The Next Big Thing

I had the pleasure of being tagged to talk about my eBook, Martine, by the acclaimed Antiguan/Caribbean writer Joanne C. Hillhouse, check out her interview here. Just to go the extra mile, here are two interviews by fellow Antiguans, Floree Williams and Bak2moi. Now to the interview:


TNBT:    Where did the idea come from for the book?
Like most of my writing, out of nowhere or a dream, or in that moment that I put pen to paper. I just had a story that wanted to be written and I just wrote it. Normally I could pinpoint the exact thing that triggered a piece but with this it just flowed.

TNBT: What genre does your book fall under?
Fiction, Race and Life, are the last two even genres. I guess I am a keyword/hash tag kind of person. But it is definitely fiction although part of me believes that people's life stories exist in a kind of ether and they flow through a writer in another time and space.

TNBT: What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Gosh! I never really thought about this becoming a movie or even a short film. Let me see... Viola Davis would make an interesting Martine.

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It would be lovely if Jesse Williams played Allain.

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Dennis Haysbert would make a great James.

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As for the girls, it would be great to have unknown actresses.

 

TNBT:  What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

When the past comes looking for a woman who had made a new beginning and was at last happy.

 

TNBT: How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

The beginning took three days, but to complete it, it took me a couple hours about four months later. It's a short story and it just flowed.

 

TNBT: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The fact that race is an issue within a race.

 

TNBT: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

This book is self-published, it is more of an issue that I don't see myself as a writer. I think of myself as a person who writes and puts things out there for people to enjoy. It's also for that reason that my future work will be self published, there is also the fact that I'm a control freak and I like things a particular way.

 

 

I would like to take a moment to thank Joanne for tagging me, definitely check out her book Oh Gad! It is a great book, had me hooked from the beginning and the twist and turns were so compelling.

Kim or Lisa News

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Hiya! Hope everyone had a great weekend and the week to come will be exceptional. This post is to bring you up to date with the blog as some not so great stuff happened and some awesome things are happening and will be happening.

To start off I would like to apologize for the blog not being accessible for the better part of a week. First Blogger's spam software detected something spammy on the blog and deleted the blog completely. The crazy thing is I hadn't done anything differently in terms of posting. After reporting my concerns in the Blogger forums, it was restored, only for the blog to be locked. Once again I went to the forums and read the documentation there. I'm not saying it was that, but my blog may have been hacked and there were some unwanted code on it. I'm happy to say that it has been dealt with and my blog is up and running, I'm still wondering if I should move across to Wordpress. The main reason I never did even though I have an account is I'm a little lazy and I'm so used to Blogger.

I'm happy to say that the first installment of The Poet's Corner will be coming up this Saturday with the ever delightful Buddah Moskowitz. I met Buddah through dVerse Poets, he is the poet behind I Hate Poetry and it always amazed me that he wrote the poems I wish I had written. As I read through his interview, I found so many things that I could relate to that it reminds me why I wanted to create The Poet's Corner. I love getting to know people because everyone has a story and somehow by knowing someone's story you realize that we are all alike in one way or another. I hope you all enjoy the interview as much as I do, it's just the beginning of many.


Martine, the eBook is now free. It was originally $2.99 but my heart was not really into selling it as it was a short story and it was more about sharing the story than selling it. Thank you Robert for buying it and if you email me your mailing address, I will send you a limited edition Dark Warrior hand made book containing three of the Dark Warrior poems. Plus you never know it may include a bonus of the yet published fourth poem. So feel free to download the eBook, share it with friends and leave a review. Reviews are always helpful.

Last but not least, February is around the corner which means Valentines, Black History and my birthday. I don't really have anything planned but I will figure something out. I hope everyone has a great February, it's amazing how quickly January just slipped by, but that is life.

That's all in Kim or Lisa News, now back to our regular programming.

XOXO
Kimolisa

Martine - Part 11

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In case you missed the first part of Martine, click here to catch up.

"Big Brother!!!"

One moment, Alain was standing on the doorstep of the Carter household, the next he found Sophie plastered to his front, squeezing him to death. Bianca was leaning on the side wall, she rolled her eyes then went tin the direction of the kitchen, mumbling something he couldn't hear.

"I'm guessing your parents told you, Sophie," Alain said, patting her awkwardly.

"Yep," Sophie released him, grabbing Alain's hand and dragging him into the house. "Maman, Dad, guess who's here." She called out as they entered the kitchen.

"Alain, of course, who else would be here?" James said, smiling at them from the refrigerator. "Bianca told me you gave him quite a greeting. Sorry about that Alain, but she does that to all the relatives. Well, with the exception of Great Aunt Geenie."

"Yeah, she's on the fragile side, plus it's hard to give a good hug to someone in a wheel chair," Sophie piped in.

"It's okay, Mr. Carter, Sophie, I'll just have to get used to it," Alain said, giving Sophie a side hug.

"Does that mean you're going to be a part of our...."

"Sophie, can you give me a hand in the dining room, " James interrupted, "you too, Bianca," he proceeded to to herd the girls out of the kitchen. "Oh and Alain, call me James, Mr. Carter is a bit formal for the father of your sisters." He patted Alain on the back and exited the kitchen.

Martine - Part 10

 

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In case you missed the first part of Martine, click here to catch up.

The girls found their mother in the living room, sitting on the couch. She beckoned them to sit on either side of her. She took a deep breath and began to tell Sophie and Bianca the truth.

"When I was about two years older than Bianca, I moved to a small town in France with my Aunt Josephine. I was one of three black students in my school and it was hard making friend as the local kids grew up among each other. It was hard being a new kid, then a boy a year older that me befriended me. At first, we were just friends, but then we became more."

Although she was talking to her daughters, Martine was staring ahead as though she was looking into the past, "He took me to my first concert, we went to the seaside during the summer. We became intimate and it was my first time. I was so in love with Pierre," Martine sighed.

"I missed my first period and I thought it was because of stress. When I missed my second one, I got married, so I took a bus to a town two towns away. I found out I was pregnant, I was scared but happy. I was carrying Pierre's child. I returned home and went straight to him. I told Pierre that he was going to be a father. He grew angry, he said awful, mean things. He said he didn't love me, he only wanted to sleep with a black girl because he wanted to see how it was different. Plus he questioned if the baby was his," a tear streaked down Martine's cheek.

Martine - Part 9

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In case you missed the first part of Martine, click here to catch up.

"So what happened, yesterday?" It was Sunday morning and James and Martine were still in bed, but they had been away for about half an hour.

"Well, he came about an hour after you guys left, he hadn't eaten so I made him breakfast and then we moved into the living room and we had a good, long talk," Martine responded. "I gave him the options of being in our life or just me being in his life."

"And?"

"I didn't want to pressure him for an answer, so I invited him for dinner tonight. I told him he can tell me what he decides then. Are you sure you are okay with this?" Martine had been lying on her back and turned to look at James. After being married for fourteen years, she could tell when he was lying.

James turned to look her in her eyes, he reached out and caressed her jawline. He looked at her as though  he was seeing her for the first time, "Martine, I am more than okay with it, in fact, it would be nice to have another man around. I won't feel so overwhelmed by all of your feminine charms."

Martine - Part 8

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In case you missed the first part of Martine, click here to catch up.

Just as Martine was settling into her favourite chair in the living room, pressing play on the DVD remote control, the door bell rang. She groaned as she got up, deciding to let the trailers play while she got rid of the person at the door. This was her fist Saturday alone at home, James had taken the girls to the mall and they had planned to take in a movie. She had the DVD of a movie that she had been meaning to see, her favourite snacks and her comfy pajamas. Nothing and nobody was going to disturb her day.

When she opened the door, all the irritation melted from her face. On the doorstep stood Alain, his face gaunt, he had shadows under his eyes, it looked like he hadn't shaved in days and his clothes were rumpled. To add to the tragic scene, it had started to rain. He looked so sad and it broke Martine's heart.

Martine - Part 7

 

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In case you missed the first part of Martine, click here to catch up.

Although Martine had planned to talk to Alain after class on Friday, she had hoped on seeing him before. Perhaps in the halls or crossing the courtyard but she never did, so she patiently waited for Friday.

Friday came, but no Alain, she kept hoping he would be running late and would slip in during the class. As the class ended, Martine kept wondering where he son was, if he was okay.

By the time she got home, she had conceded that the ball was in Alain's court. If he want to talk, he knew where to find her.

"Hi honey, how did it go?" James asked when Martine entered the kitchen. Whatever he was cooking smelled good and she couldn't resist looking in the pot.

"Yum, this looks good, do you need me to make anything?"

"Martine, how did it go?" he asked again, putting the cover back on the pot and looking his wife in the eyes.

Martine - The eBook

First of all,

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for coming this far with Martine. It's been 6 weeks and we have 5 more to go before the conclusion of this short story. I know it's not easy to read the story in weekly installments and online so I created an eBook which features all 11 parts with slight edits but the story is still the same.

The eBook was published through Smashwords.com which allows readers to download the book in their preferred format, i.e. PDF, Kindle, EPub (most digital readers including Apple iPad), plain text, etc. The cost is only $2.99 US or $8.10 EC. 

This is my first eBook and the first with the Carter/Bouvier family. This story came to me one day and I just wrote it out. For a couple months this story sat in a notebook, but every now and then I would think I should share it with others. I am in the process of writing the continuation of the story which is called Bianca. 

To read the full short story of Martine, download the book here.

Martine - Part 6

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In case you missed the first part of Martine, click here to catch up.

James found Martine in the kitchen washing the last of the dishes. Her back was to him but he could tell that she was conflicted. The muscles in her back were tense and every now and then she would reach up to massage her shoulders.

"It didn't go well, did it?" he asked, coming up behind her, massaging her tense shoulders.

"I explained why I couldn't keep him, but all he would say is he needed me," Martine sighed. "Why can't he see that it was better that he lived with the Bouviers?" she turned to her husband for an answer.

"Was it really better, Martine?"

"Yes! Look at him, he came out to be a good, young man. I don't think I could have done such a good job on my own," Martine replied.

"Martine, you know your side of this, but have you ever tried to see his? Tell me, were there a lot of black people in your little town?" James asked sitting on one of the kitchen stools.

Martine - Part 5

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In case you missed the first part of Martine, click here to catch up.

For the first time since that morning, mother and son were all alone, and a nervous silence descended over them. It was broken by Alain, nervously plunking keys, experimenting with a melody.

"What is that you are playing?" Martine asked.

 

"A little something I've been composing," he replied. "You didn't answer my question earlier."

"Why did I let you go?" Martine sighed. "Where do I begin? Basically, I was young and I would not have been able to give you the life you deserved. You deserved a mother and a father, not to wrry if you would eat that day, to have a roof over your head, warm clothes in the winter and opportunities I could not give you. Alain, Your life would have been so hard if I kept you."

"But I would have been with you," he whispered. He stopped playing and turned fully to Martine, "Do you know how hard it was to be the odd one out? Not being black, not being white, then when I go home, my parents not knowing how to console me. I wanted, I needed to see someone who looked like me. I wanted you."

Martine - Part 4

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In case you missed the first part of Martine, click here to catch up.

When Martine walked into the living room, she found it was dimmed with only the lamp by the piano on. Sophie sat on the floor on her favourite pillow and Bianca sat on one of the armchairs. Alain sat at the piano and James sat on the coach. She placed the tray on the coffee table and doled out the mugs to her family, then she curled up next to James, sipping her coffee.

Seeing that everyone was settled and their attention was on him, Alain began to play a lively tune. "This was my favourite song to play when I was younger. It always made me feel happy when I felt sad and lonely," he said. It was so lively that Sophie started clapping in time.

When that song ended, they all applauded their dinner guest who started to play a new song. This song was a bit more somber and before long, James and Martine recognized it as "God Bless The Child" by Billie Holiday. Martine looked at her daughters and then at Alain who was staring at her as he played. "God bless all my children," she thought as she smiled at her son.

Martine - Part 3

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In case you missed the first part of Martine, start here to catch up.

On the other side of the front door, Sophie found a tall man with a fair complexion that reminded her of her best friend Joanne who had a black father and a white mother. The man had full lips and a straight nose and he looked very nervous.

"Hi! You must be Alain, Maman's student. I'm Sophie. Come in," she said moving to the side so Alain could enter the foyer.

As he crossed the threshold, a tall man with dark skin entered from a room on the left, an equally dark teenage girl came in from a room on the right.

Martine - Part 2

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 In case you missed the first part of Martine, click here to catch up.


"Who is this student? What is so special about him? You never invite students to dinner, Maman, so why did you invite this one? Where is he from? Was he born near here?...." Sophie went on and on, interrogating her mother as she ripped into a head lettuce. Bianca, brooding in the corner, rolled her eyes as she cut up some tomatoes.

They were in the kitchen helping their parents make dinner, or as they would put it, used as child labour to prepare a meal for their overlords. Martine checked on the pork chops in the oven while James, her husband, took out the dishes and utensils.

"I think that's enough lettuce and tomatoes for the salad, girls. Take these and set the table," James said. Ten year old Sophie jumped off the stool she was sitting on and grabbed the utensils, disappearing into the dining room. Her older sister, Bianca, was not as boisterous, took the plates and followed Sophie. James shook his head as he watched her departure, puberty had definitely changed his thirteen year old.

With the girls gone, he turned to his wife, "So why did you invite this particular student, Martine?"

Martine - Part 1

 

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It was the start of a new semester at Oakland Community College and Martine Carter was on her way to her first class of the new academic year. As a junior professor in the Foreign Language department, she had the pleasure of teaching college students her native tongue, French. Hopefully, this class of students would be as interested int the foreign language as her last class.

Upon entering room 305, she put on a bright smile and surveyed the room. As expected, the jocks were present, taking the mandatory Humanity course. The hopeful romantics, taking the course because French was supposed to be the language of love. There was also the "regular" students, probably taking the course so they can speak the language when the travel around Europe during the next summer break.

Only one student stuck out to Martine, a young man with a light complexion, but it was his features that caught her attention. They were so familiar, but she never saw this individual before. Why did he look so familiar?

Martine - Introduction

 

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I've been meaning to post this story I wrote for a long time, but I never really got around to it. Actually, I posted the first part some time back but never continued. It came to me one day while I was at work and since it was a quiet day, I wrote it out. It became a daily thing and I reached a point where I didn't know how to continue. I have a vague idea of what will happen, but I haven't sat down and let it flow.

The premise of the story so far is a French woman of African descent is confronted by her biracial son who she gave up for adoption. She now resides in the United States, is married, has two girls and is a French professor at a community college. The story takes a look at secrets coming to light and the pain that comes from when two people not being able to see the other person's point of view.

Like most of my work, this doesn't feel like it's mine. It's more like a story that comes from somewhere else. Some people would say it's from God or from a muse, I don't really know. All I can say is I feel honoured to be the vessel through which these delightful and thought provoking poems and stories can come through.

Check back next Friday and every Friday for Martine (this is just a working title, mind you). I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to comment.