The Best Time to Write
By E.A. Aymar
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Author's Note
New Releases (That I'm Excited About!)
Two Writers You Should Read
Events
It's Contest Time!
Other Writing
The Best Time to Write
Inevitably, once a year, some hapless writer writes an essay or tweets a tweet along the lines of "REAL WRITERS write EVERY DAY and, if YOU want to be a real writer, so should YOU. #RealTalk"
And then every other writer in the world rushes to social media to eviscerate him (unwanted advice is almost always from a “him”). They'll point out that the freedom to write on a daily basis is a privilege, and not something everyone has the ability to take advantage of. They’ll say that his writing isn’t very good, particularly for someone who writes on a daily basis (#SickBurn). They’ll say his dog looks stupid and his kids are ugly (social media isn’t known for its restraint).
All of this is true, except for the thing about the dog. Oh, and the kids.
For whatever reason, I need to write every day. I get grumpy when I don't, and my writing tends to wane if I'm away from it. But I also carefully built my life to afford myself this schedule, and I've taken pains to keep it. Selfishly, at times. Before I was married, I neglected my relationships, cruelly. I wanted to wait until I had a book published to get married – and then, when I didn’t want to wait any longer, and realized having a book published was out of my control, I got married anyway. I’ve only worked day jobs that don't infringe on my hours outside of those in the office (which is uncommon in the D.C. area).
None of that makes me worthier than anyone else, and all of it is fortunate.
I’m fortunate that I married someone patient enough to put up with my younger arty BS until I realized – an important realization – that selfishness is never correct. I’m fortunate that I was afforded the time, away from illness or catastrophe, to devote time to writing on a daily basis. I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to find day jobs that truly end when the work day ends.
I’ve been thinking about this because, lately, a lot of my conversations with other writers have been about finding the time to write. They’re struggling with the difficulty of turning away from the whispers of social media or the despairing pull of the news. Or the real complexity of starting a new project when so much of the world, and their lives, is uncertain.
Fires and caves as symbols became wack cliches right after Plato used them in one of his most famous philosophies (so, a while), but permit me this one:
Consider your writing is a fire in a cave, warming you and keeping you safe. Wind may whip through from outside, but that fire is never truly extinguished. The flames may dance and dissipate, but they never disappear. And you may wander through the cave, visiting its recesses, examining its passages and caverns, but the fire remains.
For some of us, we make a torch with that fire and carry it as we explore, using it to light our path.
For others, we walk blindly, that light left behind, slowly feeling our way along the walls. But the glow is always there, and it is something to which we can always return.
It’s always there.
You may not need to write every day – I know fantastic, powerful writers who only write when they’re paid, or when they’re inspired, or when they have time. I remember a panel I once saw with Anne Rice, where she happily said, to the chagrin of the other (less successful, and also less talented) writers on stage that she doesn't write every day.
There is no one path, only your own. It may not be an easy path and it may require more from you than others, but that’s also the cost. Some wondrous books have been written in lavish bedrooms in the light of golden afternoons. Others were written while the writers rotted away in prison, or struggled under mental anguish, or scribbled in notebooks as bombs fell from the sky.
It bears repeating: There is no one path, only your own.
Tend to your fire as best as you can.
Just ensure it burns.
EA
Booktrib included my novel, The Unrepentant, in a list of seven novels set in the D.C. region, along with writers like Chris Chambers, Alma Katsu, John Copenhaver, Stacey Abrams, and more. Always nice to see that little book getting props, and you can learn more about it HERE.
The Bone Cay
Eliza Nellums
Magda Trudell is the present-day caretaker of Whimbrel Estate, the Key West home of the famous poet Isobel Reyes. Isobel's suicide at the residence in 1918 has nearly overshadowed her creative legacy--but Magda, a botanist and avid historian, is determined to protect it. Over the past decade, Magda has lovingly restored the house to the exact condition Isobel would have known. And even though a fierce October hurricane is headed straight for the Keys, she isn't about to abandon her life's work to evacuate.
As the mighty storm makes landfall, the dangers mount. First, a fire and flood threaten to destroy the house. Then the storm claims most of Magda's supplies. When part of the house collapses, she unearths an old steamer trunk in the rubble that contains a woman's remains. Is there more to Isobel's story than Magda knows?
The unexpected appearance of a teenage girl and her father seeking shelter from the storm poses unnerving new questions. Are they really who they seem? And could they have a connection to the house's shadowy past? As the storm rages, Magda desperately tries to solve the real mystery of Isobel's death--and keep the living in one piece.
How to Book a Murder
Cynthia Kuhn
To help save her family’s floundering Colorado bookstore, Starlit Bookshop, newly minted Ph.D. Emma Starrs agrees to plan a mystery-themed dinner party for her wealthy, well-connected high school classmate Tabitha Baxter. It’s a delightful evening of cocktails and conjecture until Tabitha’s husband, Tip—hosting the affair in the guise of Edgar Allan Poe’s detective C. Auguste Dupin—winds up murdered.
In a heartbeat, Emma and her aunt Nora, a famous mystery writer, become suspects. Emma is sure the party’s over for Starlit events, until celebrated author Calliope Nightfall, whose gothic sensibilities are intrigued by the circumstances, implores the bookseller to create a Poe-themed launch event for her latest tome. Throwing a bash to die for while searching for additional clues is already enough to drive Emma stark raven mad, but another shocking crime soon reveals that Silvercrest has not yet reached the final chapter of the puzzling case.
Someone in this charming artistic community has murder on the mind, and if Emma cannot outwit the killer, she and her beloved aunt will land behind bars, to walk free nevermore
Grounds for Murder
Tara Lush
When Lana Lewis' best -- and most difficult -- employee abruptly quits and goes to work for the competition just days before the Sunshine State Barista Championship, her café's chances of winning the contest are creamed. In front of a gossipy crowd in the small Florida town of Devil's Beach, Lana's normally calm demeanor heats to a boil when she runs into the arrogant java slinger. Of course, Fabrizio "Fab" Bellucci has a slick explanation for jumping ship. But when he's found dead the next morning under a palm tree in the alley behind Lana's café, she becomes the prime suspect.
Even the island's handsome police chief isn't quite certain of her innocence. But Lana isn't the only one in town who was angry with Fabrizio. Jilted lovers, a shrimp boat captain, and a surfer with ties to the mob are all suspects as trouble brews on the beach.
With her stoned, hippie dad, a Shih Tzu named Stanley, and a new, curious barista sporting a punk rock aesthetic at her side, Lana's prepared to turn up the heat to catch the real killer. After all, she is a former award-winning reporter. As scandal hangs over her beachside café, can Lana clear her name and win the championship -- or will she come to a bitter end?
They Can't Take Your Name
Robert Justice
What happens to a deferred dream—especially when an innocent man's life hangs in the balance? Langston Brown is running out of time and options for clearing his name and escaping death row. Wrongfully convicted of the gruesome Mother's Day Massacre, he prepares to face his death. His final hope for salvation lies with his daughter, Liza, an artist who dreamed of a life of music and song but left the prestigious Juilliard School to pursue a law degree with the intention of clearing her father's name. Just as she nears success, it's announced that Langston will be put to death in thirty days.
In a desperate bid to find freedom for her father, Liza enlists the help of Eli Stone, a jazz club owner she met at the classic Five Points venue, The Roz. Devastated by the tragic loss of his wife, Eli is trying to find solace by reviving the club…while also wrestling with the longing to join her in death.
Everyone has a dream that might come true—but as the dark shadows of the past converge, could Langston, Eli, and Liza be facing a danger that could shatter those dreams forever?
The Last Redemption
Matt Coyle
Rick Cahill is finally living a settled, happy life. His fiancée, Leah Landingham, is pregnant with their first child and he is doing PI work that pays well and keeps him out of danger. Then a doctor gives him the bad news about the headaches he's been suffering—CTE, the pro football disease that leads to senility and early death—a secret he keeps from Leah and his best friend Moira MacFarlane.
When Moira asks him to monitor her son, Luke—who's broken a restraining order to stay away from his girl-friend—a simple surveillance explodes into greed, deceit, and murder. Luke goes missing, and Rick's dogged determination compels him to follow clues that lead to the exploration of high finance and DNA cancer research.
Ultimately, Rick is forced to battle sadistic killers as he tries to find Luke and stay alive long enough to see the birth of his child.
Couples Wanted
Briana Cole
Adventurous and open-minded, newlyweds Bridget and Roman are determined to keep their relationship exciting. So, when they meet married swingers Corinne and Patrick, they’re instantly drawn to their carefree glamour and warm promise of friendship. And after swapping spouses for one passionate, exhilarating night, Bridget and Roman feel fulfilled and closer together than ever . . .
Until Corinne and Patrick start turning possessive, wanting more of them than Bridget and Roman can ever give. Soon, the young couple is plunged into a nightmare of suspicion, lies, and secrets in which they can’t trust each other—or what they think they know about themselves. Pushed to the breaking point, they must uncover the truth behind the other couple’s machinations. But when the dust settles, there’s no guarantee Bridget and Roman will have their love—or anything else—left to save . . .
Straight Up
Cathi Stoler
Jude Dillane, owner of The Corner Lounge in Manhattan’s East Village, knows she will never be safe until The New Year’s Eve Serial Killer, Art Bevins, is behind bars. Still on the loose, he continues to taunt her. Blaming Jude for all his troubles, Bevins is determined to make her pay. With the FBI investigation at a stand-still Jude knows it’s up to her to bring him to justice. With all this swirling around her, Thomas “Sully” Sullivan, her friend and landlord, becomes enamored of his new tenant, Dolores Castel. Jude instantly distrusts Sully’s new love and believes Dolores is weaving a dangerous web. As she continues her pursuit of Bevins, Jude looks into Dolores’s past, uncovering a series of deadly coincidences. Can Jude stop Bevins from his deadly pursuit and protect her friend from ruin?
Mimi Cracks the Code
Jennifer Chow
Mimi Lee just found an extra perk to being a pet groomer at Hollywoof (other than cuddling animals all day long, that is). Pixie St. James, one of Mimi’s clients and the investor behind Hollywoof, has offered her and her boyfriend, Josh, a getaway at her vacation home, nestled on beautiful Catalina Island. With the island just outside of Los Angeles but still far enough from the hustle and bustle, Mimi, Josh, and their cat Marshmallow (who, of course, wouldn’t be caught dead in a dingy pet hotel) are excited for their relaxing stay.
That is, until Pixie’s last renter, Davis D. Argo, turns up dead. Mimi and Josh’s romantic getaway immediately turns into an enormous buzzkill, especially when Pixie asks Mimi for help. The police suspect Pixie, and Mimi knows a thing or two about wrongful allegations. Mimi figures it couldn’t hurt to snoop a little since she’s already there, and soon discovers that a valuable item is missing. Except Pixie isn’t the only one in the neighborhood who has been robbed. There is something strange happening on the island, and Mimi won’t stop until she finds out what it is.
If you want to impress your kid, then tell him you're friends with a FREAKIN' NINJA. And if you want to read a good book BY a ninja (I've had the opportunity to do both), then read Tori Eldridge's bestselling, award-winning, and critically-beloved Lily Wong series. Tori is one of the most vivacious writers around, her social media posts an ode to joy, and her novels relentlessly entertaining and deservedly praised.
And a writer Tori Eldridge recommends?
I have two books to recommend that struck me deeply for personal reasons. The first resonates with me personally and bridges my own Lily Wong series with a Hawaiian Homeland short story that will appear in MWA’s Crime Hits Home anthology. The second is set in Los Angeles, where I’ve set the first two books in my series and where I’ve lived for over 35 years and. Both are written with powerful voices and authenticity that I admire and highly recommend.
DIAMOND HEAD by Cicely Wong is a poignant multi-generational saga follows the Leong family from the turn of the nineteenth century in Guangdong (from where my own maternal grandfather immigrated), to Oahu 1964, a few years after I was born in neighborhoods where I grew up. Not surprisingly, Cicely Wong’s novel hits very close to home. Her rich characters resonate with an authenticity that comes from personal experience and keen insight. DIAMOND HEAD is an ode to Chinese Hawaiian history and ancestry that, for me, will not soon be forgotten.
THESE GIRLS by Ivy Pochada is a gut-wrenching portrayal of the women of South Los Angeles too often and too easily ignored and dismissed. Pochada writes with stunning honesty and painful beauty that made this novel hard in places to read yet impossible to put down.
To learn more about these authors, click on the photos above.
Five Decembers with James Kestrel
I was invited to be a guest author on my favorite writing podcast, Chatter on Books with Torie Clarke and David Aldridge (!), to talk with a writer named James Kestrel about his new novel, Five Decembers. It's a beautiful book, one of my favorites of 2021, and highly recommended. And the podcast is so good. Torie and David are hilarious and smart and it's always a good time with them. Check it out HERE.
It's contest time! The monthly contest winner wins copies of the books listed in my "Two Writers You Should Read" segment. And the winner is...
a_351@gmail.com
I also ran a second contest for new subscribers. And the winner of a $50 Amazon gift card is...
p__arm@gmail.com
Congrats, and keep your eye out for a separate e-mail from me!
My most recent column for the Washington Independent Review of Books was a letter to my son about why, when I was growing up, I needed diverse books. You can read it HERE.
I also had the chance to write a short essay for Art Taylor's wonderful series, The First Two Pages. I wrote about my choose-your-own-adventure short story, "The Search for Eric Garcia," which was published in The Midnight Hour. You can check it out HERE.
Until next time, much love and happy reading!