JE Roberts's Blog

I’m in search of people who are interested in reading one of my books for free, in exchange for a review on Amazon, Google Play Books, Barnes and Noble or Goodreads! The review doesn’t need to be long or critical, just how you felt and if you enjoyed reading my book…

Need to have an account with:
Amazon, Google Play Books, Barnes and Noble or Goodreads (to leave the review)

Deadline:
1 month

Please send an email to Jerobertsthoughts@gmail.com
Put in subject line (book review)
if you’re interested and can meet deadline.

Per my previous blog I do have a lot of projects coming up:
I will be releasing my next book Jus Me... Dropping The T May 2023.
I'm also releasing the first book that I wrote in high school Nothin' But Drama it's going to be released in December 2023. I have the second installment Misery Luvs Company lined up for March 2024 and the 3rd installment And Da Drama Neva Ends lined up for December 2024.
I'm also working on another poetry book called The Misperception Of Everything, I believe I'm going to be releasing that one in July 2024 but that date is not definite and another poetry book called Forever 2 Go no date has been determined yet.
I am also working on two nonpoetic books the first one is called The Autobiography Of Me and the second book is called Prisoner Of Love.
I am so excited about the projects I have coming up.

I also plan on doing some interviews, meet and greet and book signing soon. So definitely stay tuned for this and more.

Q: What inspired you to start writing poetry?
A: Watching the movie Poetic Justice and later on learning the poetry in the movie was written by Maya Angelou

Q: Who are some of your favorite poets?
A: Maya Angelou, Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway and Edgar Allan Poe

Q: What’s your favorite poem? And why?
A: Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. That poem is why I started writing about love and relationships. I just like the storyline in the poem.

Q: What’s your favorite poem that you’ve written?
A: I have several but if I had to chose just one it'll be "He was all I ever wanted."

Q: Do you think poems need to rhyme? Why or why not?
A: No I don't. Rhyming is part of the formatting process. It has nothing to do with the message.

Q: What topics do you usually write about in your poems?
A: Right now relationships and heartbreak. But I try not to limit myself to just those topics, I do write about other things.

Q: What’s the best advice someone has given you about writing poetry?
A: Get my poems published and I did. It took a while to get there but I made it happen.

Q: Has there ever been a moment when you didn’t want to share one of your poems with someone because it felt too personal or intimate?
A: I feel that way about every poem I write. All of my poems are personal or intimate to an extent and it took me a long time to start sharing them with the world.

Q: What kinds of subjects do you usually write about?
A: Between high school and now the subjects are realitively the same. I've touched on subjects such as: childhood experiences, friendship, experiencing success and accomplishments, being in love, heartbreak, self love, motherhood, relationships and experiences.

Q: Do you see yourself as more of a storyteller or a wordsmith?
A: Definitely a storyteller.

Q: How long does it usually take you to write a complete poem?
A: Not long at all. If the topic is weighing heavily on my mind then it's completed in several minutes. It's very rare for me to start a poem and comeback and finish it at a later time. But I do have a lot of unfinished poems.

Q: What’s the best/worst thing about being a poet?
A: The best thing is being able to write whatever you feel, however your feeling it.
The worse thing is feeling like everything you write sounds the same.

Q: Are there any particular poets you follow on social media? Who do you follow and why?
A: Only one and it's Pierre Alex Jeanty. I'm just inspired by how he made poetry a popular genre again.

Q: If poetry were banned tomorrow, what would you do instead to express yourself creatively?
A: I would go back to Event Planning.

Q: How often do you write?
A: Sometimes daily or several times in a day depending on if I can finish it or not.

Q: What would you say is your “muse”?
A: My muse varies depending on the topic I want to talk about.

Q: What have you been working on lately and what are you looking forward to?
A: I have a lot of projects in the making. I've been writing a lot of new material as well as creating manuscripts for the 3 books I've written in high school. And I also have 2 nonpoetic books I'm working on. So definitely a lot of stuff in the making.
I look forward to having Jerobertsthoughts take off and become a house name as well as seeing how many books I'll publish before I decide to close my thoughts.


Q: Do you plan each line of a poem before you write it, or do the words come to you as you write?
A: Nothing is planned.The words come to me as I write. Sometimes I have to reread what I've wrote just to write the next line to make sure it flows.

Q: In what ways has your poetry changed since you started writing?
A: From high school to now. You can definitely see the maturity level has changed. The topics are realitively the same but definitely shows growth.

Q: Who’s your audience for your poetry and how do you hope they react to it?
A: Mostly women but I feel my writings are suitable for anyone.
I hope they read something that I've written that inspired them to either write their feelings to let them out or tell me my poems helped them.

Q: Do your poems generally stick to traditional poetic forms or do you like to experiment with different structures?
A: I really don't think I have a particular form. I'll write the poem and then go back and structure it the way it suits the poem.

Q: Do personal experiences also influence the themes of your poems? If so, to what extent?
A: Yes, all the time. Maybe 75% of my poems are inspired by my personal experiences.
I use my experience to make the poem more realistic. So that you you feel as if you were in that moment feeling the exact same things.

Q: Does music play a role in your poems, either during the writing process or after the poem is finished? If so, to what extent?
A: Not really, but listening to music sometimes has helped create several of my poems such as: Hurt People, Hurt People was inspired by Skyy Real Love, Ready was inspired by listening to Alicia Keys I'm Ready, You Should Be Mine was inspired by Jeffery Osborne song of the same title and Pressured was inspired by Chicago Love Me Tomorrow.

Q: How do you know when a poem is finished?
A: If I read the poem out loud to myself and there's nothing more I feel that I need to add to it than the poem is finished.

Q: What’s your editing process like?
A: I read each poem out loud and if I feel like it flows or reads well I don't touch it. I'll reread the same poem multiple times and at different times just to make sure it's perfect.

Q: Do you ever experience writer’s block, and if so, how do you overcome it?
A: Yes I do, but I don't have a system in place yet.

I have been battling whether I should continue this writing journey or finally close my journal and never look back. The more I fight this battle the more I find reasons to continue and here are some of the reasons I've come up with:

[ ] It brings me happiness
[ ] It's my safe place
[ ] It gets me through a tough day
[ ] It's my way of expressing myself
[ ] To release my emotions
[ ] To leave words behind to be remembered
[ ] To tell my side of the story
[ ] I enjoy recreating experiences through words
[ ] No one writes the way I do
[ ] To help others express their feelings
[ ] People can relate to my writings
[ ] I love rereading my thoughts
[ ] I feel accomplished
[ ] I love writing

I don't know how to turn writing off. I have gone years without thinking about it, not writing and then I find my way back to it. This is what I love simply put! This is who I am. This is all I've ever wanted to do. And I pray I have the will to continue no matter what life throws at me.

Let me know what you think

Q. How long have you been writing, or when did you start?

A. I started writing between ages 12-13.

Q. What inspired the idea of the book?

A. I've always written about different kinds of experiences from my relationships. Typically, to express feelings that went unsaid. So, I chose to use those previous situations for the book.

Q. How did you come up with the title?

A. Originally, I was planning on naming the book Poems To My Ex, but I didn't like the way it sounded even though it's a book of poems. So I decided on Letters To My Ex due to writing these poems in the format of a letter and never sending them.

Q. How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?

A. I have 3 unpublished books that I wrote in high school. I have 1 published and 2 set for release in 2023. All of them are my favorite. I don't think I can choose one.

Q. Do you play music while you write — and, if so, what’s your favorite?

A. I actually don't. I write at random, but when I do listen to music, I definitely cling to old school r&b. Music from the 70s and 80s

Q. Where do you get your inspiration?

A. My inspiration can come from anywhere. It can be from an argument, watching a movie, having a lingering thought, or after listening to music.
For example: when I wrote my poem "Pressured," I heard this song on the radio from a group named Chicago, and the name of the song was called "Love Me Tomorrow."" The part of the song that says 'She Loves Me And That's All I Need To Know.'' Stuck in my mind until I started writing, and that's how I created Pressured.

Q. Who is the author you most admire in your genre?

A. I have several, but I've always admired Maya Angelou the most.

Q. What part of the book did you have the hardest time writing?

A. The about the author page. I had no idea what information to include or not include. I also didn't want to feel as though I was being boastful.

Q. What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?

A. Backlash from exes thinking that I was defaming their character when I was writing about my feelings towards situations that occurred. Or being questioned if a specific poem was written about them. Also, figuring out which poems to use. I've written so many and wanted to use them all for the book, but some topics were repetitive.

Q. What do you hope your readers take away from this book?

A. Always talk about what you are feeling after an argument. If it can't be discussed at that moment, then write it down and read it to your partner. Do not let your feelings go unheard. Some thing I wish was said to me.

Q. How do you come up with the titles to your poems?

A. Most of my poem titles are named after the situation that occurred, and some are named after the lingering thought I had.

Q. How long did it take you to write this book?

A. The contents of the book have been written over a 10-year period. Some written a couple of days before the book was published.

Q. Whom do you trust for objective and constructive criticism of your work?

A. I am honestly my worst critic. I am so very hard on myself when it comes to my writings. Especially if I get stuck and can't finish it. But I also allow a few of my closest friends to make the judgment call of whether the poem is good or not. They offer me a lot of good feedback that I neglect to use depending on the poem.

Q. Who is the "Ex" that is talked about in the book?

A. So the "Ex" is not an actual person, the "Ex" is actually situations that I have experienced in my previous relationships, I used the word "Ex" as a metaphor. Even though I referenced my 10-year relationship.

***Feel free to comment your questions about Letters To My Ex, and I will gladly answer***

When I write, I speak from experience, I speak what's on my mind and my heart. I want my readers to experience my every word. Feel how I felt or be able to relate to the feelings that's being delivered through my words.
I write from a woman's perspective: a woman being a mother, a sister, a female friend, a girlfriend, a lover and more. I speak on our experiences that get left unsaid. Experiences that we all have gone through at some point in our life.
I write in both a narrative and lyrical poetic style. I want each poem to tell a story, a different experience as well as for the reader to feel the emotions I am expressing. When you read my first book "Letters To My Ex" it will take you through a 10 year journey of different experiences, emotions felt.
Let me know what you think...

Letters To My Ex