I simply can not believe this is my LAST post as a Debutante! Post #52! It has been such an honor to be apart of the Deb Ball and I am so f*cking grateful to have done it with Amy, Crystal, Jenni, and Lynn. This has been one HELL of an apocalypse year to live through and us gals really had each others backs, through the highs and the lows….
Last week I was doing a google search, collecting pictures to create a big debut year photo album when I stumbled across this one, taken for the Brooklyn Newspaper. This photo has a story: Two hours before the photographer showed up at my apartment, I had a major meltdown in the shower. I pulled myself together with the help of heavy concealer and blush, but my hands were shaking so…
I’ll be honest, this year was a tough year to fit in reading. Between work, more work, writing book 2, the world exploding, and marketing Allegedly, I barely had time to fit in these few titles. But I can’t sit here and not practice what I preach, which is that reading makes you a better writer. So here are a few of the books I read, in no special order…
Write a first draft. Edit. Trash parts. Write a second draft. Edit. Eat cookie dough and cry. Write a third draft. Edit. Edit some more. Cry some more. I hate this. I suck at being a writer. Maybe I should be a plumber. This shit sucks. Whatever. Sends to editor. Drinks away the pain. Editor sends letter. He likes! Really? Oh. Makes some adjustments. I mean, I guess this isn’t…
I’m pretty excited about today’s post! Mary’s name is one of my favorite Easter eggs in Allegedly! During edits, I actually debated with the copy editor over the following excerpt. The name Mary has several different meanings but this one fit the story best: I thought it was very fitting to have Mary’s Momma, a deeply religious woman, name her after one of the most loyal women in the…
My second book will be out next May and I’m already in party planning mode, especially after living through planning the launch event for Allegedly. Yes, my party was great, yes I had an amazing turn out. But the stress of it all almost killed me. So here’s some tips that will hopefully save you from my same mistakes. Start planning six months in advance-Look into spaces, dates, times. Have…
If you’re reading this, it’s the day after my birthday and I’m sipping rum on a beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico, hopefully not too hung over after salsa-ing the night away. Which is a great lead into my music writing soundtrack! Now I typically don’t listen to music while I write. I find it too distracting. But lately, since I’m writing a book about a Cuban girl who dances,…
There’s a scene in Allegedly where Mary is sexually assaulted in her prison cell by a CO. Mary’s twelve and the officer jerks off on her and walks away, without letting her take a shower to clean herself. That scene really happened. Not to me, but to one of my five interviewees. The girl told me the story over chicken nuggets and french fries in a McDonald’s at Atlantic Terminal, a neutral place…
This week we’re talking about home and truth be told I can spend all day gushing about why I love Brooklyn so much. It’s one of the main reasons I based #allegedly in the borough of Kings. Born and raised here, I wanted to highlight locations that are being swept under the rug by gentrification. Here are some of my favorite landmarks: 1) Brooklyn Bridge It’s gorgeous from afar, perfect evening…
This week us Debs are taking on the point-of-view of characters in our books. At first, I was going to do an interview with Mary. But, after a recent book club chat, I decided to do a little deep dive into Ted, who is my favorite character next to Mary! A little background: I considered writing a sequel to Allegedly from Ted’s perspective and always thought about his life before…
