A Writer's Voice

A writer's voice bubbles over with their feelings about their topic. Change those feelings and the voice used changes with it. Sometimes its as easy as making a decision. I recently heard one author say he had found himself using the word “seedy” to describe inner cities too often. He stopped and took the time to imagine how that would affect a reader living in an inner city. Now he makes certain to never use that or related words, and notes that consciously seeking better ways to describe city life has changed the way he writes.

Voice changes naturally when writers have a specific audience in mind. Think of your speaking voice. I bet it changes naturally depending on your audience, just like mine does. I can baby talk with the best of them when facing an infant or toddler. A teen or tween, an acquaintance or friend, coworker or boss, to a relative about the boss all require different voices. When I concentrate on who my listener is, I code switch without needing to consciously think about the change.

A writer's voice is the sum of the choices he or she makes while communicating information about a subject, and information about themselves, to a particular audience. Personality, attitudes, beliefs, and feelings about things, all being conveyed to a certain audience. Mainstream authors who want to write inclusively should first work to develop an inclusive Voice. It’s not enough to just want to write about diverse characters. An author must accurately see, hear and feel the world their diverse characters inhabit. If they can’t do that, their reader won’t be able to either.

Don't try to please everyone and end up with that voiceless "designed by committee" manuscript. Find that special audience member, and work to please him or her.

Now take a deep breath and let your voice flow.

Why I Read #ownvoices Books by Barbara Binns

Hi everyone! 

I am Young Adult and Middle Grade author Barbara Binns, writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for adolescents and teens. As my tagline says, I write Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them. 

This has been a chameleon month for me, and I apologize for posting this late. But my mind rotated between three subjects and I'm not the worlds fastest thinker.

First, I intended to continue the theme of last month's post and the RWA implosion. But everything I could say sounded bad and sad inside my head. The only encouraging notes - the potential that a new organization may rise from the ashes. I know, technically RWA still exists, but even the positive aspects of the situation, including the deep discounts for the conference, seem a little like fire sale desperation.

Then I decided to write about my writing process and the subject of theme. A slightly more positive subject, even though my process even frustrates me sometimes. But it also felt a little self-serving and boringly repetative.

The American Dirt controversy gave me this subject. I know its not Romance, but I am a bit of an eclectic reader. I used to read about three of four books a week, but that was before I began writing. Now I am closer to one book every two weeks, writing is a total time suck. That means I am careful before selecting that one book.

American Dirt will not be one of those books. Not because of the controversy or some kind of personal censorship. It's because of a love I have for #ownvoices and what they bring to a story vs someone trying to tell another persons story. It's the difference between hearing from someone who has "been there, done that, and got the t-shirt," and from someone who "got the t-shirt."  There will always be differences between how they tell a story, and how much blood, sweat and tears drip from the pages.

I want the blood, sweat and tears a good author can insert on the pages.

What I do want to talk about is an #ownvoices book I recently read, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez. It's the story of a first generation Mexican-American teen dealing with conflicts in her family and the death of her "perfect" sister. Not a romance, but it deals with so many of the same issues and themes I see in my own writing: family and guilt.

The "been there, done that" background of the author puts insight into the culture on the page as the main character, Julia, struggles through her grief and plans to escape from her family. Her parents let her know she is not the perfect girl her sister was. Julia's own guilt reminds her that her sister would still be alive if their mother had not been in the prinicpal's office dealing with her problems.  Now mother  seems to live to point out Julia's problems.
The emotions feel boh real and raw. I got both the uniqueness and cultural differences of her situation, and the many points of congruency between her issues and those of other teens from different backgrounds. Added plus, the story takes place in Chicagogiving me a recognizable view of my lovely city.

Because I no longer have time to read as widely as I used to, I feel a need to get the most out of every book. There is a difference between a story written by someone who feels an issue deep in their bones, and someone who heard about the issue. No amount of immagination can breach that difference. To me, it's the difference between a memoir and a biography. There is a place for both in the writing world, a need for both #ownvoices and stories told from research/imagination. That is why I would never attempt to censor any book. My reading life simply has a need for the blood on the page that imagination and research cannot supply. If you want an authentic experience, consider I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.

A Great Holiday Read by Lynn Lovegreen

It’s the time of year when people are looking for holiday romances. My friend Mercy Zephyr has written a sweet contemporary transgender romance that I really enjoyed reading. Here’s my interview with Mercy:

How did you come to write this book?

This is the first book I wrote. It was coming up on the holidays, and I felt left out of the festivities; transgender women don't exactly get written into Hallmark specials. Every Thanksgiving, there's a Thanksgiving dinner me and my husband go to for all the people in the community whose family have rejected them, so that feeling is there; Plus, a lot of us feel like we're not going to find love, and I touch on that in the book, but it's important to have hope, so I wanted to give some of that hope away to people who needed it. Not only that, but a lot of cisgender people who read it found it to be a great read and learned a lot, too.

I agree, I had fun reading it and learned a lot myself! I know you published this book, and some of our readers are interested in that process. How did that happen for you?

The story popped into my head, and I wrote it out, self-edited it, studied how to create a cover and designed it myself, then set up my web presence and published it late on Christmas Eve last year. That's a pretty terrible time to publish a Christmas story, since nobody will really notice it until after Christmas, but it took longer than I thought it would at first.

These things always do! What are your plans for future novels?

Unveiling Ms. Claus has a bit of tasteful heat in it, since so much of the book is about Amber's relationship with herself and her own body, and she just couldn't show that without taking her bits out for a spin.

Since then, I've moved to writing low heat. I've seen queer authors be stigmatized for the intensively sexualized content in their books, even when they are writing in ways that are really very tame. An M/F story with very mild sex in it, nothing graphic at all, is totally acceptable. Change the couple to two women or another LGBTQIA identity and without a single word changing, people start treating it as high heat or erotica. My next books don't even have a sex scene to be misinterpreted like that. 

I might write some more holiday pieces in the future as I get more comfortable with my production schedules, but right now, I'm working on three more books; one of them should be on Amazon by November 15th or so, give or take. That's Transpire Together, a sweet small town second chance in the shadow of the 2018 bathroom bill fight, with a trans man and a cis woman. The next one... February, I think. Also small town, friends to lovers, with a twist on a fake relationship. It is going to bring in Alaska Native representation and asexual spectrum topics, and it's a lesbian story. I want to mix things up there. 

Unveiling Ms. Claus

Doctors cannot be in relationships with their patients. Who knew how much that would hurt?

Rejected by her parents as an adult, Amber Claus is starting life anew from nothing, as a woman. When she meets a man who feels like he could be The One, things feel hopeful...until she meets him as the doctor helping her to transition. And doctors can't date patients.

But she won't need help forever, and she's earned some Christmas cheer…

Mercy Zephyr (she/her) was born and raised in the Mat-Su Valley, where her and her husband of eleven years live today. Together, they enjoy bicycling, spending time with her supportive parents, and spoiling their grandchild and each other. She is an asexual transgender woman of Athabaskan descent who transitioned alongside her husband. She writes sweet, optimistic #ownvoices romance with a spoonful of humor and a dash of grit, centering transgender and sometimes asexual characters. 

Website and Newsletter: http://www.mercyzephyr.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MercyZephyr)

https://books2read.com/ap/nzgEKJ/Mercy-Zephyr

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. Her young adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com.

#RSJ2017 Romance Slam Jam 2017

Hi everyone! I am YA author B A Binns , writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for teens. My tagline tells you what I am about - Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them. 

This month I'm talking about the annual Romance Slam Jam Book Lovers Convention (formerly known as RSJ or the Romance Slam Jam Conference)that will be held in beautiful Los Angeles, California this year, March 22-25.

This year's theme is "Lights! Camera! Action! Romance in LA!"


This annual convention attracts and supports the authors, readers, and industry specialists who enjoy “own voices,” romance books featuring black and multicultural protagonists.

Held annually at various locations around the country, the RSJ convention has a reunion atmosphere where all are welcomed to join in on the discussion of the black author and the publishing industry today. RSJ encourages discussion on diversity in literature and debate by all parties, regardless of race and/or role in the publishing industry. To that end, RSJ welcomes both published and aspiring authors who want to meet with readers and network with other authors, or attend workshops to refine their craft. The convention especially welcomes readers, bloggers and reviewers who love romance books and want to meet authors, get free books, and a chance to win book related prizes (including a pre-loaded kindle).

Romance Slam Jam (RSJ) was born in 1995 in a response to gatekeepers who once said, "People won't buy black romance." Emma Rodgers, Ashira Tosihwe and Francis Ray give birth to RSJ in Dallas, Texas, to demonstrate what Nikki Giovanni describes as “The Power, Passion and Pain of Black Love.” Over the years, RSJ has helped demolish many barriers in the Romance Book industry.

The convention/conference encourages diversity in literature by recognizing the talent and creative literary works of African American authors to help them gain exposure to all audiences in our multicultural world.  Emma Rodgers lent her name to the Emma Awards, the premier awards for black authors of romance. The awards ceremony takes place on the final day of the Convention and highlights outstanding creative literary works by African-American authors.

In addition, #RSJ2017 has undergone a facelift while continuing its support and celebration of talented authors of romantic fiction featuring black, multicultural and interracial protagonists. The convention will offer craft and business workshops geared towards both established and aspiring authors. Writers at all stages of their career can participate in various workshops led by bestselling indie and traditionally published authors and industry professionals. Subjects covered generally include craft, media and marketing, self-publishing, social media and business organization.

There will also be panel discussions, games, and other events to ensure ample opportunities for readers and authors, book reviewers and bloggers, to mingle and get to know each other.  There will be something new at RSJ2017; several forums where a key subject will be discussed by attendees at a town hall type environment to give readers and authors a chance to participate together and delve deep on a subject.

I always consider going to RSJ as an opportunity for to fangirl over some of my favorite authors. Here are some photos from prior years.

Me with authors KD King and Beverly Jenkins

Remember, this event is open to everyone. All are welcome.

SPECIAL NOTE: There are several different pre-convention tours set up for March 22 to explore Los Angeles if you want to arrive early.

Also, This year, RSJ is having a special TEEN PROGRAM WORKSHOP DAY. If your creative teen is interested in becoming a writer, you can bring them along. There will be special workshops where teens can learn how to magnify their thoughts into illuminating, definitive, photographic words.

For more information about the conference, the tours, or the teen day, visit:  https://rsjconvention.com/


Featured presenters at RSJ2017 include:

Zuri Day, national bestselling author of almost two dozen novels, including the popular Drakes of California series and the Morgan Men Trilogy. Publishers Weekly wrote, “Day is boldly bucking the billionaire trend” about her latest series, Blue Collar Lovers.   [http://zuriday.com]

Zuri is serving as the hostess of a special Harlequin Kimani event to be held during the convention.

Lisa Rayne writes sensual contemporary romance, often with a suspense twist. Her books feature smart, sexy characters of diverse backgrounds and cultures. Her first novel Counselor Undone earned Emma Awards for Debut Author of the Year and for Interracial Romance of the Year in 2016.  [lisarayne.com]

J.M. Jeffries is actually the award winning writing team of Miriam Pace and Jacqueline Hamilton. These two authors of romantic suspense and romantic comedies have trouble deciding if they like killing people more than they like making them laugh. Visit J.M.Jeffries on facebook

Earl Sewell  is a national bestselling and award-winning author who has published over 20 novels and shorts stories in multiple genres.  [http://authorearlsewell.com]

Lutishia Lovely  is a national bestselling author of more than two dozen novels. Her latest release, A Date With Destiny is the 9^th installment of her popular Hallelujah Series. [http://lutishialovely.com/]

Lutishia will be delivering the keynote address.

Pamela Samuels Young, the award-winning author of seven legal thrillers and one non-fiction book, has been dubbed “John Grisham with a sister’s twist” by one reviewer. Her thriller Anybody’s Daughter (2013), is the story about a teen drawn into the world of child sex trafficking via a Facebook scam, won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Fiction and was a Top Ten pick by In the Margins, a committee of the Library Services of Youth In Custody. [www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com]


Seriously, if you are looking for a readers' or writers' conference in March, or just need an excuse to see LA, give Romance Slam Jam consideration.  (Just saying, last year I won the raffle and got some nice free stuff.)

Giving Myself a Present

Hi everyone! I am YA author B A Binns , writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for teens. My tagline tells you what I am about - Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them. 

I gave myself a holiday gift this year.

Was it expensive - Absolutely.
Was it worth it - Again, a resounding yes.
Will I do it again - Read further and see the answer.

What was this present - well, a little background first. As a professional author with three books behind me and two more in progress including my middle grade debut novel Courage coming in winter 2018 from Harper Collins, I attend various conferences. Some are better than others, more boring or more informative, and may be geared toward readers or writers. No matter what, there remains one constant - most suffer from monochrome syndrome, the audience and speakers are largely white. Yes, the speakers are deserving and qualified, But I, like many of the young readers I write for, sometimes need a mirror up on the stage expounding wisdom, and in the seats around me. Someone we can look at and see hope for a future for ourselves.

I belong to the Illinois chapter of SCBWI, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. They hold a one-day conference every November called Prairie Writers and Illustrators Day (PWID) - Illinois is the prairie state, get it?

The conference theme was "Calling All Superheroes." The event included portfolio reviews for illustrators, critiques and contests (no, I did not win) One of the best things for me was that this year, the conference organizers found a diverse cast for their faculty.

Agent: Linda Pratt, WERNICK & PRATT
Executive Editor: Traci Todd, ABRAMS APPLESEED,
Executive Art Director: Giuseppe Castellano, PENGUIN GROUP USA
Executive Editor: Kendra Levin, VIKING CHILDREN’S GROUP
Assistant Editor: Nikki Garcia, LITTLE BROWN & COMPANY

Linda Pratt, Kendra Levin and Nikki Garcia discussing issues in YA and MG publishing. In addition Linda Pratt gave a presentation on the elusive thing called Voice, Kendra Levin's presentation helped attendees through exercises in character motivation, and Nikki Garcia helped us understand revising and editing MG and YA stories.

The opening keynote speaker was Don Tate, who calls himself a "visual storyteller." He
discussed his long and winding journey traversing the children's book publishing minefield, emphasizing the many twists and turns, and the length, of the journey while giving hope to those on their way. Mr. Tate will be one of the headliners at the 2017 Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural literature, spoke about his dedication to his craft. BTW, I spoke at the Virginia Hamilton Conference a few years ago. If anyone wants to go deep into diverse literature, and see a truly massive children's library, that's the conference to attend.

I want to give the organizers kudos for noting the few attendees of color they have most years and resolving to look at possible ways to change things in the future.

Which brings me to the present I gave to myself.  I resolved to do more than just attend and see and hear the mirrors on the podium and gave myself the gift of additional mirrors in the audience along with me. Writing and illustrating are solitary endeavors. Yet, we all gain dividends from having a community like SCBWI, RWA or MWA, to be part of, to learn from and gain support.

Many #ownvoices have little chance to become part of that larger community. They feel isolated. Worse, many don't even know those writing communities exist. While they too have a largely monochrome  membership, people all over the world tell stories, from every race, ethnicity and religion. But #ownvoices can't join if they don't even know these groups exist, and if they don't have the finances to join because there are hefty membership fees and even more money is needed to sign up for and attend meetings and conferences.

So my gift to myself was the gift of helping others.

Khannie Dastgah, Urania Smith, B A Binns, Jill Kuanfung, Nabeeh Bilal

I chose to pay the conference fees for others. used a contest to select the scholarship winners, Khannie Dastgah, Jill Kuanfung, and Mabeeh Bilal. Aided by fellow SCBWI member Urania Smith, I set up a scholarship to pay the conference fees so that three additional #ownvoices could attend their first professional writers and illustrators conference.  It's worth noting that almost none of the people who entered the contest did knew anything about SCBWI. Something for the organization to consider: if your current membership is largely white, and many have little interchange with any people of color, much less the subset that are authors and illustrators, those people have no way of knowing you exists.  That ignorance is costly, since the Predators in the business always manage to find those who are hopeful, talented, persistent, and dedicated to their craft...and alone. One of the contestants was on the verge of falling victim to a $20K vanity publisher trap because she had no idea of any alternative to getting her children's books published.

Urania and I ended the day having Chinese dinner at the Absolutely Chines Restaurant in Rolling Meadows, along with Jill and Nabeeh. There they let us close out the place because we couldn't stop talking and enjoying each other's company. And I discovered I don't need alcohol to loosen my tongue and embarrass myself!

P. S. My final reward at the end of the day was a copy of a book illustrated by Nabeeh Bilal:  the Callaloo books.

An autographed copy!

So my gift to myself was to help others. It's like the starfish parable, I've helped one other individual (okay three) with the hope act that will influence their lives for the better and they will keep giving forward. That makes the answer to the question at the beginning of this blog - would I do something similar in the future?

As long as my finances hold, the answer is YES!  In the meantime, if you know of any #ownvoices  out there, whether they write for children or adults, let them know to contact me at author2 [at] babinns [dot] com for a welcoming community.  If you happen to be one yourself, ditto.