This is how I get into trouble. I start to write, run into a rough spot, then decide I need a break to think about it. Taking that break, I pick up my Kindle. I start to read, and damn it if I don’t find some freakin' book that sucks me in, whips me around, makes me want to live there, find out what is going to happen, have all my questions answered.

The latest book to suck me in is WOOL, by Hugh Howey. Howey creates a post apocalyptic world confined to the limits of a silo, where life is closely regimented and where questions are capital offenses. I couldn’t put it down. Turns out, he’s just recently sold the movie rights to Ridley Scott. Can’t wait to see the story turned into film.

I downloaded the WOOL Omnibus yesterday and have been reading it ever since. Before I knew it, hours passed and this morning, I’m still faced with the same damn writing rough spot I left hours before.

That’s how I get into trouble.

Warning. I’m climbing on a soapbox and it might take me a while to get off.

I’ve been fascinated with the discussions about the movie version of the bestselling book The Hunger Games and the racist tweets that flew around the internet.  The tweets expressed disappointment and downright anger of some fans when they discovered that a black actress was cast in the role of one of the more sympathetic characters in the story. Amandla Stengerg, in my opinion, was perfect for the role of Rue, but evidently some readers not only didn’t like that she was black, they claimed that her race changed their positive opinion about the character.

“Now I don’t care that she died,” one young tweeter wrote.

Clearly, their reading comprehension skills weren’t up to the task of visualizing a character in a story they enjoyed as being anything other than white.

As shocking and disturbing as the tweets were, they served to prove a point I’ve been trying to make for some time.

In 2008, I blogged about my frustration with brick and mortar bookstores and their practice of sticking every book written by a black author in the African-American section of the store.

“To make it easier for shoppers to find what they want,” I was told when I asked about it.

But, the only people who browse the African-American section of the book store are African-American. I’ve never seen a white person shopping in that section. Why would they? When I wrote my blog post on the subject, I argued that the bookshelf segregation only serves to ensure that black authors aren’t exposed to an audience made up of people other than their own race.

Sure, lots of white readers are fans of Walter Mosely, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler, the black mega authors whose work crosses the racial boundary and authors the brick and mortar stores feel comfortable placing on tables alongside books written by white authors.  But for the most part, African-American authors are segregated into the African-American section, where only African-Americans shop.

Frankly, even I don’t shop in those sections. I’ve found that a majority of the books offer views into Tyler Perry-type worlds where black people only live and work with other black people. Their lives are all about being black, about the black experience, basically books centered around race.

That is not how I live. That is not my life. That is not the life my characters live.

A recent critique I received from an editor about my novel went something like, “Okay, your character is a female soldier and she’s black. So what? I kept expecting to see more of her blackness in the story.”

Because I’m a black author, all I get to write about is being black? Do female authors only get to write about being a woman? And when has a white author written about what it means to be white?

The editor’s reaction leads me to believe the only reason black authors are writing about being black is because white publishers expect that from us. Black = the black experience, whatever the hell that is. The character can’t just be black, they have to talk black, act black, suffer some sort of discrimination, be a drug dealer or gang banger or fill some kind of stereotypical role to remind us all that they are black. After all, all characters in books, unless told otherwise, are white, so we’re forced to make the distinction.

The tweets from the disappointed movie goers proved to me that I was right about the African-American sections of book stores. These sections do nothing but segregate authors from people who would simply not browse there. If you don’t want to read a book that features a black character, you can easily avoid the exposure to them.

I hoped that ebooks would change the practice as they’ve changed so many things about the publishing world.  I am happy to see that there aren’t African-American sections in ebook stores.

Instead ebooks written by black authors are simply stuck in the mass ebook pile. They’re not also listed in Romance, or Mystery, or Fantasy. They’re just in the giant list of ebooks which means they rarely, not even Walter Mosley, make it into the top 100 lists.

One of the racist Hunger Games tweeters said, “Why does Rue have to be black? Not gonna lie. Kinda ruined the movie for me.”

The tweeter doesn’t have to worry. When it comes to black characters, it’s unlikely they will ever stumble across that unwanted black central character just by browsing the ebook lists.

Not gonna lie. Kinda pisses me off.

I’m sure it’s not just me. Lately, I have a hard time paying over twenty bucks for a book.  Even paying over ten dollars is a hard sell.

Ever since I bought my Kindle and I’ve had hours of reading enjoyment for less than five bucks a pop , forking over $12 for what someone is telling me is a best seller, is hard to justify.  I have to wonder how some of those authors, the ones tied to the old elite publishers with contracts that require a particular price point, are doing these days.

Lately, Amazon has been marketing NYT best sellers like Kellerman for $12.99, next to an unknown author with a thriller priced at a buck ninety nine. It makes me wonder, which one of them is selling more copies.

My guess would be the new author is selling more. The hard core Kellerman (or insert your favorite best selling author’s name) fans are still forking over the dough to get the latest. For example, I’d pay the usual fifteen bucks plus to get the latest in the Dresden Files series.

But I doubt any new readers are jumping in at those prices.

Soldier's Magazine asked me to write a guest blog for their Black History month recognition. I love sharing my family's history.  I made one minor change, since I felt bad about leaving my brother's service out of the story.  Here is what I sent them.

A family’s legacy of service

Growing up, I would sometimes hear stories of my family’s military history. One of the earliest tales I heard was about my grandfather, John Doyle. My father’s family made their home in Mississippi, remaining in the same area in which several generations of my ancestors had labored as slaves.

John Doyle looked older than his 17 years in 1917. He was charged with draft dodging in Mississippi by the local sheriff (although he wasn’t yet 18), after which he ended up in the Army. He was eventually shipped off to France during World War I.

The story goes, that one day John made the three-mile walk into town to pick up the mail. He was a tall, gangly kid who probably looked older than his 17 years. Barefoot and wearing his raggedy work clothes, he traveled alone down the dirt country road into town. It was the summer of 1917.

John picked up the mail and was headed home when he was confronted by the white sheriff, who was surprised to see a healthy young man walking the streets. There was a war on after all. Most of the white boys in town had already joined up and shipped off to serve overseas.

So then and there, the sheriff arrested John, charged him with draft dodging, stuck him on a truck headed north and shortly thereafter, John was shipped off to France, where he wrangled mules throughout the rest of the war.

John made it back home after the war and raised a family in the same Mississippi town.

By the time World War II started, my father was 19. He didn’t hesitate to answer the nation’s call, understanding the adventure and the freedom release from his

My mother, Ruth Doyle (Kokesh) found her own kind of freedom during WWII as a member of the Women's Army Corps

oppressive Mississippi town would mean. He was assigned to one of Patton’s all-black tank battalions, landed on Utah beach the day after D-day, was cheered as a liberator by Belgians, fought in the Ardenne Forest during the Battle of the Bulge and eventually came home a man who could no longer tolerate the harsh segregation of the south. He moved north.

My parents met after the war, in Minnesota, where my mother, after having served during the war in the Women’s Army Corps, had found her own kind of freedom. She and my father largely ignored the social stigma that accompanied their interracial union.

I grew up hearing stories about my father’s war, my grandfather’s war, my mother’s service and even about my mother’s father who had been a cavalry Soldier on the plains of the Dakotas. Military service was part of our history. The Army had played a major role in changing my father’s opportunities. And had largely been the reason my parents met.

So my father wasn’t a bit surprised when I told him I wanted to join the Army. My brother, who had already joined ROTC and was well on his way to being an Infantry officer, had dared me to do it, saying I could never make it through basic training. Of course, I had to prove him wrong, but aside from his juvenile taunt, everyone in the family was supportive.

Joining the Army Reserve was the best decision I ever made.

This picture was taking during my deployment to the Bosnian peacekeeping mission in 1997. The deployment is the basis for my first novel, THE PEACEKEEPER'S PHOTOGRAPH.

There’s nothing more exciting for a new author than to see her first novel in print. That dream recently came true for a member of my writing group, Cindy Young Turner. Her novel, THEIF OF HOPE, is an engrossing, entertaining and complicated fantasy page
turner. She paints a dark world where there is no black and white or good or evil. One minute, you think you understand about the evil Guild, the next minute, you question the rebels as unwitting tools for the nobles who only want their power back.

The book has already received multiple five star reviews on Amazon.com and several rave reviews in writing and fantasy  magazines. I spoke to Cindy about writing and, more importantly, the business of marketing her writing so that people can learn about the great work she has produced.

Q: Where did the character and story that become THEIF OF HOPE come from? What was your inspiration?

A: My parents had a record of the “Oliver” soundtrack that I used to love listening to as a kid, and then I adored the movie. A musical with pickpockets--how cool is that? Plus they fared much better in the movie than in the book Oliver Twist. I’m also going
to out myself as a geek and admit that I used to play Dungeons and Dragons in college, which really got me interested in fantasy, and yes, I had a character named Sydney. I loved the character and started thinking about backstory and writing about her and creating a world, and thus a novel was born. I also liked the idea of a story about fighting oppression and the commoners vs. nobility makes for an interesting dilemma, which is complicated by the Guild. I hope the story speaks to a number of levels, in addition to being a good fantasy adventure tale.

Q: How long did it take you to get to the final version that made it into print? Did you ever think that you would not finish the book?

A: Ha, I’m not sure I want to admit how long it took me from start to finish. A LONG time. More than 10 years (off and on) and numerous rewrites. And yes, there were quite a few times I despaired of ever finishing it and thought about just chucking the whole thing. My critique groups have been incredibly helpful and encouraging and kept me on track. The actual editing process after it was accepted for publication took about two months, and that was pretty intense.

Q: How many people did you get to read early drafts and how much of their input do you accept or reject?

A: I’ve been in two really amazing critique groups since 1999, so they’ve been reading drafts of the book since then, multiple times. (I guess that indicates how long I’ve been working on it!) I do take a lot of their input. They have provided a lot of good advice on how to write a novel, things like plot arcs and story narrative, which I didn’t fully understand when I started writing. In fact, the major rewrite of the book came out of a suggestion from someone that at one point the plot just didn’t make any sense.
I thought about it for a while and realized maybe that was why I kept getting stuck. So I took a completely different approach and threw out much of the book. It was a bit scary, but I think in the end it worked. Not that I take all of their advice, though, but I’d say it’s probably about eighty percent.

Q: How long did your agent shop the book around before you found a publisher? How many rejections
did you get before you found a home for the book?

A: It took a little more than two years to find a publisher. There were lots of publishers that just didn’t respond. A couple of the more established but not major ones asked for the whole manuscript, so I had hope that I was on the right track. It didn’t take long for Crescent Moon Press to respond to a query, request the whole manuscript, and then express interest in publishing the book.

Q: What advice would you give an unpublished writer about rejection?

A: Don’t give up. You will get rejected, probably many many times. It will be frustrating. It’s completely subjective and there’s nothing you can do about it. Don’t be afraid to try the smaller independent presses. Honestly, you’re not likely to make much money (but there’s hope), and you may have a much better shot with a small press that will actually value you as an author.

 Q: Describe the feeling of holding your first book in your hands? How did you celebrate the accomplishment?

A: It was very surreal. I kept looking at the book and thinking, wow, this is my book. These words on the page are the ones I’ve
slaved over on my laptop, and here they are in an actual book. I guess I haven’t really celebrated yet. I’m still on pins and needles about reviews. I have two good ones so far. Once I get a few more, then I think I’ll allow myself to celebrate.

Q: Marketing your book and earning money from the sales are far different than the work of actually writing. How do you feel about the marketing side of book publishing? Are you disappointed by that aspect of the business?

A: I have to admit, I really dislike marketing. I always wanted to be like JD Salinger, a recluse writer and hide out in my cabin and
write. Sadly, that doesn’t sell books, and just publishing the book is the first step. My publisher has offered quite a few marketing opportunities, but still, a lot of it falls on me if I want the book to succeed.

Q: Are you considering making a book trailer? How much do you think a book trailer might contribute to book sales?

A: I think book trailers are cool and it’s definitely on my to do list. Will it help sales? I’m not sure. There are so many marketing
avenues out there and it seems dubious how much they will actually lead to more sales. I think every little bit helps, though.

Q:  Aside from fantasy, what else do you read? What are you reading now?

A: I have eclectic tastes in books. Recently I’ve read The Road by Cormac McCarthy, The Gunslinger by Stephen King, and The Eyre Affaire by Jasper Fforde. I’m currently reading We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch, a harrowing look at the genocide in Rwanda, and Eternal Investigations, by Nancy M. Griffis, a fun paranormal read, which is an odd combination.

Q:  If your book was made into a movie, who would play Sydney? Who would play Willem?

A: Of course I’ve thought about this. What author hasn’t fantasized about the movie version of his or her book? The only problem is that I rarely see movies these days so I don’t know any actors who are the right age. I always thought Heath Ledger might be good for Willem, but unfortunately that’s not going to happen. I have no idea about Sydney. Someone unknown would
be best, I think. Can I request that Peter Jackson direct the movie version? Surely he’ll need a new project after he finishes The Hobbit. (LOL)

 Q:  If you could be any character in one of your favorite books, who would it be?

A: Eowyn from Lord of the Rings. Woman warrior who gets tokick some Nazgul butt!

Several weeks ago, I sent two projects to the printer for pick up later. One project, my first novel, had taken almost two months to rewrite from start to finish. The second project was the memoir I’d been ghost writing for almost eighteen months. After work, I went to the printer to pick them up and was handed a large box of more than six hundred pages -- six hundred pages that equaled countless hours of interviews, research, writing group critiquing and plain hard work at the keyboard.

I put the pages in manuscript boxes, took the boxes to the post office and mailed them to my agent. Then I went back to work.

It felt a bit anticlimactic.

I did make a post to my Facebook page, and I emailed a couple friends.  “I’m Finished!” the emails said. Aside from that, I didn’t much talk about it, didn’t celebrate it, didn’t even feel much like I’d accomplished something significant. I’d put the finishing touches on two books.  I’d sent two books to my agent. Now, all I had to do was wait to see if she could sell them.

Still, weeks later, I’m feeling a bit alarmed at my lack of reaction.

How do you feel when you’ve finished a project?  What do you do to mark that completion?

Copyright 2024 M. L. Doyle | All Rights Reserved
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