Characters Welcome
I have written five novels. The first three shelved because I had not yet found my voice as a writer. The fourth, "Poets Can't Sing', was published 11/2014. Its sequel is now complete and in final editing. The sequel to that is being written. Am I a passionate writer? Yes.
'Poets Can't Sing" is not self-published. It took almost two years and 300 rejections from agents and publishers before I found a found a publisher who understood what my story is about. Query letters are important, but if the person receiving the query does not read your book, then the query is not good enough.
What makes me different from other writers? My characters. Many writers focus on two, maybe three central characters. It is risky to do otherwise. I like six to eight colorful characters with rich personalities, and the quirks, short comings, and strengths that come with being human. The trick is that the characters have to be real enough that the reader does not get lost. Three of the key characters in 'Poets Can't Sing' are Earl and Brooks, two Blind men who can not stand the sight of each other, and Stella who loves them both, as they do her.
Three new characters I have brought to life in 'The Honeysuckle Rose Hotel,' ( Scene: 1948 San Francisco) sequel to 'Poets Can't Sing'. Les Moore, a black trombone player from Louisiana who lives and breaths his music, but doesn't quite get his true talent. He is a country boy from the rural south trying to find his place in San Francisco, a city in 1948 that still fosters strong prejudices limiting people of color. Stub Wilcox, a bar tender who suffers from Tourette Syndrome, a gentle man whose heart is bigger than his handicap. And Beauty - Michael - an Irishmen born so ugly his own mother abandoned him. His saxophone bleeds the sorrow that lives deep within his soul. All the characters are broken in some way and their healing is the essense of the story. The characters have no connection to anyone I have known. When I listen to them they tell me their story. When I do otherwise the story falls flat.
Does anyone else out there listen to music when they write?
Sherman Smith
Author: Poets can't Sing.
'Poets Can't Sing" is not self-published. It took almost two years and 300 rejections from agents and publishers before I found a found a publisher who understood what my story is about. Query letters are important, but if the person receiving the query does not read your book, then the query is not good enough.
What makes me different from other writers? My characters. Many writers focus on two, maybe three central characters. It is risky to do otherwise. I like six to eight colorful characters with rich personalities, and the quirks, short comings, and strengths that come with being human. The trick is that the characters have to be real enough that the reader does not get lost. Three of the key characters in 'Poets Can't Sing' are Earl and Brooks, two Blind men who can not stand the sight of each other, and Stella who loves them both, as they do her.
Three new characters I have brought to life in 'The Honeysuckle Rose Hotel,' ( Scene: 1948 San Francisco) sequel to 'Poets Can't Sing'. Les Moore, a black trombone player from Louisiana who lives and breaths his music, but doesn't quite get his true talent. He is a country boy from the rural south trying to find his place in San Francisco, a city in 1948 that still fosters strong prejudices limiting people of color. Stub Wilcox, a bar tender who suffers from Tourette Syndrome, a gentle man whose heart is bigger than his handicap. And Beauty - Michael - an Irishmen born so ugly his own mother abandoned him. His saxophone bleeds the sorrow that lives deep within his soul. All the characters are broken in some way and their healing is the essense of the story. The characters have no connection to anyone I have known. When I listen to them they tell me their story. When I do otherwise the story falls flat.
Does anyone else out there listen to music when they write?
Sherman Smith
Author: Poets can't Sing.
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