Art by Adrien Godin
Why Now?
10/14/2023
I have lived in books for as long as I can remember. If its not reading them, its dreaming of writing them.
Growing up I submitted entries in my school’s Literary Anthologies publications and carried a tattered notebook with me everywhere, never missing the chance to jot down poems or short stories as they came to me. Of course, I also did most of my writing in secret. Being a daydreamer, where I’m from, was an open request for a whooping by the rougher kids in the neighborhood. Being a dreamer was an invitation to be brought down from the clouds by adults who could no longer imagine things the way a child could.
I learned to live a double life. On the one hand I was just a kid from the hood that could throw a right hook just as a teeth-rattling as my older brothers. On the other, I was absolutely Fae (which may be just as tough but with magic).
As a kid, this made me untouchable. BUT like everything, childhood came to an end. I no longer carried my tattered notebooks. My novels were replaced by text books in college, then bills and legal notices and school forms for my own kids. The time to daydream became sparse. Not gone completely, just not as clear as before.
Being a mom takes its toll on a woman’s body. Everyone knows that. What people doesn’t know (or not willing to talk about) is that it takes its toll on her mind too. Depression and guilt are a daily battle and we are never allowed to just admit that out loud because motherhood is supposed to be the best thing to ever happen to us. It is, but everything comes with a price.
A piece of your soul is put into another person and your identity isn’t so clear to you anymore. You encourage these tiny people to be their true selves. You fight for their individuality. You nurture and care for all the facets that make them uniquely them. Yet in the process you lose that for yourself.
This is not meant to be a sad newsletter. I promise.
I felt like this for a long time. Until one day, my kids looked back at me. They saw me fighting for them. They saw me holding back on things that made me sparkle. Then they said, “Momma, its your turn to shine. Show us how.”
Yes, I am tearing up as I write this. It was a moment that not only overfilled my heart with joy, but makes me super proud of them every single day.
This was my “why now” moment.
I’m almost 40 years old. My favorite books are fantasy and romance and the one thing I do not see is women my age “shining.” No, women my age are holding on for dear life. Women my age are the ancient ones withholding information from the 20-something year old heroin saving the world. I almost died when I read the depiction of the thirty-year old human queen from Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Mist and Fury was that of an ancient crone. What the ever loving….
When my kids told me to show them how to shine, I didn’t want them to think that they only have a window of opportunity to do so. My time was not up. Other women my age – and older – are still revolutionizing the world. Why not in our fantasy books?
I wanted to read about a character MY age that still kicks ass. I refuse to have my age be represented as a crone in ONE MORE fantasy book. Now was my time to shine and I was going to do so in the very place where I am happiest. In books. No, the main character is not based on my life. BUT, she is everything I want to be in those daydreams that make me sparkle.
There is always time to shine. There is always time to make a comeback. There is always time to be a game changer. EVERY stage in life has its magic. We can sparkle at the age of eight just as well at the age of eighty.
So, if you are starting to follow your dream after years of living life by everyone else’s rules, and people ask “why now?” Don’t be afraid to answer with “Why not?”
I always thought that being a light to someone else meant I had to take the brunt of all their struggles until I burnt out. My kids taught me that, sometimes, being the light means you show them how to shine.
Let it be known, this is how it all began.
I’ll keep writing about my experiences in…writing. I have already learned a lot, and I’m positive there is so much more to learn. Stay tuned.
Sincerely,
Em Fyre
The Month of Love
2/17/2024
Valentine’s Day and the Superbowl have come and gone. No hot dates for this momma though. No, but I did enjoy notes from my editor about things that made her giddy when going through my manuscript.
I don’ thing there is anything that truly prepares you for a journey like writing a book. You go to school and, yeah…sure, teachers will correct essays and stories that you turn in for a grade, but those are typically things we write because we have to. When we write from our heart and soul it’s a much different experience when you are asked to explain a thought put into words. I have found that most of my thoughts are incoherent and I’m flabbergasted that people understand me on a daily basis.
Ha. ha. ha…. I’m kidding. Kind Of.
How Could I Forget? is my first book, but i guarantee it is not my last. Going through the motions of putting a book together and working with an, honest to God, real-live, editor has given me perspective and I didn’t even know I needed or wanted.
Art is subjective but it doesn’t hurt to have someone that has your back and makes your work the best that it can me. My writing is my soul given voice, and my editor is the filter to what I have to say.
Lets face it… Don’t we all need a little filtering?
When I first began my query for editors, I was reluctant. I did not like the idea of someone else digging into my work and telling what was good and what was not. After talking with my publishers, they made recommendations, and put my mind at ease.
I will never regret taking that advice.
Yes, several sentences and paragraphs have been deleted. Some sentences have been relocated, but the story has gotten so much better. The picture I tried to paint on the first go, is not clearer. The voices of each character, more pronounced.
I did not write a literary masterpiece, by no means, but I am proud of the work that I have put out. Taylor, if you are reading this, you’re my hero!
For anyone that wants to write or is writing, make sure that you factor in editing. When you factor in editing (which there are several kinds of editing) make sure you look into what genre the editor has worked with and make sure it is a person that you feel comfortable saying “No” to.
Last bit of advice, do not take editing personally. Keep an open mind and read corrections out loud. You just may fall in love with your story all over again.
Sincerely,
Em Fyre
Caught Up in the Whirlwind
5/12/2024
No one ever talks about the in between with publishing a book, and if they do, I would like to know where because I was surprised at how much more work is involved after you finish writing your book.
What do I mean? Well…aside from my family no one really knows who I am or what my book is about. Signing with a hybrid publishing company left me with some work to do. One of those jobs is getting my name out there. The juggle between all the social media platforms is wild. Learning the algorithms (which by the way I still have not), getting people to follow and engage on said social media platforms, and creating content for all of them is just part of it. Being on social media like a teenage fiend is not as fun as they make it look on the movies.
One thing that has helped me and hopefully other authors, are the LIVE interviews I do on Instagram. If you haven’t tuned in, you should. If you are an author and want to schedule an interview let me know. These are candid interviews to showcase other authors and their work and just share their writing process. It’s fun!
Then there was the editing. Which is where the magic actually happens. Listen, I wrote the book and knew the characters, but my editor made sure that readers can understand my story and its characters. Working with Taylor, from Veritas Editing Collective, was amazing. Time got away from us just a bit because life is life but – holy moly - once we sat down and refused to leave the table until it was done, Taylor killed it. I am forever grateful to this company for their outstanding work and amazing editors.
Now…I’m getting ready for launch day. Houston, you jerk, you never told us how much brain juice goes into preparing to launch. I have looked into proper signing pens, venues for book signings, math (breaking my head) to figure out how many books to order to sign and send out. After all that…M-E-R-C-H-A-N-D-I-S-E
This part is fun, but I also don’t want to create spoilers on the actual merchandise, so I have some stuff created for later down the line. For now, it’s mostly stickers and a coffee mug. Yes, a coffee mug.
All this in balance with my own two kiddos, work, and life of course. Is it worth it? Absolutely. It is absolutely worth it.
Sincerely,
Em Fyre
