On Monday, I had the the pleasure of being on Boomers on Books with Vince Stevenson, a livestream show that features emerging and established authors. Vince is also known as The Fear Doctor and is a leading trainer and bestselling author on overcoming the fear of public speaking.
This was a most fortunate circumstance for me. Being my first livestream video, I was nervous. But you will see that Vince is a charming and skilled host, and we enjoyed a great conversation. We covered many fascinating topics other than my books—relationship dynamics, addiction and mental illness, self-doubt, and life in Panama. Not your same ol’ author interview!
Boomers on Books is a video channel for emerging and established authors. We welcome authors from all continents, ages, genders, colours and creeds. The video interview is live-streamed on YouTube and available on-demand and indefinitely for people’s viewing. The hosts are boomer Vince Stevenson and boomer Mark Shultz (although due to Mark’s wife’s medical issues, Mark has been unavailable to participate).
Vince Stevenson
Vince Stevenson is known as the ‘Fear Doctor’ and describes himself as a ‘recovering speaker’. He works in London and around the world encouraging people to speak their own truth. Vince has worked from Brazil to Bangladesh with top companies and NGOs, assisting their senior executives to become improved communicators. He runs regular classes in London and is a popular choice as a conference speaker. Vince has a devilish sense of humour and he loves talking about his fears, foibles and failures. Vince can be contacted at the College of Public Speaking London.
The Writers’ Mastermind recently celebrated its 1st year anniversary. Now that we’re well beyond the beta stage, we are raising our membership rates.
If you have been thinking about taking your creative life to the next level by joining a virtual writing group, this is your last chance to enjoy a 30-day FREE Trial of the Writers’ Mastermind and get locked in at $19 a month.
Our price will go up to $29 a month on July 1st, 2021.
Your membership includes:
SELF-GUIDED MASTERCLASSES
Classes on the craft of writing, marketing, mindset, creativity and more. Learn at your own pace. The entire bank of classes will be available to you at all times.
WORKBOOKS AND GUIDES
Accompanying guides ensure you are learning something new every month and taking the steps that bring you closer to becoming a successful author.
ACCESS TO EXPERTS
Join our monthly featured experts for live Q&As. Ask questions in the Facebook group and get answers from people who know.
GROUP EVENTS
Join us for members only promotional events, member spotlights, interviews, recorded readings, and features in our newsletter. Member books are also featured on our website.
ZOOM MASTERMINDS
Join us on Zoom for live mastermind meetings on a new topic each month. Experience the explosive synergy of learning from others and sharing your experiences.
LIVE ZOOM WRITE-INS
Get your word count in and stay motivated with 60-minute write-ins. We meet several times a week to write together on Zoom and check in on our progress.
PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP
Post news, questions, and requests for feedback. Get support from our helpful worldwide community of authors any time, any day.
CRITIQUE PODS
Our upcoming critique pods are small, intensive genre-specific groups so you can get the feedback that you need to turn your book into a masterpiece.
What makes the Writers’ Mastermind unique among online writing groups?
No more:
tedious webinars that try to sell you something at the end.
point systems or popularity contests to get feedback.
restriction to genre, age, location, background, experience, gender, traditional, self-published, or unpublished status.
Say yes to:
short, actionable classes that fit into any busy schedule. Learn what you need to know and actually apply it.
relationships and collaborations that will accelerate your growth as a writer and open new doors for your talent.
results—Stop drifting off course. Set goals. Be held accountable. Make your dreams happen!
Every other Monday, we introduce you to a writer from the Writers’ Mastermind. Today we are excited to have Patty Lesser. She has backpacked the world, plays Texas hold ’em, and writes everything from murder mysteries to scifi to dark paranormal fantasy and beyond.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where are you now? What has your life been like?
Four years ago, I moved to Brantford, starting over. I knew no one here or anything. Everything was new, but I made a life for myself along with four volunteer positions and playing in a local poker league. I grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, but when I was 19, I left Canada to backpack around the world for 25 years.
When I came back to Canada, I settled in Toronto before moving back to Hamilton. I moved around a lot before settling here. I love my new life.
2. What kind of stories do you write?
I think of a plot, work it around in my head, thinking of ideas for a story. If it works out, I write it down and start the novel. Then I think about the genre, so I end up writing various genres like mystery, fantasy, sci fi, adventure, thriller, etc.
3. What sets you apart from other writers in your space?
I write from A directly to B. My writing is direct and somewhat simple, and my stories are completely my imagination, so I find it hard to compare my books with other authors.
4. What drives your writing? What do you mean to accomplish with your stories?
I’m a storyteller. I like to tell stories that I want others to read to escape from reality for a while and enjoy someone else’s saga and my imagination.
5. Who are your favourite writers and books? What are your other creative influences?
My favourite authors and their books are: Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, Alexandre Dumas’ Count of Monte Crisco, and Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge. When I need inspiration, I go back and read stuff I’ve written.
6. Do you write in silence? Background noise? What kind?
I always write with a movie playing on the TV. It’s always a movie I’ve seen many times, so I don’t have to watch. I can look up from time to time and just listen when I need a break from the writing.
7. What is your favourite thing to do when you are not writing?
I play tournament Texas hold’em no limit poker. I play in a local league, but of course we’ve been closed down because of Covid. I have been playing online for money since 2005.
8. Who is your current celebrity crush?
John de Lancie otherwise known as Q on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He’s an Australian actor.
9. Why do you think it’s important to write fiction?
People have been writing fiction since the beginning of time. The Bible is made up of fictional stories that someone put together in an anthology. Fiction is important to take us away from reality.
10. Who would be the best writer, alive or dead, to tell the story of your life?
Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain. I love the way he wrote his autobiography. He’s a great storyteller.
11. What are you working on right now?
I’m working on a murder mystery that takes place in a community centre. The subplot is all about the importance of volunteering. The interesting thing is I don’t know who the murderer is, but I guess I’ll just find out when the readers do. I volunteered at a community centre for 4 years, and my story mirrors this one. I was also the Volunteer Reporter and I wrote all the volunteers’ profiles, so I’ve got lots to draw from. I want people to read my book and then say, I should volunteer somewhere.
Devouring Time: A Race Against the Clock to Expose Shocking Secrets, Shameless Greed, and Murder
Marcus Tate doesn’t understand the odd request: leave London to deliver a small, carefully-wrapped box to a family in Canada? But his mentor, mother figure, and friend, Cathy Edwards, insists that Marcus is precisely the right person to deliver the important package that she has held onto for many long years.
Little does Marcus realize that his world is about to be turned upside down. In less than one day, Marcus learns not only the shocking truth about his mother, but also the real reason Cathy forged such a strong bond with him. And despite Marcus’s attempt to make a quick delivery and leave, the eccentric Blackbourne family insists that he stay to learn more about the contents of the mysterious box.
The Blackbournes can’t wait for Lillian, the family matriarch, to peel the brown paper wrapping from the package. To each family member, the package represents the promise of an even richer life. More money. Financial independence. Power. Freedom to travel the world.
But to the family’s surprise, the package is only one small piece of a much larger labyrinth of lies and betrayal, leading to the discovery of family secrets . . . and murder.
Time ticks away as the family attempts to solve the mystery of Lillian’s murder, all while trying to make sense of their past. Through it all, the Blackbournes and Marcus can’t help but wonder if the murderer is still lurking among them.
Join Marcus and the entire Blackbourne family on a whirlwind twenty-four hour adventure, through a world of insatiable greed, family secrets, forbidden love, and murder!
Every other Monday, we introduce you to a writer from the Writers’ Mastermind. Today we are thrilled to have Black Historical Fiction, Poetry, and Urban Fantasy Author, Yecheilyah Ysrayl.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where are you now? What has your life been like?
Sure, thanks so much for having me. My name is Yecheilyah (e-see-li-yah), and everyone calls me EC for short. I am an Author, Book Blogger, Poet, and Publisher from Chicago, where I was born and raised. In 2009, I left home for Louisiana and then, in 2017, transitioned again to Georgia, where I now live with my husband. As you can probably tell, I love to travel and look forward to doing more International travel when the world opens up fully. Life has not been easy, especially with the loss of my mom last year, but I can’t complain. I am thankful for the good that encourages me and the sufferings that shape me.
What kind of stories do you write?
I write Black Historical Fiction, Poetry, and Urban Fantasy. I have also written Inspirational Non-Fiction.
What sets you apart from other writers in your space?
Everything I write has a black historical theme embedded, and I believe this sets me apart. Black history is my passion, and I write to restore black historical truth regardless of genre. This summer, for instance, I am releasing my first Urban Fantasy novel. The plot focuses on the mysterious killings of black men by supernatural forces attacking them for their power. In Greek Mythology, Paschar (push-shar) is the God of Vision. In my story, though, Paschar is a Black Woman Goddess. So, while the book has traditional fantasy themes, it is not without Black/AFAM representation. The depiction of Paschar on the cover is of a very dark-skinned woman. This was intentional.
What drives your writing? What do you mean to accomplish with your stories?
What drives my writing is my love for truth, historical accuracy, and self-expression. When I sit down to write, I hope my words will free someone from the limited ways the world teaches us and programs us to think and feel. Whether it is poetry or fantasy, or historical fiction, I hope people can walk away from my stories with a fresh way of seeing the world. I want people to know it’s okay to be different and to think differently. I hope we become brave enough to defy the norms, regardless of public judgment and persecution.
Who are you favorite writers and books? What are your other creative influences?
Some of my favorite authors and books are a mix of both new and old-school writers, such as Underground Railroad and The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and the Logan Family series including Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry and Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor. I am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington, The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein, and I could go on forever, so we’ll stop there.
I love music, so my other creative influences come from my favorite soulful R&B artists like Lauryn Hill, Musiq Soulchild, Whitney Houston, Kenny Lattimore, Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton, and more.
Do you write in silence? Background noise? Or music? What kind?
Silence. I can listen to 90s R&B if I am working on something that is not writing, say researching or updating my website, but I can’t listen to anything while I write, so it’s the quiet for me.
What is your favorite thing to do when you are not writing?
When I am not writing, my favorite thing is reading, traveling, and binge-watching my favorite TV shows. A fun fact is that though I am a movie buff, I watch little TV during the day. Most of my TV time is in the evenings with the hubs and on the weekend. This makes it much more exciting when I watch a favorite or new show, which I only end up writing about as a review.
Who is your current celebrity crush?
Hmm. Let’s see here. One of my favorite TV shows now is This Is Us, so I would have to go with Randall. I mean Sterling K. Brown, lol.
Why do you think it’s important to write fiction?
Writing fiction is important because it’s one of the most exciting and effortless ways of informal teaching outside of movies, film, and theater. We learn a lot from reading, and fiction explicitly takes the form of edutainment, educating through entertainment. We write what we do not say out loud.
Reading novels makes us curious and can force us to change in ways we never imagined. I don’t think fiction encourages us to escape the pressures of our reality more so than it does to help us understand it better. Although we are reading something that is part of someone’s imagination, the truth is often stranger than fiction. That is to say, the truth of the world can sometimes be much wilder than anything that we can read in books. But it is through reading fiction in the first place that we pay attention to the world enough to see that.
So, it makes the authors of fiction that much more critical because we are not merely throwing words to the wall; we are potentially shaping and changing how people think. This can have powerful or detrimental outcomes depending on the information being put out there.
Who would be the best writer, alive or dead, to tell the story of your life?
With her experience with trauma and success, with her mastery of language and delivery, with her intelligence and compassion, with her love for people and poetic wisdom, I think Maya Angelou’s voice would be influential in my life story’s narration if she were alive.
What are you working on right now?
Right now, I am preparing to release my first urban fantasy novel, “The Women with Blue Eyes: Rise of the Fallen.” The story is about the mysterious murder of only black men and one woman’s discovery that the serial killer is beyond this realm. Readers can learn more about the book and preorder it now at yecheilyahysrayl.com.
The Women with Blue Eyes: Rise of the Fallen
When Tina’s nephew, Ronnie is killed, she is left to care for his siblings and to solve a series of mysterious murders involving only black men. Investigating each murder thrusts her and her team into a world of deities, demons, and fallen angels, leading Tina to battle a serial killer beyond this realm.
Candace Johnson is a professional freelance editor, writer, proofreader, and ghostwriter. She has worked with traditional publishers, self-published authors, agents, and independent book packagers in numerous fiction genres and nonfiction subjects. As an editorial specialist, she believes in maintaining an author’s unique voice while helping to polish every sentence to make it the best it can be.
INTRODUCTION
SELF-EDITING
Self-editing can be a daunting part of the publishing process, but it is a necessary skill set every writer must have.
WHEN TO DO YOUR SELF-EDIT?
Whether you’ve been self-editing your story/book along the way or have waited until you’ve typed “The End,” you will want to make sure your manuscript is as polished as you can possibly make it.
It’s important to emphasize that writers should not rely solely on self-editing before submitting or publishing. Getting the help of a professional editor is crucial to your success as an author.
However, if you know how to prepare your manuscript for your editor, you will save time, money, and frustration.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
In this masterclass, you will be guided through a thorough checklist of common issues in story structure, plot, characterization, grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and formatting.
This will ensure that your self-editing process is efficient and that your manuscript is as tight and clean as can be before handing it off to your editor.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
6-Part Video Series
36-Page Self-Editing Workbook
Support, motivation, and advice in our private Facebook Group
Access to our live write-ins and all classes in the members area
Live Q&A with Candace Johnson from Change It Up Edit (replay available)
COST
FREE with your 30-Day Trial in the Writers’ Mastermind
Then $19 per month if you choose to stay (Sign up soon. Membership price goes up to $29 per month July 1st)
Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition
Jack Kerouac
Do you proofread as you write?
Whenever spell check underlines something in its taunting red line, I immediately want to make it disappear. I know this interrupts my flow, but it’s almost impossible not to fix the mistake before moving on (I’m doing it right now as I type this!).
I notice that I tend to do more self-editing when I’m stuck in my stories. This is the sneakiest form of writers’ block. It feels like I’m being productive, but what I really am doing is stalling. Instead of getting a thousand words on the page, I get a few over-edited sentences.
Jack Kerouac said to remove literary, grammatical, and syntactical inhibition as you write—not forever. Just until you finish. You’ll have plenty of time to correct your mistakes when the mad dash is over.
May the muses be with you,
—Christa
Do you correct mistakes as you write? What’s your worst procrastination habit?
Want a proofreading checklist for a flawless manuscript?
Look forward to Candace Johnson’s masterclass in the Writers’ Mastermind
SYSTEMIZED SELF-EDITING
Get access to this class and all the benefits of membership with your free trial.
