Creativity Takes Courage

As I'm getting a little closer to typing "The End" on my next book, I doubted myself a few times along the way. Not because I don't like my storyline, quite the opposite, I love it. It's because some of my characters are seriously flawed in ways that some readers may not be able to look past. I thought about changing some things for those who refuse to read a book that has a certain element to it, but I just cannot bring myself to do it because it's the heart of the story in which everything else flows. I love to read realistic fiction, as do a lot of readers, and to me "realistic" means...real life. And in real life people are flawed, people make mistakes and if they're lucky, they learn from them and move forward using that knowledge in a positive way. There are no perfect people in life, and there are no perfect characters in books (at least not mine anyway). So, I'm embracing all their faults and loving them just the same...as I hope you will too.

Be original, stay true to yourself, and don't be afraid of the criticism that may come from it.

Everything Old Is New Again.....To Someone

A few days ago I got a message from a future writer who was asking me for advice. ME? I was really flattered, I'm hardly Nora Roberts or Danielle Steel, so her message alone put a smile on my face. She had told me that she read everyone of my books and adored them which made my smile even bigger. I gave her the same advice that I had given to myself when I first started writing: 

1. Write the story for yourself, the way that you want it to be told as if no one else will ever read it. (because truthfully, I never did imagine that anyone besides my family and friends would ever read it, let alone LOVE it the way that readers have)Don't be afraid to pour your heart and soul into your writing for the world to see. And if you do it good enough, the reader will become immersed into your fictional world that you have created that all they can see are the characters that you've created while feeling the emotions that they are going through. 

2. NEVER, EVER forget who reads your books.....your readers! Remember the ones that were there for you from the very start and the new ones that will gain each day. (You may have written the greatest story in the world and that's a huge accomplishment but when you have others to share it with.....it becomes so much more meaningful). If you make it big.....remember your words that you have typed out and YOUR READERS are the ones that put you there - It's a joint effort!

So, after I sent this reply off to her, I received another message yesterday, from a brand new reader that had just read An Unplanned Lesson after she was caught by a Throwback Thursday excerpt that I had posted on my Facebook Page.

Dear Ms. Rinyu:

I spent the entire day reading An Unplanned Lesson after seeing a teaser the other night on your Facebook page. I cannot not tell you how much I enjoyed this book and I'm scratching my head wondering why this is the first book of yours that I have ever read. You created such deep and enjoyable characters in Dailan and Nicole. Every single one the characters in this book were so well thought out which pulled me into the book even further. I have since one clicked An Unplanned Life because I just have to see what's going to happen next for Dailan & Nicole and because I just am not ready to say goodbye to them! 

You have found yourself a new reader and I cannot wait to be introduced to more of your wonderful characters in all of your other books.

So with that, I now have a very important third bit of advice to add :

3. NEVER, EVER stop promoting your older books. Don't just focus on your newest release or a book that you plan on soon releasing. TREAT ALL OF YOUR BOOKS EQUALLY - the same way you would do with your children. Because to a brand new reader all of your books are new releases!