Identity Crisis?

I need to preface this by saying I understand that not every reader will enjoy every book I write; however, I went onto Amazon and responded to a reader who appeared to take issue that my writing is all over the place, and that two different writers wrote BEING PLUMVILLE and TROLLING NIGHTS--the latter of which received 2/5 stars by a reviewer who also gave BEING PLUMVILLE a stellar review. I responded to the accusation by accepting the charges, so to speak. I DO write differently depending on how the characters come to me--I don't really have a "method" so to speak, other than listening to my characters and following where they want to go--because believe me, trying to do differently does not end well! On the other hand, I know there is a certain amount of risk implementing that writing style, one that will earn me the two not-so-great reviews I receieved. I am disappointed I could not provide these readers a product they could enjoy, and I probably broke some cardinal rule trying to "defend" my characters to them. And yet even as I did so, I was not very surprised by some of the objections, and more upset with myself I couldn't/didn't convey what I was trying to convey through these characters...or wondering if I DID convey what I was trying to convey, and the readers didn't like it. I don't know. This is yet another chapter of my ongoing dilemma--what the devil am I writing?! It's apparently not romance; I don't think it's commercial fiction. The only thing I know I am writing are love stories--at least I'm trying to do so. And I do not want to dismiss those who do enjoy what I write. Know my market. One day I'll figure out what that market is, because I can assure you my characters certainly do not care about it! They just want their stories told, and they chose me to do it.

To whom am I accountable? The market, or them?

Hurt

Very, very hurt right now.  That's the best I can say.  I'm not a mechanic, so I don't like it when I'm thrown under the bus the way I've been thus far.  I'm upset, and it goes to show you have to be very careful about the people you trust.  I thought people knew me, knew that I had integrity and try to give my best whenever I do something, but apparently not.  It's hurtful, it really is.  I have to figure out a way to rise above all of this, but it seems all I'm good for is having my spirit broken.

Ugh.

Lesson learned.  I'll be more careful in the future.

The Official Web Site

Hi, all,

I've updated the reviews page on my Web site with new reviews for Reconstructing Jada Channing and The Beauty Within. I hope you check it out! Also, please tell your friends and family about the new releases as well.

PS--go join Badazz Authors Yahoo Group. Yeah, apparently these other authors think I'm badazz. Holler!

:)

Best,

Sav

Romance in Color Rising Star

I have been deemed a Rising Star at Romance in Color for the month of June. Holla! Check out my interview here and the review of Being Plumville here.

RWA, Reviews, and Accolades

1.) I totally had a RWA Chapter conference 2 weeks before my RSJ experience. I TOTALLY had a worthwhile time there too. I met Suzanne Brockmann, and she's amazing. In fact, my chapter is pretty darn amazin (holla, New England). I had a great pitch with an agent there, and the other authors there were more than willing to chat with me and give me advice. I felt a little fish out of water because, unlike RSJ, I was practically integrating the place racially, and I was among the youngest as well. Not only that, outside of Ms. Brockmann, I was pretty much the only person there writing multicultural romance, emphasis on interracial. I'm glad I had that conference before RSJ, though. It forced me to say and claim what I wrote; to not be ashamed or timid about it. It also helped me not be intimidated, because my chapter is fully of Harlequin/Kensington/Dorchester/Avon/St. Martin's Press/Ellora's Cave, etc writers. And here I am--iUniverse and Lulu Press. But you know what? For many of them it took YEARS to get to those houses and they started later in life. I'm not in bad shape at all.

2.) So here's the thing. What I'm about to blog about are weeks old--some even months old. However, if you know (of) me, I have a tendency to hoard good news. I'm working on it. But I think if I put it in the universe, it'll be stripped away from me somehow. Don't ask me why, I think it's a self-defense mechanism. But the RSJ has helped me realize it's okay to share good news. Good people will genuinely be happy for you. It's not conceit, or selfishness, or bravado. If you're good, don't dim your light for anyone else.

3.) Ergo, without further ado . . .

Romance Junkies gives Being Plumville 4.5/5 stars:

The characters and plotline are fully developed and feel like the real world with real people. I made an emotional connection to Ben and Coralee and felt their love and pain in equal measure. The obstacles these two admirable individuals must overcome are realistically presented, making me feel like I was right there beside them all the way. Author Savannah Frierson captures the essence of Southern rules and bigotry with flair; she made me recall what it was like as a child growing up in the South. Full of tension and tenderness, racial tension and romance, author Savannah J. Frierson captures the essence of a turbulent time in our nation’s history. BEING PLUMVILLE is a novel I plan to purchase for several friends.

By Romance Junkies Reviewer: Scarlet

And thank you to everyone who voted in the 2007 SORMAG READERS' CHOICE AWARDS.

The Best Multi-Cultural Self Published Book Of The Year

Being Plumville

The Best Multi-Cultural Self Published Author Of The Year

TIE

Sylvia Hubbard

Ann Clay

Savannah Frierson


The Best Multi-Cultural New Self Published Author Of The Year

Savannah Frierson

I think that's it for now. Oh, and keep your fingers crossed. I'm sending off manuscripts to folks this week. Also, thanks for your patience with Vietnam Story. It's not languishing, I promise.

Being Plumville: 1 Year Later

Between this:

Title: Being Plumville

Author: Savannah J. Frierson

Genre: Historical

Hearts: 5/5 - Reviewer Top Pick

Reviewer: Lisa

Date: 4/2/2008

Online: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.asp?ReviewId=1504

This is not an ordinary read – it is an amazing one! Savannah J. Frierson transcends barriers of time, culture, and race to create a love story which could be real. Historically accurate, pertinent, and with painstakingly correct dialogue, this book places you in the South in the 1950's and 1960's. The childhood friendship between Coralee Simmons and Benjamin Drummond has always been special but held within the confines of societal and cultural dictations of the time.

The tension builds slowly, leading to an amazing climax. Frierson fearlessly wrestles not only with blatant racism, but also with issues at the core of humanity; acceptance, change, equality, and growth. She skillfully explores conflicts between a person's being and doing. With expert finesse, she deftly probes painful unconscious influences cast by culture and society and how they dictate roles and behavior, creating a caste system still written about today.

Frierson is an author that I would, without a doubt, read again. I expect great things from her in the future. Romantic yet edgy, not only does she weave a wonderful story, but her characters are human, wrestling with humanity and authenticity in the deepest of ways. This reviewer has three final words – You Go, Girl!

And a very nice note from a reader who got wind of my book from a former nanny of all people, I'm surprised, humbled, and so blessed people are still responding so well to Being Plumville now that it's been out for a full year. Now, if only the agents and publishers could respond equally as well to my writing! God is something, because I'd just gotten another rejection from an agent, and yet I get these two lovely responses back. It's like He's trying to remind me that I'm doing all right and encouraging me to keep doing the do. I'm not gonna not listen, ya heard?! One day . . . one day I'll get that yes I'm waiting on, even if the nos get more and more frustrating to hear. I'll just pull up these reviews and reread the lovely letters readers are writing me. I really do appreciate it. It sound so trite, but it conveys so much of my gratitude, you don't even know. Also, thank you to all of you who came out to chat last Sunday! It was fun! I'll have to do that again soon.

And tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. On the surface it seems like it has nothing to do with the above post, yet I mention it because he was/is the face (outside of my mother, father, grandmother, aunts, uncles cousins) who struggled during the Modern Civil Rights Movement so that I can sit here in my mixed-race apartment and attend my mixed-race middle/high school and college and be employed at my mixed-race office and vote at my mixed-race precinct come November and date/marry whatever race I see fit. And then I think about Being Plumville and the story's setting and the story's, well, story, and it has just about everything to do with it. I tell you when I first started writing it, the year 1968 just popped into my head because it sounded far enough away from the current year (then 2004) but recent enough that it's still tangible in its access. 40 years isn't a long time. I have cousins older than that--a brother older than that! Both my parents, both my uncles and my aunts are older than that. We're all affected by that, and to write about a mixed-race couple who have to deal with all that upheaval and still find their way to each other and have current readers, many of whom weren't alive 40 years ago and many who definitely were; readers of all genders and races; able to relate to that . . . it means a lot. So thank you all. Truly. Truly, truly, truly.

Sav

Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards

I didn't become a finalist *woe*, but I did get a very pleasant judge's rating and comments, and a shiny certificate for my participation.

Updates and Reviews

I have been doing writing, just none of it original. So, I've been on a mini-hiatus, re-reading old works to hopefully get myself back into the swing of things. I've also entered a Contest on Gather.com, bit late notice since the voting for Round One ended two days ago, but I figure I should tell you anyway. Again, I've pretty much been avoiding anything having to do with writing in order to get a creative refuel so to speak.

Finally, I have a review from Cocktail Reviews for Being Plumville. Go check it out and spread the word about Being Plumville or me in general :-P.

I hope everyone is having a great day and wearing black to support the Jena 6 (I am.)

Quagmire

That's been my life for the past week, so I apologize for dropping off the face of the proverbial earth. Yes, this week was sent Priority mail from hell, complete with getting more rejections for Manna Tree and RJC than I ever thought possible, so I'm going to need a weekend to recover. All e-mails and such will be answered, now that I have my computer back *snuggles*, and maybe, just maybe, I'll gathered the tatters of my imagination and creativity and write something worthy of posting.

Don't hold breaths, though.

Two bright spots--saw a dear friend of mine at the bus stop yesterday. She's in town for a year, yay! That makes me happy. Also, RAWSISTAZ gave Being Plumville a five-star review on Amazon. I'm not upset at that, either :).

Anyway, I hope everyone's week has been way better than mine.

A Really Nice Reivew

I received this one yesterday, and I was humbled and proud the reader thought the way s/he did. So, whoever wrote you, thank you.

~~~~~

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: Quirky Title, but Excellent Read!, May 15, 2007 By 1Lovely "the wannabe critic" (No Cal) - See all my reviews This book details an interracial love story of two true soulmates. Two indiviuals destined to be together since childhood it seems. Set in the turbulent 60's on a college campus the two main characters grow into their own identities as they fall in love. I was hesitant about reading this book, because usually books set in the 60's don't "get it." But this book was dead on. The references to the times, the speech patterns of the characters, the attitudes of the small southern towns where it was set and idealistic bullheadedness of the students was right on target! The characters and their conflicts were realistic, their difficulties believable. This author is deserving of the accolades she has received and I look forward to seeing more from her in the future. Comment | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

Seems the conversating has paid off . . .

I just got my first Amazon review! Thank you so much JoJo Dancer! *hugs*

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

Search Customer Reviews

One of the best IR books I have read, April 21, 2007 Reviewer: JoJo Dancer (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews This was a wonderful book. The characters were very believable and the relationship between Benny and Ceelee was realistic. I bought the book 2 weeks ago and I have read it 3 times. Comment | Was this review helpful to you?

In which Sav needs to learn to be a little more shameless

Hello, everyone!

So, Being Plumville has been out for a week (two weeks, if you pay attention to the listings on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com . . . which I don't . . . because until you could throw in my name or title in the search box and get something back, it's not "out", as it was.) and some people have told me they have received their books, going to get their books, have read their books, etc. To you, I say thank you. I also have a request. If you purchased the books through Amazon or Barnes and Noble, could you please spare a moment and write an honest review? If you got the book and it let you down, that's a very valid review to tell other readers. If you got the book and it exceeded your expectations, that's even better. If you got the book and it met your expectations, then let potential readers know that, too. As a reader, I know I am swayed by reviews I read and word of mouth. I know word-of-mouth is still among the most powerful ways to get the buzz going, so anyway you can do that--be it online or to your friends, coworkers, etc, that would be amazing.

(Listen to your own advice, Sav).

*sigh*

Yeah . . . I'm working on it. The lovely ladies at RICH have been most helpful in . . . helping me! *big hugs to them*

And thanks so much to you! I stole the IP map from Jo . . . because I thought it was so cool to see where people are from. I've pulled Thailand, Japan, and Southern Africa so far, which is amazing *waves to you all*. I think I know who the people from Europe are, so *waves to you, too*. And to all the rest in the US of A, especially the West Coast, thanks for visiting! Feel free to say hello!

Also, on the left sidebar I put up a link to show where you can "Browse Before You Buy"; it's the prologue and first chapter of the novel.

I hope everyone is enjoying her Sunday (or Monday if you're on the other side of the world!)

*hugs*

Sav

Overwhelmed (in less than a good way)

Yes. My book is out in the universe thanks to iUniverse.

Now I feel at a lost, stumped, and downright mentally exhausted. All I keep hearing now from my family is "what's the plan?"

I know I need a marketing plan. I really do; I'm not so naive not to know that. However, I couldn't even begin to know where to start. Outside of my (apparently hit-or-miss) web site, my blog and my google group, as well as telling all of my friends via e-mail, facebook, IM, and the various other messageboards I'm on, I pretty much was relying on word-of-mouth to help me along. I am not a planner. I am a writer. I understood when I first decided to thumb my nose at NY establishment that I would have to bear the brunt of everything, but as someone who works, is working on way too many other novels, and is just so god-awfully shy, I'm feeling daunted, quite frankly. I do not think of my writing as a hobby at all, but I'd like one minute for me to catch my breath before I go hawking my book to people who don't know me, probably don't care to know me, and, in light of the present racial culture out there, would probably think my novel is the Black Plague, Small Pox, and the Bird Flu all rolled into one. Added to that, I've only gotten two reviews on my book (outside of people who know me personally telling me what they think of it.) That review on B&N is looking awfully lonely, and Amazon has nothing up. Be careful what you wish for, Sav. I know, I know, but I have no idea how many books I've sold outside what iUniverse is telling me, which is a grand total of one actual book and seven e-books. I KNOW I've sold more than that because my friend just texted and said she got a book, as well as two people from TST telling me they just purchased it. I sent it off to Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards, so hopefully I'll get good news from that, and in general, I feel very lost, flopping around; a grounded bird. Yes, I've been busy at work, but the inspiration to write other things is gone. I have VS and GS and TF (poor, poor, neglected TB) but nothing is flowing. I need time to unwind, but I need a marketing plan.

Did I mention I don't have one? I thought I should again.

I have a new appreciation for professional writers now. I just do. Much props.

My First Review: Being Plumville

I thought I'd share from the Barnes and Noble web site:

A reviewer, fan of good IR fiction, 04/07/2007

One reader's review

Being Plumville is one of the better I/R romances that I have had the opportunity to read. Ms. Frierson's depictions of the south and the ultimate love and tenderness between Ben and Ceelee is poignant and real. This is definitely a read I would recommend and I look forward to reading more from this author.

*dies*

Whoever wrote that, I'm so thankful and grateful! I really and truly appreciate it! *hugs*

I'm a Ms.Frierson! lol So cool!