“Writing is not to be taken lightly. It's more than putting words on paper. It's the art of seducing your readers into your world.” – M.J. Kane
I am an aspiring author with big dreams. As an only child, I spent a lot of time exercising my imagination by acting out short stories with my collection of dolls. As I got older, I turned to reading books as a way to escape the boredom and keep my mind active. My favorite genres were Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, and Suspense. Very rarely did I dip into a Romance novel. And to think, when I decided to start writing, Romance was the genre I chose.
My love of Romance novels started by accident. I was at work on my one-hour lunch break and halfway through, I finished reading the final book in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Return of the King. A co-worker noticed, dug into her desk, and loaned me a Nora Roberts book. I wasn’t excited about reading a sappy romance novel but decided it was better than being bored. Thus, my love of the genre began.
Four years later, as a stay at home mom, I once again found myself bored. One day, my husband reminded me of a short story I had written, a fan fic of the show Lost, and suggested I continue to write it. I tried but realized I didn’t want to continue writing something that someone else created. I wanted my character to experience more. Before I knew it, I was at the library reading books on writing and the romance genre. My desire to write began.
Over the past two years, I’ve gone through the ups and downs of learning the art of story telling. Frustrated, I’ve put down my pen and paper for a while and gave up. But a month later, my character was knocking down the door, begging me to tell her story. And tell it I have.
The genre I have chosen – or rather has chosen me – is Multicultural Romance / Women’s Fiction. Rather than approach telling my characters stories in the tradition of the romance genre, I have created The Butterfly Memoirs, a collection of stories told by the characters themselves—a diary if you will.
Butterflies have long been a symbol of dynamic change in people’s lives. This dynamic change is what each of my characters—both the heroine and the hero—go through in their story. My goal is to not only entertain my readers but also to inspire, encourage, and bring hope to those who can relate. My characters do not live in the world of make-believe, they are like you and me, facing everyday hardships, trials, and heartbreak, yet they manage to find the moments of joy and happiness that keeps them going.
The first book of the series, A Heart Not Easily Broken, is about an interracial romance between Ebony Campbell, a black woman who is determined to reach her goal of becoming a veterinarian technician and Brian Young, a white man who is an up and coming musician. Despite their racial differences, it doesn’t take them long to realize they have a lot in common and support each other in ways others from their past did not. Ebony finds herself carrying a secret that could not only destroy her newfound relationship with Brian; it could also ruin the life of her best friend, Yasmine Phillips. Ebony must choose. Does she keep her secret and let life go on around her? Or will she expose the truth and deal with the consequences of her decision?
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