|
As I hit that publish button last week for the first time as an indie author, I felt so many emotions, it was hard to contain myself. Now granted, I know I am an emotional person to begin with, but as I went through the stages of writing my first self-published book, it dawned on me that writing is quite a tumultuous affair, very much like falling in love. Instead of just simply blogging about it, I wrote a poem. I will admit, poetry does not come as easily to me as prose. But somehow, the emotive qualities of the poem felt right this time. I hope you won't judge me too harshly. Whether THORNE: Rose's Dark Contract is a success or not remains to be seen. Regardless, I am enjoying the ride, even if I can't quite catch my breath at times. I welcome your feedback, friends! 
23 Comments
 I wanted to share a part of the introduction of my book here today with all of you. I hope you plan to pick up a copy soon.
It’s been an incredible journey, and I have so many people I need to thank. That, itself, could be its own book! To the Wicked Pen Writers and Mr. Blackthorne. Without each and every one of you, I would have lost my mind a long time ago. (Ssssh. Don’t tell them I already have.) The support, the interviews, the press and blog highlights, the advice, the reviews, and all the knowledge you bring, I thank you. We have formed something pretty unique and spectacular. To Michael Dalton, my Obi Wan Kenobi. I can’t thank you enough for always being there to help, to provide feedback, and for sharing your wealth of knowledge. (Most importantly, for agreeing to call me Rey instead of Luke—haha!). Truly, you are my guru. I thank my lucky stars every day that I met you. To Lilah E. Noir, the woman responsible for my cover. What an artistic genius you are in so many ways! I can’t thank you enough for everything you have done for me, including your feedback, promotion, and support, never mind the countless hours of just listening. You are my rock. To Shelby and Jenny: Gal Chat! Need I say more? Where would I be without either of you? I’d be nowhere. Period. Thank you for putting up with me. Never truer friends were there. To James Calderaro: I am in awe of you and your writing. You are forever my wordsmith and meltdown mediator. Ha! Thank you for your patience and friendship. Someday I know I will be teaching your poetry inside a classroom. To Mandi, my PA, who spends countless hours promoting and creating…just because she is who she is. I wouldn’t have been able to do half of what I accomplished without you. You are amazing. To Aiden Darke: Thank you for helping me to authenticate the male voice (though I may not have always agreed with you). Your wisdom, guidance, and friendship have helped me to grow as a person and a writer. And to Linzi Bassett. This entire book would not have been possible without you, quite literally! But it goes way, way beyond that, and I know you know that. Thank you just isn’t enough for what you’ve given me. But I give it to you whole-heartedly just the same. Finally, thank you to my Facebook friends and fans who like, share, and comment on my timelines each and every day. Some of you have become quite special to me. You know who you are and without you, none of this would be possible. I cherish you. I'll listed a few of you in the actual book, but I'm not going to do it here. You'll have to read it. MWAH! Thank you for being a part of my journey.  THANK YOU, MJ!
I hate ingratitude more in a man/Than lying, vainness, babbling, drunkenness,/Or any taint of vice whose strong corruption/Inhabits our frail blood—Shakespeare The ingenious Moctezuma Johnson, more affectionately referred to as simply MJ (thank god!), recently interviewed me as I get ready to release my latest book, Thorne: Rose’s Dark Contract, the first in a series. His questions made me think, as I knew they would, as MJ is no ordinary thinker or writer or poet or person. He is uniquely MJ. I thought I’d share a sneak peek with you today to thank him for taking the time to get to know me by sharing my favorite question and a bit of my answer. MJ asked, and I quote: With which writer would you secretly trade places? (so, no Shakespeare is not an option, use your brain!). Yup. But see above. I still snuck in my Shakespeare! I won’t share my whole interview (I want you to read it when it comes out!). But I will say this. This was a very difficult question, one that I thought would be easy. Trading places. How fun. But as I answered, I realized that this life is uniquely mine, and yes, I have seen my fair share of heartache and I question myself, my journey, my goals, my decisions, my choices. But I realized, this is my go. I am here to learn. To grow. To be all that I can be. I have tasted happiness but I also have tasted pain. But isn’t that living? Why else are we here? I’m not sure I can actually answer that question, but what I deduced is that I am me. And upon inspection, I’m okay with that. HERE IS MY ANSWER: All my favorite writers led tragic lives it seems. Depression. Suicide. Mental insanity. Or, they led “lives of quiet desperation.” Hemingway, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Kate Chopin, Emily Bronte, on and on and on. So….my favorite works do not equate to trading places. To answer, I think I would wish to trade places with E.E. Cummings. A male. An artist. A writer. A genius. Someone who did what he wanted instead of what others expected of him. A glutton. A sexual deviant who loved and lusted many at one time. But only to see what it’s like to have that lack of conscience and to live in moment (“since feeling is first”) without the fear I carry. The fear of guilt. The fear of consequences. And the fear to really fly and live. But then, deep down, I don't dislike myself or my life so much that I would REALLY want to trade places. In fact, I rather like the life I've had, the life I have, and the life I will continue. After all, it is me. It was who I was meant to be this time around. I like that I care. I like that I care for others and their feelings. And I like that I want love and loyalty and honesty. I think it’s important to live life in the moment but also with conviction and attention to those around us. I don’t really WANT to be a glutton or a sexual deviant. I think it would get old. Fast. But... for a day or a week or a month? J I’d like that! Visit here for more of MJ and I’ll keep you posted when the interview is up and complete! www.moctezumajohnson.com/smutpunk/2016/02/10/interview-with-r-b-obrien/ |
I LOVE to write and read. I particularly enjoy reading erotic romance that has tons of emotion in it. I hope you will ask me questions and share your favorite authors and novels. I welcome all feedback.
Categories
All
Archives
November 2022
|
RSS Feed
