I’m Writing a Novel Ya’ll!

Alright, here I am announcing that I am writing a novel. Although I have been writing it for a few months it hasn’t felt like a real thing until now. Am I qualified to write a novel? I’m not sure, but probably not. Was I qualified to write and publish a children’s book? Nope, but here I am four books later and no one has stopped me yet!

I must admit a novel and a children’s book are worlds apart when it comes to writing . Although I have more insight about what it takes to write, publish, and sell books, I still feel like I did when I decided to write my first children’s book two-years ago: Terrified.

Could this be the biggest embarrassment of my life? Maybe. But it could also be my greatest achievement, and to me that’s enough to keep writing the dang book.

Let’s get into it. What is the book about?

The title is A Girl Called Ruthless. It is about an 11-year-old girl named Ruthless whose name suits her perfectly. She prides herself in putting up with little to nothing and taking a leadership role in all situations. The story paints a comedic picture of her interactions with adults where she tends to dominate the conversation. She lives with her young, single mother, and although she does not live a luxurious life, finds a way to make every situation seem grand. Although it is hinted throughout the story, it is not revealed until the end that her mother was a pregnant teenager that fled an abusive religious, upbringing. The rising action of the story transpires through a failed attempt at student body president, and a disappointing visit to the mayor’s office to save a beloved tree. Ruthless is feeling down about herself but eventually decides to turn her losses into motivation. She decides that she will run for mayor during her city’s upcoming local election. In the city of Baton Rouge Louisiana, there is no age requirement in order to run for Mayor. However, the chances for an 11-year-old child to win are slim, to say the least. Ruthless realizes this and decides to pretend to be an adult with the good old “two kids in a trench coat” ruse with her kid-best-friend. Throughout the election, she shockingly continues to rise in the polls… that is, until her secret is discovered and everyone feels a bit silly about almost voting for a child as Mayor. Unbeknownst to her, Ruthless’s unraveling has darker consequences which invite the turmoil of her mother’s past back to haunt her. When the traumas of the adult world come down on Ruthless she must learn how to live with her new reality and ultimately use it to turn her life into a success story and live up to her name.

The theme and tone for this story are inspired by directors Wes Anderson and Taika Waititi. The goal is to have a campy, comedic element, with a sense of vivid imagery and a powerful message.

The reason I am deciding to tell the world about this already is because I need to grow my email list. I already have a substantial amount just from my blog, but I figured I need to get some people on it that would like to hear more insight about my book and eventually, would like to purchase said book. If you are this kind of person, please subscribe to my blog with your email. If you think someone might be interested in reading a book like this, please share and have them subscribe as well.

Thank you for your support. Stay tuned more updates, changes or even failures, who knows!