun house road map of how a character grows and retreats from maturity in loops, leaps, and bounds.

Last Tango in Halifax: – You want all the feels? Last Tango in Halifax is it! The premise, a pair of senior citizens reunite on Facebook with the help of their grandsons. Bam, in the space of one wild, improbable IRL date they discover sixty-year-old secrets and throw caution to the wind deciding to get married. That is just the beginning episode of this family drama and second chance romance. Listen all the seasons are full of highs and lows, deaths and births, divorce and affairs and love, and endless bits of captivating emotion that drag on your heart strings.

Go binge watch now, and then go forth and write better emotions! Let me know if you’ve watched these shows already. What shows do you recommend to better boost emotions in your writing?