How do I deal with writer’s block? By thinking out of the box and letting my creative side run wild and not being afraid or hesitant to grasp experiences, such as family and friend activities and seasonality changes, and turn them into writable opportunities. Simply taking my children to a birthday party where I might observe them as I sit and wait for them, I may actively listen to the conversations of the children and get lost in their thought processes until I am keenly aware of ideas for a story. The change of seasons sparks my creative juices. These incidences generate nuggets of concepts that jump start and stimulate my thought processes for writing a new story, furthering the development of new characters, new scenes and settings, and new story lines playing out in my brain. The more experiences I have in life with my husband and children, the more ideas pop into my head for new stories.

So how do I put these new ideas into action? There are several ways, and some of my favorites include the following: Before falling to sleep, I ponder them to spark a dream to bring the idea to life. Or I might go to my quiet place with a cup of tea to brainstorm and write random thoughts related or not related to my idea to give it a burst of life. Or I take a few moments to revisit the idea before doing some routine cleaning such as vacuuming or dusting so I can unconsciously float the ideas around in my mind.

April Michelle Davis and her book, A Princess in Disguise, were featured on June 14, 2017, on Diane Burton’s blog Meet the Author Thursday.

Excerpt:

“How long does it take you to write A Princess in Disguise?

“I began thinking about this storyline before there was even a story to write. I grew up with both my parents. After school, I enjoyed watching the Disney cartoons. As I watched Aladdin, I soon realized that the mother of Jasmine was not included in the movie nor in the cartoons, and I began to wonder why or where she was. This realization had me search storylines for the whereabouts of mothers. The mere mention of a character’s mother got my attention. Yet, I eventually set aside these ideas.

“When I was in high school, I thought that my ideas could be turned into an interesting story so I began expanding on them. I wrote from my heart until I could write no more, yet the book was not finished. I let my peers read my manuscript hoping that their aspirations for me would drive me forward, yet I set my manuscript aside.

“As a grown woman, I joined a book club where I meant another writer, a writer who inspired me to finish my book by the energy that she expressed through writing and the bond of our same love of writing. I finally finished my book and then the editing began. We edited the book and even had agents request and review the manuscript. Again, I set it aside.

“Then in 2012, my writing partner was murdered, and I could not bear to look at my princess manuscript. In 2014, I met a man who could help me publish my manuscript and who pushed me to do it in honor of my writing partner, and I began editing the book again. Iguana Press initiated a crowdfund to see if there was interest in the story and gain initial funds for the book’s production. Midway through the crowdfunding, the campaign suddenly came to a halt as the sale of the crowdfund site fell through and all campaigns were suddenly ended. Though the remaining days of my campaign was held at another site, the momentum that had been building had ceased.

“Upon completion of the campaign, the formal editing process began—with myself in the writer’s seat. With my mother as my assistant in helping to review the manuscript, we pushed the book publishing company’s editors to their limits because I would not settle for less.

“My book A Princess in Disguise is about a princess on a quest. On the night of her sixteenth birthday and before her father has the chance to force her to marry a complete stranger, Princess Margaret sneaks away from the riches and safety of the palace. Torn between her fate and freedom, Princess Margaret desperately goes looking for her mother as the answer. In a quest of soul searching and physical hardships, the twist of events may take the readers by surprise, instilling a piece of the story in their hearts.

“Today, I acknowledge SaraJane in my book as the lady who inspired me, my dear book club friend. A Princess in Disguise is available on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, and through other book outlets. Or a signed copy can be ordered directly from me at aprilmichelledavis.com.”

April Michelle Davis and the main male character Huntley in her young adult book A Princess in Disguise were the headliners at the Short Pump Town Center Crazy 8 on July 29, 2017. The more April Michelle introduces her young audience to her book, the more she sees that the interest of her potential male readers has been increasing. April Michelle is pleased that her book is reaching both girls and boys through the adventures that Huntley and Princess Margaret experience together and the special message the April Michelle has written within the pages of A Princess in Disguise for all young adults to embrace and live by as the golden rule is realized in today’s culture.

April Michelle Davis and her middle-grade book A Princess in Disguise held a second book signing at the Barnes & Noble, Short Pump Town Center, in Richmond, Virginia, on May 20, 2017. April Michelle was delighted to greet and meet the public, sign copies of her book, answer questions about the book and the publishing  process, and to introduce her website for princesses and readers of her book.

April Michelle had prepared a unique gift for all those who stopped by her table: coloring sheets that April Michelle designed herself using the illustrations from her book with a quote from the book that described the illustration. You can request your copy of A Princess in Disguise autographed by April Michelle along with a set of her coloring sheets.