TTAU's Official Launch....May 30, 2014!

I am beyond excited to announce the offical date of my new book launch,  I know I've waited a long while for this day, and I'm sure you  have too!  :) So on May 30, 2014, The Truth About Us will be available on the Amazon websites in both Kindle and Paperback formats, and will also be available for order on my site bookstore here. If you'd like to pre-order the paperback, PDF or EPUB format of TTAU, please visit my web store by May 9th for more information.


I have been quite AWOL for the past few weeks, it has indeed been a pretty hectic couple of weeks, but I'm more than happy to be back to my normal routine, at least I hope it will be normal for now!


Thanks to my awesome supporters out there, my family and friends! All of this wouldn't even be happening without you all!


A few people have asked me if TTAU is a Romance novel or classified in the romance genre. I would say yes it can be classified in the romance genre, but there is a whole lot more to it than just romance, so I would just simply call it dramatic fiction. It's not  a romance novel in the typical Boy meets girl scenario. It's more of a boy already met girl and married her scenario, and much, much more.


Look out for more frequent posts by me in the upcoming days!


'Til next time...

www.ickanu.com

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Do authors' works reflect their personal lives?

I have a few readers asking me if all of my poems have to do with my personal life, i.e. a sort of memoir on my life. This post will be discussing this question in more depth. 

My poetry collections carry random thoughts - and i emphasize the word random, because each of them speak of different situations, but carry one theme, as the title of each book implies. Quite a few readers believe that whatever a poet writes about, it must somehow relate to an aspect of his/her personal life. I will somewhat disagree with this, because as writers (of both fiction and non-fiction) some of us have the ability to create make-believe scenarios in which the situation can be factual, but the characters are false. I will give examples of this using a few of my poems!

In Never Again (Love Is collection), the poem reveals a narrator who's tired of living life the same way, everyday, facing abuse, day after day after day. She contemplates leaving at first, but thinks, he loves me, he buys me cars, jewelry, why leave? This goes on until she finally faces the truth - the abuse will never stop. She finally makes the decision to stand up for herself and leave, never to return. In a previous blog post, i discussed my inspiration for this poem, and i was able to come up with a perfect scenario for this situation. The situation in question is factual, it is real, but the scenario was made up - I'm not the character in the poem; it didn't happen to me (thankfully).

In In Remembrance (Ruminations collection), the poem reveals a feud between a couple. The narrator is upset at her spouse, and the reader has to read carefully to understand what she's upset about. Infact, you may have to read it a second time to fully get it! :) This poem in particular is actually more of a flash fiction written in poetry form, which is why my collections are called prose-poetry. Here also, the narrator here does not reflect me the author in any way. 

In Finding my Place (Ruminations collection), the poem reveals a cunning narrator, who believes it's okay to bribe and deceive and be treacherous, because everyone's doing it and everyone gets away with it. He defends himself to a small part of society who 'hopes' that things will change, ethics and morality will come back, and 'good will win'. Things will never change, he believes. People are bound to only get worse. "Is there a place for me in this world?" he asks. "Maybe there is; I know I'll fit right in." Here also, i speak of a factual perspective on life. The narrator, however, is not me (at least i hope!)

Now to the exciting part -  a few of my poems do actually reveal true events in my life! Yes I know i made it seem as though none of my poetry had anything to do with my real life. There are only three of them - You (in Ruminations), The Real World...in Print (in Ruminations) and Dino (in Love Is).

In You, i speak of my mother as i see her; she was my one inspiration that i truthfully wrote about, with real words, from start to finish. In The Real World..., i speak of myself and my writing, my desire to write, to share my vision with the world, to show the world how i see the world. This poem was the second poem i ever wrote; it was written in 2010. In Dino, i speak of a pet puppy i had when i was twelve, and how he sneaked his way into my heart.

I hope i have been able to clarify a few things; if not, hit me up! You know how to reach me here. 

Don't forget to tune in to Flash Fiction Friday on March 14th, this coming Friday!

Til next time...

www.ickanu.com

www.facebook.com/icklit

Updates...

So i have been doing endless edits and cuts on my novella The Truth About Us. I thought for sure i was done with it and ready to let it go, but alas, i got a few different ideas about how much better some significant scenes in the book would be if it concludes this way or that way. I have promised myself this will be the last substantive edits that'll be done. Then off to the cover design, final proofreading, and voila, it's ready to be out there!

Tentatively, I'll be set to launch it on the final week of May, but I'll be announcing the final date in a little bit.

While doing one of my edits last night, i got to thinking about the theme of my book, which is centered around the concept of forgiveness. How far can our level of forgiveness go? What is that boundary of offense that is crossed by a loved one, to the point of no return? Does love really and truly conquer all? As much as i long to say much more, I can't without giving away the delicious aspect of my story!

What to take from this short piece? Make sure to look out for the announcement of my book launch!

'Til next time....

www.ickanu.com

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Flash fiction friday!

As the title of this entry obviously implies, Flash Fiction Friday is a day when I’ll be posting random flash fiction write-ups of mine that are as short as a few paragraphs – which is why they’re called flash fiction, after all. 


Most times, Flash fiction neither has an introduction nor a conclusion; it's sort of like starting a movie at the very middle. The difference with flash fiction is, even with the few scenes that you, the reader, are presented with, you get a glimpse of the past and the present, but its up to you to make a conclusion of what you think will happen in the future. I assure you, flash fiction is definitely a fun read.  

I will be posting these on the 2^nd Friday of every month, so tune in to my webpage here every 2^nd Friday for exciting new fiction write-ups. See below for a little intro to the very first flash fiction entry! 

REMINDERS

I stared.

Stared at my home phone as I listened to the single voice message I had.

He was here.

Michael was in town.

I took a deep breath as I tried to calm my racing heart. What was he doing here? And why did he want to see me?

I replayed the message again against my will, telling myself I hadn't made out his words the first time.

The truth? I wanted to hear his voice again. That soft, yet strong voice.

I shook my head. What was I doing, pining over the voice of a man I had dumped almost nine years ago?

It’s been nine years for heaven’s sake, get over it, I whispered to myself.

I was happily married to the guy of my dreams, we had two adorable sons, I had a great job as a Marketing Administrator, had the almost-perfect mother-in-law. What more could I ask for?

I stretched my fingers to the Delete button on the machine, determined to not respond to this sudden intrusion in my life.

I needed to put the past behind me.

My fingers hesitated. If there was nothing to it, a voice whispered in my head, then why make a big fuss out of a phone call, from an old friend who just wanted to catch up? I was happily married now and I was sure he was, so what's brunch between old friends going to cost?

Not a darn thing.

I pressed the Call Back button.

  ...[Read full story here]...

 www.ickanu.com

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Eras of my reading life...

My favorite read, you ask?

I'm note sure if i can honestly answer the question about what my one favorite read is...i have read so many fantastic books in my years of living, i deem it at once unfair that i would have to pick just one and call it my favorite. So what I'm going to do is just browse through the phases of my reading life, and get to name the books that inspired and really touched me at that time of my life.

As i mentioned in an earlier blog, my childhood years were filled with Enid Blyton books, books that were for children and pre-teens, but were so different from a regular kid's book in its brilliance, vivid imagery, fantastic use of humor and utter sense of mystery, drama and of course, always a lesson to be learned. I couldn't get enough of these books; i devoured them like a kid devoured candy, and i found myself day dreaming about countries different from mine, wishing, hoping, and wanting to read more. The best book i ever read from that author was Claudine at St Clare's from the St. Clare's series.

As i evolved into a teenager, i started getting involved with 'taboo' reads; books supposedly meant for adults only - the Mills & Boons era emerged for me, and i devoured these books like no other! Luckily for me, i had friends that shared the same reading interest as me (or perhaps curiosity) and we tried to dig out these books wherever we could find them, and exchange with one another once we'd read our copy. It was fun, so much fun, trying to hide them from older siblings and parents, hiding them under our pillows, at the bottom of our school bags, sometimes even leaving them behind in our school lockers! However, for the life of me, I'm not sure i had a favourite in this era; i remember quite a few story-lines, but none stood out for me. Why? Because they all had the same process of writing, same kinds of heroes/heroines, etc ...everyone knew what was going to happen at the end. And so i moved on...

In my mid-late teens, i got introduced to Daniel Steele, and i fell instantly in love. Steele captured my mind with the way she weaved words that moved you to the core, the way she made you fall in love with her characters, feel their heart ache, their pain, joy, their every move. Steele brought tears to my eyes. My favorite book from this author is The Gift. That book rocked me to the core, and it's one book i can never forget. 

Towards my late teens to early twenties, while still enjoying Steele's books, i got introduced to Sidney Sheldon, and boy was i blown away by this author (may his soul Rest in Peace). I was shocked, appalled, intrigued by his story-lines, they made me laugh, cry, and laugh out loud some more, and i just had to find all of his books, and read them all. To this day, i have read every single one of his books, up until the last one that was published before he passed. My favorite Sheldon book of all time is Tell Me Your Dreams. This book literally blew my mind; i couldn't think of anything else for days. He was one great literary legend.

Enough for now, tune in for the next stages of my reading life timeline!

Til next time....

www.ickanu.com

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On my new novella...

I am so excited about the upcoming launch of my new novella, The Truth About Us, and I most certainly cannot wait to give everyone the opportunity to read a good story once it's published. I started this novella about five years ago, one boring day after an undergrad lecture. I felt the urge to write something, to compose anything. I wanted to write a short story, and ideas started coming to me about how the theme would go, how the characters would be, and so on. So i took out my phone, and started typing away.

And then, I completely abandoned it after writing three chapters.

I just couldn't find the words to continue with this particular project, so I started and completed other projects, but left my precious work hanging. I knew what would eventually happen at the end of my plot, but how was I to bring my reader to that place? As with most writers ( or perhaps just me), I caught the dreaded writer's block on this one and eventually tossed it aside. For more than five years. 

It was a complete out-of-sight-out-of-mind situation, and it wasn't until 2013 that I thought about it again, picked it up, and decided to follow through. Of course, I've had to change some of the plot scenarios I had initially, but the original theme remains. To give a brief synopsis, it's about a loving couple, Aaron and Eden, and their only child, Timothy, and what happens when an old secret hunts them down and threatens to destroy the life they've all built as a family. (Full synopsis here)

The novella is told in two different narrative voices, Aaron's (told in the first person) and Eden's (told in the 3rd person). The latter is kind of complex because, although we get to know what Eden is thinking, it is not narrated by Eden exactly, but by a third (unknown) narrator. People ask me how I can write books in which the narrative voice is male, given that I am female. Truth be told, I really don't know how I do it, I just know that I can, it works, and it's great. It does take a lot, I have to say. A lot of thinking, research, brain teasing, brain electrocuting (!), but it works. 

I can't tell too much without giving much away, but you can read an excerpt here. To be honest, I no longer remember how I came up with that story idea, I'm not sure what my inspiration for it was, but I can assure you, it is a beautiful story. I cannot wait to have it out there, after all, it's been almost six years in the making! Although the work is finished, it is now going through various stages of editing that is absolutely necessary to undertake before it can be finally ready. In a few more blogs, I'll be permitted to announce the exact publishing date for The Truth About Us. 

What to get from this post? Well, look out for my new novella, is all I can say! Sign up for my newsletter on my website below to get email updates about my published and upcoming books!

'Til next time...

www.ickanu.com

Oh ye author...what motivates thou?

As a follow-up to my last blog topic about inspiration and muse, my discussion (or more like pondering) today is on motivation. What motivates writers/authors to write? What drives us to keep pushing, and keep writing, even when we know that writing is such hard work, slow to be rewarded, easy to tire of, quick to put behind. What drives us? 

Why do we stay awake thinking about our next topic, plot, chapter, epilogue, and so on..biting off the heads of our pencils, filling our brain with strong caffeine, putting ourselves through emotional strains just so we can get it right and get it out...why?

What motivates me to write? Is it because i want to be famous? Do I want to leave the world with something to remember me by? Why do I write? What pushes me? Am I trying to prove something to someone? To others? 

Perhaps i am doing this so i can be acknowledged by the world, be seen as smart, intelligent, a genius even. Maybe I'm trying to prove to my other self that tries to tell me that I’m not smart enough, you know, that inner critic that exists within us all? No? is it just within me?

Over time I've come to understand what motivates me to write, and to keep at it: first is, my love for writing, and second - my desire to share.

Writing for me is more than just writing, It's a work out session, a therapy session, a hobby play out, an extra-curricular activity, as well as a job. As a work out session it energizes me; as a therapy session it relieves all the stress i may be embodying; as a hobby it makes me happy and playful; as an extra-curricular activity it keeps me occupied and busy, and as a job it keeps me grounded, focused, efficient, diligent and disciplined. This is why i write. This is what pushes me. 

With the desire to share, my motivation lies in giving the world an opportunity to see things a little differently; perhaps it may not be the best perception, but it’s a different perspective nonetheless. My motivation lies in wanting to share a little of the knowledge I have gained from people, things, nature and events around me, wondering if everyone around me knows the same, sees the same, feels the same as I. This is my second biggest motivation: to share with others what I know. 

 
Ofcourse, every writer's dream is to be heard/read, acknowledged, and to become famous...I’d most definitely love for everyone to love my work, to approve, to give nods of approval, but above all that, my satisfaction lies in that I have written what I believe needed to be written, and I have published what needed to be seen. Therein lies the source of my peace...i write, therefore i am. 

'Til next time... 

www.ickanu.com