Current Works and Updates
Dear Readers
A Decade Without Keithalon
It has been ten years since my beloved son, Keithalon, left this world. Despite the immense void his absence has created, I continue to navigate life one day at a time.
Publication Journey of The Family Crypt
In January 2021, The Family Crypt was published and is now available for purchase from various retailers. The journey to writing again has been challenging since Keithalon’s passing.
Overcoming Publishing Obstacles
The Family Crypt was not published as planned in October 2016. My new goal was to publish this novel before June 2021. Although I’ve always known how this novel would end, I could never finish it because it kept evolving in my mind and on my laptop. My friends and associates believe it’s difficult for me to finish writing and publishing The Family Crypt because it’s the last story prompt my son gave me before his death. Maybe…
From November 1 to 30, I usually begin work on a new novel and attempt to have it published before or by April of the following year. Sometimes, I achieve this goal, and other times, I don’t, for various reasons ranging from a story that refuses to conclude to unexpected life issues that take precedence.
The latter was the case while working on The Family Crypt, which I began writing on November 1, 2013. Consequently, this novel decided it wasn’t ready to end. So, I dutifully continued to hit the keys on my laptop and PC, hoping I could conclude it soon. However, my son, Keithalon, and editor, Lillie, suggested I make The Family Crypt a sequel, but I refuse to extend this title into two or more books.
Unexpected Life Issues
The Family Crypt took a back seat when my son, Keithalon, died on October 17, 2014. Ever since Keithalon challenged me to write novels, they started with a one-sentence prompt.
On October 16, during our highway drive from Brunswick, GA, to attend a motorcycle event in Savannah, I asked Keith, “What is my prompt for November 1?” He replied, “Mommy, I promise you’ll have a prompt for a new novel before November 1.” As a result, while shedding bitter tears, I wrote a memoir about Keithalon and his brother, Patrick, during the traditional National Novel Writing Month, which was published in April 2015.
Grief and Healing
In September 2015, after foot surgery, my grief for both my sons and Cloud, my German Shepherd who died in April 2015, intensified. Again, I began to work on The Family Crypt. At that point, I had to adopt a survival mentality called “heal thyself or fall down and die,” which has served me well in the midst of unspeakable situations.
Consequently, I took an 11-day Caribbean Cruise followed by a 31-day stay in Boquete, Panama, where I felt the novel was somewhat complete. All I needed to do was type the ending and publish the book before May 2016, which did not happen.
Now that I have sold everything I owned that reminded me of my losses and left the State of Maryland, I am confident as I travel from one state to another in my RV—I will regularly update my blog now that I have published The Family Crypt.