Getting Back in Gear: Plans for the Future with My Writing Career and My Blog

Hey, everyone. JDE here.

As of late, I have been very busy with my side projects, so much so that I’ve haven’t gotten enough time or energy to check in on you guys outside of my “JDE on Medium” segments. Lately, I’ve been so caught up with life that it’s easy to forget about my main writer profile and platform regarding my stories on Amazon. And since it’s the summer rush, I’m very busy with keeping myself occupied with my side projects. But I hope to make some changes very soon as I get back on my feet after spending this weekend with a nasty sinus infection that required bed rest. Even now, I’m feeling stuffed up. Hopefully, I can start creating more blog posts in the future. 

Anyway, I’m still letting the rough draft of “The Beautifully Damned and the Eternally Blessed” rest a little before I get to work with revising and editing before it’s ready for the premiere on Amazon by this holiday season. My main goal for its premiere was originally before Thanksgiving, but I decided to wait until around Christmastime so I could get ready for yet another project from my “Vigilantes Among Us” series. All the same, I want to make sure that my first-ever adult-oriented murder mystery novel is going to be a game-changing experience since it’s likely to be very controversial in more ways than one. I told myself that one day I would write this novel no matter how scandalous the storyline may become and how it might put me in a negative spotlight. I’ve been playing it safe for the longest with family-friendly novellas. It’s time for me to shake things up while showcasing a different side of myself. You might love me or hate me for this, but I’m not backing down. Once the holiday season arrives and I launch this novel, I will be taking the next big leap in my writing career.

As for this blog, there will be some changes coming this fall. Even as I work on my side projects and getting ready to edit my mystery novel, I want to make sure that I enter a new chapter of my life once my birthday arrives and I let go of any and every inhibitions that keep me from my potential. I’ll come clean and say that I’m my worst enemy when it comes to being a creator at times. I strongly believe in the old saying “you’re only as good as your last work,” so I am constantly competing against myself to create something totally new in the literary world whether it’s for my eyes only or ready for the general population or even saved for a special audience in the future. It’s a challenge to get something out because I fear of failure as a writer, of having my grandfather being proven right of me being a writer is not a real career. I want to show him that I am a great artist of words no matter if it’s a success or a failure. But there are certain stories that I can’t show him since he’s a minister and my family’s from a faith-based community. So this year is when I’ll let go all the inhibitions and start coming clean with who I really am to you all. You might give me the hook or the ovation for it, but it is what it is and I am who I can only be. Love me or hate me for it.

With that said, I will be checking in as often as possible, but there are no guarantees at the moment other than the “JDE on Medium” segments. I love you guys so much and I will see you guys later this week!

“JDE on Medium” Segment: My Collection of Stories

The following is now available to read on my Medium blog page. Click here to read more.

If I can be honest with you guys about something?

Since 2018, I’ve written more than around 10 novels and several short stories. And that’s a lot given that I’m still a novice writer trying to make it big in the literary world.

I guess it’s because writing my first set of short stories did it back in 2016 when I was mainly writing to escape the boredom of my mediocre life. By then, I was trying to figure out my place in life while wondering how I can start improving my lifestyle (That’s another story for another time). I mean, I never really gave being a full-time writer much thought until I began writing what would be the first of my ongoing superhero teen-fiction series “A Nerd Among Heroes: The Memoir of Xavier Reeves” in 2018. That was when I knew that I wanted to be a successful writer more than everything.

Since my book was launched on Amazon through KDP, I began the onslaught journey of writing many stories and wanting to take my budding writing career more seriously. I even began participating in NaNoWriMo for some projects (some of which became part of my superhero teen fiction serials) while letting myself go the distance. Even now, I’ve been testing my limits of what it means to be a great writer.

Now, some of my stories are meant for the general public- especially when it comes to my conservative family in the Deep South USA. But the rest are either for my eyes only or for a special audience because those stories can be quite controversial for my faith-based family members and their friends. Again, you guys, there are some secrets that certain writers don’t like to share. But as for my completed murder-mystery novel, I like to think that the project itself is going to be the start of something entirely new for my career. Why? Because- and I’ve also said this before but it’s worth mentioning again- I’ve been playing it safe for the longest and I want to try something new at the time.

As for how many stories I’ve written exactly, I’ve lost count. But I still have WAY more stories to share with the world- whether it’s during my lifetime or when I’m long gone. I mean, who can say what the next best thing might be when everything seems to be changing nowadays? All I know is that I love storytelling and how I’ve been channeling my innermost secrets and thoughts into my masterpieces. So whether you all give me the hook or the ovation, I am who I am as an artist and whether you love me for it or not is none of my concern. I put it all down on digital or literal paper. Because EVERYONE has a story to tell, ladies and germs.

The Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Hello, everyone!

With today being Martin Luther King Jr. Day, most government offices and schools are closed to commemorate the holiday as people remember the life and legacy of the civil rights activist who fought to end segregation and racism. Though there’s still a lot of work to be done to ensure equal rights are available to people from ALL walks of life, I still believe that there will be a day where hatred will be eradicated and everyone will only be judged by their character. Freedom for all is coming tomorrow, my fine people. Imagine what a world it can be like once people can stop with the bais and systematic racism. I end this simple blog post with a quote from one of my favorite musician group: “If everyone cared and nobody cried. If everyone loved and nobody lied. If everyone shared and swallowed their pride, then we’d see the day that nobody died.” Remember those words, my friends. If we learned to love, give freely and generously, and swallowed their arrogance; imagine what a world of prosperity, harmony, and love it can be like for our future generations! God bless you all and I hope you all have a fabulous day!