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Forum -> Hobbies, Crafts, and Collections -> The Imamother Writing Club

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View latest: 24h 48h 72h

simcha2

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 4:53 pm

Kiwi13 wrote:

These actually aren't mine! Believe it or not there are TWO Naomi Shulman Jewish children's book authors! We finally connected on LinkedIn and discussed the confusion. It's kind of hysterical.

That is too funny. They are some of the only pj library books where the characters could conceivably be frum.

Kiwi13

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 4:54 pm

singleagain wrote:

You know it made me think of the recent Stephanie Meyer book midnight sun which was the twilight story from Edward's perspective and oh my God I ate that up I would so read the next three books from Edward's perspective also

So I'm just anticipating a really good series from you. Like I'm already excited for the book because I know I'm going to get to read the other characters perspectives.

And thank you I really hope to tell my story too I actually once mentioned I feel like I once mentioned something slight about it on this website and someone didn't believe me and it just boggles my mind because you know why you don't believe it because you never hear of it and you never hear of it because you don't think it really happens It's a vicious circle Thank you for your well wishes

Sorry for the voice to text

You're giving me tons of motivation!!! Yay!!! :-)
Please do something with your story. The fact that people have trouble believing you shows how much we need it.

Goody2shoes

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 4:55 pm

I feel like all the books in the frum world are about divorce or how sad it is to have an addict of any sort in the family. time to branch out a bit

Kiwi13

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 5:01 pm

amother [ Beige ] wrote:

the frum world definitely needs more quality books. I feel this dilemna is a lot of the issue. As a reader, I'm tired of the same 3 regurgitated 'shallow' storylines that all books seem to have. I hate that from one moment to the next suddenly there's a new baby that's turned up with nary a mention of the pregnancy let alone labor/birth. And most of the books seem so 2d as there is whole chunks of reality that are missing. I get that because the frum market is so small, the books are for teens and adults and they want to keep the frum people buying, but sometimes I really wish we could have books for women. Books where niddah is mentioned (horror), awkward moments where the wife has to run to mikva, pregnancy and all its glory, all everyday stuff that obviously won't get mentioned in a 'frum' book.
But then all the good authors just say it's not worth writing jewish books.

See? And this is exactly the sentiment that makes me want to keep trying. I want to contribute quality books to the frum world.

Kiwi13

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 5:02 pm

wannabamom wrote:

I feel like all the books in the frum world are about divorce or how sad it is to have an addict of any sort in the family. time to branch out a bit

This one's different! Ooh I hope there's a way to get into the frum market. Listen, it might not be as well received as I hope, but it's a breath of fresh air if nothing else. ;-)

tp3

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 5:09 pm

Another vote for My Sister has a Scooter!

I read anything but I'll only bring books into my house that are appropriate for my teens to read.

Kiwi13

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 5:12 pm

tp3 wrote:

Another vote for My Sister has a Scooter!

I read anything but I'll only bring books into my house that are appropriate for my teens to read.

How do you define appropriate?

amother

Coffee

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 5:25 pm

singleagain wrote:

Don't sacrifice your art.

People have to realize there are other jews then the same ones in their daled amos.

I told my story of my divorce and stuff to someone on this site was writing a book about depression when the front publisher sanitized my story I had it pulled because you can't sanitize my story it happened and maybe it will happen to someone else and that's why I wanted it out there but that they won't publish it even though it happens to people

I'm sorry this is a little bit touchy for me because stuff happens and if you don't know that it happens then how do you know where to reach out for help

And to read about it having representation is so so so important

Please don't sacrifice your art I am so interested in it especially in the fact that it's you mentioned that you would tell the same story from different points of view I can't even tell you how much that interests me

Please please please don't sacrifice your artPlease please please don't sacrifice your art

What was your story?

Crookshanks

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 5:29 pm

Kiwi13 wrote:

How do you define appropriate?

No inappropriate language, no TH, no physical relationship between men and women.
That's my standard anyway.

Kiwi13

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 5:33 pm

Crookshanks wrote:

No inappropriate language, no TH, no physical relationship between men and women.
That's my standard anyway.

Awesome! So I've got that covered, minus minor inappropriate language (rump, hell, OMG).

I'll be seeking out beta readers when I have a solid draft ready. That should help me troubleshoot any problem areas.

Crookshanks

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 5:38 pm

Kiwi13 wrote:

Pick me pick me!!!

PinkFridge

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 5:39 pm

Kiwi13 wrote:

-Minor language advisory (rump, hell, "oh my God," etc. nothing worse than that).
-Main character has a boyfriend
-Some mention of drugs (nothing too detailed)
-The plot on the whole is "out there" by frum standards, but in my opinion it shouldn't be a sticking point, even with the acceptable guidelines issue.

Premise: Grown woman wakes up one morning as a high school student, has to unravel the mystery which involves some dark secrets. It toes the line between YA and adult fiction and blends a few genres, mystery/thriller/drama with a heavy dose of humor. MC is a firecracker. (Funny how you grow attached to your characters when you write a book!)

I worked very carefully to develop full, believable characters. MC, ancillary, villains... doesn't matter. They all have their own side and believable motives. Eventually I want to write a companion book for this one, telling it from a different perspective since there's a whole lot more beneath the surface. I could probably the entire story from at least two other character's perspectives and create an entirely new book out of each. I've been mapping that out as well, making sure any aligning points match up, in case this book is hopefully successful.

If you market it to the outside world, lots of luck. I recently read a very engagingly written YA book, Me and Bansky. Besides boy girl stuff there was also adult stuff, girl girl crushes, pc hashkafa.

I don't read enough secular books to tell you how essential this might be but you might run into problems. Also, I know of some frum women who write/wrote in the secular world but don't know of frum women writing YA. If they're out there, they would probably be very helpful.

icedcoffee

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 5:50 pm

I love /r/nosleep!! In addition how awesome everything else sounds, it's so cool that you write there too.

ra_mom

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 5:54 pm

Can you pitch directly to the publishers used last time? See what their feedback is and go from there.

amother

Gold

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 6:26 pm

My dream is to publish secular and then market frum. Especially if people know your other books. You can market it to the frum community and those who rely on the publishers haskamah won't read it, but they anyway wouldn't consider it appropriate anyway, and people like those posters here who are desperate for good quality frum literature will, but their standards aren't as constricting won't necessarily mind the lack of frum publisher. JMHO

Kiwi13

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 6:39 pm

Crookshanks wrote:

Pick me pick me!!!

Haha I thought you don't like thriller/mysteries? :-)

Kiwi13

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 6:40 pm

ra_mom wrote:

Can you pitch directly to the publishers used last time? See what their feedback is and go from there.

Only one of them is shiach and it was declined for the reasons I put earlier.

Kiwi13

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 6:42 pm

icedcoffee wrote:

I love /r/nosleep!! In addition how awesome everything else sounds, it's so cool that you write there too.

Awesome! Hello fellow r/nosleep fan. :-) I found my place more in r/WholesomeNoSleep but they're both good!

Do you have anything up in either that I could read?

singleagain

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 6:44 pm

Crookshanks wrote:

Pick me pick me!!!

Me too

singleagain

Wed, Apr 21 2021, 6:46 pm

amother [ Coffee ] wrote:

What was your story?

Voice to text

It's basically what I've written in the past before I was about my divorce and depression which.... Well bekitzur .. I had some issues in my marriage difficulty talking about it which led to depression which put me in a denial which made my husband walk out on me because " I can't deal with the stress your illness is putting on me " and ended up in a pretty downward spiral for several years that even now a decade later though I'm still feeling some of that difficulty.... One reason why it's so hard for me to want to get married and trust again is because of how badly he handled everything but I digress

The reason the publishers pulled my story was because I described myself that the parts I noticed that they pulled out were things that I said like they cut out that I wear flip-flops shorter sleeves in the summer that I like to go to Broadway shows and the details of the issues in my marriage which were intimacy related

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