Where Genres Collide Traci Dowe YA Author

Making Life Better by Traci Kenworth/Dowe

Making Life Better

Traci Dowe/Kenworth

Mar. 10, 2024

I hardly know where to begin. Well, maybe it’s best to begin with the name change. I like Traci Kenworth as a pen name and hope to continue to use it on short story writing. However, I have been taking Apex classes and I’ve learned that maybe Kenworth would be too close to another famous author in the book section.

Not that I think I’d compare to him, but I don’t want to have my books turned aside because a better known author comes out with a new book. Therefore, I wanted to go with something a bit closer to my Maiden name which is where this journey all began.

So, I shortened my Maiden name by one letter and came up with Traci Dowe. I plan to traditional publish my YA under this name. On the other hand, I’ve decided to also Indie publish my romances under Loleta Abi. I guess that’ll make me a hybrid writer.

The classes at Apex are wonderful and the instructors awesome. I am taking a course called The Triarchy Method with September Fawkes right now. There have been some familiar topics but a lot of things I didn’t realize or look into before.

Theme, for instance, I’m having a bit of trouble with that in class right now. Now, I know the basic theme of my story is about good versus evil. I just didn’t realize that underneath it all, my story is about control and fear versus love and acceptance.

In the past, I didn’t give much thought to theme except for the broad good versus evil. I’m learning when you narrow things down, make them more specific and concrete, you end up with a better story. That’s what we all want: a better story than the puddle we start with, lol.

These posts are going to be rotated with another on this blog and vice versa on the Loleta Abi site twice a month. Yes, they are new topics but exploring the options is always a good thing. I’m still not all the way moved in. In fact, it may take me forever, lol, but I’m getting there.

I will be starting a newsletter in April via Substack. I like the way the posts run on there (obviously, not the controversial ones) but the newsletters written by other authors. They can connect with other writers as well as readers in a way I haven’t seen in a long time on a platform.

A lot of the newsletters from authors are pay-to-support their craft but there are some that are free too. I enjoy both types. The pay ones are more in depth, of course.

The following are some links to posts I found helpful or interesting:

1. Syl’s 65 blog #SoulfulSunday 2/4/24 – Syl65’s Blog (wordpress.com). Always has a way with words.
2. Anne R. Allen’s Blog…with Ruth Harris Fake Law Enforcement Scams are Targeting Writers (annerallen.com), These scammers are getting vicious,
3. Writers Helping Writers with Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Matriarch – WRITERS HELPING WRITERS® DESCRIPTION: A female elder who rules over her family, tribe, or clan.

FICTIONAL EXAMPLES: Catelyn Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire), Lady Jessica (Dune), Mother Abagail (The Stand), Madea Simmons (the Madea franchise), Abuela Alma (Encanto)

COMMON STRENGTHS: Adaptable, Ambitious, Analytical, Bold, Calm, Cautious, Confident, Decisive, Disciplined, Discreet, Focused, Inspirational, Just, Loyal, Nurturing, Organized, Persuasive, Protective, Resourceful, Responsible, Traditional, Wise

• Rosie Amber 🌺More Spring Pretties From My Hampshire Garden. #SixOnSaturday #GardeningX | Rosie Amber (wordpress.com) Bring on the flowers and a mystery!
• Myths of the Mirror 24 Seasons of Poetry: Spring into Winter | Myths of the Mirror
• AC Flory Paypal email scam, 2024 | Meeka’s Mind (wordpress.com) I just received an email, purportedly a ‘receipt’, that referenced Paypal AND addressed me by my full name. This is a screenshot of the body of the email: The most I’ve received lately are a certain candidate’s team members texts which amount to threats if I don’t vote for him. What lovely people these are! (sarcasm, of course).
• Angel Messages Angel Messages Mar 9 2024 | Annette Rochelle Aben (wordpress.com)
• Books and Such #BlogTour What Grows in the Dark by Jaq Evans #YA #horror #thriller – Books and Such (teripolen.com) The Babadook meets The Blair Witch Project in this chilling contemporary horror novel about confronting trauma. When fake spiritualist Brigit returns home to investigate the disappearance of two teenagers, the case eerily echoes her own sister’s death sixteen years earlier.

This chilling tale of siblings, the emotional toll of the places you once called home, and the necessity of confronting and moving beyond past trauma brings together the psychological horror of The Babadook with the found footage and supernatural eeriness of The Blair Witch Project.

• Fiction Favorites Sally Cronin shares A Good News Story | Fiction Favorites (johnwhowell.com) Sally has a feature where she highlights posts from blogger’s archives. Today she is featuring a Good News story from September 28th 2023 from Fiction Favorites.

Sally is. the biggest supporter of Indy authors on the planet and her site is worth a visit to check out how you can participate with her help. She is also a talented author and her books are worth visiting as well.

1. Smorgasbord Magazine Smorgasbord Book Promotions – New Book Spotlight – #Romance #PostWWII – A Beggar’s Bargain by Jan Sikes | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine (wordpress.com) Lots to love here!
2. Chris the Story Reading Ape Useful tips from Kate… | Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog (thestoryreadingapeblog.com)
3. Ann Allen’s blog…with Ruth Harris It’s the Age of AI: How to Survive and Thrive as a Writer (annerallen.com) Whether it’s making new music or creating social media personalities, AI has dabbled into everything around us, including writing. This brings us to the one major question – Will human writers become obsolete?

While artificial intelligence programs can certainly assist writers with ideas and inspiration, some can completely replace writers in specific fields. However, despite being quick and cheap, AI-generated content lacks the emotion, reasoning, and creativity of the human mind.

With AI on the rise, it has become more important now than ever to protect and reward human writing and educate others about how artificial intelligence cannot replace them entirely.

After all, humans “connect” through art, culture, music, and literature, and no amount of tech can bring that to the table.

1. Nail Your Novel Everyone says: why the rule about dialogue tags isn’t cast iron – Nail Your Novel (wordpress.com) I’ve seen dialogue tags discussed a few times recently on writing forums.

The discussion goes like this.

‘When writing a piece of dialogue, do you need synonyms for “said”? Doesn’t it get boring for the reader? What about words with a bit more expression, such as exclaimed or spat or shouted or yelled?’ 

1.   Steve Laube.com Fun Fridays – March 8, 2024 – (stevelaube.com)

Currently reading: I am working on getting my books unboxed to find the ones I was reading before the move including my Bible. I am using an app called the Book Collector to keep track of what I have and note any extras. The app also does movies, comic books, etc. However, it does cost $29.95 a year. The low price is worth it!

Currently watching: Honestly, I don’t watch TV much anymore. I’m spending my time taking Apex courses which also costs $29.95 but per month, not year. There is a yearly option but I’m on the budget-side of town, so…

Have a great day, take care, and God bless!