Once again it’s time for the weekly Sunday Brunch with ZA Maxfield! This week, we have one awesome friend joining us! Please welcome Z. Allora!

This week’s question is: “What have you learned about yourself from writing?“

***BIG NEWS*** From now on, instead of the ebooks we’ve been awarding as prizes, I’ll be giving out a $5.00 Amazon gift card so readers can use it for the ebook (or other Amazon purchase) of their choice. All you have to do is comment below for your chance to win!

Last week’s winner is Kat! Congrats! You should be receiving an email from me shortly.

Without further ado, let’s hear from Z!

I CAN’T SMELL

Sounds weird I know, but with my allergies and asthma I usually can’t smell much. So having the character’s savor the aroma of something is difficult for me. Usually a critique partner will ask, “What does it smell like?”

 

Also, my men wear only things I’m not allergic to, such as amber, vanilla, lavender, or Double Black Polo… I actively search for colognes that won’t send me into a sneezing fit or close my throat so my guys can wear something new.

 

Okay and you might of me asking my Pretty ones on Facebook what ejaculate smells like… the answers were surprising! Well, my characters wouldn’t tell me!

 

 

MY STUTTER AFFECTS MY WRITING

I know that sounds odd, but it’s true. If you’ve met me you may not know I stutter because I’m usually able to jump over the words I can’t say. This results in me not successfully getting my point across to the listener, so I repeat myself, trying to get closer to what I am trying to say.

It was pointed out to me that I didn’t use the entire English language and, surprise, surprise, I repeated myself. As I analyzed my writing I realized I wrote as I talked. Since my talking is impaired… I’m learning to adjust my writing.

 

 

I LOVE SHARING MY TRAVEL EXPERIENCES

I’ve been lucky enough to travel to thirty countries, and have lived a number of years overseas in Singapore, Israel and China. I tend not to show pictures to my family or friends of the places I’ve been, but I LOVE sharing my experiences through my writing. I try to bring the reader along with me to the locations I’ve visited to share the unique cultures.

 

The Great Wall: My would-be rockers moved into my old apartment in Suzhou. They go to the same gardens I enjoyed and slid down The Great Wall exactly as I did. Their first real gig is in a beer garden restaurant I used to frequent.

 

With Wings: Angel whisks Dare off to Bali. I take the reader to the temple dances and artisans’ villages. I stayed in the unique villas Dare and Angel spend their time in. Though I wasn’t writing music like my characters were I was writing their story.

 

Illusions & Dreams: I truly love Thailand, and I share it with my readers. I take the reader to ladyboy shows, the Tiger Temple, to be bitten by a baby tiger, and to tourist destinations like the crowded weekend market and the Grand Palace.

 

Many of my character’s experiences are my own.  In Illusions & Dreams and in The Great Wall I have an America character(s) experiencing the foreign culture. It allows an examination of the differences but also find the similarities.

 

Writing some free readers for The Dark Angels I’ve been put into a tailspin. Two of my characters go to the north of India. I’ve only been to the South and writing about a place I haven’t experienced first hand is very difficult for me. It is more difficult for me to place the characters in the experiences. But I’m working on it.

 

LIVING OVERSEAS STOLE MY VOCABULARY

If you’ve been out of the country or talked with someone who didn’t speak English as their first language, you know you need to make language accommodations or you’ll never be understood.

You speak simply as you can, usually with accompanying hand gestures. You never use contractions. Smaller words are best. Interesting words are confusing so are to be avoided.

It’s been a fight but slowly, after two years, my words are coming back.

 

I NEED MY TRIBE

Until I found this community of readers and writers I didn’t quite fit in. I had a couple of close friends and that was it. People never quite understood me. However, through my writing I’ve been allowed to connect with so many wonderful people, I feel as though I found my place in the world. I found where I belong and I thank each of you for that.

 

YOUR TURN

Do tell what have you learned about yourself from reading or writing? I always want to know what you think.

Hugs, Z. Allora

 

Buy Links for Illusions and Dreams: Dreamspinner Press

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Thank you to  Z. Allora for joining us this week!