Goals and aspirations…

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

Ernest Hemingway

There are some people who go into writing hoping for fame and fortune. They are under the impression that after the 1st book, there will be fanfare and adulation…people will be stopping them on the street begging for autographs.

Let’s get real for a moment…

Though that does happen to some, for the most part, it is hard work. It is literally bleeding on paper, hoping for something to flow that others will connect with, that others will love as much as you. It is putting little pieces of your soul paper, praying that others will take care of it the same way you did.

to be honest, when I first started writing, that is what I thought would happen. What can I say, I was young and ignorant. Now, my aspirations may be similar, but with a much deeper meaning. My first intention with my writing has been and will always be to showcase plus-sized heroine’s. There is nothing more upsetting than trying to get into a story and not being able to see yourself in the character. It’s enough to put you off reading…almost. There are some characters that are plus-sized, but they are few and far between, and they are often of the the “woe is me” mindset. I can not stand that! I know quite a few women who are proud of themselves, love the body they are in and show it off to the fullest. Those are the women that I want to capture, that I want to showcase to the world.

I also love to see interracial romances. Again, it’s hard to find stories like this and I feel that they deserve a place on the shelf. And not necessarily always full of racism either. Yes…it exists. I am well aware of it. But it’s not the only thing going on in relationships of mixed race. There are other issues that need and should be covered. We read to escape and while there needs to be realism…we do not need to always be hit over the head with it.

those are the real goals, the things that motivate me and keep me plodding along when it feels that my eyes are closing and my brain is empty. I still have dreams of being on the bestseller list and having a few lifetimes movies under my belt.

Okay…I have those dreams a lot.

I also dream about making an impact on someone’s life, helping them find love even it’s with themselves. I want to show women that having love is good, great even, but loving yourself is more important.

What are some of you goals, dreams, aspirations for writing?

Top Ten Books

It’s been a while, but let’s pretend that it hasn’t. I want to talk to you about books. Not just any books, but the top ten books on my list…so far.

These are books that if the zombie apocalypse happened, I would have to take them with me…or hunt them down in now abandoned libraries and books stores. These are the books that bring a smile to my face and I always go “oooohhh…I remember that book.”

1. Little House on the Prairie – we’ve already talked about my love of this series so I won’t bore you again.
2. Interracial Intimacies – Not so much fiction as it was a book that provided a great deal of insight into the relationships between black men and women and some backstory on why things are the way they are. I wouldn’t say all the hypotheses' are concrete, but they do open one’s mine to the workings and the why’s of some issues that seem to plague black relationships.
3. Micaville's Letter to the Prince – it was required reading in my political science class and I have to say it left a huge impression on me about politics and how things work.
4. Where the Wild Things Are – I loved this book. I did not see the movie, but the book still resonates with to this day. I have to find it so I can read it to my children
5. Harry Potter series – just good fun with morals and principles thrown in. Loved them.
6. Where the Sidewalk Ends – I need the 30th anniversary edition with the new additions. That is something I will definitely be putting on my child’s bookshelf.
7. Any Dr. Seuss book…ever! They were all so colorful and full of stories and parables that even now, I can think of the lessons that I learned from them.
8. Wishes by Jude Deveraux– my first book with a plus sized heroine. I LOVED THIS BOOK! I read it so much that the spine broke and I had to tape the pages back in. This was the start of my desire to write stories that did not fit the mold. Heroine’s that weren’t “standard”. The end did leave a bit to be desired, but the concept was just…magic for me.
9. The Donovan Series by nora roberts – loved this series. It was also an introduction to the art of two POV’s going on at the same time. Even now I wonder why more people don’t do it. I as a reader really want to see what is going on in the other person’s head. Is that weird?
10. Last but not least…Ina Garten. I’m serious. I love her cookbooks. They read like books and anytime I get one, I have to sit down and read through it. Of course I mark the stuff I want to try, but the writing style of these books is just…I’m in love.

So…now to you. What are some books you just have to have no matter what? Let me know in the comments.

Making an impact

Have you ever read a book so good that it stays with you for not just weeks or months, but years and decades? And each time you open the book or even just see the cover, you are taken back to that moment when you first read the book and your whole life changed?

Let’s talk about mine for a second.

There is one book…okay one of a just a few…that changed my life. It stuck with me and even today, I can think back to the first time I cracked it open, how excited I got to read it, how just looking at it made me feel happy and alive.

Little House on the Prairie

Don’t laugh…I’m being completely serious here. The whole series really started me on my journey of a love of reading and books and just…everything.

The first thing that stuck me about the entire series is the closeness of the family unit. I liked that aspect of it. It reminded me of my own family, even though at the time we were far apart, we were still a unit and deeply loyal to one another.

I also liked the wholesomeness about the whole series. Of course, at the time I think I was like 8 or 9, but still. No blood and guts. just day to day living and struggle. Never giving up and always taking the high road, even when you wanted to knock someone out. I liked it and still do.

Laura was definitely my favorite character. Of course, the books were mostly centered around her, but still. I liked her independence, her love of family, her pluckiness *LOL* I wanted to be her in a sense. Still do at times.

Reading the books was vastly different from watching the TV series and honestly…this is when my dislike of movie and TV adaptations of books started. You can not imagine the intense disappointment I felt when things did not happen like they did in the book, even if it was impossible. Just don’t do it then! Ugh…*deep breath* Let it go Desiree, let it go.

This series in part, definitely had a hand in shaping how I thought the world should work. That spark of independence, that wonder in adventure and devotion to family. Along with my family and how I was raised, the books unquestionably had a part in making me who I am today.

With all that being said, I ask you:

What book/books had an impact on your life? Is there a book out there that you take with you if the zombies attacked?

Let’s talk about them.