The Official Blog of A. E. Costello

A. E. Reads: Mind of my Mind [Book Review]

Mind of my Mind was written by Octavia Butler and published in 1977. It is the sequel to Wild Seed and the second novel in the Patternist series. I loved Wild Seed and I also loved Mind of my Mind. Mind of my Mind is so much about freedom and emancipation. Without getting into spoilers,…

My Debut Novel is NOT TRASH: From Quitting to Winning

This post is another long one, but its a fundamental story in my journey as a writer. A stepping stone to getting published and one day being successful. So I hope you’ll stick around and hear me out. To begin with, my debut novel took eight years in the making, eight years from conception to…

Genesis: The Roots of a Writer

A. E. here. This one is kind of long but I hope you enjoy and come along with me as I go over my roots and rediscover myself (and yourself.) When did you first declare “I am a ..(insert here)” I am a writer, a poet, a musician, a carpenter, a child of God, whatever…

Secrets to Success: Two Simple Steps

I have a question to propose. Why is someone who is twenty-four more successful, making more money, and having a better life, than someone who is fifty-four? Putting aside factors like race, opportunities, socioeconomic status, what else? Why are you not Oprah or Shonda Rhimes? Why are you not Tyler Perry or Denzel Washington? We…

A. E. Reads: Wild Seed

Wild Seed is the book review topic today, by Octavia Butler and published 1980. Wild Seed is all about character. And without a doubt, the main character who needed the most development, and that we got, was Doro. To call Doro cruel is to put it lightly. I won’t call him evil, because being evil…

On Story Ideas: The “What If”

Story ideas. One of the main questions writers get asked or they ask themselves is “how do I get a story idea?” Watching different writers in interviews or sitting in the audience at a book signing, they all say something different. Some writers get their ideas from dreams. Others get hit with an idea by…