Mo Flames's Blog, page 2

Love In A Minor Sneak Peek 2

Shayla sang the words she’d written. She got to the chorus. when she heard a male voice singing along from behind. Gasping, Shayla clutched her chest and hopped from the bench. 

“Why’d you stop?” 

“Uhh, you scared me.” 

“My bad. You sound amazing, like a … like an angel. Come on. Let’s finish.” Jamin outstretched his hand. 

Shayla didn’t miss the smirk on his face when he reached the bench and motioned for her to sit. 

The sexy grouch had the nerve to be wearing a short- sleeve, red polo, revealing those tatted muscular arms. The relaxed- fit jeans hung right at his waist, and designer sneakers had him looking like one of those models from the magazines. His locs were in a bun. Her heart did a backflip and then a somersault. The beating wouldn’t slow down. It was as though she’d ran a one-hundred-meter dash. As soon as he sat down, the intoxicating woodsy fragrance, along with his natural musk, filled her nostrils. Shayla held onto the bench to keep from swooning.

She preferred her sexy grouch’s tenor sound. They continued through the song into the next stanza. The hairs on the back of Shayla’s neck stood up. She sensed it before, but with him being next to her, there wasn’t any denying it. Shayla knew where his eyes were. Twisting her head in his direction, she locked gazes with Jamin. The words resonated loud the moment she crooned them to him. She’d been inspired by him, and looking into his eyes, she found her soul. He had her heart wide open. Jamin became expressive with his hands in the next verse when it was his turn to sing again. Shayla could feel it. He meant every single word. They sang through the chorus to the outro, not once taking their eyes off one another. Their labored breathing was the only sound left in the room after the final note.

Pre-Order Your Copy Here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKTZGPKH

Love in A Minor Sneak Peek

 

Their eyes met for a moment. Suddenly, her throat felt parched. She wanted to exchange the tea in her Starbucks cup and quench her thirst with a venti of Jamin. Really, Shay? You have to work with this man! Stuck, she couldn’t find the words to speak. Her tongue was too heavy. Forcing a firm swallow, she waved instead and flashed him a big, dimpled smile. 

“Instead of standing there gawking at me, how about you get me a green tea with lemon, and extra honey.”?” 

Shayla blinked a couple of times. She wasn’t sure she heard him right. 

“My bad yo. Nice to meet you, newbie. But I still need my tea. You gonna get it for me, Shayla?” 

Her traitorous pussy twitched. Dammit! Why did he say my name like that? No, why is he looking at me like that? For a split second, she was stuck again, but as she stared into those chestnut brown eyes, it dawned on Shayla he was trying to play her. She came close to snapping her own neck from the abrupt and fast rotation. 

“Hell no, nigga. Do I look like the runner to you? I came here to sang. Get somebody else to do it.”

My Space

Hey, hey y’all!

Greetings and salutations!

I’m back in the writing lab letting these thoughts flow.

I know, I know …finally.

It has been a minute since you last heard from me. Oh, I’ve been around. Trust that I attempted to return to my craft sooner, but you know how life does us. Sometimes we have to take mandatory breaks to reinvent ourselves.

Regardless of the obstacles and minor setback after minor setback, I remained committed to my passion. I didn’t stop banging on this keyboard so once again here we are. And can’t go further without thanking a fellow blogger, my soul sister for this reminder:

“People want others to acknowledge they matter.” ~ Mel Hopkins

I’m here for the people because you matter to me.

Now, if you would…allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Mo Flames and welcome to My Space!! (I hope my past blogging friends see what I did here)

 

Photo by Henri Mathieu-Saint-Laurent from Pexels

That’s right!

I’m baaaaaaaack! And if you’ve been rockin’ with me this long you already know what it means.

Pure, unadulterated, raw and taboo topics stemming from this fiery brain.

I’ll be sharing my thoughts while on this journey of doing what I love most – writing scandalous stories and sharing them with the world. You’ll get a behind the scenes feel for what I’m experiencing while conjuring up drama, scandal, mayhem and murder for my readers. 

But I want to hear from those following. What kind of writing do you enjoy most? 

Writing is my Passion

I was lying across the bed with my pen and yellow notepad scribbling away. I’d just finished reading another novel from the Harlequin Romance series. Per usual, I wasn’t happy with their ending, so I was drafting a different storyline with an alternate ending.

Then I heard my daddy pulling into the driveway. I took a moment to peek out and saw that he was carrying a large item. I couldn’t tell what it was because a large gray canvas bag concealed its contents. Usually, I’d want to run out to see what he had. I’d have to be nosey later. I needed to get back to my characters.

A few minutes later daddy called me out to the living room. When I walked in, he and my mom were standing side by side. I thought it looked weird especially since both had these huge smiles plastered on their faces. I remember answering, “yes, sir.” Instead of responding, he stepped to the side to reveal what they were hiding.

My stomach flipped. I heard a scream leave my lips. It was an electronic typewriter. Not just any. It was a Brothers electronic typewriter. I can’t recall the model, but it came with the correction tape installed. This way you didn’t have to worry about wasting time stopping for white out nor haggling with aligning the paper afterwards. It was the exact model we used in my computer class. I hastily made my way over to the desk. I ran my hands across the top of it. I looked back at my daddy.

“Is this really mine?”
“Yes, baby girl. Now you won’t have to worry about your hands getting tired and cramping. You can type until your heart’s content.”

I probably cried too, but one thing’s for certain. I sat my tail down and began typing the story I was writing moments earlier. No lies, I sat there for what felt like hours just banging on that keyboard.

When I reached a stopping point, I sat back and smiled. One of my first characters, revealed herself – Giselle (oh, you just wait until I reveal her).

Anyway, in that moment, I felt like Stephen J. Cannell…

https://youtu.be/qweoMJS1DQ8

Yes, you better believe it. I even snatched the paper out.

And right there in the middle of the living it began…the making of Mo Flames, the author!

Imposter Syndrome – Stop Procrastinating and Write!

It’s been over a year since I wrote a blog post. I’m sure you’ve heard of the saying, “A lot can happen in a year.” True indeed.

In addition to finishing up the sequel, I was embarking on a new endeavor. I completed a couple of coaching courses where I obtained certifications as a Life Coach Practitioner and Master Sexpert.

Yes, all of this.

As much as I wanted to get my writing projects underway and moving, I found it difficult to follow through with completing tasks to get me there. Procrastinating happens to be one of them reasons why. The other is that I’m a perfectionist.

From not being able to come up with the right content to not making time to write, I do everything else that keep me from finishing tasks. Speaking of time, forget about getting writing projects or other business-related tasks completed before the deadline. It’s because I’m too busy perfecting work that’s already done. I was letting the monkey in my brain get the best of me.

I’m sure some of you can relate.

Perfectionists are typically stressed out and suffer from anxiety in getting the best work done. In the pursuit of putting out the best work, I ended up second guessing my skills. I downplayed them and did an injustice – compared myself to other writers.

I know, I know, you can’t focus on your progress if you’re worried about somebody else. However, I was beating myself up for not doing the very thing I knew I was capable of. I sat down many of nights staring at a blank screen without a clue as to what I wanted to say. The ideas that used to flow were now garbled up inside of my head. I couldn’t clear my mind to form a complete thought. If I did get anything out, I found myself re-reading the words, hung up on if my thoughts made sense in getting my point across. I even dealt with uncooperative characters. How could I possibly finish this damn sequel if they won’t play fair? As a result, I sank into believing it would be yet another year of unfinished projects.

Granted, I’m aware the longer you take to pursue your goals, the likelihood of seeing them to fruition becomes far more challenging. Eventually, the ideas are abandoned, and time passes without accomplishing anything that will move you closer to your goals. I knew I’d been away from it too long.

I am forever grateful for the moment I came across a webinar in the Author Transformation Alliance that proved to be more than just impactful.

As I searched for a course that would help me get through another bout of writer’s block, “Imposter Syndrome” caught my attention. The words resonated loud.

If you aren’t aware of what it means, let me tell you. It’s the psychological pattern in which an individual doubt their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud. That’s right. In addition to being a perfectionist, I had to admit I suffered from Imposter Syndrome as well. You can only imagine the torture I’ve been putting myself through. It had to stop.

And finally, it did.

The presenter suggested the audience take a test that would rate their level of Imposter Syndrome. The results weren’t surprising. I was suffering from a severe case. However, there was relief in knowing others like the late and great author, Maya Angelou also dealt with bouts of Imposter Syndrome. I was shocked by this because how could she doubt the level of her talent? Nevertheless, she said it, “I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘uh oh, they’re going to find out now I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.”

What inspired me most was she didn’t allow it to stop her from sharing her gifts with the rest of us. We never saw Ms. Angelou as a fraud, but rather one of the most influential people in the world.

It was relieving to know there was hope for me to do the same. I spent time addressing the limiting beliefs that also hindered my progress. I reached out to fellow authors to share my issues. We addressed the areas for improvement. I also teamed up with a business coach who helped with ways to overcome Imposter Syndrome.

In that time, we developed ways to improve my time management and ensure time was spent wisely. I used breathing techniques that helped when frustration settled in. I started doing 25-minute writing sprints. Those sprints improved my daily word count. It forced me to sit in front of my laptop and guess what? These thoughts began to flow. I began reading every day. I even started journaling again. More importantly, I was kind to myself. I forgave myself when I didn’t meet my writing goals for the day. I gave myself a hug on those days I felt like a failure. It was okay and natural for me to feel this way, but not to stay in the emotion.

A huge thanks goes to author, Nils Salzgeber and his book, Stop Procrastinating. By incorporating some of his “Try This” techniques, I am getting up earlier, exercising, eating healthier, and more importantly no longer procrastinating as I used to.

I was reminded of how important it is to just write. The moment you sit down in front with a blank sheet of paper and allow your thoughts to flow, you’re a writer. The art of becoming the best writer happens when you work at your craft daily. I read where it’s important to write every single day, even if it’s a paragraph. It is ideal to have short term attainable milestones that lead up to the final goal. In doing this the chances of getting more done and making it a habit are higher.

I’m excited as I back into the writing lab. Letting my wildest ideas and thoughts come to life is exhilarating. Knowing my readers will once again be able to share in this, fuels the energy I need to do just that.

 

 

 

Let’s Get to Writing…

Writing is not for the faint heart.

For starters, it’s a lonesome task.

No one can read your mind, right? And unless you’re writing a group paper, it’s not a collaborative effort. It has to be written out by you. Whether it’s sitting or lying down, you’re pouring your thoughts out on paper – alone.

Next, there’s knowing your thoughts will be read by hundreds, thousands or maybe even millions of people. I don’t know about you, but that’s a scary feeling. Someone will know what’s going on in that head of yours. Some may enjoy what you have to say. Others, not so much. They’re going to give their opinion and you might not like it.

No matter the critique I’ve learned not to take it personal. What someone feels about you is none of your business. Besides, we’re our own worst critic. Who needs the outside voices adding to the pressure we already have on us to create a masterpiece? Instead, I receive what’s been shared and use it to sharpen my skills.

Lastly, there’s accepting sometimes you won’t have anything to write about…

Writing doesn’t always come easy.

One day I lost my mojo.

I tried countless times to push through what one might call writer’s block. I also have to point out in my case it was more than that. Unlike now, back then being a newly published author, I allowed the criticism of others to get the best of me. Remember what Erykah Badu said, “I am an artist and I’m sensitive about my shit.” I couldn’t handle someone saying my words weren’t good.

As a result, and for some time because this one person said it wasn’t my best, I believed my dreams of a writing career were over. How could I put out another good book if I sucked at it? I believed their words and suddenly the passion I had for writing was gone…and for a while I thought forever.

Days turned into weeks. The weeks turned into months. Ultimately, the months turned into years.

Inspiration escaped me.

The world around me no longer fueled the fire and even if I did get a spark my mind was filled with self-destructive thoughts. The words from the negative self-talks became louder and stuck. “Remember what they said, this isn’t going to be good. You’ve let your readers down. That story is so old. Who wants to hear from Mo Flames at this point? Girl, they’ve forgotten about you.”

Imagine sitting in front of a computer and hearing those words in your head versus the characters you need to create the story. I obsessed over every single scene – editing, rewriting and deleting everything to start over. It took some time before I was able to get into a space where I could be creative and once again believe in my craft. You can read about that journey in my other blog post, “Imposter Syndrome – Stop Procrastinating and Write!”

I’m forever grateful and appreciative for the friends and supportive readers that have encouraged me behind the scenes to never give up.

Writing is therapeutic.

I didn’t forget that I can escape from the real world and get lost in the one I’ve created with my characters. There all hell breaks loose. And like all fiction writers, I get to tell lies that are almost believable.

Yes, I lie, and I lie a lot. But it’s to entertain people with the drama and scandal I’ve conjured up in this mind. I get to live out the details of someone else’s life that I’ve made up. From beginning to end, I intricately weave a tale of sex, murder and lots of mayhem.

In 2008, I introduced the world to, One Ain’t Enough. The scandalous tale of Desiree Edwards, a married woman, entangled in a love triangle with two men that didn’t include her husband. She’s unable to make a decision on who she loves because they each have a piece of her heart. Just like its title, one book isn’t enough to tell it all. Yea, I know I left everyone dangling with that cliffhanger ending.

It’s taken me more than a decade, but I’m back to continue with her story in One Still Ain’t Enough.

Stay tuned because there’s more to come from Mo Flames!