Tag: Authors

lifeteller

trE

NaPowriMo#3 A Haiku & Review of Séduire by Michele Lee

AI-Generated image with a Black woman who has her hair in a natural updo. She is wearing a midnight blue top and slacks that match. She is looking at a White woman who has strikingly silver hair, wearing a tan long-sleeve shirt, and jeans. They are both sitting on a couch deep in thought – pausing to reflect.

storytellers dwell
in the corners of l o s t paths
waiting for their sun

I am honored to share a review and interview from the incomparable and indomitable Michele Lee at my inspired life.

“Storytelling can entertain and offer escape, but those with the courage to offer life telling – exposing destructive situations and sinister behavior that can lurk in the shadows – offer a path for change.

Author Tremaine (trE) L. Loadholt is one such lifeteller, a term I thought of (last night) when thinking about her storytelling abilities. She does captivate the reader with her writing; however, she writes stories that reflect real life, which can be real tragic, abusive, and not always have a happy ending. I applaud trE for weaving difficult subjects into her short story collection, Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction. Her stories offer hope, too, which highlights this writer’s ability to not only write about darkness and evil but attempt to transform it.

Séduire is separated into fourteen stories that introduce a variety of characters who seem so real, it is hard to believe that they aren’t! The author’s talent for character development is what stood out to me when I finished reading her collection and what compelled me to send trE a few questions, which she graciously answered (below). For those who appreciate real life scenarios, complex characters, and diverse dialogue offered in short story form, I highly recommend Seduire, and if you’re a writer, you may also be inspired to become more observant about human behavior after reading trE’s book.

Questions for trE about reading and writing:

Tell us about the inspiration for your characters. (real people, movies, other books, observations, a combination)

To be honest, characters speak to me. They present themselves to me whether I want to be an intruder in their lives or not. They come to me with their problems, their joy, their sadness, accomplishments, etc. And they will NOT SHUT UP until I’ve written their story.

I wish there was something else I could tell you, some writing exercise that I do to coax a story or character to life, but really that’s mainly it. They speak. I listen. Then, I write.

Who is your favorite character from a book you’ve read and what makes that character stand out?

Tangy Mae, a character in the book The Darkest Child, by Delores Phillips. Tangy is brilliant. She is resilient while living a life full of struggles and dealing with a mom who verbally and physically shows her disdain for her children. She is a fully-developed character who made my soul ache, and I will read that book a million times over to feel what I feel each time I read it.

It is apparent in reading your work that you have great empathy for others. Please describe how writing may help you process all that you may feel in relation to the burden of others.

Writing is a release. I am hypersensitive and an Empath; so much so that in the past, when I didn’t have quite the best grip on my emotions and how the pain of others would affect me, I would be in physical pain because I would take on the hurt of my loved ones.

That is not a healthy life to live. Writing and therapy have helped me with continuing to acknowledge the pain of others but to detach from it. I can be aware and stand in solidarity with the hurting ones and recognize their voices should be shared and heard without hurting myself.

What do you find most challenging about creating and developing characters?

Honestly, it’s not really creating characters that’s a challenge for me, it’s getting them to be quiet. Sometimes, I don’t feel like writing. I would rather not experience their pain or tell a happy tale or share their defeats with others. But I’m forced because these fully-formed characters will not let me rest until I’ve completed their life’s story. I actually have more of a problem letting go of some of the characters I’ve created, and some readers do, too.

One character, Aunt May, from an ongoing series I did had reached her end–I wrote her death into an installment and then, the funeral in the next. Readers were LEGIT mad at me for months for killing off the character, but she was becoming such a part of my life that it was going to be harder to let her go if I didn’t do so when I did.
………………..
Anything else you would like us to know about Séduire or your writing process?

I write because I have to. I write because it is a healer. It has given me life that I needed and had forgotten I could live. If you read Séduire, I am almost certain, you will feel that.”

To read the entire breakdown and post, please visit Michele’s wondrous site for “Lifeteller (writer spotlight)“.

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet? I recently signed up to write for Substack as well. My first post, “I Said I Wouldn’t Do It” is live, and my second post “Unknowingly Inviting a Beast to Dinner” was published yesterday morning. I welcome your visit.

Séduire Fans Photo Collage #4

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The Lovely Ones who purchased their copy of Séduire, Part IV. Photo Collage Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt. Individual photos are provided by the beautiful ones holding up their copy.

I cannot tell you how overjoyed I am to still receive outpouring love for Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction. It’s overwhelmingly enjoyable, and I am thankful for everyone who has reached out to me via text message, email, or this blog to let me know just how pleased they are with this collection. I am open and honest about this book; I think it is my best one to date. Honestly, I do not know if I can outdo it. But I aim to try. And perhaps another collection of fictional tales will be unleashed into the ether sometime next year?

We shall see. Until then, please continue to follow me for updates about Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction and its success. Here are a few more reviews for your research and reading pleasure.

Goodreads:

A review was shared by the lovely and talented K.E. Garland, who took it upon herself to create a page on Goodreads for Séduire so that she could review it there, too. She is NOT waiting for Amazon to do its job. LOL!
Sun is a powerhouse writer herself, so to read this review by her really made my heart melt.

Lulu:

Candice Louisa DaQuin is a lovely human being I’ve known for a bit over a decade now, and I adore her heart, mind, and way with words.
Pooja is such a prolific contributor to the WordPress community. I am honored to have her words beside my work.

Thank you to everyone taking the time to invest in my heartwork. It means the sun, moon, stars, and galaxy to me.

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

Something To Think About #3

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The privileged do not know their privilege.

A snippet from “Until It Happens”, a poem written by Kym Gordon Moore and included in her book, We Are Poetry: Lessons I Didn’t Learn in a Textbook.

I will share “Something To Think About” for the next thirteen weeks on Sunday afternoons. It may be a quote, a picture, an interesting phrase I heard, artwork, etc. Whatever I share will surely be intriguing or involving enough to spark a casual discussion or in-depth conversation. Stay tuned every Sunday for this feature!

Peace and blessings.

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

Poetry As Your Guide To Intelligence

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A Book Review

We Are Poetry. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

Sometimes, a book takes you down so many “Memory Lanes” that you just have to sit with it longer than you would. Kym Gordon Moore’s We Are Poetry is one of those books. I can tell that the author loves poetry, and she also loves learning about poetry.

Here is my review, which is shared via Amazon & Goodreads:

“Informative And Creative

Kym Gordon Moore does a fantastic job sharing her thoughts and observations about poetry, its origin, the writers who are well-known for it, and how we can all grow from it, and learn to use poetry as a form of expressiveness and encouragement.

I love how she pinpoints society’s best known poets against lesser known phenomenal writers and how we should be aware of them as well.

She not only shares these facts, but she also gives readers a tutorial of sorts into the various forms of poetry and how to write them. If you’re a lover of this genre of writing, you are going to be in heaven as you thumb through the pages of this book.

She closes the book with her original poems that make up a good portion of the book’s ending. I have to admit, for me, this is the meat of “We Are Poetry”–the part that fills the reader up.

Every poem stirs up a different emotion, and they are all very well-written. Kym did an excellent job weaving in comedic verse and reflective poems, too.

If you’re interested in learning different forms of poetry, reminiscing along with an author, and experiencing several emotions, too, then I recommend “We Are Poetry” to you. Your heart and mind will thank you.”

Get your thinking caps on and grab your learning tools. It’s time to give poetry the respect it is due!

Leaving a Gaslighter Where They Should Be . . . Alone.

trE

A Book Review

Pieces of Me by Maggie Watson. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

I started reading this book directly after The Keeper of the Key by Nicole Willson, and I read about fifteen pages then. I wanted to start fresh the next day without remnants of gothic horror on my brain, and this is what I did. I like to give the books I read my full attention. This occurrence was no different.

I will never understand the mind of an abuser. I will never know how someone can knowingly attempt to damage another. Maggie shares a bit of her experience through poetry in Pieces of Me, and reading through some of the poems . . . I know it took courage to do so.

Here is the review I shared on Amazon and Goodreads for it:

“It Takes Courage To Free One’s Pain

And then share it with the world. That is exactly what Maggie Watson has done with her collection of poetry, Pieces of Me.

There are many poems within this collection I could highlight, and since I am old-school, I literally highlighted phrases and made comments/notes in the margins.

Reading one’s triumph over their abuser in the form of poetry is a testimonial experience. I felt as though I was watching the writer release her pain with every poem shared.

Starting off slow, a few of the poems in the first section didn’t hit me nearly as hard as the poems in the second and last section. But I most definitely felt something–it stirred up emotions within me I thought had been buried.

I commend the writer for being vulnerable enough to share with the world a traumatic life-event that didn’t ruin her outlook on how she lives, but instead gave her the strength to fully live.”

If it were up to me, the world would be rid of abusers in every form. A book of poems such as Pieces of Me should not have to be written. Still, I am glad the writer/author shared her experience as a form of testimony and also included other instances not directly linked to her that so many people have experienced.

The world in which we live is a horrible place under the surface. But there is always a spark, a glimmer, a modicum of love and care waiting to spring forth. I believe Maggie wants that for everyone–love springing forth. And I also believe her writing will help facilitate that.

Gothic Horror Fans: I Got You!

trE

A Book Review

The Keeper of the Key by Nicole Willson. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

This book review feels rather special to me. Why? The author is a writer I grew with as we both wrote fiction for a publication on Medium called Hinged.press, formerly, The Weekly Knob. I always envied her delivery and the way she weaved tales of horror and thriller stories. She is a beast with the pen and has this uncanny way of shoving years of hauntings and mysteriousness into compact vignettes that anyone can enjoy.

We were both featured in the publication’s “Author’s Gold” segment and you can find our features here and here. What I love about Nicole’s writing is she creates believable characters any of us can be or may have been in the past. She pulls you into their lives and then tragically scares the living shit out of you just as you’re learning to love who they are. Every time I read one of her books, it’s a wild ride, which is icing on the cake of writing.

Below is the review I did for her most recent novel, The Keeper of the Key:

“I Felt Connected To Rachel & Her Family

And I know it is because the author, Nicole Willson, made them so believable and relatable.

The Keeper of the Key is a page-turner with wrath, vengeance, horror, gore, love, and resilience blended into every page.

I found myself yelling with Rachel and siding with her regarding her insouciant stepfather, Geoff. I cheered Gram on when she set her daughter, Tara straight about marrying Geoff too soon.

Morgan House is a terror and Nick is the reason. I knew from the beginning he would be trouble, and Nicole doesn’t disappoint. That house needed to wither away in ash form, and I was happy it did.

Towards the end of the book, I wanted to rip Nick’s eyes out and throw them away. I was rooting for Rachel and the many ways she manipulated him and maneuvered herself away from him in the end.

She, her mother, and grandmother survived turmoil and their ultimate demise.

If you’re looking for a thriller with a touch of gothic horror mixed in, I highly recommend The Keeper of the Key.

You will be jolted and thrashed into a world of mysteriousness and of a haunting good time.

Be forewarned!“

Tidepool and The Shadow Dancers of Brixton Hill are two other books authored by Nicole. I’ve read and reviewed them both. I vouch for this writer. She is in a class all by herself. And when you read her work, you’ll definitely understand why.

Her Substack.