Dream to Reality Part 1: Conception

Welcome! This is the first of a five-part series about how my debut novel, The Other Side, came to be. From Conception to Publication. Today’s post is the origin, the beginning, the Conception. Writing and publishing a debut novel was the very first step of my novelist career. I wanted to make a singleton story…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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