Number Three and Counting

You Might Just Get Burned… I can’t believe I’m sharing my third book with my readers.

I remember back when I was in college and I took an African American theater class. A portion of my grade involved performing, along with my classmates, an entire act in a play. Well, for some reason, I wasn’t interested in doing that—probably because I can’t act. So, I proposed to my professor that I wanted to write my own one act play. I was pleasantly surprised when he agreed to let me do it. He had been teaching the course for years and mentioned that no one had ever proposed to write their own play. So, I set out to write a one act play consisting of two couples.  The story was centered on a rocky romance and pending break-up of one of the couples. It was intense and the characters were pretty raw. Well, to make a long story short, I submitted my play and couldn’t wait to get my grade. 

When I went to my professor’s office to pick up my play, he told me he loved it. I had gotten an A. He then asked me was the play about my life because the dialogue was so real and he knew it had to be something that had really happened. I don’t think I had ever been so thrilled and mortified at the same time. I must have spent a half an hour trying to convince him that the play was completely fictitious; but, I was honored that I had written something that sounded so authentic that he thought it had actually occurred. 

That was the first time I ever felt vulnerable or exposed as a writer. By that time I had taken quite a few writing classes and shared many things that I had written, but the play was somehow different because of the character dynamic. I guess I still get that feeling of vulnerability to this day when I introduce characters in my novels to readers. I suppose there’s always a small piece of the author in his or her characters even though it may be fiction. 

So, on the cusp of the release of You Might Just Get Burned, I reflect on my mix of emotions—excitement, wonder, pride, eagerness—and I’m thankful to be able to share my passion with others. It’s a blessing and I love that the exhilaration never fades.