Find Me On: Amazon, Facebook,Goodreads, and Lulu!
Latest Release: "A Deeper Me"
Shout out to Raven St. Pierre! She is an amazing friend and an even more amazing writer! She is the reason that I'm stepping out of my box with the intent to take the literary world by storm!! Check out her blog here!
What am I working on?
Currently, I am working on multiple projects, but there are three in particular that I am focusing on. The first project is the Second Edition of my first poetry book, “The Growth of a Writer, The Depth of My Soul.” I'm changing the layout a bit and combing over every verse because the First Edition had so many errors that I was too mortified to promote it properly. The second project is my first erotic poem/short story book. Literary erotica plays an intricate role for those who are not really all that into watching it. I began working on it years ago and out of fear of outside opinions, put it on the back burner. It wasn't until recently that I decided to start back to working on it. I can't be who I am as a writer if I allow the opinions of others to dictate what it is that I write. The third project that I am working on is my first women's fiction novel. I actually began writing it years ago just as a pass time but thanks to a close friend, I've decided to put more time into it and actually finish it. Granted I'm only on like page 20 right now, I've come to the conclusion to not rush the process because by forcing it, I literally shut down. With me being so used to writing poetry and shorts stories, keeping a straight thought for more than a page or two is seeming to be quite the challenge.
How does my work differ from others in its genre?
Quite frankly, I don't know. Recently, I was told by a close friend that my writing is “transparent” and at first I didn't know how to take that, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I don't write with any hidden agendas or subliminal messages, I write exactly how I feel, exactly how things are, and exactly how things should be. I'm not afraid to take the bull by the horns and say what needs to be said. I don't recall ever writing anything that has left the reader completely perplexed in the sense that they no longer want to read future works of mine. More so than anything, without even trying to, I want to make sure that the reader can relate to what it is that they are reading because I feel that builds something like a bond between the author and the reader.
Why do I write what I do?
I write what I do because it's what I've been doing since I was 13 years old. Writing has been a form of therapy for me; a release for me when there weren't any others. My poems could practically be entries in my journal. Some of my very first poems are ones that surround the divorce of my parents. I've never been very good with talking to people about what I was going through and I'm even worse at finding the words to describe it, so writing seemed like a perfect fit for me. For years, and sometimes now even, a paper and pen are my only friend and at the end of the day I'm okay with that.
I prefer writing poetry over anything else because I feel like a poem can get so much said in so few words. It's as if you can tell an ENTIRE story and express THOUSANDS of emotions in just a few lines. Sometimes, short and simple is all you need.
How does my writing process work?
I've never actually had to think about that before. Honestly, if there were a process, this is how it is: something affects me and I instantly feel like I should write about it. Words immediately start to flow into my head, organizing themselves and falling into place as my mind plays "cold, warm, hot" with my emotions. Sometimes, words don't fit or fall where I think they should and I have to focus until a stanza sounds just right to me. Whatever I have access to is where I jot the poem down at. It could be a napkin, a receipt, the notepad in my phone, a messenger chat box, whatever. When the poem is finally complete, I read it over multiple times and sometimes say it out loud to see how it feels on my lips. After it's completed, I save it in a file and move on. Very rarely do I go back and read over something I've written. I think that's mainly because of the weighted emotion that I put into my writing, I don't always like to experience that again. For the most part, I know exactly why I've written every poem that I have and to go back and read some of them, is like ripping a band-aid off of an open wound. I can't really explain it, but I'm not really the kind of writer that constantly like to relive the moment.
Next Authors Up Monday, May 5th:
Sable Jordan
Stories so whet you'll want to lick my INK!
Quick and dirty, I'm a writer of multicultural erotica, erotic thrillers, and whatever else comes to mind. Tattooed vixen. Wicked humorist. Incurable humanist. Proud geek. Closet badass (shhh...) Lover of pit bulls, fast cars, all music, and candy. That's the nut in a nutshell.
Come hang with me: my website or my blog.
Chris Van Hakes
Chris Van Hakes is a writer and librarian based in Seattle. She loves love. She also likes magical things such as novels, high-fat foods, the Internet, unicorns and you.
You can visit her and say hi at her blog or on Twitter: @booksnchickens.
Be on the look out for works from this up and coming author!!!
Alisca Nalls
Alisca Nalls born in Alabama residing in Michigam. 29 Years old. Had a passion and love for writing since the age of 11. Writing is my escape from the world. Love to write uplifting poems and poems that women can relate to. Working on my first book no title yet. Love helping others and giving back.
Get to know me through my blog.
